5 WWE backstage stories we learned this week: Company refused to rehire former GM, Vince McMahon's first impression of The Miz

#4 How Vince McMahon viewed The Miz early in his career

The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross took part in a preview show on the ‘WWE Now’ YouTube series in the hours leading up to the first episode of SmackDown on FOX.

Reflecting on the early days of his WWE career, The Miz revealed that Vince McMahon originally only wanted him to be a host on television, much like American television presenter Ryan Seacrest.

“I’ll never forget going to Vince’s office and him telling me, ‘We want you to be the Ryan Seacrest of the WWE.’ In my head, that’s not what you want to hear as a WWE Superstar. There’s nothing wrong with Ryan Seacrest – Ryan Seacrest is a great host and he’s great at what he does – but you want to be like the big head honcho, you want to be a WWE Superstar. When you hear your boss tell you he wants you to be a host, I was like, ‘Ah, man.’ But then I was like, ‘Wait a second, I get a microphone? Pass the mic and start the show!’”

As the years went on, “The A-Lister” moved away from his role as the host of various WWE segments, including the 2006 Diva Search, and established himself as one of the company’s most reliable in-ring competitors.

The Miz still hosts Miz TV, of course, but his legacy in WWE will likely be defined by his WrestleMania main event in 2011 and his nine Intercontinental Championship reigns, as opposed to his spell as "WWE’s Ryan Seacrest".