The Miz appeared as a guest on the newest episode of INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, which was released on Tuesday morning.
The following are some of the highlights.
On the story behind winning the WWE title: “I didn’t walk in knowing, that was a day of situation. Same thing when I won my second WWE Championship. I had no idea. I thought I was losing it the second time. I thought the reason they took it off of Otis was so he didn’t have to lose, so they’re giving it to someone that can just lose the Money in the Bank and be done with it. The first time, I didn’t know. It was Orlando, I walk in the arena, and I got into meeting with Vince. Usually I didn’t have a meeting with Vince, but this day they were like, ‘Hey, you got to meet with Vince.’ I wonder what’s happening. Honestly, I was starting to believe I was going to lose it. If you remember, I had three titles. They were giving me the rocket without me realizing I had the rocket. Most people didn’t think I had the rocket either, because even though I had three titles and everything like that, people still just like, Go away, go away. So I get in there, and he’s like, ‘We’re gonna put it on you.’ I go, Huh? Oh, my god, wow, I’m not losing? No, we’re putting it on you. Okay. I’m gonna do my best to make sure that this is the biggest thing ever. I will do whatever it takes. He’s like, ‘I know you will. You’ve worked hard for this.’ I really have, and I’m about to work even harder. So I remember kayfabing everyone, not telling a soul. I remember I had a match that day, or I had something where I had my gear on, and everyone was asking, Dude, why are you still wearing your gear? I was like, just tired, man, just tired. Everyone’s kind of peeping over. I remember Randy going through the Nexus, Wade, Barrett, everyone. I remember the day because we had a promo class that day, and the promo class was about being animalistic. I think I remember, I think it was Wade and Sheamus having a promo battle where they were barking like dogs. The lesson, as stupid as it sounds, the lesson is sometimes you don’t need words to translate exactly what’s happening in a match, you need that raw, primal [energy]. So I envisioned myself as a wolf attacking. You ever see a wolf trying to attack and the other person’s trying to get away, and you’re just like, it’s locked in on the injury. It sees the blood. When you see the blood, you’re going for it. So that promo class taught me that. So that’s when I walked out and when I got into the ring. I remember I was like a wolf, locked in, saw the injury. His leg was injured. I was going after it. I could feel, and this is whatever, you can call it acting, or whatever, method acting. I could feel my mouth just watering for it, almost foaming for that, because I knew I was getting that title, and I’m going to get that title. So I went after Orton’s leg, tore it up. He goes for his RKO, I hit the move, and while I’m hitting the move, I’m going, yes, yes, yes, yes. Boom, 1, 2, 3, it’s real. It’s real. So many things go through your mind when a moment like that happens, it’s like you see pictures. You see, as a kid, watching wrestling, playing with my red, white and blue ropes, and flinging my action figures, going to Toys R Us, asking my dad, ‘Hey Koko B Ware’s at Toys R Us. Can we please, please, please, please, go, go wait in line and get his autograph?’ ‘No, I don’t have time for that.’ You know, walking in and seeing which one I didn’t have. I don’t have Undertaker. I don’t have Ultimate Warrior yet. I don’t have this one. I don’t have this color. I remember those, it’s going through my head while I’m winning. Then going through meeting Hulk Hogan for the first time in Toronto, and him asking me about The Real World, that’s going through my head. Going to UPW for the first time, meeting Rick Bassman, saying, ‘Hey, I’d really love to train here.’ $2,500 and you can train as much as you want. Absolutely, no problem paying the money. Going to Deep South Wrestling, the hardest stuff I ever had to go through, the blood, the sweat, the tears, then going through getting kicked out of the locker room, winning my first championship, Tag Team Championship, almost getting in a fight the same day that I won my tag team titles. United States Champion, first singles title. Oh my god, climbing up the ladder, grabbing the Money in the Bank briefcase going, oh my god, this is happening. The crowd booing in awe saying, Oh my God, you just threw Randy Orton, our hero, off. This is going through my all of it while I’m winning, while I’m sitting there. This is how fast it’s going through my head, bubble, boom. Then having the Money in the Bank. Everyone’s saying, all the critics and everyone online saying ‘He’s going to be the first to lose. We hate him. We don’t want him, give it to another person. There’s so many better options. Give it to DiBiase, give it to Cody, give it to someone, anyone but The Miz.’ Then going in there and winning and holding it up. And then you’re like, Oh my God. And then all those things go through. And then you feel the eyes, the water starts to happen. And you’re like, No, wait, this is my first moment as a WWE, I can’t be crying. No, don’t cry. Don’t cry. So then what do I do? I get up and I go to the top rope to kind of walk it off. Walk off those tears that are about to happen. I hoist the title up, and I’m like, oh my god. I remember Alex Riley, hugging him, being like, I did it, we did it. Oh my god, I don’t know what to say or do, because that’s not supposed to happen. Dreams supposed to happen when you’re sleeping, not when you’re there, and this is the dream. I walk backstage and everyone’s clapping. Nowadays, no one stays after the show, but back then, everyone stayed after the show. It was mandatory, everyone was there and everyone was clapping. Maybe they were made to do that, I don’t know, or maybe they felt compelled to do it, but, man, that was a really cool moment, really cool moment to have all these people there. Man, this is crazy. And then afterwards, me and Maryse went to Denny’s, and I had a breakfast slam to celebrate because nothing was open and I didn’t plan a party.”
On his memories from WrestleMania 27: “So I remember my entrance. I remember not seeing that vignette. That Hate Me Now vignette is so good. I still think it’s the best. People say Rock and Austin, My Way, they say that one’s the best. I beg to differ, and the reason is what that vignette did in that moment. I wonder if that vignette was put on SmackDown, there would have been a different feeling energy going in. Because going in, I remember I was swallowed up. You’re the WWE Champion, I’m going up against titans, The Rock and John Cena, titans. Then there’s me with the WWE Championship. Back then, it still is very, very competitive. But man, everyone was fighting for it. Everyone’s fighting for that spot, that main event spot. I’m like, Man, I want this main event. I have to get this main event. This main event is everything; we have to get it. I mean, I have The Rock, I have Cena, this has got to be it. But there were so many great matches and great superstars on that card. It could have went either way. So I remember that leading up to it, the promos, everything, oh my God. I remember the promo I cut, where I walked out as The Rock. I didn’t think it was gonna work at all. I went out, did the whole Rock thing, and then I cut a promo, and I remember The Rock calling me, leaving a message, being like, ‘Dude, that was it. That was amazing. That’s how you step up to the plate. Blah, blah, blah.’ I’m like, Oh man, I’m ready. So then for the match portion of this, I remember seeing Hate Me Now vignette for the first time, right before I’m about to go out. I remember hearing the audience go, oh! As I walked out, I had bubbles. In my head I was like bubbles?! Awesome bubbles?! I’m the main event. I’m WWE Champion. People get pyro, huge displays of pyro. I got bubbles?! I actually ended up loving the bubbles busting out. No one’s ever done that. And then when I remember them saying, ‘You have Pyro for 30 seconds, so make sure you keep it there.’ I’m like, oh, man, this is gonna be great. They’re sparklers. I’m going, I thought these were gonna be big, huge. This is freaking sparklers. It’s like, all right. There we go. Then I remember looking over to my friends and telling them, literally, ‘We did it.’ I remember being in Parma, Ohio, in Sandpiper at my condominium, and we would watch every pay-per-view, ECW, WCW, WWE all the time. I just remember all of us watching, and they were all there in front row watching me with the WWE Championship that we watched Rock and Austin fight for all the time. So I was like, We did it. I remember Cena’s choir. I was like, Oh, this guy gets a choir. Then he comes out, does his thing. I remember that the heat spot, if you will, because it wasn’t a heat spot. It was just me beating him up in the corner. I remember that. I remember the pop of the crowd when I kicked out of the AA. I remember Cena saying, ‘Just grab onto the ropes kid, grab onto the ropes. We got you. We got you.’ Boom. Rock. Boom. I remember Chioda going, ‘Cover him kid, cover him.’ I’m just like, Huh, what’s going on? 1, 2, 3, winning. And I remember Chioda telling me, ‘Throw your title at The Rock. Throw your title at The Rock.’ I’m like, Yeah, okay, threw the title at The Rock. Remember The Rock coming in. ‘I got you kid. Don’t you worry. Don’t you worry. We got this.’ I have no idea. Boom, boom. And then it was over. I remember, I see stuff on the internet. I was like, I don’t remember that. I don’t remember that. I don’t remember that. I don’t remember being backstage and me just being like, ‘Was it good?’ I don’t like seeing myself like that. But some people are like, ‘Oh, what would you have done if they stopped the match?’ That would have been the worst possible scenario, the worst possible scenario, if someone would have stopped that match. I was in good hands, and I trusted the two people in there, and I will always trust them and always be thankful for them, all three of them. It’s not just The Rock and Cena, Chioda as well. They all protected me. They all looked at me, and they all allowed me to do what I needed to do to make that whole situation a success.”
