At what point does Miz get labeled "one of the greats."

[That N Word]

Miz is a guy who debuted in WWE twelve years ago. In his twelve years, he has one every male title in the company with the exception of World Heavyweight (mainly because he was on Raw at the time), ECW, and Universal (yet) Championships.

Miz started off hated with a lot of heat backstage that's no secret. However, over the years Miz has earned a lot of respect and has become one of the most respected vets in the locker room because of his work ethic. The man never complains, he just goes out there and does it. On the current roster, there's nobody that works harder and is more loyal to the company except maybe John Cena.

Last October, Miz and Dolph Ziggler engaged in a main event level storyline over the Intercontinental Championship and brought the prestige up. Over the last 5 years, nobody has done more for that title than them two. Truth is, Miz has made the title the most prestigious it has been since the infamous Attitude Era.

Miz has had a legendary career, no doubt but at what point does he deserve the right to be called a "WWE Legend?" Back in 2012, Mick Foley told CM Punk he was "One moment away from becoming a legend." Question is, How far off is Miz?

I know there's a lot of people who feel you have to be a 6+ time World Champ to even be considered near that category for whatever reason, but Miz has left his mark as one of the greatest heels and IC Champs (if not the greatest) ever.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I guess that depends on what you mean by "one of the greats" as there can be different definitions. Now when you hear that phrase, I think it's natural that most people automatically start thinking of wrestlers who were/are long term, main event guys and Miz doesn't fall into that category. Miz has had 1 reign as WWE Champion that ended on May 11, 2011 after 160 days as champ, a reign that I personally enjoyed but Miz was crucified at the time by internet fans and dirt sheet writers who constantly bitched that Miz cheated to retain the title, yet these same fans and writers would give someone like Bobby Roode a pass and rave about his 1st World Championship run in TNA despite almost always cheating to retain; they said it made Miz look weak but they didn't say that about Roode as Roode was one of "their guys" and Miz wasn't. In this day and age, 1 World Championship run usually isn't enough to rank you among "one of the greats" as the days of major pro wrestling companies having year+ long reigns are gone; an exception can be found in All Japan, New Japan and a few Mexican promotions but titles matches aren't nearly as frequent as they are here. After all, it's generally easier to have a longer run as champion when the champion doesn't defend his/her title for often 3 or 4 months at a time, sometimes even longer.

However, Miz has to be looked at as "one of the greats" as it pertains to mid-card wrestlers. It's unfortunate that modern fans look at someone who's career has mainly been a mid-carder as someone who has the plague. Guys like Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Ricky Steamboat spent all or virtually all of their careers wrestling as mid-card/tag team guys, but you're liable to get chewed out by many if you don't refer to Steamboat in particular as "one of the greats." Miz had a memorable run as WWE Champion, 2 runs as United States Champion, is currently on his 7th run as Intercontinental Champion and is a 6 time Tag Team Champion; before his career is ultimately finished, I expect he'll beat Chris Jericho's record and will have held the IC title for a total of at least 10 times.

You can have a great and rewarding career as a mid-card wrestler and Miz is proof of that. He's someone that's worked really hard and has only within the last 18 months or so really begun to be recognized for that hard work. While he may never be in the upper echelon of guys who're viewed as THE overall greats, he has to be looked at as one of the most prolific mid-card guys in the history of WWE.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

He will never be viewed as a legend because of this stigma that exists around Miz that he is awful and you aren’t supposed to like him. For reasons true and untrue, it’s just a thing that you can’t like Miz because he isn’t an indy darling and doesn’t do the flippies and was always a much better talker than in ring worker (though his ring work isn’t bad). He is basically everything people criticize WWE development for.

Without a doubt though he is one of the best WWE products ever and I want to see him break Jericho’s IC title record because Miz has done more for that belt since the brand split than Jericho ever did.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

I wouldn't class him as one of the greats as I don't believe his in ring work is at the top level.

To be one of the greats, in my opinion, you need to be getting top marks in every category. He is great on the mic, probably top 5 I've ever heard, he is great during his matches as the heel, no matter how he wins, he does it brilliantly, but I can't buy into his offence.

The Daniel Bryan kicks he does look weak, his clothesline where he jumps his legs through the ropes doesn't have enough impact, I think the SCF lacks impact (when he does it, he drops quite slow compared to the force of a Zig Zag, RKO, Pop Up Powerbomb or Dirty Deeds as examples). I can't think of a high impact move he does that I look at thinking it could hurt. Even his backbreaker/neckbreaker combo doesn't come off very forceful.

Until he puts that aggressive edge into his offence, I don't think I would consider him one of the 'Greats' but in 9/10 categories he is there. Just a little bit to go and I think he could be top Heel in the company for a long time

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

I wouldn't class him as one of the greats as I don't believe his in ring work is at the top level.

Hulk Hogan says hi.

Of course Miz is in of the greats. Look at his C.V. I'd put him on that 3rd tier level with guys like Booker T and Jeff Hardy, just below guys like Jericho and Edge. If he can get one career defining main event level feud in there and have a legendary match he can jump up.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I feel that while I would never put the miz in the same category as a ric flair, hulk, hogan, sting or even stone cold steve austin. I have to say that he's been one of the great midcard talent on the roster.

He proved that you don't need to be a main event talent to make your mark in the wwe and his exploit prove it.

In my opinion he might never be one of the greats like all thoses guy I mentions at the beginning of my post, but he still will be recognize the same way as guys like duggan, dibiase, boss man and the godfather, just to name a few, has one of the gret midcarders in wwe history.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Never. Longevity doesn't equate to greatness. It never will for The Miz. He's found a good mid level role for himself and he's rode it out for longer than expected.

 

[ComeOnVince]

Miz can already be classified that way.

He'll never be one of the GREATEST, but can safely be considered one of the greats.

Miz is doing fantastic mid-card heel work right now, making the IC title important again. Some of the best mid-card work we've seen in a long time. Miz at the top of the card was an unmitigated disaster, especially since it was just fodder for Rock/Cena.

But he survived that, has remade himself (yes, even though he's the same basically) and is turning in very consistent, very quality work on the mic and in the ring.

I think Miz's stock would be even higher if WWE had properly paid off the Miz/Sandow angle, but that's irrelevant now.

I think Miz is doing great. And I hate the Miz.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Hall of Fame material- Sure, worst wrestlers with worst accomplishments then Miz made it there

One of the greats- never. When you mention names like Hogan, Flair, StoneCold, The Rock, Cena you will never mention "that reality TV guy that was sorta OK heel US Champ".

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Miz is a top heel and he's a natural at getting heat. I don't get why Roddy Piper or Honky Tonk Man can be considered some of the greats but Miz can't. He's been keeping the IC title alive for some years now, he's been elevating talent anywhere he could, he has a WM main event under his name and a MITB win.

He could easily have been the WWE Champion on Smackdown after such a hot year and Jinder would easily have been the IC champ on RAW. A victory over Cena at Wrestlemania and then goes on to beat Orton at Backlash, Miz would have been hot bananas by now.

He is one of the greats. He should be around top 50 or top 40 of the greatest ever. And if you think of all the names wrestling has seen, top 40 is a great spot. Rock, Austin, Cena, Flair, Hogan, Andre, Brunno, HBK, HHH, Undertaker, Edge, Orton, Batista, Savage, Warrior, Sting, Goldberg, Rey, Nash, Hall, Jericho, Foley, Angle, Piper, Steamboat, Big Show, Kane, Punk, Bryan. The Miz comes after those guys.

But he's definately greater than his fellow classmates, you know, the guys that broke out around 2009-10, the dark class (Sheamus, Swagger, Kofi, Del Rio, Ziggler)

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Miz is a guy who debuted in WWE twelve years ago. In his twelve years, he has one every male title in the company with the exception of World Heavyweight (mainly because he was on Raw at the time), ECW, and Universal (yet) Championships.

I wish I could have seen the look on my face when I noticed you chose to make a point that he has one a lot of 'male' titles.

Miz started off hated with a lot of heat backstage that's no secret. However, over the years Miz has earned a lot of respect and has become one of the most respected vets in the locker room because of his work ethic.

Is he really one of the most respected vets in the locker room? How do we know this?

Regardless, being respected in the locker room has nothing to do with being great.

The man never complains, he just goes out there and does it.

How do you know this and why does it mattee?

On the current roster, there's nobody that works harder and is more loyal to the company except maybe John Cena.

How so? How do you know this?

Not that it matters.

Last October, Miz and Dolph Ziggler engaged in a main event level storyline over the Intercontinental Championship and brought the prestige up. Over the last 5 years, nobody has done more for that title than them two. Truth is, Miz has made the title the most prestigious it has been since the infamous Attitude Era.

Miz was terrible for awhile before Maryse showed up and he started to say personal things on the mic and parodying Daniel Bryan in the ring. Before that he was doing really poor work. People were saying he needed to go. He earned himself a face run by being an entertaining face. That flopped miserably. He made some connection with his movie star shtick but it wasn't that great and certainly didn't lead to that many compelling matches. He really found his footing with the Daniel Bryan "coward" drama but before that his career was just kind of there, not by any means great.

Miz has had a legendary career, no doubt but at what point does he deserve the right to be called a "WWE Legend?" Back in 2012, Mick Foley told CM Punk he was "One moment away from becoming a legend." Question is, How far off is Miz?

Legends have mystique. Miz was an open book his whole career and even before that with his reality show legacy. The most legendary things about him are being the prop in the start of Cena/Rock and the fact that he got Maryse to touch his pecker.

I know there's a lot of people who feel you have to be a 6+ time World Champ to even be considered near that category for whatever reason,

Those people are wrong

but Miz has left his mark as one of the greatest heels and IC Champs (if not the greatest) ever.

Not sure if true but certainly doesn't make him great. Miz has had a good run lately. His ability to stay on the roster is impressive. He can be entertaining. He has found a way to stay a heel despite sometimes being entertaining in a tough environment. But again, these things don't make you great.

Getting Maryse makes him quite the stick man though.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This is a difficult one, because it's important to note he HAS improved so much...

BUT

The reality for him is that he will always be that one rung below legendary status... the best comparison is Chris Jericho. Both guys had rough starts in the WWE but turned it round and became MVP's in many ways. The problem Miz has is that Jericho is not only still there, but still better than him...even now with 10 years on him.

It's clear that they're trying to get Miz to the 9 IC titles and have he and Jericho go for the 10th... and Jericho will likely lose it but that would be wrong.

The reality is only ONE of them gets to be a legend, and on balance and body of work... that guy IS Y2J not Miz... Miz hasn't had that feud like Jericho/Shawn to really put him over the top and it's looking more like they're relying on it being Jericho. As "company" as he is, I can't see Jericho being happy to lose that IC record... he doesn't NEED it, but he truly does deserve it, to go with the 1st Undisputed title etc.

Had Edge not retired, arguably ALL 3 guys would be fighting for that one spot as a true legend. Miz is like Christian... been part of some special stuff but one rung below Edge. Likewise, Miz will end up one step below Jericho.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Miz is a top heel and he's a natural at getting heat. I don't get why Roddy Piper or Honky Tonk Man can be considered some of the greats but Miz can't. He's been keeping the IC title alive for some years now, he's been elevating talent anywhere he could, he has a WM main event under his name and a MITB win.

I think calling someone as "one of the all time greats" should only be reserved by a select view. I think the Miz is very good especially when he's on the top of his game but not one of the all time greats.

As for Piper well I was born in the 80's but he did headline the first Wrestlemania, was a huge part of the celebrity involvement with Mr T and Lauper, and if watching the MTV specials in Youtube like War to Settle the Score the heat Piper got was at a whole other level. That alone puts him in a whole different league over The Miz.

It probably also helped that Piper never lost to Hogan clean in the WWF (at least in the high profile matches).

As for Honky Tonk Man I don't recall people calling him as one of the all time greats. He's a legend sure and The Miz will likely be a legend but I don't think when you get the list of the "greats" Honky Tonk Man is not one of them.

 

[L@RISANO]

His work over the past year or so has been brilliant. A huge pity they moved him from SD Live as alongwith AJ, he was a pillar for that show and a major reason why it was so enjoyable pre-Mania 33.

I think by the end of his career, he will be remembered as one of the greats alongside the likes of Booker T and Honky Tonk Man and other guys of a similar level. No doubt he is a nailed-on definite for the Hall of Fame were he to retire today itself.

 

[Navi]

I wouldn't put Miz in the same category as Hogan and others, he's just a little below them. But the Miz has been one of the great heels in the WWE. He's an absolute natural in that role and can anyone really see him as a babyface.

He probably knows this himself and knowing he wouldn't make it to the top, has found a role in the midcard and is very comfortable there. The Miz is a great midcard wrestler and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. He also has done a wonderful job as IC champion.

He will go into the Hall of Fame, not as a headliner, but as one of the best micard heels the WWE ever produced.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Haha! One person mentions Honky Tonk Man and so other people are using him as an example, apparently on the level of Booker T now. Stop it! NOBODY lists Honky as an all-time great, other than the Honky character himself. He had a brilliant run as a chicken shit heel IC champ for a little over a year. And that was it.

Such hypocrisy here. The same people who are infuriated by Koko B. Ware being in the HOF are all gung ho about Honky being listed as an all-time great? And now another post says Miz is just below Hogan's level?? What in the world is going on here?!

 

[ilapierre]

Miz is a top heel and he's a natural at getting heat. I don't get why Roddy Piper or Honky Tonk Man can be considered some of the greats but Miz can't. He's been keeping the IC title alive for some years now, he's been elevating talent anywhere he could, he has a WM main event under his name and a MITB win.

He could easily have been the WWE Champion on Smackdown after such a hot year and Jinder would easily have been the IC champ on RAW. A victory over Cena at Wrestlemania and then goes on to beat Orton at Backlash, Miz would have been hot bananas by now.

He is one of the greats. He should be around top 50 or top 40 of the greatest ever. And if you think of all the names wrestling has seen, top 40 is a great spot. Rock, Austin, Cena, Flair, Hogan, Andre, Brunno, HBK, HHH, Undertaker, Edge, Orton, Batista, Savage, Warrior, Sting, Goldberg, Rey, Nash, Hall, Jericho, Foley, Angle, Piper, Steamboat, Big Show, Kane, Punk, Bryan. The Miz comes after those guys.

But he's definately greater than his fellow classmates, you know, the guys that broke out around 2009-10, the dark class (Sheamus, Swagger, Kofi, Del Rio, Ziggler)

I could have picked on anybody here that is pro Miz but I decided that this was the one comment that illustrates how delusional today's wrestling fans are.

Miz belongs nowhere near the the top 50 wrestlers of all time. Sorry bud. If you don't know why Miz isn't considered similar to Roddy Piper then maybe you should go watch a Roddy Piper promo or match for the first time ever.

 

[Woodstuff]

I doubt he'll be remembered as a legit main event star, but Miz has definitely earned the respect he gets from the majority of internet fans. I think it's a shame he was śhit all over during his WWE title reign, because it kind of killed his momentum. Since then he's established himself as a legit superstar, and an all-time great mid-carder.

His legacy will differ depending on who you ask imo. To the casual (younger) fan, he'll be the guy they genuinely hated, but don't really remember. To the jaded "smart" portion of the crowd, he'll be a guy that WWE wasted in the mid-card, and never fully utilised. To everyone else, he'll probably join the ranks of guys like Mr. Perfect and Rick Rude. Greatest of all time? Obviously not. All time Great? Absolutely.

 

[D_Feds]

Never. And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[OYDK]

Depends on what your definition of "one of the greats" is. If you take great as meaning a solid, reliable, above average worker who's been able to put together a long career, then sure, Miz is one of the greats. As are Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, and Kofi Kingston... If by great, you mean somebody who's held in extremely high regard by colleagues and fans alike, who has done things that very few people have ever done, and that can legitimately be labeled a special talent that stands apart from the majority of their peers, than I don't think The Miz will ever be considered one of the greats.

Miz is putting in the best work of his career right now, and the only period where he ever came remotely close to this level was his WWE title run. The rest of his 12 year career can only be considered pretty average in my opinion. Let's not forget that for nearly 5 years before his Talking Smack promo, people really didn't give too much of a shit about Miz. In fact, he was one of those guys where you could almost hear an audible groan whenever he came out because of how ridiculously stale he was.

I'd put Miz somewhere within the "fourth tier" on my personal WWE totem pole of history. You have your all-time greats (Austin, Hogan, Rock, Cena, Sammartino, Savage etc.), your bona-fide legends (Piper, Steamboat, Dibiase, Lesnar, Angle, Jericho, Orton, etc.) your legit HOFers (Booker, DDP, Yokozuna, Vader, Scott Hall, Big Show, etc.) and then your above-average solid hands like Miz, Tito Santana, Rick Martel and the like.

So to answer your question, it would take Miz another 10 years of working at this level for me to ever consider him one of the greats.

 

[stingray11214]

Never. How much has Miz drawn? How much merch does he push? Was he ever "The Guy"? How many asses did Miz put in the seats? Miz is a good hand. Very good for his time. But, an all time great? Not in his lifetime. Jericho is an all time great. Miz is nowhere near Jericho. Not now. Not ever.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I'd put Miz somewhere within the "fourth tier" on my personal WWE totem pole of history.
-all-time greats (Austin, Hogan, Rock, Cena, Sammartino, Savage etc.),
-bona-fide legends (Piper, Steamboat, Dibiase, Lesnar, Angle, Jericho, Orton, etc.)
-legit HOFers (Booker, DDP, Yokozuna, Vader, Scott Hall, Big Show, etc.)
-above-average like Miz, Tito Santana, Rick Martel and the like.

I am going to steal from this list/tier because, for the most part, I don't disagree with it(Big Show belongs as a bona-fide legend, though). Based on the List I would have to put Miz on the level of a legit HOF.

Everyone Miz has worked with has improved in some way. He's gotten guys like Alex Riley over, Daniel Bryan, and Sandow(stunt double gimmick got him over, but Miz had a big hand in it as well). IMHO, he helped AJ more than Jericho did, at least when it comes to adjusting to wwe's in ring style.
He's made a HOF worthy career in an era were that is harder to do now than ever before, imo. Someone mentioned the other guys like Sheamus and Ziggler who got pushed and will likely be a future Hall of Fame, but there is no denying it with Miz. HE WILL BE IN THE HOF(aside from any unforeseen circumstances).

To answer the op, I don't Miz can be considered "one of the greats" but he is up there in the top 50-75 area,maybe closer, if I actually did a list.

 

[ShinChan]

I don't think that he can be considered "One Of The Greats". Great is something too high to achieve and I don't think that The Miz has achieved it. May be he will but I am doubtful about it. When Bruno Sammartino, Austin, Hogan are considered, The Miz as good as he's just doesn't fit well.

So, I would say, Probably Never.

 

[roipdh123]

The Miz is a Mr. Perfect kind of guy - he will be known as a legend for his mid card days and not for his main event days.
I think he needs one more big moment to earn his legendary status but he is on his way there.

 

[Codename Bags]

Have you seen his wife? If that doesn't make you a legend, nothing will.

Listen, I'm a big fan of The Miz. Sure, he kind of stole Jericho's look, but it's honestly so much better than that stupid chick magnet gimmick that I'm all for it. He's a very decent technician in the ring, he gets just about more heat than anyone on the mic, and he's in the record books. When I say he's in the record books, he's won all the titles. He's main evented Wrestlemania. Yeah, that all may not be that big of a deal, but at the same time it is. He is in those record books and no one can take away from him that he has accomplished more in WWE than Jake Roberts, Mr. Perfect, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, Ric Flair, and countless other of the "greatest" WWE Superstars in history. He's ahead of the game and I don't even think he's hit his prime years.