An actor (sometimes actress for female; see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic or comic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity.^[1] The ancient Greek word for an "actor," ὑποκριτής (hypokrites), means literally "one who interprets";^[2] in this sense, an actor is one who interprets a dramatic character.^[3]

Terminology[link]

After 1660, when women first appeared on stage, actor and actress were initially used interchangeably for female performers, but later, influenced by the French actrice, actress became the usual term. The etymology is a simple derivation from actor with ess added.^[4] The word actor refers to a person who acts regardless of gender, and this term "is increasingly preferred", while actress refers specifically to a female person who acts. Actress "remains in general use",^[4] although in a survey of a "wide cross-section of current British English", compiled in 2010, actor was almost twice as commonly found as actress.^[5] Within the profession, however, the re-adoption of the neutral term dates to the 1950s–60s, the post-war period when women's contribution to cultural life in general was being re-evaluated.^[6] Actress remains the common term used in major acting awards given to female recipients.^[7]

The gender-neutral term "player" was common in film in the early days of the Motion Picture Production Code with regards to the cinema of the United States, but is now generally deemed archaic. However, it remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a theatre group or company (such as the East West Players)^{[citation needed]}.

History[link]

Actors Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin performing in The Big Voice: God or Merman play.

The first recorded case of an actor performing took place in 534 BC (though the changes in calendar over the years make it hard to determine exactly) when the Greek performer Thespis stepped on to the stage at the Theatre Dionysus and became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play or story. Prior to Thespis' act, stories were only known to be told in song and dance and in third person narrative. In honour of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians. Theatrical legend to this day maintains that Thespis exists as a mischievous spirit, and disasters in the theatre are sometimes blamed on his ghostly intervention.

Actors were traditionally not people of high status, and in the Early Middle Ages travelling acting troupes were often viewed with distrust. In many parts of Europe, actors could not even receive a Christian burial, and traditional beliefs of the region and time period held that this left any actor forever condemned. However, this negative perception was largely reversed in the 19th and 20th centuries as acting has become an honoured and popular profession and art.^[8]

Techniques[link]

Method acting[link]

Method acting is a technique developed from the acting 'system' created in the early 20th century by Konstantin Stanislavski in his work at the Moscow Art Theatre and its studios. The Group Theatre first popularised the Method in the 1930s; it was subsequently advanced and developed in new directions by Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg (at the Actors Studio in the 1940s and 50s), and others.^[9] In Stanislavski's system', the actor analyzes the character in order to play him or her with psychological realism and emotional authenticity. Using the Method, an actor may recall emotions or reactions from his or her own life and use them to identify with the character being portrayed.

Method actors are often characterized as immersing themselves so totally in their characters that they continue to portray them even off-stage or off-camera for the duration of the project. However, this is a popular misconception. While some actors do employ this approach, it is generally not taught as part of the Method. Stella Adler, who was a member of the Group Theatre, along with Strasberg, emphasised a different approach of using creative imagination.^[10]

Method acting offers a systematic form of actor training in which the actor's sensory, psychological, and emotional abilities are developed; it revolutionized theatre in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Presentational and representational acting[link]

Presentational acting refers to a relationship between actor and audience, whether by direct address or indirectly by specific use of language, looks, gestures or other signs indicating that the character or actor is aware of the audience's presence.^[11] (Shakespeare's use of punning and wordplay, for example, often has this function of indirect contact.)

In representational acting, "actors want to make us 'believe' they are the character; they pretend."^[11] The illusion of the fourth wall with the audience as voyeurs is striven for.^[12]

As opposite gender[link]

In the past, only men could become actors in some societies. In the ancient Greece and Rome^[13] and the medieval world, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on the stage, and this belief persisted until the 17th century, when in Venice it was broken. In the time of William Shakespeare, women's roles were generally played by men or boys.^[14]

When an eighteen-year Puritan prohibition of drama was lifted after the English Restoration of 1660, women began to appear on stage in England. Margaret Hughes is credited by some as the first professional actress on the English stage.^[15] This prohibition ended during the reign of Charles II in part due to the fact that he enjoyed watching actresses on stage.^[16] The first occurrence of the term actress was in 1700 according to the OED and is ascribed to Dryden.^[7]

In Japan, men (onnagata) took over the female roles in kabuki theatre when women were banned from performing on stage during the Edo period. This convention has continued to the present. However, some forms of Chinese drama have women playing all the roles.

In modern times, women sometimes play the roles of prepubescent boys. The stage role of Peter Pan, for example, is traditionally played by a woman, as are most principal boys in British pantomime. Opera has several "breeches roles" traditionally sung by women, usually mezzo-sopranos. Examples are Hansel in Hänsel und Gretel, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier.

Women in male roles are uncommon in film with the notable exceptions of the films The Year of Living Dangerously and I'm Not There. In the former film Linda Hunt played the pivotal role of Billy Kwan, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In the latter film Cate Blanchett portrayed Jude Quinn, a representation of Bob Dylan in the sixties, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Women playing men in live theatre is particularly common in presentations of older plays, such as those of Shakespeare, that have large numbers of male characters in roles where the gender no longer matters in modern times.^{[citation needed]}

Having an actor dress as the opposite sex for comic effect is also a long-standing tradition in comic theatre and film. Most of Shakespeare's comedies include instances of overt cross-dressing, such as Francis Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The movie A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum stars Jack Gilford dressing as a young bride. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon famously posed as women to escape gangsters in the Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot. Cross-dressing for comic effect was a frequently used device in most of the thirty Carry On films. Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams have each appeared in a hit comedy film (Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire, respectively) in which they played most scenes dressed as a woman.

Occasionally, the issue is further complicated, for example, by a woman playing a woman acting as a man pretending to be a woman, like Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria, or Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love. In It's Pat: The Movie, filmwatchers never learn the gender of the androgynous main characters Pat and Chris (played by Julia Sweeney and Dave Foley).

A few roles in modern films, plays and musicals are played by a member of the opposite sex (rather than a character cross-dressing), such as the character Edna Turnblad in Hairspray—played by Divine in the original film, Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 movie musical. Linda Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously. Felicity Huffman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Bree Osbourne (a male-to-female transsexual) in Transamerica.

See also[link]

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Csapo, Eric, and William J. Slater. 1994. The Context of Ancient Drama. Ann Arbor: The U of Michigan P. ISBN 0-472-08275-2.
• Elam, Keir. 1980. The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama. New Accents Ser. London and New York: Methuen. ISBN 0-416-72060-9.
• Weimann, Robert. 1978. Shakespeare and the Popular Tradition in the Theater: Studies in the Social Dimension of Dramatic Form and Function. Ed. Robert Schwartz. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-3506-2.

Further reading[link]

• An Actor's Work by Constantin Stanislavski
• A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method by Lee Strasberg (Plume Books, ISBN 0-452-26198-8, 1990)
• Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner (Vintage, ISBN 0-394-75059-4, 1987)
• Letters to a Young Actor by Robert Brustein (Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-00806-2, 2005).
• The Empty Space by Peter Brook
• The Technique of Acting by Stella Adler

External links[link]

Look up actor, actress, or player in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U. S. theatre actors and stage managers.
• American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA): a union representing U. S. television and radio actors and broadcasters (on-air journalists, etc.).
• British Actors' Equity: a trade union representing UK artists, including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.
• Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance: an Australian/New Zealand trade union representing everyone in the media, entertainment, sports, and arts industries.
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG): a union representing U. S. film and TV actors.

The Miz
The Miz as WWE champion
Ring name(s)	Calgary Kid[1][2] The Miz Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Billed weight	221 lb (100 kg)[3]
Born	(1980-10-08) October 8, 1980 (age 31)[4] Parma, Ohio[4][5]
Resides	Los Angeles, California[4]
Billed from	Calgary, Alberta, Canada Cleveland, Ohio[3]
Trained by	UPW staff Al Snow Bill DeMott
Debut	2003[4]
Website	http://themiz.net/

Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) ^[4] is an American professional wrestler, reality television star, media personality, and actor better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand. Mizanin first gained fame as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: Back to New York, which first aired in 2001, and its spinoff series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He later entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition that would award the winner a WWE contract, and became the first runner-up. Mizanin has also made appearances on television shows including Battle of the Network Reality Stars, Fear Factor, Identity, Ghost Hunters, Dinner Impossible, Psych and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

Mizanin trained and wrestled with Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling, where he became the first Deep South Heavyweight Champion. Mizanin was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), working in tag team matches and winning the tag team title, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, on one occasion.

After signing with WWE, Mizanin became host of the annual WWE Diva Search competition in 2006. Following his hosting duties, Mizanin made his wrestling debut in September 2006, as a villain who went undefeated. In 2007, was drafted from SmackDown to the ECW brand, where he formed a partnership with John Morrison, in which the two held both the WWE Tag Team Championship and the World Tag Team Championship. He was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 WWE Draft, and won the WWE United States Championship on two occasions. He also won WWE Unified Tag Team Championship with The Big Show and the WWE Tag Team Championship with John Cena. In July 2010, he won a Money in the Bank ladder match at the first WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, earning a contract for a WWE Championship match, which he used in November to win the WWE Championship for the first time. In 2011, The Miz was ranked number one on Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list.

Early life[link]

Mizanin, a native of Parma, Ohio, attended Normandy High School, where he was the captain of the basketball and cross country teams.^[4][5] He also participated in swimming, the student government and was the editor of his high school yearbook.^[4] He then attended Miami University, where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity, and studied business at the Richard T. Farmer School of Business.^[4][5][6]

Television career[link]

Mizanin dropped out of college, where he was pursuing a degree in business, in order to appear on the tenth season of MTV's reality television program The Real World in 2001.^[7][8] He went on to appear in multiple seasons of its spin-off series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge,^[8] along with contestants from both Road Rules and The Real World, including Battle of the Seasons,^[9] The Gauntlet,^[10] The Inferno,^[10] Battle of the Sexes 2,^[11] and The Inferno 2.^[12] Except for Battle of the Sexes 2, Mizanin made it to the end of the rest of the Challenges on which he competed, and won both Battle of the Seasons and The Inferno 2.

After a seven year long absence from The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Mizanin returned to the reality show on April 4, 2012 as the host of The Battle of the Exes season finale Reunion special. It marked the first time The Miz appeared on the series since becoming a main event WWE superstar.^[13]

It was during an episode of The Real World that Mizanin first displayed an alter ego known as "The Miz".^[4] In contrast to Mizanin's usually placid demeanor, The Miz was angry, combative, and headstrong. Mizanin later realized that "The Miz" would make an excellent professional wrestling gimmick.^[4]

In 2004, he appeared on the Bravo reality show Battle of the Network Reality Stars,^[8][14] where his team finished second. Mizanin was also a contestant in the "Reality Stars" episode of Fear Factor.^[8][15] His partner was his former girlfriend and cast mate, Trishelle Cannatella, and the two won the competition. In April 2007, he appeared on the game show Identity, where he appeared as a stranger, and contestant John Kim correctly identified his identity as a professional wrestler by the odd way he added "Miz-" before most words.^[16] In 2008, Mizanin appeared on the Sci Fi reality series Ghost Hunters Live as a guest investigator.^[17] In 2009, Mizanin appeared on two episodes of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, which were both aired on September 29.^[18][19] He appeared on an episode of Destroy Build Destroy on March 3, 2010.^[20][21] On October 5, 2011, Miz starred in an episode of H8R. He also appeared as a guest star in a March 2012 episode of Psych. On March 31, Miz appeared in the first ever Slime Wrestling World Championship at the Kids Choice Awards, losing to the Big Show which resulted in him being thrown into a tub of slime.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Ultimate Pro Wrestling (2003)[link]

Pursuing the goal of becoming a professional wrestler which he had harbored from an early age, Mizanin joined Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he trained in the Ultimate University.^[4] He made his in-ring debut in 2003 as the Miz.^[4] During his time with UPW, the Miz competed in UPW's Mat War's tournament, making it to the finals before losing to Tony Stradlin.^[4]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

[edit] Tough Enough and training (2004–2006)

The Miz in 2005

In October 2004, Mizanin entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition which would award the winner a World Wrestling Entertainment contract and $1,000,000.^[4][22] Despite coming last in an arm wrestling tournament on November 25, 2004, Mizanin outlasted six other wrestlers, and made it to the final round.^[6] At the pay-per-view event, Armageddon, Mizanin faced the other remaining entrant, Daniel Puder, in a three round "Dixie Dogfight" (boxing match). Neither man achieved a knockout, and the contest was awarded to Puder on the basis of crowd reaction.^[23] On the December 16, 2004 episode of SmackDown!, Puder was announced as the winner of Tough Enough by head trainer Al Snow.^[24]

Despite losing the Tough Enough contest, Mizanin had piqued the interest of WWE, and he was eventually offered a developmental contract.^[4] Mizanin was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW) to train under Bill DeMott,^[4] relocating to McDonough, Georgia in the process. In July 2005, he wrestled two dark matches for WWE, teaming with former Tough Enough champion Matt Cappotelli to face The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory McAllister). On December 1, 2005, Mizanin defeated Mike Knox in the finals of a tournament to determine the inaugural Deep South Heavyweight Champion.^[4][25] He continued his partnership with Matt Cappotelli throughout the second half of 2005 in WWE dark matches and house shows until Cappotelli, nominally of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), was diagnosed with a brain tumor after an injury at a taping in December 2005.^[26]

On January 3, 2006, it was reported that Mizanin had been transferred to OVW. On the January 18, 2006, OVW TV show, Mizanin made his debut as "The Miz", with a Miz TV segment, where he was shown talking backstage.^[4] On the January 28, 2006 episode of the OVW television show, The Miz wrestled his first singles match against Rene Dupree, but lost by countout.^[27]

At the February 8, 2006 TV taping, The Miz and Chris Cage captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Chet the Jett and Seth Skyfire.^[4][28] In what was deemed a "disciplinary move", WWE released Cage over the weekend of March 18, 2006, making it necessary for Miz and Cage to drop the titles.^[29] On March 19, 2006, Deuce Shade defeated The Miz in a singles contest to win the championship for his team The Untouchables (Deuce Shade and Domino).^[4][30]

SmackDown! host (2006–2007)[link]

On March 7, 2006, WWE's official website featured a video of "The Miz" stating that he was headed to SmackDown! and throughout April, SmackDown! aired vignettes hyping his debut.^[4][31] When Mizanin actually attempted to make his debut on the April 21, 2006 episode of SmackDown!, however, he was, in storyline banned from entering the arena by "network executive" Palmer Cannon who told him that he had been "canceled" before having security escort him from the premises.^[32]

The Miz standing on the apron at an ECW/SmackDown live show

On May 31, 2006, WWE's official website announced that he would serve as SmackDown!'s "host".^[33] The Miz debuted as the "host" on June 2, 2006,^[34] announcing the planned card at the top of the show and attempting to hype up the crowd. Other "host" duties included backstage interviews and hosting a bikini contest. The hosting duties seemed sporadic at best, with some weeks having little to no involvement of Miz at all. Starting in July, Miz, along with Ashley Massaro, became host of the annual Diva Search competition appearing on both Raw and SmackDown!.^[35][36][37]

After the end of the Diva Search competition, The Miz returned exclusively to SmackDown! and adopted a villainous persona, starting his in-ring competition with a win over Tatanka in a September 2006 episode of SmackDown!.^[38] After this win he, along with commentator Michael Cole, began to note whenever possible that he was "undefeated", though he only wrestled five matches over the next two months, defeating such superstars as Matt Hardy,^[39] Funaki,^[40] and Scotty 2 Hotty.^[41] At the same time he began a feud with Diva Search winner Layla El, who spurned his advances on more than one occasion,^[42][43] leading to Miz helping Kristal defeat her in various competitions.^[44][45] Soon, however, Miz and Kristal found themselves being stalked by The Boogeyman. This began a feud in which the Boogeyman ended the Miz's winning streak at December's Armageddon event.^[46]

Following a brief absence from television, The Miz returned to SmackDown! to host an interview segment called Miz TV.^[47] After the unsuccessful segment, the Miz returned to in-ring competition with a more intense style and began to pick up wins once again.^[48][49] On the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw, Mizanin faced off against Snitsky in a match to determine a draft pick for SmackDown!.^[50] Snitsky easily defeated the Miz to give ECW the draft pick, but after constantly assaulting the Miz after the match, the referee reversed the decision and awarded the match to Miz, thus allowing SmackDown! a draft pick.^[51] SmackDown!'s pick was then revealed to be Chris Masters.^[51]

ECW and teaming with John Morrison (2007–2009)[link]

Miz was drafted from SmackDown! to ECW on June 17, 2007 as part of the 2007 Supplemental Draft.^[52] He was absent from the first few weeks of ECW, though he was the subject of backstage mentions between matches and had several short Miz TV Crashes ECW video segments.^[53][54] He made his debut on the July 10 episode of ECW in a match against Nunzio, which he won.^[55]

Following this match, Extreme Exposé began expressing admiration in him and gave him a lap-dance, starting a new gimmick for him of a self-proclaimed "chick magnet".^[56] Extreme Exposé then became managers for The Miz.^[57] He then began a feud with Balls Mahoney, after Kelly Kelly began to fall in love with Mahoney on screen.^[58][59][60] On the October 2 episode of ECW, it was revealed that Miz owned the contracts of Kelly Kelly, Layla, and Brooke Adams, and used this excuse to stop Kelly from going out with Mahoney.^[61] He was voted at Cyber Sunday to face CM Punk, for the ECW Championship but lost the match.^[62]

Miz (left) and John Morrison as World Tag Team Champions.

On the November 16 episode of SmackDown, he became one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with John Morrison when they defeated Matt Hardy and Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in a title match, which gave the Miz his first title within the company.^[63][64]

In February 2008, Miz and Morrison were given a streaming segment on the WWE website named The Dirt Sheet in which they mocked other wrestlers and facets of pop culture, showing off their promo skills.^[65] Morrison and The Miz co-wrote each episode of The Dirt Sheet each week.^[66] As the duo continued to hold the titles, WWE downplayed the angle of Miz and Morrison disliking each other, and portrayed them as friends. The team had many successful title defenses over the next few months, before dropping the championship to Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder at the Great American Bash in a Fatal Four-Way match which also featured Jesse and Festus and Finlay and Hornswoggle.^[67] Neither Miz nor Morrison were pinned, as Hawkins pinned Jesse to win the titles.^[67] Miz and Morrison soon followed a feud with Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG) as a battle of their webshows, "Word Up" and "The Dirt Sheet". The two would be victorious against Cryme Tyme in a match at Cyber Sunday where they were voted in.^[68] On December 13, 2008, Miz and Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston and CM Punk to win the World Tag Team Championship during a WWE house show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.^[69] The team then engaged themselves in a feud with The Colóns (Carlito and Primo). In a dark match at WrestleMania XXV, they lost the World Tag Team Championship to The Colóns in a Lumberjack match to unify the World Tag Team and the WWE Tag Team titles.^[70] On the April 13 episode of Raw, The Miz lost a match to Kofi Kingston due to Morrison's inadvertent interference, which gave Raw a draft pick in the 2009 WWE Draft. The pick was then revealed to be The Miz, and he subsequently attacked Morrison, ending their partnership.^[71]

United States and WWE Champion (2009–2011)[link]

The Miz during his feud with John Cena in 2009.

Miz challenged John Cena to a match on the April 27 episode of Raw, but as Cena was out due to injury, Miz claimed an unofficial win via forfeit and continued to do this over the following weeks, until Cena defeated him in a singles match at The Bash.^[72] On the August 3 episode of Raw, The Miz lost a match to Cena, which meant that, in storyline, he was banned from the Staples Center, Raw and SummerSlam.^[73] The following week, on August 10, Miz competed under a mask as "The Calgary Kid", and won a Contract on Pole match against Eugene, earning a contract in storyline, and revealing himself by removing his mask afterwards.^[74] After removing the mask to reveal himself. he cut a promo and debut his catchphrase "Because I am The Miz and I'm Awesome."

On the August 19 edition of Raw, The Miz announced his intention to challenge for the WWE United States Championship, and also debuted new ring attire and a new finishing move, the Skull Crushing Finale, to defeat Evan Bourne.^[1][5] He challenged for the United States Championship at the Night of Champions, Breaking Point and Hell in a Cell pay-per-views, but was unsuccessful.^[75][76][77] On the October 5 episode of Raw, the night after Hell in a Cell, The Miz received a rematch for the championship, and defeated Kofi Kingston to win the United States Championship and his first singles championship in WWE.^[78][79] The following pay-per-view event, Bragging Rights, was themed with interpromotional matches and now that The Miz was the second-tier champion on Raw he was booked against SmackDown's Intercontinental Champion, his erstwhile tag team partner John Morrison.^[80] In the build up to their first match since splitting, the two hosted a one-off edition of The Dirt Sheet on the October 16 episode of SmackDown where the two compared themselves to '80s tag team The Rockers, debating over which is more comparable to the successful Shawn Michaels and which was the less successful Marty Jannetty.^[81] At Bragging Rights, Miz pinned Morrison to become the only member of the Raw roster to win an interpromotional match.^[82] The following month at Survivor Series, Miz captained a team of five wrestlers against Team Morrison in a five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match and once again bested his former partner.^[83]

ShoMiz (The Miz and The Big Show) as the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania XXVI.

In 2010, The Miz began a rivalry with MVP that began with a critically well-received verbal exchange between the two.^[84] The two met in an unadvertised match for the United States Championship at the Royal Rumble event with Miz retaining his title, but in the Royal Rumble match itself MVP eliminated both himself and The Miz.^[85] During the rivalry with MVP, Miz began showing signs of an allegiance with The Big Show and on the February 8 episode of Raw, the two defeated champions D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) and The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows) to become the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions.^[86][87][88]

On February 16, it was announced that he would be on the WWE NXT show as the storyline mentor of Daniel Bryan.^[89] At WrestleMania XXVI, Show and Miz defeated John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the title again.^[90] During the 2010 WWE Draft on the April 26 episode of Raw, ShoMiz lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship to The Hart Dynasty when Tyson Kidd made The Miz submit to the Sharpshooter. After the match, The Big Show knocked out The Miz, and was later drafted to the SmackDown brand, leaving The Miz on Raw.^[91] On May 10, Kidd defeated The Miz in a match, which earned any member of The Hart Dynasty a match for the United States Championship, and The Miz, who was allowed to choose his opponent, elected to face Bret Hart.^[92] On the following episode of Raw on May 17, Hart defeated The Miz to win the United States Championship, despite Chris Jericho, William Regal, and Vladimir Kozlov attempting to interfere on The Miz's behalf.^[93] The Miz had a tumultuous relationship with Bryan, who was eliminated from NXT on May 11, although he returned the following week to attack The Miz.^[94][95]

On June 1, The Miz announced that he would be returning as a Pro for the second season of NXT, to mentor Alex Riley, the only Pro to do so.^[96][97] On the June 14 episode of Raw, The Miz defeated R-Truth, John Morrison, and Zack Ryder in a fatal four-way match to win the United States Championship for the second time, and successfully retained the championship against R-Truth at the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view.^{[98][99][100]}

The Miz as the United States Champion and Money in the Bank holder in August 2010.

On July 18, at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, The Miz won a Money in the Bank ladder match to win a contract for a WWE Championship match that he could utilize at any time over the next year.^[101] Over the next few weeks, The Miz attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on the WWE Champion Sheamus, but was continually interrupted by other wrestlers before the matches could occur, which meant that he retained the contract for future use.^[102][103] Daniel Bryan returned to WWE at SummerSlam, taking The Miz's place on Team WWE, causing The Miz to attack him.^[104] This began a rivalry between the two, with The Miz losing the United States Championship to Bryan at the Night of Champions event in September.^[105] The following month, Miz defeated John Cena to become the captain of Team Raw, but at the Bragging Rights pay-per-view Team Raw—The Miz (with Alex Riley), R-Truth, John Morrison, Santino Marella, Sheamus, CM Punk, and Ezekiel Jackson—were unsuccessful in defeating Team SmackDown.^[106]

On the November 22 episode of Raw, following a successful WWE Championship defense by Randy Orton against Wade Barrett, he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new WWE Champion making him the first person from Tough Enough to win the WWE Championship.^[107][108] He successfully defended the championship against Jerry Lawler in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match on the following episode of Raw, due to help from Michael Cole and Riley, and again at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in December by defeating Orton in a Tables match following interference from Alex Riley.^[109][110] He defeated Orton again at the Royal Rumble, after interference from CM Punk, in January 2011 and Lawler the following month at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view to retain the championship.^[111][112]

The night after Elimination Chamber, The Miz and John Cena were paired together by the Raw General Manager to challenge The Corre (Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater) for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The Miz and Cena were successful in winning the titles (making Miz a double champion and seemingly turning him into a tweener), but lost them back to Corre immediately afterward in a rematch, after The Miz turned on Cena.^[113][114] This made their reign the shortest in the championship's history.^[115] The following week, The Miz lost Riley as his apprentice after Cena defeated Riley in a steel cage match with the stipulation that if Cena won, Riley was fired from his job, but The Miz hired Riley back, this time as his VP of Corporate Communications, in mid-March.^[116][117] On April 3 in the main event of WrestleMania XXVII, The Miz successfully defended the WWE Championship against Cena, following interference from The Rock.^[118] At the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 1, The Miz lost the WWE Championship to Cena, in a triple threat steel cage match, also involving Morrison.^[119] The following night on Raw, The Miz failed to regain the championship from Cena in a singles match when he lost by disqualification, and failed to regain the championship again in an "I Quit" match at Over the Limit .^[120][121]

On the May 23 episode of Raw, The Miz fired Riley, blaming him for not being able to regain the championship because of Riley not being present at the Extreme Rules PPV when Miz lost the title, the following night on Raw when Riley held up the arm that Miz was holding the belt with leading to his disqualification and at the Over the Limit PPV when he left his phone behind that he used to trick the referee into thinking that Cena had said "I Quit". This led to Riley attacking his former mentor, sending him crashing into a barricade at ringside and then head first over the announce table which turned Riley a fan favorite for the first time in WWE. On the May 30 episode of Raw, The Miz assaulted Riley after an interview from Michael Cole, but Riley gained the upper hand and Miz escaped through the crowd. At Capitol Punishment, Riley defeated Miz in a singles-match. He went on to lose to Riley in various singles and tag team matches. It was later announced that Miz would be a participant in the Raw's Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank, though he was unsuccessful in winning the match following a knee injury kayfabe and then returning but stopped from claiming the briefcase by Rey Mysterio. The following night on Raw Miz made it to the finals of the WWE Championship tournament defeating his former NXT rookie, Alex Riley in the first round. The following week on Raw Miz would be defeated by Rey Mysterio.^[122] At Summerslam,The Miz teamed up with R-Truth and Alberto Del Rio in a losing effort to Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison.^[123]

Awesome Truth (2011)[link]

Miz with R-Truth (right) as Awesome Truth in November 2011.

On the August 22 episode of Raw, Miz and R-Truth attacked Santino Marella before his match. They would then cut a promo agreeing there was a conspiracy in the WWE keeping the both of them out of the main event picture, and declared they would, together, seize any opportunity that came their way in the future.^[124] The duo would soon begin referring to themselves, on Raw and in other media, as "The Awesome Truth".^[125][126] On the August 29 episode of Raw, Truth interfered in Miz's match and the duo attacked CM Punk. The following week, Miz and Truth announced that they would challenge Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) to a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions. At the pay-per-view, following the referee being distracted while The Miz was attempting a pin, Miz would assault the referee , causing his team to lose by disqualification.^[127] Seeking retribution, Miz and Truth later attacked both Triple H and CM Punk during their no disqualification match in the main event.^[128] Because of their actions from the previous night, R-Truth and The Miz were fired by Triple H on the September 19 episode of Raw.^[129][130] At the conclusion of the main event match at Hell in a Cell, R-Truth and The Miz jumped the barricade wearing black hooded sweatshirts and entered the cell as it was being raised. They then used weapons to attack Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, John Cena, the Referee and camera men while the cell was again lowered. After this, the entire WWE roster led by Triple H came out to find a way into the cell, before New Orleans Police Department officers were able to get the door open and arrest them. The two later posted a video on YouTube apologizing to the WWE Universe for their actions.^[131] The Miz and R-Truth were reinstated by John Laurinaitis on the October 10 episode of Raw. At Vengeance, Miz and Truth defeated CM Punk and Triple H in a tag team match, after interference from Kevin Nash. Later that same night they assaulted John Cena during his WWE Championship match with Alberto Del Rio.^[132] On the October 24 episode of Raw, Awesome Truth attacked John Cena and Zack Ryder. On the November 7 episode of Raw, Miz and R-Truth defeated Cena and Ryder.^[133] At Survivor Series, The Awesome Truth were defeated by John Cena and The Rock.^[134]

On the November 21 episode of Raw, Cena instigated an argument between R-Truth and Miz, which resulted in Miz hitting his finisher on Truth as they were heading up the steel ramp, signaling the end of their alliance.^[135] This was a pretext to explain R-Truth's absence during his suspension as a result of his violating of the Wellness Policy.^[136]

Singles competition (2011–present)[link]

The Miz in 2011.

On the November 28 episode of Raw, Miz defeated John Morrison in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Like he had done to R-Truth, he used his finisher on the steel ramp which was used as a storyline reason to explain Morrison's departure from WWE. On the December 5, episode of Raw, Miz qualified for a Triple Threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk at Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the WWE Championship after a win over Randy Orton via count out, but was unsuccessful.^[137][138] On the December 26 episode of Raw, R-Truth returned only to viciously attack Miz after a match and promised this will continue week-after-week.^[139] The following Raw, Truth would hide in the audience and attack Miz again during his match with Sheamus.^[140] On the January 9 episode of Raw, Miz would retaliate by attacking R-Truth until Truth turned the tables and chased him out of the ring.^[141] On the January 16 episode of Raw SuperShow, R-Truth defeated Miz, Wade Barrett, and Sheamus in an Over The Top Rope Challenge.^[142] The following Raw, Miz was defeated by R-Truth in a singles match with a stipulation in place where the loser of the match would enter the Royal Rumble match as the first entrant. In the Rumble match, Miz was the longest lasting participant, lasting over 45 minutes before being eliminated by former tag team partner, Big Show.^[143] At Elimination Chamber, Miz failed again to capture the WWE Championship after being eliminated last by CM Punk.^[144] Desperate for a spot on the card for the upcoming Wrestlemania XXVIII event,^[145] Miz joined John Laurinaitis' team for the 12-man tag team match after saving Laurinaitis from Santino Marella.^[146][147] Miz picked up the win for Team Johnny after pinning Zack Ryder with the help of Eve, which ended his 20 match losing streak dating back to 2011.^[148] He again defeated Ryder the following night on Raw, thus ending his losing streak in singles matches.^[149] In the pre-show of Extreme Rules, Miz unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella for the United States Championship.^[150] The following night on Raw, Miz was part of a Beat The Clock challenge to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship match at Over the Limit; he defeated Marella in 4:18^[151] before being beaten by Randy Orton^[152] and Daniel Bryan.^[153] At the pay-per-view, Miz lost a 20-man "People Power" battle royal to battle for either the United States Championship or the Intercontinental Championship and was later defeated by Brodus Clay in a singles match.^[154]

Other media[link]

Mizanin appears as a guest in the T.V. show "Psych", in the episode 12 of the season 6 "Shawn and the real girl".^[155] Mizanin will co-star in 2012 crime drama Stainless Steel, alongside fellow wrestlers Matt Striker and Layla El as CIA agent John Steel.^[156] He appears in the WWE video games, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011, WWE All Stars, and WWE '12.

On April 30, 2012 it was announced that the Miz would star in WWE Studios Film "Marine: Homefront".^[157] Mizanin replaced fellow wrestler Randy Orton who was dropped of the role due to his past with the USMC.^[158] On April 30 it as also announced that Mizanin will be featured in the WWE Studios and Kare Production Project "Les reines du ring" (English: Queens of the ring) alongside Eve Torres and CM Punk^[159]

Personal life[link]

Mizanin is left-handed. He passionately roots for his hometown Cleveland Browns, Indians, and Cavs. Prior to the Indians vs. Angels game on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Mizanin fulfilled one of his life-long goals when he threw out the first pitch.^[160] Miz is a supporter of the UK's Premier League side Chelsea FC.^[161]

When Mike was 11, his parents divorced. He has a step-father named Donnie and two step-siblings, Jimmy and Tonia.^[162] His father George Mizanin, owns several Mr. Hero sandwich shops in the Cleveland area, and when Mike comes back to Cleveland to do shows, he often speaks about working the counter at one of the locations while growing up.^[163]

Mizanin is in a relationship with former WWE Diva Maryse Ouellet.^[164]

In wrestling[link]

The Miz wrestling Daniel Bryan.

• Finishing moves
  • Mizard of Oz (Swinging inverted DDT)^[165] – 2005–2007
  • Reality Check (Running knee lift followed by a neckbreaker slam)^[166] – 2007–2009
  • Skull-Crushing Finale (Full nelson facebuster)^[1][3] - 2009-present

• Signature moves
  • Big boot^[167]
  • Discus punch^[165] – OVW
  • Diving double axe handle^[168]
  • Half nelson facebuster^[169] – 2009
  • Inverted facelock backbreaker followed by a neckbreaker slam^{[167][170][171]}
  • Knee lift^[167]
  • Neckbreaker^[168]
  • Snap DDT to a kneeling opponent^[172]
  • Snapmare driver^[173] – 2011
  • Springboard bulldog^[165] – OVW
  • Swinging corner clothesline^[174]
  • Turnbuckle bulldog^[169] – 2009

The Miz (right) as the WWE Champion with Alex Riley at WrestleMania XXVII.

• Managers
  • Kenny Bolin^[175]
  • Roni Jonah^[165][176]
  • ODB^[165]
  • Layla^[165]
  • Kelly Kelly^[165]
  • Brooke^[165]
  • The Bella Twins^[165]
  • Alex Riley^[165]

• Nicknames
  • "Mr. Money in the Bank"^[177][178]
  • "The Awesome One"^[3]
  • "The Chick Magnet"^[3]
  • "The Most Must See" WWE Champion / "Superstar In History"
  • "The Cleveland Screamer"^[179]

• Entrance themes
  • "Getting Away With Murder" by Papa Roach (used when he was the host of SmackDown!)
  • "Reality" by Jim Johnston (September 1, 2006 – December 28, 2009)
  • "Ain't No Make Believe" by Stonefree Experience (November 16, 2007 – April 13, 2009; Used while teaming with John Morrison)
  • "I Came to Play" by Downstait^[180] (January 4, 2010–present; Used during singles competition)
  • "The Awesome Truth" by Jim Johnston^[181] (August 22, 2011 – November 21, 2011; Used while teaming with R-Truth)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

The Miz (left), with John Morrison (right) as World Tag Team Champions and with their Slammy Awards.

The Miz with the WWE United States Championship in 2009.

• Deep South Wrestling
  • Deep South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[182]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Cage^[183]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2011)^[184]
  • PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011^[185]

• World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
  • WWE Championship (1 time)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with John Morrison (1), The Big Show (1) and John Cena (1)^{[63][87][113]}
  • WWE United States Championship (2 times)^[78][98]
  • World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with John Morrison (1) and The Big Show (1)^[69][86]
  • Money in the Bank (Raw 2010)^[101]
  • Slammy Award for Best WWE.com Exclusive (2008) – with John Morrison^[186]
  • Slammy Award for Tag Team of the Year (2008) – with John Morrison^[186]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Most Improved (2008, 2009)^[187]
  • Tag Team of the Year (2008) with John Morrison^[187]

References[link]