The Miz- Can He Be A Permanent Main Event Player?

[Hollywood Naitch]

Since headlining Wrestlemania this year, we have seen The Miz slowly drop out of the limelight, and is now part of a tag team (albeit and entertaining one) with R-Truth. To go from headlining the biggest show of the year, and coming out with a win, to tagging with a guy who is never going to make it to the top seems to be a big drop in my eyes.

Now, its almost certain that Miz's time in the main event will come round again. Vince McMahon is a big fan of his, Miz works his ass off for the WWE and has slowly worked his way up the card to be a credible main eventer in the eyes of most fans, and developed an excellent heel persona.

Now, my question is...can Miz ever get to the level where he is regarded in the bracket of "PERMANENT MAIN EVENTER"?

I am talking about the John Cena's, The Undertakers, Stone Cold's, Triple H's, Rock's or Randy Orton's who never seem to be out of the title hunt when they are/were wrestling full time. These guys dominate/d the title picture and once getting to the level of World Champion, you very rarely ever saw them going for any of the mid-card belts

On the other hand, there are guys like Chris Jericho who was never reallllly regarded as one of the absolute mega-stars of the WWE, like Cena is. Jericho was more of a B+ or A- wrestler, where he COULD win the big one, and did several times, but was just as comfortable wrestling for the Intercontinental title and staying out of the main event picture...

So, where do you see The Miz?

To me, I can't see him ever being in the bracket of a Cena/HHH/Rock. Miz will almost certainly win the belt again, he doesn't seem to have the IT factor that those guys had, he doesn't look like someone who could ever be dominant enough to remain in the main event, fighting off challengers to his title for months, and then remaining as the number 1 contender even after dropping the belt.

What do you guys think??

 

[#hamler]

Great thread Naitch.

The Miz feels like someone who should be used to get the mid carders over like Jericho and Mysterio have done their entire careers. Both Jericho and Mysterio are the type, who can be World Champion one night, lose it, and win a mid card title the next and no one would think anything of it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being an A-/B+ caliber star. You need wrestlers like that for the young, less over and inexperienced superstars to go over before they move on up the card; The Miz is perfect for that role. A feud with The Miz will likely get anyone over and he should be used for that very reason - while he's champion, he can't necessarily do that.

I am sure as hell The Miz will be WWE Champion once again. His first reign was amazing. I just think he's better suited for a Chris Jericho type role and that isn't, in anyway, a bad thing.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I think he is going to be more suited to the Jericho/Mysterio role in that he's well liked backstage, gives his all to the company and has ties with other media companies. That's a guy who can be relied upon to be a dedicated company man, but not necessarily carry the company as champion over and over again. I'm still not a big fan of his but no-one can ignore how hard the guy's worked over the years, so kudos to him for that.

While he is on the A show and in a prominent storyline at the moment, if he finds himself in a similar position a year from now then it may be an idea to move him to Smackdown so that he can have a run at staying in the Main Event for a year or so and see how he does.

 

[The Future Rises]

Can he? Yes, He's incredibly over. Will he? I don't think so. I think The Miz will be just like what Hamler stated in the post above.. A Chris Jericho-like upper midcard/main eventer. Miz was just recently in a feud with Alex Riley and put him over cleanly in a PPV. Did it hurt his career? Did the fans stop giving him a reaction? No. Not at all. Miz is just like Chris Jericho. He can put anyone over and still show up the next night getting a big reaction with the crowd and everyone still taking him seriously like nothing happened. But what happens to the guy he put over? He gets over with the crowd. Riley got over with the crowd as seen from the pops he gets. The Miz is one of those rare wrestlers that can actually do that along with Chris Jericho. So I don't see why the WWE wouldn't want to make Miz put over someone else when they have the chance.

Whether he wins, loses, or doesn't even compete on the card. Miz is still one of the most over guys on the roster. And he can go out there and make anyone look good. So I don't think The Miz will always be in the main event scene like Cena, Orton, etc.. But will he still be credible? Absolutely. And I think he has a few more title reigns ahead of him.

 

[Redemption-2012]

The Miz will never be at the level of John Cena, for a start he is 30 years old and by the time Cena was 30, he had already main evented 3 WrestleMania's and won every single one, thats how big were talking here. Miz has main evented a single WrestleMania and yes he did win but it wasn't cleanly like Cena has done the past WrestleMania's he has main evented. I do agree with you though, To go from the main event of WrestleMania and to then drop down into a tag team with the likes of R-Truth, no offense to him as I love what he has been doing recently, He has never really accomplished much in his career. I do not see Miz being a permanent main event man simply because he just doens't have the look or the size and it took him so long to get to where he is today where it guys like Cena 3 years to win his first championship, now that alone tells you something about how different they both are. I agree with everyone else, Miz will always be the Jericho type just because he just doesn't seem to have the power that Cena, Rock, steve austin etc...have had for so long. Cm Punk is no exception either, he won't be a permenent main event man, if Miz can't then there is no way that Vince will allow it. Just wait and see, In a few months Punk will be back to competing for the US title, not that there is anything wrong with that, but it's just the type of Superstar that Punk is.

 

[MaxSteel]

First off, I want to address something you said, and many of the posters followed.
You said "Jericho was more of a B+ or A- wrestler". I take a huge exception to this. Yes, you're right, Jericho wasn't always the No1 contender or champion, he wasn't always in the main storyline. He wasn't a John Cena. He was an upper-midcarder at random points of his career, as his record 9 time IC championship reign testifies. However, does it make him any worse as a wrestler? Not even in the technical aspect, but from the whole professional wrestler point of view? Did he ever became worse in the ring? Did his promo skills got worse? The answer is NO.
Chris might've been in the upper card, but it is know he did it willingly, to put over some of his fellow wrestlers. As he said in one interview, he prided himself on being able to be in a mid-card opening match on a show, and making people care about it just like it was the show main event.
So, while he didn't have the booking protect him like John Cena or Randy Orton (who consequently became stale in the eyes of many fans), he is admittedly one of the best wrestlers in every aspect, and while he at best a type -A star because of the booking, he's definitly a type A+ wrestler, which matters the most in eyes of wrestling fans. Please, do not use the word wrestler to describe a superstars image, as it's highly dependent on the booking, not just how good he is.

Now that this is over, back to the thread topic..
Miz isn't the best in-ring technician, but he's still not bad, and his movement tells the story in the ring quite well, which is enough to achieve super stardom in the WWE, considering he has amazing promo skills and charisma in general.
As far as his future role, he wont always be champion/No1 contender (or at least I hope so), but you're forgetting that in the better times of the company, it wasn't necessary in order to be a top dog. Was Stone Cold Steve Austin the WWE champion or No1 contender all the time? Of course not. He had other important feuds, such as his famous feud with the McMahons. If the company continues its recovery course, and develop some serious main eventers that can actually captivate the crowd, there's no reason Miz wont be able to be a main eventer feuding with other main eventers such as Sheamus, Punk, Orton, Cena, Christian, Mark Henry, maby future Chody Rhodes, Ziggler, Ted DeBiasy and other up incoming stars of today that'll grow into main eventers.
Or are you forgetting that one of the absolutely best feuds of 2008/9 was Jericho vs Shawn Michaels, which actually ended when Jericho got a world title?

 

[LoudClearVoice]

The key factor is that, by all accounts, Vince McMahon loves The Miz. This means that Miz will always be considered for the main event storyline. The Miz is one of the best guys on the mic right now and is extremely over a heel. He needs to improve his actual in-ring wrestling ability though.

The fact that Vince loves him really helps his case. As we can see, Vince is throwing him into the storyline with Cena and Punk and Triple H. They could have buried him in the tag team division but they're pushing him into the main event storyline.

 

[HoHo]

Miz has been a main eventer for two or three years now, and he's a heel you love to hate.Miz has had great matches with the top stars and beating Cena at WM 26 tells me his stock with WWE is rising every week.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

First off, I want to address something you said, and many of the posters followed.
You said "Jericho was more of a B+ or A- wrestler". I take a huge exception to this. Yes, you're right, Jericho wasn't always the No1 contender or champion, he wasn't always in the main storyline. He wasn't a John Cena. He was an upper-midcarder at random points of his career, as his record 9 time IC championship reign testifies. However, does it make him any worse as a wrestler? Not even in the technical aspect, but from the whole professional wrestler point of view? Did he ever became worse in the ring? Did his promo skills got worse? The answer is NO.
Chris might've been in the upper card, but it is know he did it willingly, to put over some of his fellow wrestlers. As he said in one interview, he prided himself on being able to be in a mid-card opening match on a show, and making people care about it just like it was the show main event.
So, while he didn't have the booking protect him like John Cena or Randy Orton (who consequently became stale in the eyes of many fans), he is admittedly one of the best wrestlers in every aspect, and while he at best a type -A star because of the booking, he's definitly a type A+ wrestler, which matters the most in eyes of wrestling fans. Please, do not use the word wrestler to describe a superstars image, as it's highly dependent on the booking, not just how good he is.

Now that this is over, back to the thread topic..
Miz isn't the best in-ring technician, but he's still not bad, and his movement tells the story in the ring quite well, which is enough to achieve super stardom in the WWE, considering he has amazing promo skills and charisma in general.
As far as his future role, he wont always be champion/No1 contender (or at least I hope so), but you're forgetting that in the better times of the company, it wasn't necessary in order to be a top dog. Was Stone Cold Steve Austin the WWE champion or No1 contender all the time? Of course not. He had other important feuds, such as his famous feud with the McMahons. If the company continues its recovery course, and develop some serious main eventers that can actually captivate the crowd, there's no reason Miz wont be able to be a main eventer feuding with other main eventers such as Sheamus, Punk, Orton, Cena, Christian, Mark Henry, maby future Chody Rhodes, Ziggler, Ted DeBiasy and other up incoming stars of today that'll grow into main eventers.
Or are you forgetting that one of the absolutely best feuds of 2008/9 was Jericho vs Shawn Michaels, which actually ended when Jericho got a world title?

I think you've mis-interpreted the "Jericho A-/B+" argument.
What made Jericho such an asset to WWE was his ability to drop down to the Mid-Card or move up to the Main Events seamlessly, and no-one would be that surprised to see him in either bracket. While he is/was a terrific asset for building up young talent and making a feud with just about anyone work, he is not held in the same regard as Rock, Austin or Cena who were faces of the company and are all fairly recognisable by the mainstream and pretty much stayed in the Main Event scene once they got there. Jericho had good runs in the Main Event, then would have good runs in the Mid-Card and so on. (I'd give him an A- over a B+ )

This is what I see as a more likely option for Miz. Beating Cena at WrestleMania was huge, no matter how it was done. Since he lost the title, he hasn't been in contention but still kept himself relevant. This is not a million miles away from Jericho's Undisputed Champ run and aftermath as Jericho beat Rock and Austin in one night, had an ok run with the belt, then dropped down the card again for a while. However when he worked his way back into contention, it seemed to fit.

 

[A**hole]

Miz will get the main strap on occasions, just like Jericho but I doubt if he will have a permanent role as a main eventer. The often overlooked role and probably equally as important is opening the show and that is a role tailor made for someone with Miz's skill set as he is one of the best on the mic.
Possibly with some long term change of storyline he could make it but his character as it is now just doesn't have the resilience of a Y2J, HBK or a Ric Flair who's bodytype he most resembles, apart from maybe Mick Foley. He would need to take some Foley style bumps to charge the fans perception of him to make him a AAA+ level

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

You know, I was never a huge Miz fan in the beginning(and even now to some degree), but the guy has worked hard to get his spot. And he promotes WWE harder and more consistently than any superstar I've ever seen in my time as a WWE fan. So, I think it's only a matter of time before he wins the WWE Title/WHC again. As for being a "permanent main eventer", he should stay consistently in the main events. Although I'd like to see him improve his in ring work a little.

One thing I wanna see from the Miz is if he can be as effective as a face as he is now being a heel. That'll be the true test of having depth in his character as far as I'm concerned. He's been a heel for so long, it will probably take a while for fans to buy him as a face. Plus, he's been a RAW guy for far too long IMO. He's never won the WHC, so him jumping to SD and going after that belt makes more sense to me. It's clear he's not gonna be the main focus of RAW for awhile, so him moving to SD and turning face seems to be a logical progression for him to me.

Either way, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Miz in the main event picture. He had a decent run as WWE Champ and retained against Cena at WM, and WWE doesn't do that for many guys. That to me speaks volumes about WWE's confidence in him.

 

[MetalFace DOOM]

I'm going to basically go with what everyone is saying here. But i wouldn't be surprised if he became a big time Main Eventer on the scales of John Cena. Not going to say on the scales of Austin, The Rock, or Hogan.. Because i don't really fully put John Cena on that scale, Cena is in their category but Austin, Rock, Hogan were still at a higher scale to me. Anyways..

Personally i dont like The Miz, but he is a fantastic talker on the Mic, fantastic in his persona and his character period. He has the image and look even though he might not be fully believable in the ring, he's still a great entertainer. Someone mention that its his size holding him back or his age. I say neither is a problem, especially his size. With HBK and Y2J you knew that they could beat anybody despite their size, because they had tremendous skill and just could run circles around just about anybody. So for me, the only reason why i have a hard time believing Miz fully or accepting him fully is because i dont think his wrestling ring ability is up to par to be idk... believable at a high level.

I don't know what it is, but when i look at him i just don't see him as being a dominant like others that are and have been in mainstay in the main event. And the only "it" factor i see in miz, is his Mic skills which are extremely great.

I hope im wrong because the guy has a lot of desire, passion just like how Cena does for the company. But when it comes to Cena, Orton and the guys from the past.. Austin, Rock, HHH, Hogan, Undertaker, HBK, Y2J, i see and we all see it in them. I even seen it in Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar. Just don't see it in Miz at all or yet hopefully... And hopefully im wrong about Miz, even though im not a fan of his.. I actually would like to see him make it and wouldn't mind seeing him make it.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Now, my question is...can Miz ever get to the level where he is regarded in the bracket of "PERMANENT MAIN EVENTER"

Now this is something I can get into. I'm going to stray away from the majority here and say that yes, I do believe that he can become a permanent fixture in the main event. Not that he will necessarily, but he certainly can.

In my mind, there are 2 kinds of permanent Main eventers.

1. The top faces, guys who are undeniably the most popular guys on the roster, i.e. Austin, Hogan, Rock, Cena, Taker, etc.

2. A heel with power. Much like Hogan when he had the nWo backing him, Triple H during his mega heel run, and even Edge when he had Vickie Guerrero's backing.

I could easily see Miz falling into the number 2 category. If he were to lead a faction of some sort who insured his victory, or if he were to just have an alliance with someone in power. The only people who can reach this kind of status are people who have the charisma to hold an audience for a long period of time. I certainly think Miz is capable of doing that.

I highly doubt he would ever fall into the first category. I know a lot people want him to turn face for whatever reason and if he did, it has a slight chance of working. But I just don't see it working so well that it would shoot him up into that top level. Simply put; he's just too small. Now don't start with the bodybuilding bullshit, I'm not saying small guys don't make it in the company, but his size along with other elements lead me to believe that a face run wouldn't work. When you think of smaller champions, you think of guys like Hart, Michaels, Jeff Hardy, etc. Guys who could defeat opponents with their speed and agility or technical prowess. Miz is of the same kind of build but he doesn't have that kind of repertoire (well not that I've seen) so how exactly are his matches going to work? Miz is a cheater. Maybe it could change, I don't know, but I can't imagine him being a big time star as a face if I can't even imagine him being a successful face.

Note: When I say "permanent" main eventer, I'm really just meaning someone who can stick around for at least a year or 2. Nobody stays in the main event 100% of the time.

 

[IrishMcNaughton613]

The miz is a main eventer. If the WWE doesn't use him as so is a big mistake. Not that the WWE doesn't make these kind of mistakes all the time anyways but Miz has something to offer. One he can put on a good match. He has a good arsonal of moves and makes the match entertaining. Two he is entertaining. He can run the mic like one of the best. It doesn't matter what he is saying when he's talking you want to know what he is saying. Personaly he got screwed at wrestlmania. I understand trying to make the Rock and Cena a big focus but lets face it, that was a joke of a main event for wrestlmania because there really wasn't that much wrestling. Cena wouldn't have put on that great of a match anyways and they in no way would let Cena lose without looking like he got robbed, but the miz has proven himself when he was stepping upto the plate before wrestlmania. It may not be known but people can relate to the miz because we all know that guy that may be good but talks himself up to the point that there is no way he can live up to. Also the miz isn't ur average big champion. Now your average joe can believe that if he puts in the time he could actually have a shot in the wrestling business. Bottom line, Miz has what it takes it's up to WWE to let him be at that level. Dare I say give him the same chance HBK got or does he have to help do Vinces dirty work first.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

I don't think so. I don't hate the Miz. Nor do I think he 'sucks.'

I think the biggest problem with the Miz is that they are trying TOO hard to make him into a big deal. Cole is still marking out hard whenever Miz comes out; tho he doesn't do that for anyone else. They had Riley with him to mark out for him every time they had a segment together. They shoved him on TV shows and commercials. They wouldn't stop talking about how great he is and the likes.

It just doesn't feel like a natural progression or an organic part of the show. If he was really that good, why couldn't it just let things happen? He went through some big names (Orton, Lawler, Cena) within months of each other. They tried to jam him into the Rock/Cena stuff even tho it started off as Cena/Miz. Even main evented Mania, but how many people remember what he did, if they remember at all?

He just feels really forced.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

So far, he has shown no indication of being a main eventer on the level of a Cena or an Orton. He is an established main eventer now and had a great run as a champion in the early part of this year but there is not that same anticipation around him as it was when Austin, Cena or even Orton were making it big. Miz continues to be an entertaining part of the show but I do not think that the show would lack anything if he was not around. And that is what seperates the best from the rest, in my opinion.

When Cena was making it big, you wanted to see him on every show. You wanted him to own someone on the mic at around 2003 or 2004. His raps were an event all by themselves. Same deal with Austin in 1997. You wanted him to do something on the show. Look at Orton in 2010. The same RKO fest that people bash him now for, seemed awesome then. Tell me, do you really want to see Miz come out and cut a promo every week? I certainly do not want to and I believe that in general the people here would agree with me.

That is, like I said, is what seperates the best from the rest. The best do not go through lull periods where they live off their past achievements. With the best, you do not say that "Yeah, he's not exactly the most important guy right now but he can be hotshotted into the main event any time." The best make their match the main attraction of their show all by themselves.

But then again, it does take time. I do not believe that Orton did not really make it big before he started punting people and discovering his more unstable side despite being a world champion before that. I would not have rated the 2004 version of Orton as a permanent main eventer but the 2009 version did definately look that way.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Sure he can. If he got booked to retain a world title against Cena at Wrestlemania then there is your proof that they have big long term plans for Miz. He needs to improve in the ring but that can happen over time. Rattlesnake brought up a good point about Orton. It might just take a little time for Miz too because he can only improve at this point. All of the publicity work he does for WWE, combined with his desire to improve, will keep him toward the top of the card for a very long time. I refused to accept him as a potential main eventer at one point but he has gotten better.

 

[PunkNation26]

In my opinion, Miz is the heel version of John Cena. Both guys were made from scratch as WWE products and they have both been forced, one as a face and the other as a heel. I agree with Ebony's points. Miz should have been allowed to attempt to get over on his own. I actually liked him when he was on the ECW brand doing the "Dirt Sheet."

I also find it hard to suspend disbelief and buy it that he can actually defeat anyone without cheating. I mean his finisher is a pathetic move that I just can't accept can beat anyone. I wouldn't mind seeing hiim use a submission finisher instead of that stupid Inverted Russian Leg Sweep.

Did anyone else find it laughable when he gave HHH the Skull Crushing Finale at Night of Champions? I mean no one believed for a second, that even if Punk covered HHH immediately after the move that HHH wasn't going to kick out. Now do I think Miz can be a permanent main eventer? Honestly not really. I think he should stick in the upper midcard and touch the main event from time to time, but if Piper was never WWE Champion, Miz shouldn't win the WWE Title more than 2 more times in his career.

 

[Theo Mays]

If you would have asked me this a few months ago I probably would've said no. I think I have a dislike for first time champions that I feel don't deserve it (Sheamus and Miz come to mind). However now I can see Miz as a permanent main eventer. I feel he has stepped up his game even more so than he did as champion. I feel his matches have been better and his mic work has improved. His alliance with Truth has been great stuff from the beginning. Clearly Miz will be back and it could lead to him getting back into the title hunt or even getting a rub from a guy like Triple H if they were to engage in a feud.

Miz has the work ethic to become a permanent main event star. I don't think he'll ever get to the level of a John Cena or Triple H, but I do believe he can achieve the status of a Chris Jericho type where he'll roam around and be a believable asset to wherever he falls on the card. The future is definitely bright for Miz, that can be said without a doubt.

 

[TempestH]

Yes, Miz did fall off a bit to put over Alex Riley, but that's not a bad thing. Miz can be booked like Jericho was. However, I also think that Miz & Riley could be the next HHH & HBK (as both an on and off rivalry and a semi regular pairing) if booked properly.

Miz is a great heel, but he also has the tools to play a top face. I actually eagerly await the day that Miz turns face. With his smallish size and the fact that he looks like a kid sometimes, I think he could play the underdog role a bit more believably that Cena.

 

[wrestlingfanusa]

the miz and zach ryder are the two guys in the company right now that have worked the hardest to get noticed. Now im not saying cm punk or john cena hasnt. But they are already well known names. The miz goes to every media appearence/interview to promote himself and wwe as he can and thus he will be rewarded. Think of it wouldnt u want that from your champion/face of your company. As for zach ryder the kid took it on himself to launch a youtube show just incase he got fired its like a resume of sorts, like if zach ryder got fired he could use youtube to show his charisma to tna or roh. He also created the internet championship the guy worked his ass off improved in the ring and deserved to be on tv and is just a guy that people can relate to bc hes living the dream, he is one of us fans living the wwe superstar dream. People want to cheer him on bc we can tell hes always having a great time. As for the miz, he relates bc hes a regular guy who made it, he was once a annoying host who said hoo rah and then worked his ass off to become a main event player. Also he seems pretty cool, like someone u can go to bar and drink with or play madden with.

 

[FearMyBeard]

The Miz can be a permanent main event player(Chasing the titles on a regular basis). He is a terrific promoter of the WWE, has generally a good public image, he's a great entertainer, he's developing and improving in the ring, and his delivery of his promos is, to quote the Miz, awesome. A gimmick that works also helps but the most important thing is: Management, generally the powers that be in the WWE, has his back. They believe in him seeing as they've given him big-time opportunities and the Miz did his part by stepping up and answering the calls.

However, can=/= will
Sure, the Miz can become a regular heavyweight title chaser title but, as majority of the posters have said, he can be booked similarly to Y2J. That isn't a bad thing because Y2J is a bonafide hall of famer. He's a legend but not necessarily a megastar of the WWE like Cena, Hogan, etc.

Whatever happens, the Miz has a bright future. I believe he has the potential to be a megastar on equal footing with the biggest names in the history of the WWE. If not, he could have a career that parallels with that of Jericho's and if you told any other midcard guy in the WWE that they're gonna have a career that is comparable to that of the latter, they would be absolutely thrilled. It's basically a win-win for the Miz here as long as he doesn't fuck up off-cam(Get in trouble with management, do something stupid publicly,etc.) nor suffer from any career-threatening injury.

9-10 months ago I probably would've laughed at the idea that Miz should even be considered in this discussion but after witnessing his rise particularly on how he became better all-around as a WWE superstar is truly admirable and I salute him for his hardwork. I'm still not a Miz fan but I respect and recognize one's rise especially if it is a result of hardwork and determination.

 

[brandonxthomas]

I think Miz will eventually go face and be the "longest running wwe champ in modern history."

For now, a move to SD would be good. He could carry that brand better than Orton IMO.

 

[IrishMcNaughton613]

I don't think a superstar like the miz should be judged on his finisher. Look at some of the greats such as hogan. He only had a leg drop. The skull crushing fanaly isn't the best finisher of all time but adleast it's not another DDT lol.

 

[RicoLen]

I am talking about the John Cena's, The Undertakers, Stone Cold's, Triple H's, Rock's or Randy Orton's who never seem to be out of the title hunt when they are/were wrestling full time. These guys dominate/d the title picture and once getting to the level of World Champion, you very rarely ever saw them going for any of the mid-card belts

The Miz is definitely capable of being on the level of HHH, Taker, & Orton. I'm not certain if he's capable of reaching the level of John Cena, Steve Austin, & The Rock.

HHH, Taker, & Orton are company guys through and through, for that matter, and to a lesser extent, so are John Cena & Steve Austin. Company guys may be legends in the realm of pro-wrestling, but are nothing outside the fishbowl.

The Rock, & Hulk Hogan however are big names no matter where you go.

I've said in the past that I think The Miz will probably peak somewhere in between the two. I think he'll be more well known outside the world of wrestling than Cena & Austin, but unless he makes it as a mega TV star, I don't see him reaching the same heights as The Rock or even Hulk Hogan.

On the other hand, there are guys like Chris Jericho who was never reallllly regarded as one of the absolute mega-stars of the WWE, like Cena is. Jericho was more of a B+ or A- wrestler, where he COULD win the big one, and did several times, but was just as comfortable wrestling for the Intercontinental title and staying out of the main event picture...

So, where do you see The Miz?

I've always thought Chris Jericho was more at the same level as Shawn Micheals. I mean, Jericho is kinda fat & flabby these days, and no where near as light on his feet as he used to be, whereas HBK was fit and light on his feet clear to the end. So Jericho's in-ring performance has suffered as a result, however he's more well known outside the wrestling world than HBK by a mile. In that aspect Jericho is more well known than even Cena & Austin. However they're both incredible performers in the ring, and while smaller and less credible than guys like Taker & Austin, they've got a respectable top tier niche set aside all their own.

The Miz is another guy I see fitting into that exact same niche, except that he'll make up with personality what he lacks in in-ring ability, which is STILL improving to this day. Honestly, I think in another few years that claim that The Miz is a less than stellar wrestler will be little more than baseless accusations. I would already say that The Miz's in-ring ability has cross over from the lower 50% to the upper 50%... probably somewhere around 65%-70% compared to a guy like The Hitman or Kurt Angle who (in their prime) were in the upper 95%.