Examining The Miz's Chances of Actually Being Hollywood-Bound

The Miz's current character is a brash Hollywood wannabe who sees big movies and A-list roles in his future, but what are his chances of actually making a successful transition from wrestling to films one day? 

Well, it's a mixed bag, although I lean toward him being one of the few wrestlers who could pull it off.

For one thing, he can act.

As I noted in my review of The Marine 3: Homefront at the time of its release, he's actually a decent on-screen performer. In fact, he gave The Marine franchise the only good leading performance it's ever had.

Credit: WWE.com

No wonder WWE Studios asked him back for The Marine 4: Moving Target. Notably, he's the first actor ever to return to the franchise, which suggests the movie division has realized it has something special in him.

He can be in scenes with immensely talented professional actors, such as Ashley Bell and Neal McDonough, and not come off as out of his depth at all. That's impressive for someone with fairly limited acting experience.

He was also perfectly respectable in the otherwise mediocre ABC Family comedy Christmas Bounty.

And unlike guys such as Hulk Hogan, Big Show and John Cena, he doesn't seem like a larger-than-life cartoon character in any of the movies he does. You can buy him as a normal guy, and unlike many wrestlers who get into acting, he could probably move beyond simple bodyguard or tough-guy roles.

Credit: WWE.com

Of course, one thing hindering him is the fact that, unlike Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Dave Batista, he's not really doing high-profile projects or getting offered anything outside the WWE film division bubble.

The Marine 3: Homefront was a decent straight-to-DVD movie—and it sold well, as The Numbers notes—but that's about it. Christmas Bounty did underwhelming ratings when it aired on television last November, as PWInsider mentions. The Marine 4: Moving Target will probably do OK, but it's hard to see it making much of an impact.

Interestingly, while WWE Studios may have given him his start in Hollywood, he's likely going to have to start taking an interest in outside projects if he wants to have a truly successful big-screen career.

You could also say he'd have to be free of his wrestling obligations in order to do this. The heavy WWE road schedule means he can't really attend regular auditions and/or acting classes like most up-and-coming actors can.

Credit: WWE.com

Would The Miz be willing to leave wrestling to pursue acting? Well, he wouldn't be the first.

Following Johnson's success in the early '00s, many stars left behind the industry to pursue Hollywood fame—with mixed results.

Batista landed a big role in the Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy. Steve Austin starred in The Expendables and became the straight-to-DVD action movie king.

Some, such as John Morrison and Maria Kanellis, did fine and still pick up regular work in the indie/low-budget movie scene.

Then there's Kurt Angle. Granted, Angle never entirely left the business, but he did find time to star in some horrifically bad micro-budget thrillers, such as End Game, Death from Above and River of Darkness. Man, you know things are bad when picking up a role in Sharknado 2 is considered a big step up the career ladder.

Credit: WWE.com

Personally, I doubt The Miz would have the success of The Rock or Batista. Few do. But I could see him picking up roles in decently budgeted action movies or maybe doing television work. At the very least, he probably wouldn't have to do low-budget Syfy movies to pay the bills.

The question of what The Miz wants in the future is something only he can answer. He's got a decent, well-paying spot in WWE right now, but it's difficult to see him moving any further up the ladder. Getting into acting—a profession in which he could advance—might be more appealing to the star.

It just depends on what his ambitions are.