Mike Mizanin

Mike "The Miz" Mizanin (born October 8, 1980 in Parma, Ohio) is an American professional wrestler, currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment as a wrestler and the host of Friday Night SmackDown!

Biography

Mizanin attended Miami University, where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity, and studied business at the Richard T. Farmer School of Business. That freshman year, he roomed with former Miami Redhawk hockey star Nick Jardine, and bodybuilding male gymnast Todd J. Hartman. He remained at Miami University for eighteen months, where he seriously dated current Cincinnati accountant Karissa Long.

Mizanin later relocated to Southern California in order to attend acting classes. He also visited high schools and colleges, delivering motivational speeches.

Television career

Mizanin dropped out of college in order to appear on the tenth series of MTV's reality television program The Real World in 2001. He went on to appear in multiple spin-offs, including several seasons of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge with contestants from MTV's Road Rules. He appeared on the Challenge seasons "Battle of the Seasons", "The Gauntlet," "The Inferno," "Battle of the Sexes 2," and "The Inferno 2." He was known for doing well on the challenges and made it to the end except on "Battle of the Sexes 2." He won on "Battle of the Seasons" and "The Inferno 2."

On one episode of The Real World, Mizanin first displayed an alter ego known as The Miz. In contrast to Mizanin's usually placid demeanour, The Miz was angry, confrontational and headstrong. Mizanin later realised that "The Miz" would make an excellent professional wrestling gimmick.

During one Challenge season, "The Gauntlet" he dated Trishelle Cannatella of Real World Las Vegas. On the challenge season "The Inferno" he had a brief relationship with Kendal Shephard of "Road Rules (Campus Crawl)." On the challenge season "Battle of the Seasons" he had another brief relationship with Tara of "Road Rules (Northern Trail)."

On "The Real World" and on the challenges, he is also known for his roller coaster relationship with Coral Smith.

In 2005, he appeared on the Bravo reality show Battle of the Network Reality Stars where his team finished in second.

Mizanin also was a contestant in the Reality Stars episode of Fear Factor. His partner was Trishelle Cannatella who is his former girlfriend and cast mate. The edition of Fear Factor he was on was Reality Stars, and also featuring partners from The Apprentice, American Idol, The Amazing Race, and Survivor. Mizanin and Trishelle ended up winning the competition.

Wrestling career

In October 2004, Mizanin entered the fourth season of Enough#$1,000,000 Tough Enough|Tough Enough" target="_blank" >^*, a televised competition which would award the winner a World Wrestling Entertainment contract and the sum of States dollar|$" target="_blank" >^*1,000,000. Despite coming last in an arm wrestling tournament on November 25, Mizanin outlasted six other wrestlers. On December 12, 2004, at the WWE pay-per-view Armageddon 2004, Mizanin faced the other remaining entrant, Daniel Puder, in a three round "Dixie Dogfight" (boxing match). Neither man achieved a knockout, and the contest was awarded to Puder on the basis of crowd reaction. On the December 16 episode of SmackDown!, Puder was announced as the winner of Tough Enough by head trainer Al Snow.

Pursuing the goal of becoming a professional wrestler which he had harbored from an early age, Mizanin joined Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where he trained in the Ultimate University. He made his in-ring debut in 2003.

Despite losing the Tough Enough contest, Mizanin had piqued the interest of WWE, and he was eventually offered a developmental contract. Mizanin was sent to Deep South Wrestling to train under Bill DeMott, relocating to McDonough, Georgia in the process, and in July 2005 he wrestled two dark matches for WWE, teaming with former Tough Enough champion Matt Cappotelli to face The Highlanders. On December 1, 2005, Mizanin defeated Mike Knox in the finals of a tournament to crown the first Deep South Heavyweight Champion.

He continued to tag with Matt Cappotelli throughout the second half of 2005 in WWE dark matches and house shows until Cappotelli, nominally of Ohio Valley Wrestling, was diagnosed with a brain tumor after an injury at a taping in December 2005.

Ohio Valley Wrestling

On January 3, 2006, it was reported that Mizanin was transferred to Ohio Valley Wrestling. On the January 18, 2006, OVW TV show, Mizanin made his debut as "The Miz", with a "Miz TV" segment, where he was shown talking backstage. He talked with Chris Cage, who was supposed to be his tag team partner in OVW, but Cage said he was quitting the business after someone had cut off Johnny Jeter's hair and wished Mizanin good luck with his wrestling career. As Chris Cage left Mike then met with his old tag team partner Matt Cappotelli and former TNA girlfriend Christy Hemme as later that night they had a six person tag team match as Christy Hemme, Matt Cappotelli, and Mike Mizanin defeated The Highlanders.

On the January 28, 2006, edition of the OVW TV show, The Miz wrestled his first match against Rene Dupree. Chet the Jet and Seth Skyfire came to ringside during the match and acted as a diversion to allow Rene Dupree to gain the upper hand on The Miz. As The Miz was about to finish Rene Dupree, Chris Cage came out and attacked Seth Skyfire. When The Miz left the ring to try to control Chris Cage he ended up losing the match by count out.

At the February 8, 2006 TV taping, The Miz and Chris Cage captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Chet the Jett and Seth Skyfire. In what was deemed a "disciplinary move," WWE released Chris Cage over the weekend of March 18, 2006 making it nessicary for Miz and Cage to drop the titles. On March 19 Deuce Shade defeated The Miz in a singles contest to win the titles for his team The Untouchables (Deuce Shade & Domino).

SmackDown!

On March 8, 2006, WWE.com uploaded a video of The Miz stating that he is headed to WWE Friday Night SmackDown! and during April, SmackDown! aired video packages hyping the debut of The Miz. Mizanin finally attempted to make his actual SmackDown! debut on April 21, 2006. However, before he could enter the arena, he was informed by network executive Palmer Cannon that he had been "cancelled" and was then escorted from the building by security.

With the April 21 show being pre-taped to allow WWE to tour Italy, both WWE and The Miz were caught unaware when Palmer Cannon abruptly quit the company on April 20. As a result of this, The Miz's planned feud with Cannon was cancelled and he was left with nothing to do until, on May 31, 2006, WWE.com announced that The Miz would be SmackDown!'s new "host". He has been getting much X-pac heat recently.

As "host" Miz debuted on June 2, 2006, announcing, at the top of the show, the planned card and attempting to hype up the card. Other "host" duties included interviews and hosting a bikini contest.

Miz has also taken an active role in the 2006 WWE Diva Search competition along with the 2005 Diva Search winner Ashley, appearing on both WWE RAW and SmackDown! to host the contest.