WWE: An Unbiased Look at Mike "the Miz" Mizanin

In 2004, The Miz was a former reality show contestant, vying for a spot on the WWE roster on Tough Enough. 

He would not win the competition, but stood out enough to get signed, and finally get a chance at living his childhood dream. 

The Miz would slowly creep through the ranks of the WWE, while infamously being on the receiving end of backstage politics, namely from veteran JBL. Most in the company and fans on the outside believed he was always on the list to be the next out the door.

From the host of SmackDown to the chick magnet to the anti-Cena jerk, The Miz never seemed to get a good gimmick, or a real chance at WWE stardom.

This, however, would change in one foul swoop of genius by the WWE creative team.

After being "fired" because of yet again another loss to John Cena, The Miz came back in a "contract on a pole match."

Under a mask, disguised as the Calgary Kid, Miz beat Eugene for the contract. After the match, he pulled off his mask and debuted his brand new catchphrase: "Because I'm The Miz, and I'm awesome."

And as they say, the rest is history.

The Miz is a great example of how hard work pays off. He is the fairytale story of working his way up the company, and becoming one of the top heels in the business today.

Yes, this all sounds good. So why don't I just wrap things up and put a big smiley face on this one?

Ha, no chance in that.

You see, the Internet Wrestling Community has been in awe (pun intended) of the Ohio native since he captured the WWE Championship.

He went from a hated figure to a beloved figure in a matter of months.

But, is The Miz really as awesome as we want to believe?

In my mind, no, he is not.

In the ring, Miz is average. Nothing better, nothing less.

For those that compare his in-ring work to John Cena, I think not because we have to ask, has he put on as many five-star matches as John Cena?

No, he has not.

In fact, his only five-star matches have been with/against John Morrison, either as a tag-team or opponents.

Honestly, John Morrison carries those matches; it isn't by The Miz's work.

Now, to the mic, The Miz's specialty.

I have no problem admitting Mizanin is good on the stick.

Unlike Alberto Del Rio, he can draw heat, and lots of it.

Nonetheless, like Del Rio, Miz has gotten quite boring on the mic as of late. This is due to the WWE's obsession with catchphrases, likely trying to recreate The Rock (which will never happen.) 

This results in quite stale television, with The Miz sounding like he is being replayed on a loop, rather than being live on Monday Night Raw.

From repeating "really" thirty times in two minutes to never giving the "I'm Awesome" bit a rest, I could argue The Miz's mic time has become just as boring as John Cena's.

Oh yes, I can hear you screaming at your computer screen right now. Please, it's machine, it will not respond.

While I respect The Miz for his work ethic that has allowed him to reach the pinnacle of success in the WWE, I feel as if the internet crowd has overrated him.

Quite frankly, I have a far more fitting word than to describe his wrestling talents: average.