Getty Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin with Shane Landrum.
Two-time champion of MTV’s The Challenge and current WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin recently spoke with Heavy about the newest installment of the franchise, The Challenge: All Stars. All Stars premiered on April 1 via Paramount+, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.
The Miz originally appeared on The Real World: Back to New York in 2001 and then went on to film five seasons of The Challenge. The show acted as a springboard for The Miz, who has been working as a professional wrestler since the mid-2000s. For his next match, The Miz, alongside his tag-team partner John Morrison, is set to wrestle Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Damian Priest on April 10 during WrestleMania 37 at 8 ET/5 PT on Peacock.
The Miz also has his own reality TV show with his wife Maryse Mizanin, Miz & Mrs., and it’s back April 12 on the USA Network.
GettyMike “The Miz” Mizanin and Maryse Mizanin attend the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City.
The Miz revealed to Heavy that fellow Challenge legend Mark Long approached him about participating on All Stars.
The Miz said, “As soon as [All Stars] got a little pickup, he called me and was like, ‘Hey, will you do it?’ And I was like, ‘Look, with my schedule with WrestleMania, with WWE, with Miz & Mrs., with everything I have going on, I just don’t have the time.'”
Long asked The Miz to come onto the show as a host or guest host, but because of COVID-19 quarantine protocols, it wasn’t realistic for the WWE Superstar.
“He’s like, ‘Will you host or guest host? And I was like, ‘Let’s talk about it when this actually happens.'” The Miz continued. “And it actually happened, the pandemic happened, and I just didn’t have 14 days to spare to quarantine to go there to actually guest host or even host. So, I just didn’t have the time.”
The Miz said he wished he had the time because of his love for The Challenge and MTV.
“I love everything that MTV, Bunim/Murray and that show has done for me,” The Miz continued. “It gave me a mindset that I could pursue anything I could possibly want in the entertainment field. And I’m always in debt to them.”
The Miz is no stranger to hosting The Challenge. He has hosted several reunion episodes, as well as the spinoff series Champs vs. Stars.
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The Miz Would ‘Definitely’ Host or Guest Host ‘All Stars’ Should His Schedule Allow
The Miz confirmed to Heavy that should The Challenge: All Stars get renewed for more seasons, he will seriously look at making a return as a host.
“I definitely will take it into consideration,” The Miz said. “I can’t give you a definite yes. But if my schedule allows it, I would definitely go back because I love The Challenge. It’s an incredible show. It’s fun to watch and honestly, I love the all-stars, like being able to see all the people that I grew up watching.”
The Miz said he was excited to see Teck Holmes back on the show, someone he hasn’t seen or spoken to in around 15 years.
“I still talk to Mark a lot, Ace [Amerson] is on there,” The Miz continued. “You know, you look at Kendal [Sheppard] and Trishelle Cannatella and Katie [Cooley], these are all the people that I have such fond memories of being on a Challenge with.”
The Miz Said That He Wouldn’t Compete on ‘The Challenge’ & Is Retired From the ‘Drama’
We had to ask The Miz: if he had time to appear on The Challenge, would he come back as a competitor?
“I’m retired, man!” The Miz answered. “I’m retired from doing the challenges and the drama. I mean, I love the competition but the drama that comes along with it is a lot.”
The Miz then compared the sort of drama on his reality show versus The Challenge.
“It’s kind of a reason why I created Miz & Mrs.,” The Miz continued. “Because I do love my reality roots and I love having a reality show with my family. You know, our issues and drama is laugh-out-loud comedy, like our reality show is completely different. I think we’ve started an entirely different genre of reality show where you can sit back with your entire family, watch and just laugh and enjoy.
“With The Challenge, you’re fighting for a lot of money. And when you’re fighting for a lot of money, a lot of heated arguments come up. And it creates a lot of drama that I don’t know, man, I don’t know if I want to deal with that at this point in my life. Like I’m too wanting just to enjoy life. And I know how I get when I’m on a Challenge and when I’m being competitive, and I just know how it gets.”
The Miz Will Make Sure Bad Bunny Has a Lot of ‘Boo-Boos’ After Their Match at WrestleMania 37 on April 10
For the sixth year in a row, Snickers is the exclusive presenting sponsor of WrestleMania. And to celebrate the occasion, five limited-edition Hunger Bars are for sale at Dollar General stores across the United States.
And the kicker: they have phrases on them from WWE Superstars, including The Miz.
The Miz’s catchphrase “Awesome,” has been used on Snickers bars in the past and he told Heavy another idea for a phrase that could work on the chocolate bar: “Poor Bad Bunny.”
“You feel sad, have a Snickers,” The Miz said. “Because Bad Bunny fans are going to feel sad after Saturday, April 10 at WrestleMania, because, well, I’m going to hurt him. And they’re probably not going to be able to hear him perform for a very long time afterward, because he’s going to have a lot of boo-boos. The bunny is going to have a lot of boo-boos.”
Catch Wrestlemania 37 April 10 and April 11, streaming on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else. Also, Miz & Mrs. returns on April 12 on the USA Network at 11/10c.
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