10 WWE Midcarders Who Broke The Glass Ceiling
6. The Miz
Most guys on this list were well-respected, battled-hardened veterans by the time they managed to break through the so-called glass ceiling. This is not the case with The Miz, who had been wrestling for about a year before he entered the $1,000,000 Tough Enough in late 2004 and quickly drew the ire of the WWE locker room.
Former Real World star Miz finished as runner up in the contest, losing out to Daniel Puder in the final. Despite not winning, Miz was still offered a WWE developmental deal and reported to Deep South and then Ohio Valley Wrestling for further training.
When he made his debut as host of the Smackdown brand in June 2006, he was clearly lost. It was painfully obvious that he was struggling when he made a complete hash of hosting the Diva Search live on Raw. Miz forgot how fans were supposed to vote, tripped over his words and made a bit of a tit out of himself, in all honesty.
But hey, it happens, right? Chalk it up to experience.
Miz finally found his footing in a tag team with John Morrison and the two enjoyed a good run together. Over time Miz grew as a worker and changed up his look to something more befitting a top star, ditching the shorts and vest for trunks and bare chest.
He'd improved so much that by July 2010 WWE had chosen him to win the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him a guaranteed WWE Title match within the space of a year.
Miz successfully cashed-in his shot on the November 22nd, 2010 episode of Raw, downing Randy Orton. It was an incredible moment, one that shocked fans who frankly never thought they'd see the day. Miz held the title Extreme Rules on May 1st, 2011 and even regained it over face of the company John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania.
Considering how much crow the naturally annoying Miz had to eat over the years, it was good to see him break through. He deserved it due to his notable improvement.