10 Wrestlers EVERYBODY Was Wrong About
7. The Miz
Mike Mizanin's WWE career got off to just about the worst start imaginable. Before he'd even signed with the company, he was wholly rejected by fans following his turn on the 2004 edition of Tough Enough. Simply put: they didn't just dislike him as a wrestler; they didn't want him in the industry full stop.
Nevertheless, they had him. WWE were so enamoured by the so-called 'Miz' - and in particular, his past reality TV association - that they rewarded the competition's runner-up to a (slightly less) lucrative contract, albeit in an interviewer role. The newbie's actual wrestling prospects didn't look promising. Even his colleagues dismissed him, forcing the neophyte to change on his own in arena hallways.
The prevailing mentality was that Mizanin had no particular interest in wrestling beyond the fame it brought, an opinion seemingly substantiated by his celebrity-seeking past. So when he did finally pull on a pair of trunks, fans wanted nothing to do with him. Matters weren't helped by a protracted winning streak which made clear WWE had already designated the tyro as their new Golden Boy.
Over time, The Miz gradually convinced naysayers of his work ethic and application - but not his talent. When the cookie-cutter cad was inexplicably lined up against John Cena at WrestleMania XXVII, the only thing he had going in his favour was that he wasn't his opponent. On the night, The Rock - not competing - undermined them both.
It'd take another five years for the most ardent Miz mitherers to finally accept the perennial Intercontinental Champion's credentials. An alliance with real-life wife Maryse elevated his underrated character work above his company contemporaries, and the point was hammered home with a now iconic Talking Smack tirade against Daniel Bryan. He might not have been the best technical wrestler the company had seen - not by a long shot - but begrudgingly, everyone had to accept he was a WWE asset, not a mere institution.