10 WWE Superfans That Actually Made It

8. The Miz

Cm Punk Stone Cold Steve Austin
MTV

It's a staggering achievement in the micromanaged modern-day WWE, and one that largely goes unnoticed, but the nuts and bolts behind the aesthetics of 'The Miz' came from his own highly annoying creation during a stint on MTV's 'Real World' over fifteen years ago.

Enticing and enraging fans and housemates in equal measure on the 2001 reality show, cast member Mike Mizanin masked his insecurities behind an obnoxious wrestling alter-ego called 'The Miz'.

Later discussing how huge the Monday Night Raw parties were during his college fraternity days, Miz jumped on pro wrestling during the Attitude Era and devoured it lock-stock, parlaying his wrestling repartee in reality TV into a career first on the independent scene then eventually into the WWE system through the fourth series of Tough Enough.

A natural fit in a similar television environment, Mizanin continued to push 'The Miz' as his gimmick, even showing off some 'Be Miz' trunks he had made, with a slogan that still adorns his outfit to this day.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett