What’s the story?
Backstage at a pro wrestling event is just as much a cauldron of entertainment as the product in the ring. The weekly feature of “Pro Wrestling Stories” on the /squaredcircle subreddit was so popular it spawned its own website.
It’s not only interesting from a salacious, behind-the-scenes point of view but also lets fans get to know the performers behind the Superstars a little bit better. Which is why this little tidbit from Johnny Mundo (aka Morrison’s) interview with Highspots on YouTube regarding The Miz caught our ear. This story is indicative of the rough treatment that the A-Lister received from his peers during the initial stages of his WWE tenure.
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The Miz (aka Mike Mizanin) – a former cast member of MTV’s The Real World – was not exactly well liked by the rest of locker room when he first joined WWE. He was originally part of the Million Dollar Tough Enough (along with Ryback) and, although he didn’t win, he was brought on to be the “host” of Smackdown. It’s no secret that Miz had a hard time in his early WWE days, but if this story from Morrison is to be believed, he toughed it out more than he needed to,
The heart of the matter
According to Morrison, Miz was caught eating chicken over the travel bag of referee Scott Armstrong by Chris Benoit. In what would be a pretty extreme punishment considering the infraction, Benoit kicked The Miz out of the locker room – for good. Miz would even wind up changing in the hallway for a good six to eight months after Benoit’s death – before The Undertaker asked him about it and personally invited Miz back into the locker room.
Also read: The Miz’s 5 greatest WWE rivals
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Author’s take
The Miz has got to be one of the all-time great “feel good” behind-the-scenes stories in WWE history. The fact that he had so much respect for locker room protocol, even after Benoit died – as it was explained in the video, the banishment from the locker room could only be reversed by the wrestler who ordered it – shows how seriously this “guy from a reality show” took the business.
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