The Miz says he has taken on a genuine leadership role in the WWE locker room, and credits his own difficult early experience in the company as the reason why.
Speaking on the Almost Athletes with Dude Perfect podcast, Miz addressed WWE: Unreal and his philosophy toward newer talent.
“A lot of old timers hate WWE Unreal. I love it because it shows exactly how hard it is to be in WWE. Every single person counts, whether you’re the microphone person, lighting, cameras, every person that works for WWE matters, so we’re all trying to put forward the best product we can on television.”
Miz said his own ostracization when he first arrived in WWE drives how he treats talent today.
“My job right now as a WWE superstar is to make sure that when new people come into WWE. It’s a gimmick that I’m a locker room leader, but I take it very seriously. I was ostracised, I was thrown out of the locker room, I was not wanted because everyone was like ‘he’s from the Real World and wants another 15 minutes of fame’, they didn’t understand how much I loved this business as a child. I don’t want anyone to ever feel that coming into WWE.”
He also singled out Trick Williams, Je’von Evans, and Oba Femi as the next big things in WWE.
“Trick and Je’von and Oba, they are I would say the next big things. They are doing such superb things out there.”