The Miz was recently interviewed by Busted Open Radio, and reflected on some of his goals as a pro wrestler. While he is a WWE veteran at this stage (who headlined a WrestleMania, even if he was overshadowed by The Rock and John Cena), the former WWE Champion explained why he wants to rise back up the card and get a chance he feels he never has: to be a top star in the company.
"People always ask me that question. I’m a person that wants it all. I want it all and what does all entail? When I am not the WWE champion, I want to be the WWE champion. When I am not on a poster for SmackDown or any PPV, if I’m not the front and center, even if I’m on the poster and I am on the side, that infuriates me. That aggravates me. That motivates me to want to be front and center and being the top dog to where WWE looks at me and goes, this is our guy."
"I don’t honestly feel like I have been that guy," he continued. "I’ve always had to work very hard to become that guy, to be that guy. Right now, I don’t feel like I am that guy. So what do I have to do to be that guy? Do I have to get on 45 different shows and show WWE that I can be the main focus of a show. I control ratings. I can put butts in seats. People will pay to see me wrestle. That’s where I’m looking at it and going, alright, what do I have to do to get to that level? Sometimes, it’s a roller coaster. Sometimes you’re up high and sometimes you have to wait and wait. I don’t like to wait. I like to do everything possible to make sure I’m giving the audience exactly what they deserve and that is being an entertainer and being a performer."
The Miz went on to reflect on that aforementioned WrestleMania match, and explained why he believes that was the moment things started going downhill for him. "When I lost the WWE Championship to John Cena, there was a role shift in the writing process and I saw where I was going," he explains. "I was going to be used to develop new talent because I was just utilized for the past, I don’t know, year, to get me to where I am. Now it’s time to make other people and I didn’t have the wherewithal to make sure I was being made as well."
The Miz recently signed a new contract with WWE, and as a reality TV star, it is surprising the company has placed him in yet another tag team. Things could certainly change for him over the next few years, of course, though it is hard to imagine him back in that top spot after he's spent such a long time in the midcard.
What do you guys think?