The Miz is one of WWE’s most consistent and hard-working performers ever – says the colleague who’ll stand across the ring from him at Royal Rumble.
Beth Phoenix, herself a WWE Hall of Famer, teams up with husband Edge to take on Miz and wife Maryse at the showpiece event on January 29th.
The bout sets a remarkable scene given that not all that long ago, Miz was the only active in-ring performer of the foursome.
He has pretty much worked week in, week out for WWE since his 2006 debut, with injuries rare and most other absences to down to film commitments.
Given he’s cast in the role of an on-screen villain in the company, love from WWE fans has been rare for the 41-year-old.
In his early years, he found that respect hard to come by behind the scenes, too, having moved into wrestling from reality television.
Now, he’s one of their most established and accomplished stars – something Phoenix knows only too well.
Speaking to Daily Star Online, the New Yorker – who ditched the commentary table for an active return to the ring at New Year – had plenty of good things to say about the man she’ll be facing come Rumble time.
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She explained: “I’ve known Mike [Miz] since his first day stepping in the ring, and Maryse, too.
“The wrestling business – especially a couple of decades ago – we were a very close, tight-knit group and paying your dues was important.
“Here you had someone coming in with fame and in the beginning, people were hesitant: ‘are you just seeking more fame, how much do you love this?’
“Unfortunately, that put Mike on a path to be swimming upstream because, really, nothing could be further from the truth. I have such admiration for him.
“To have the thick skin to spend all these years not getting the approval that you deserve and portrayed as a heel all these years – that is tough.
“It’s not easy to go out there and have people screaming at you that you suck every single day.
“But Mike knows that that’s his role, and what he’s great at is that he provokes emotion in people and that is a talent that not many people have.”
Miz is a two-time former WWE Champion who has won and done pretty much all there is to win and do in Vince McMahon’s empire.
Phoenix, herself a former champion and one of the most respected performers of her generation, added of him: “I have admiration for his longevity and for how hard he’s worked – he is one of the hardest working, consistent and durable performers we’ve ever had in WWE.
“We don’t talk about it much, but he’s also one of the most decorated performers we’ve ever had in WWE.
“As a heel, he doesn’t need the pat on the back to know he’s awesome, no pun intended. Mike is confident in himself and that is really special amongst performers.
“It’s really admirable.”
Phoenix and Edge’s match against Miz and Maryse is just one of a host of attractions at WWE Royal Rumble. Watch it in the UK on WWE Network and BT Sport Box Office.
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