WWE Superstar The Miz recently opened up about a lost chance to win the WWE Championship well before his official reign in 2021. During a conversation on Bussin With The Boys, Miz revealed that back in 2011, he was originally slated to capture the vacant WWE Championship after CM Punk vacated it following Money in the Bank.
Details Behind the Cancelled WWE Championship Tournament
The Miz explained that when CM Punk left WWE, he walked away with the title, leading the company to create a “paper champion” storyline. The title belt was famously locked inside a refrigerator, becoming a widely shared meme at the time. A tournament was planned to crown a new champion, and Miz recounted that he was set to defeat Rey Mysterio first, then John Cena, to become the champion.
“CM Punk left the show and he took the title with him,”
The Miz said.
“They made up a ‘paper champion’ or whatever. They brought a championship and said, ‘He’s leaving the show. He’s gone.’ They put the title in a refrigerator; that was the big meme. They were going to have a tournament. I went up against Rey Mysterio. I was going to beat Rey Mysterio and then beat John Cena, so I would be the champion.”
The Miz, WWE Superstar
Reason for the Change: Preference for Traditional Rivalries
The Miz highlighted that the tournament format was altered due to WWE’s preference for the classic good guy versus bad guy storyline. The originally planned final would have featured two fan-favorite wrestlers as contenders, which deviated from the usual dynamic. As Miz put it:
“They switched it because usually we like babyface vs. heel. Bad guy vs. good guy. In this instance, it would have been babyface vs. babyface. ‘You need bad guy vs. good guy.’ I was the bad guy, but then, it was two huge monumental babyfaces that are Rey Mysterio and John Cena. Let them go at it. There was a moment there where I would have been a (two-time) champion.”
The Miz, WWE Superstar
Impact and Reflection on WWE Championship History
This revelation sheds light on a pivotal moment in WWE Championship history that could have changed The Miz’s career trajectory much earlier. While the company eventually moved forward with a different storyline culminating in a showdown between Rey Mysterio and John Cena, Miz’s comments reveal how the creative direction reshaped the championship picture. Fans and observers may consider how this decision influenced the WWE Championship’s legacy and The Miz’s path as a top-tier performer.
