3 Things AEW star MJF has in common with WWE's The Miz

This week's episode of AEW Dynamite featured an epic promo battle between MJF and CM Punk.

The leader of the Pinnacle and the Straight Edge Superstar went toe-to-toe on the mic for nearly twenty minutes, trading verbal barbs that left the Chicago crowd spellbound. It has since been lauded as one of the best pro wrestling segments of the year.

Pot shots were taken by both men. MJF made a John Cena reference when he said Punk was always second best, whether it was to the “You Can’t See Me Man”, or the “King of Kings,” a not so-veiled reference to Triple H.

A comment by CM Punk in response, however, got the live audience buzzing and set social media ablaze.

"He thinks he's somebody. He thinks what he does is revolutionary to the wrestling business when in reality, he's just a less famous Miz," said CM Punk on Dynamite.

It's no surprise that CM Punk would compare MJF to The Miz. The similarities between AEW's resident smart aleck and WWE's Most Must-See Superstar have followed MJF throughout his career - ever since he started in the company. Here we look at the 3 things in common between the two wrestlers.

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#3 Both wrestlers feuded with CM Punk - MJF in AEW and The Miz in WWE

While MJF and CM Punk's burgeoning rivalry in AEW is set to captivate audiences in the coming weeks, The Miz can also lay claim to having fought The Best In The World.

Back in 2011, CM Punk was the reigning WWE Champion and was set to defend his title in a Triple Threat match between The Miz and Alberto Del Rio at the TLC PPV.

CM Punk also famously expressed his unhappiness that The Miz got the WrestleMania 27 main event spot against John Cena over him. They also had an interesting confrontation in 2012 with the roles reversed.

CM Punk was playing the villain at the time and Miz was the face as he challenged Punk to a lie detector test on Miz TV, live on Monday Night Raw.

Their 'reel-life' rivalry spilled into a real life one in 2020 when CM Punk called out The Miz for wrestling in Saudi Arabia. There's clearly no love lost between Punk and Mike Mizanin. It would be interesting to see if MJF's incendiary words can gain the same amount of heat as his WWE counterpart.

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#2 AEW star MJF have also audtioned for WWE Tough Enough like The Miz

An AEW original auditioning for WWE Tough Enough?

Surprise, surprise... This really happened. MJF applied for the final season of Tough Enough, WWE's reality TV competition, in 2015. He cut a promo directed at Triple H. Even back then, he was already calling out the King of Kings.

The Miz is of course most famous for his reality television background, having previously starred in MTV's The Real World and competed on the second season of Tough Enough all the way back in 2004. Then later, as a WWE Superstar, along with his wife Maryse in Miz & Mrs.

Given the star potential we know of MJF now, it was somewhat surprising that he didn't get picked up for the show. But alas, WWE's loss is AEW's huge gain.

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#1 AEW's MJF and WWE's The Miz are both excellent on the mic

The biggest thing in common between MJF in AEW and The Miz in WWE is that both wrestlers are mesmerizing on the microphone.

MJF channels an old school, smarmy heel similar to Roddy Piper or Ric Flair in their primes. He is never afraid to garner cheap heat by disparaging the hometown crowd or insulting his opponents' appearances or flaws.

The Miz, on the other hand, plays the narcissistic Hollywood big shot on WWE television really well while also acting cowardly at times. He thrives on being underestimated. While their verbal styles might slightly defer, their charisma is on full display every time they have a microphone in their hands.

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What did you think of the promo battle between CM Punk and MJF on Dynamite? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.