John Cena vs The Miz

[Dwayne_Jason]

No, not the anticipated Wrestlemania Match, I'm talking about work ethic. Miz has been undoubtedly killing himself ever since he won the championship to go for every media opening there was. So lets compare green Cena and green Miz.

Cena:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cZLkGme8Oc

This is from his "Prototype" days


Miz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueVYxlgaoNg

This is from his Smackdown days


Now, the reason I'm comparing two different things (Cena was green as a wrestler and Miz was green as a promo-worker and a wrestler) is because at this point they made that weakness their biggest strength.

Lets look at how far they came.


Cena:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1J0qptMSZA

Randy Orton vs John Cena 2009


Miz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVDoYPKl-f8


So, who do you think has worked harder? Remember this is a span of about 7 years.

In my view, they're extremely close. While Cena is miles ahead of Miz (who is 31 at the time), Miz from 2004 from being a joke became a champion in 2010. True, Cena was a champion a lot faster but Cena was the friggin' prototype, his promos were gold and his matches were gold. His DEBUT was against Jurt Angle. He was destined for greatness.

The Miz? This guy became a host of the diva search to WWE Championship. A classic jobber to main-eventer story.

So in that sense, Miz is a fast, FAST learner. And Cena's gold you can't argue that. But in this time span if Cena was in Miz's shoes, he wouldn't be as big as he is now. Sure, he'd be a surefire for the championship but not such a drastic transformation.

Thoughts?

 

[GLOBAL ICON]

Well... well. Obviously, it has to be Cena. I know Miz kinda learned fast... but he didn't start learning from day 1 did he? Cena worked his ass out for the company from the day he slapped Jerk Angle and the rewards are seen. Vince McMahon leaves no chance to applaud John Cena. On the other hand: I can't say The Miz doesn't work hard, he does, but not as hard as Cena.

Look at Cena: Not only does he do talkshows and award ceremonies but he also grants wishes for the Make-A-Wish foundation. I guess, he's granted the most number of wishes and he's continuing to do it. Plus, he has also gained the respect of his fellow compitetiors like Triple H, Randy Orton, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, Edge to name a few.

Look at The Miz: Miz... I guess... hasn't even made it to 25 wishes for the Make-A-Wish foundation. I doubt he has even started. Though, he has made it to the top of the next generation (well, he's 31) and is the next "FACE" of the WWE but... he is the lone horse. He's fighting it to stay on the top, has no friends in the locker room, and guys like Triple H are trying to bring him down. The only reason he's doing talk shows and celebrity appearances, is to give him some fame outside the ring and shut guys like Triple H up.

So, that shows that Cena... works harder and better.. than The Miz, and will always.

P.S: I added the locker-room friends because, you need to gain respect of your colleagues by working hard.

 

[Decarow]

They both work hard, they really do. Cena's been at it longer though. My vote goes to Cena because since about 2006 (around One Night Stand especially) he started getting major heat and boo'd out of stadiums, but he kept fighting. He goes to Iraq every time, never misses a beat to meet fans, and does Make-A-Wish.

On the other hand, the Miz was the laughing stock of WWE 3 years ago. I remember him getting a lap dance from Big Dick Johnson. But he also went through hell to get the IWC to adore him and now he's champion (however, his current gimmick is basically Jericho's last gimmick.. slow talk, suiting up, arrogant).

 

[Brahma Bull]

@golden icon- how can you discredit the miz for not doing enough make a wish events. cena gets more, because the kids have to wish for you. the miz is a heel, and still farely new, so most kids dying wish wont be to see him. im sure if it was for one kid, the miz would find time to make his wish.

cena is definately the harder worker, but the miz is putting in his fair share. he has had the drive for a long time, and his hard work is paying off now. im not his biggest fan, but like cena, i respect him for how much he loves and devotes himself to wrestling.

 

[JoeStang22]

Let the man do his job. Comparing Miz to Cena is comparing apples and oranges. Yes they both got brought up rather young but compare Cena's uprise to Hunter Hearst Helmsely, Rocky Maivia , Stunning Steve Austin, completely different. A gimmick is a gimmick, his outside the ring work is absolutely fine. He is putting in work 24/7 for this push and deserves this title and might even deserve the push to main event Wrestlemania. I am not a huge Miz mark, didn't even pay attention to him until they split the tag team up and put him on RAW, but he as put in more work and has brought in just as much exposure to the WWE, from outisde sources(ESPN, MTV, VH1) in the time that Vince needs it most, the road to Wrestlemania.

 

[GLOBAL ICON]

Hey, Brahma Bull, heels also make wishes according to my knowledge. So why not The Miz? Plus, if there are so many people who "like" The Miz, there has to be someone who likes him doesn't it? Plus, I am not discrediting him for any other thing and even I respect the guy for becoming a WWE champ 5 years later after hosting the Diva Search in 2005. He's come a long way but Cena just works harder and to put into words, I had to use the Make-A-Wish example.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

As I said, it's a fairly close call because Miz has been working as hard as Cena did to get into Vince's good graces and as long as Vince is happy that's really it. I mean even Trips can't say shit (I don't think this late in his career he'd want to anyway, I mean he did put over Sheamus). And Vince so far still jizzes his pants every night thinking TMZ covered Miz's victory. And I think that's what Miz has going for him. Cena had multiple talents, hit rap album, blockbuster movie, and over-ness with fans. Miz has that "I scratched my way to the top" shocker look. I mean this guy was on MTV. That alone should just swoop someone off their feet. That's what I think Miz has going for him, the shock factor. People still can't believe Miz is champion, and they won't. Because Miz is built to be undeserving but still receiving a championship and a dastardly heel. And he plays that part to perfection. I mean his talk shows are more or less a less crazy version of his in-ring gimmick. I don't even think I've ever seen the calm, collected Mike Mizanin.

I also think the biggest issue is that Miz CONTINUES to improve while Cena improvises but does not improve upon his gimmick. I'm not saying Miz is better than Cena because he works harder. All I'm saying is that Miz is a rising star and his work ethic is on par with Cena and really there isn't any stopping this guy. That's the cool thing with Miz. Miz is new, his promos are roughly the same but not him, he's changed every week. Two weeks ago he was arrogant and a coward and weak. Now he just incapacitated Orton. That alone speaks volumes about the length and versatility of his gimmick.


PS: Oh snap, Ferbian's here! Means s** is about to go down.

 

[Ferbian]

I'd have to give it to John Cena. While The Miz works hard with a lot of public appearances, I still think John Cena pushes it quite a lot for himself, not only outside of the ring but also inside of the ring.

John Cena has been in the business for about 10 years or so, and he has worked hard to get where he is today. Sure The Miz has done the exact same thing, but John Cena seems to just be a 100% workaholic beast. Not only does he make sure to get back as quick as possible from injury, but he also makes public appearances as much as he possibly can. Especially the Make A Wish foundation appearances. And sure The Miz makes a few too (Which by the way you can't fault him for, he can't make an appearance if the kid don't want to see him, pretty obvious isn't it?) but it just doesn't match up to John Cena's appearances.

John Cena always makes sure to please the fans as much as he possibly can, hell he even tries to appeal to the haters and try to get them along with the show (Fired speech anyone?).

John Cena is just overall one of the few picture perfect workaholics that you could ask for, especially in a business like professional wrestling. And that is why despite how much work The Miz has done over the past 1-2 years for WWE public relations, as well as the massive amount of work he did back when he was both Unified Tag Team Champion as well as United States champion and appearing on more or less all shows. Well, he still doesn't quite best John Cena, at least not yet.. Maybe in a years time or two we can ask this question again and the answer might be The Miz, but for now.. It's John Cena.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

I'd have to give it to John Cena. While The Miz works hard with a lot of public appearances, I still think John Cena pushes it quite a lot for himself, not only outside of the ring but also inside of the ring.

John Cena has been in the business for about 10 years or so, and he has worked hard to get where he is today. Sure The Miz has done the exact same thing, but John Cena seems to just be a 100% workaholic beast. Not only does he make sure to get back as quick as possible from injury, but he also makes public appearances as much as he possibly can. Especially the Make A Wish foundation appearances. And sure The Miz makes a few too (Which by the way you can't fault him for, he can't make an appearance if the kid don't want to see him, pretty obvious isn't it?) but it just doesn't match up to John Cena's appearances.

John Cena always makes sure to please the fans as much as he possibly can, hell he even tries to appeal to the haters and try to get them along with the show (Fired speech anyone?).

John Cena is just overall one of the few picture perfect workaholics that you could ask for, especially in a business like professional wrestling. And that is why despite how much work The Miz has done over the past 1-2 years for WWE public relations, as well as the massive amount of work he did back when he was both Unified Tag Team Champion as well as United States champion and appearing on more or less all shows. Well, he still doesn't quite best John Cena, at least not yet.. Maybe in a years time or two we can ask this question again and the answer might be The Miz, but for now.. It's John Cena.

See, though that's the question I'd like answered. In '04 Cena was on his way to become the top star of the company and at that time Miz had his first bump. My question is, with Miz's incredible pace, his work ethic is only second to Cena, wouldn't there be some sort of recognition that Cena, while a workoholic didn't much improve his gimmick while the Miz has been?

Because I think that if this question was answered, a Miz vs Cena match would be an absolutely fantastic match.

 

[Ferbian]

See, though that's the question I'd like answered. In '04 Cena was on his way to become the top star of the company and at that time Miz had his first bump. My question is, with Miz's incredible pace, his work ethic is only second to Cena, wouldn't there be some sort of recognition that Cena, while a workoholic didn't much improve his gimmick while the Miz has been?

I'm not exactly sure what it is you want me to answer, yet I'll give it a try.

While The Miz might have started surfacing once John Cena really kicked into gear within the WWE, it wasn't until recently that The Miz really started to stand out in terms of what he has been doing for the company, both on-screen as well as off their own programming. However, John Cena has been working hard for many many years, so really The Miz could easily be considered to be years behind the amount of work John has put into WWE.

Besides, John Cena's gimmick has improved. Let's not forget that he started out as a 100% rapper, went on to become a more casual face rapper, and eventually became the "superman" that so many would like to call him today. Where as The Miz? Eh, I don't see the big change in his gimmick, he has just become more flowing, that's all. He's hardly any different from the Chick Magnet The Miz as to the "Awesome One" The Miz.

Because I think that if this question was answered, a Miz vs Cena match would be an absolutely fantastic match.

Sure, but that's cause John can have a great match with anyone. Which just shows how great a worker John is. Miz doesn't have a ton of great matches under his belt, but with time that's bound to increase, I'm sure.

 

[MizterColemine]

I don't know the particular personal circumstances and specific obstacles each wrestler has had personally to be able to say one or the other is the harder worker, because it's relative. However, relative to MY perception... and for the sake of argument, I answered The Miz. I'd like to implicate my reasons why by posing this question to Ferbian and Dwayne Johnson especially:
Is John Cena picked to become number 1 because he was such a hard worker, or is he such a hard worker BECAUSE he was picked to become number 1? Let us not forget, "Prototype" fit Vince's profile for being pushworthy. Obviously, to list some apparent qualities, he's got the physique, face, and personality among other things.
So I also ask this: Hasn't Miz been working hard DESPITE not having fit the profile?
He didn't have the charisma, he still doesn't have Vince's favorite physique, and apparently his personality didn't make him the most liked person among his peers, or WWE fans.
So didn't Miz have more adversity? And wouldn't that make it a closer argument than 10 to 1?

 

[UltimateHitman]

Let me say first, I respect the hell out of Cena and I think his work ethic is outstanding. I did, however, vote for Miz and let me explain why.

I've read the different arguments, and the key here is that Cena's been at it longer. That, and the fact that he didn't face the same obstacles as the Miz did to get to the top of the heap.

Cena didn't have to go through the horrendous negative start that the Miz went through. He didn't have to go through things that would have driven other people from the business. Sure Cena busts his ass, and does so admirably and dedicatedly, and I am always touting that fact about him. But as far as just looking at what they went through behind the scenes to get where they are at, I would think the Miz had a much harder time getting there.

I'm sure there were other wrestlers in the past who got ridiculed and bashed in the locker rooms. But how many of them actually took it all in stride without either copping an attitude and turning sour or simply not being able to take the heat and pack their bags and leave? Shane Helms got mad at HBK and still holds a grudge and is currently putting out angry YouTube videos. Miz put up with shit from pretty much everybody, but stuck it out, probably never took it to heart and kept trying to be sociable, and now he's the champ. With the amount of insane stories you hear of life in the wrestling business, it would be hard to imagine keeping a positive attitude from the get-go, much less pushing through it and becoming a World Champ.

For Miz to be coming up behind Cena so close in this regard speaks volumes in itself. Considering the amount of time Miz has accomplished what he has in regards to Cena's timetable and also with the other factors working against him (size, naysayers, new-ness, etc.) it really is remarkable that he defied the odds.

You can't ignore being able to get into Vince's good graces even after all of the negative attitudes and words spoken against him. Even for just HHH to criticize you is usually all it takes considering his position with the McMahons. And considering it was more than just Trips, and given Vince's seeming inclination to take those types of opinions to heart, it had to take a lot of work to get past all of that.

I voted for the Miz simply based on the different obstacles each one had to overcome. Miz is proving to be, not just from what he's doing but also based on the comments in this thread, comparable to Cena in work ethic. Just because he doesn't "get as many wishes" doesn't mean he isn't working hard. I find that silly since you could say that about any other guy. Orton's a popular face now, but you don't find people criticizing his Make a Wish record.

Cena's been at the top of the heap longer and the face (read: face) of the company for so long. You have to consider that maybe the kids at the Make A Wish foundation don't all get into the deep details and behind the scenes info like the IWC. They probably watch it for fun, and like I did as a kid, root for the good guy and boo for the bad guy. Which means they're going to naturally pick the hero, Cena. It's like bashing Piper in the 80's when he was heel going against Hogan for not doing enough with the kids. Who would the kids be more inclined to want to meet? Their hero, or his evil nemesis?

 

[Hitman-HBK United Inc.]

I'm not by any stretch a member of the Cenation. However, I don't hate him either, he's not boring, he's got a great work ethic, and has found a style of working that can adapt to just about anyone. Heck even the Khali matches in '07 were watchable. Cena is always up for anything that is thrown his way. I do hate the fact it seems as if, he just comes more off as a happy go lucky wisecracking bozo who doesen't take anything seriously. I know he's always been witty, but I just find it odd, that after recieving a devistating beating, or losing his belt, he's all smiles and it's annoying. But, I guess the kids dig it.

As for the Miz, he's a tremendous entertainer, and I'm a huge mark for him. His in ring work, seems to get better and better as time goes on. I admire his work ethic of getting the belt over, and truly defining what it means to him. His delivery on the mic is nearly flawless, and he is what a heel should be. He's gone from a wisecrackng Jericho-esque (circa WCW) heel. I think he finally figured out his style of ring work that works for him, it seemed as though his matches would often fluctuate between good and bad, depending on who he was with. But now I think he truly has found it.

That said however, I have to say Cena, only because he's a bit more versatile, but the Miz is getting there.

 

[JGlass]

John Cena is a harder worker than The Miz. While Miz has had a meteoric rise in the WWE it didn't come as a result of out working Cena. While Miz has certainly been busting his butt doing PR for the WWE and working house shows, Cena hasn't been slacking off either. Cena wrestles every PPV, he works house shows and most RAWs, and he does all sorts of PR events that range from television interviews to charity work to guest appearances on television shows. He stars in his own movies and has been used as a spokesperson for companies like Gillette and Subway.

You cite Miz as having a speedy rise through the company, but his rise was not nearly as fast as Cena's. Cena debuted by almost beating Kurt Angle. Miz got his start by hosting the Divas Search contest. Even after he started wrestling, he had a brief winning streak over low level performers before being beaten by The Boogeyman. Cena won his first title, the US title, by defeating the Big Show at Wrestlemania. Miz won his first title, a WWE Tag Title, by beating MVP and Matt Hardy on Smackdown. Cena was a World Champion a mere three years after joining the WWE, while Miz won his four years later, which is certainly an impressive feat, but it does not compare to John Cena. Most importantly, Cena main evented Wrestlemania 21 just three years after joining the WWE and Miz is yet to.

The results prove that the WWE doesn't perceive Miz to be any harder of a worker than Cena, and that's because he isn't. While both are tremendously hard workers, Cena has done nothing but work his ass of for the WWE.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

John Cena is a harder worker than The Miz. While Miz has had a meteoric rise in the WWE it didn't come as a result of out working Cena. While Miz has certainly been busting his butt doing PR for the WWE and working house shows, Cena hasn't been slacking off either. Cena wrestles every PPV, he works house shows and most RAWs, and he does all sorts of PR events that range from television interviews to charity work to guest appearances on television shows. He stars in his own movies and has been used as a spokesperson for companies like Gillette and Subway.

You cite Miz as having a speedy rise through the company, but his rise was not nearly as fast as Cena's. Cena debuted by almost beating Kurt Angle. Miz got his start by hosting the Divas Search contest. Even after he started wrestling, he had a brief winning streak over low level performers before being beaten by The Boogeyman. Cena won his first title, the US title, by defeating the Big Show at Wrestlemania. Miz won his first title, a WWE Tag Title, by beating MVP and Matt Hardy on Smackdown. Cena was a World Champion a mere three years after joining the WWE, while Miz won his four years later, which is certainly an impressive feat, but it does not compare to John Cena. Most importantly, Cena main evented Wrestlemania 21 just three years after joining the WWE and Miz is yet to.

The results prove that the WWE doesn't perceive Miz to be any harder of a worker than Cena, and that's because he isn't. While both are tremendously hard workers, Cena has done nothing but work his ass of for the WWE.

I never said whether he's a out-worked Cena, he hasn't. But in his time in the WWE, Miz was a lowest of the low performer. I mean on Smackdown, a couple more botches and he'd be jobbing to Ted Dibiase right now. Cena was built to the top and was given a ball since his debut because of his impressive FCW records. Cena was also a body builder and since day 1 he was destined for greatness. Miz was not. He was a joke and was meant to be a joke until officials saw some potential. He was given a ball and he ran with it like never before.

That's what I'm getting at; Miz was a low-card jobber and became Main Event, that wasn't the case for Cena. Even though Cena worked hard to earn his keep.

 

[Professor]

His delivery on the mic is nearly flawless, and he is what a heel should be. .

Ive seen a few people rave about his mic work but I dont see anything special or entertaining about talking slowly like a constipated frat boy. Thats all he does, whats so funny and entertaining about that? It just seems lame and contrived to me but hes trying so hard to put on an act.

 

[Hitman-HBK United Inc.]

Ive seen a few people rave about his mic work but I dont see anything special or entertaining about talking slowly like a constipated frat boy. Thats all he does, whats so funny and entertaining about that? It just seems lame and contrived to me but hes trying so hard to put on an act.

You see i one way, I see it another, it's as simple as that! I don't know about the constipated part, but yeah he does come off like a frat boy, because a lot of his charachter is based on the pretty boy douchebags that walk the earth. To me he makes it look effortless, you make it sound like he's Kofi Kingston trying to cut a great promo. What Miz spits on the mic, is what his character dictates. I never said he was laugh out loud funny 24/7, but he has his moments. I just don't see why every wrestler needs to be funny! Miz is and obnoxious egomanical jerk, and his promos show it.

 

[Calderownz]

Honestly, I'd have to consider Cena the harder worker. Though, I think that this is something that is hard to pin down like that.

Hard work has a lot more than just matches and promos. Preparation. How you conduct yourself. Focus. Theoretically, how do we know that in their primes, they are giving 100%?

However, I will say that at this point, Cena has more to show for it. The Miz could surpass that in whatever amount of time. But, my money is on John at this point.

 

[the_vipers_enigma]

At this momment I will go with Cena.Cena has been in the WWE longer than The Miz and he bust his a** of work every day.No mater how hard The Miz works he can't get to Cenas level.

Plus Cena did so much work that it earnd him many backstage friends something you can't say about The Miz