He doesn’t know how long his knee injury will keep him out of the ring, but The Miz vows to stay on WWE television as he recovers.
The Miz might be injured, but that won’t stop his relentless pursuit of greatness, both in and out of WWE.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, The Miz (40-year-old Mike Mizanin) provided some clarity on his health, which has been in question since reportedly tearing his ACL at the WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view last month.
“I love reading reports about my injury,” Mizanin says. “It’s amazing. It’s all usually wrong. I was reading stuff about me like, ‘What? Where are they finding this information?’ I hadn’t even released anything that I was even injured. As far as I’m concerned, everyone keeps asking me how I’m feeling, and I feel like a million bucks—and I’m going to be on WWE TV every week like I always am.”
Mizanin opted not to get into specifics, but he did provide some clarity regarding his injury status.
“I’ll be out for a little bit of time,” Mizanin says. “I’ve seen that I’ll be out nine months. I don’t plan on being out nine months. I was on TV last Monday, and I’m going to be on TV every week.
“We always tell children not to try what we do at home because it’s a very dangerous sport, and I’m a person that had never been injured in a WWE ring for my entire career. I had a match, and did I get injured? Yes, the answer is yes, I did get injured. How long will I be out? To be completely honest, I don’t even know that. I’m just working on physical therapy, getting everything back to 100% so I can give the audience exactly what they want.”
Despite being less than full strength, Mizanin still offers plenty of value for WWE, which he showed last week on Raw while hosting “Miz TV.” He can also help elevate longtime friend and partner John Morrison, who is one of the industry’s most talented performers, to a whole new level of stardom in WWE. A father of two, raising his daughters alongside wife Maryse, they also run their own production company and star in Miz & Mrs on USA Network. Their newest project is partnering with Pampers for their “#ReadyRipRoll” campaign. As parents that have changed more than their fair share of diapers, the Mizanins believe they are the perfect couple to represent the brand.
“To find a diaper that you can get on easy and off easy, it’s very difficult,” Mizanin says. “But Pampers Cruisers 360 FIT is absolutely incredible. Now it’s easy on, easy off. There is still the mess inside, but on the outside, it’s smooth and mess-less.”
Whether it is a Pampers commercial or a WrestleMania tag match, Mike and Maryse work together extremely well. Though The Miz’s most talked-about moment on Talking Smack was his fiery debate with Daniel Bryan, another critical moment in the history of the show was Mike and Maryse, sprawled out on the interview desk, gazing into one another’s eyes.
“I loved that episode of Talking Smack,” Mizanin says. “If you look at Renee [Young]’s face during that, it was one of absolute disgust. So whether we’re working together on a project, teaming together, like we did at WrestleMania 33, or when she’s managing me, there is nothing like showing off at work in a speedo in front of your wife.”
Maryse notes that the couple’s shared passion and drive brings meaning to their projects.
“We always have something going on, from WWE to our production company,” Maryse says. “I’m in and out of WWE, and I’ve had a lot of comebacks, and I’ll probably have another comeback sooner than I even know.
“Whatever I do, it has to be perfect. I do everything I can to make the best product, like my beauty product, Pampers or with WWE. I want to make the best of everything that I’m given. I think that’s why we are so confident that our projects are going to be good.”
Asked about teaming together at WrestleMania 33, in a mixed tag match against John Cena and Nikki Bella, Mizanin recalls how it was Maryse that made the program stand out.
“We did the spoof on Total Bellas, their reality show, and Maryse played Brie and Nikki, and everyone was dying at how funny she was,” Mizanin says. “It got to the point where people actually liked us. Maryse made that program. She made it come alive. I think, in the beginning, people didn’t want to see that match. Then it was one of the most talked about matches at WrestleMania.
“You never know what’s going to happen when we’re together, but it’s always going to be very entertaining,” Mizanin says. “We make sure we put everything into our projects. Her skin care line, the reason why it’s such a success, it’s because of the dedication she puts forth—and all the samples I had to put on my face.”
The skin care line, Volition Beauty, is another example of the couple’s pursuit of success outside the ring.
“My skin care is doing so well on Sephora, and I put everything into it, just like we do with all our products,” says Maryse. “People want the best, and I never put my name on something I don’t believe in.”
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Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.