The Miz Gives His Take On Why He's Hasn't Recaptured A World Title In WWE

As part of promotions for his new USA Network series "Cannonball", The Miz stopped by on the Busted Open podcast, where he talked about the trajectory of his career after WrestleMania 27. He said he felt things changed for him after losing the WWE Championship to John Cena, and he started focusing on being a veteran that would help the younger talent.

"I felt the momentum start going another way," The Miz stated. "When I lost the WWE Championship to John Cena, there was a kind of a role shift in the writing process, and I saw where I was going. I was going to be used to develop new talent because I was just utilized for the past, I don't know year, to make me to get me to where I am. Now it's time to make other people, and I didn't have the wherewithal to make sure that I was being made as well. I didn't have the experience, and I think it took me a little while."

The Miz credits AJ Styles for giving him a boost in his career. He praises Styles' ability to make other wrestlers look good, and he says that his career has continued to rise after that feud.

"Honestly, I think I started developing and knowing my worth when I had a feud with AJ Styles, and AJ is such an amazing performer inside the WWE ring that I think he made me look so good," The Miz admitted. "His first matches were against me, and they were great matches. People thought, 'Oh, it's The Miz,' but honestly, I think it's the talents of AJ Styles being able to bring talent up in the WWE ring, and then I went on to go to WrestleMania. From then on, I kind of started going up, and up, and up, and up, and up, and it just kept going."

The Miz has said that he is happy in his WWE career, but he noted that he has always been drafted to another brand just before he is on the precipice of the world title scene. He said that he is a guy that needs to be built up rather than a person that can just jump into the world title picture.

"It's funny, every time people get drafted, people don't realize this, but when you get drafted, obviously, you know, you're going to a completely different show, but it changes your career," The Miz noted. "It changes everything. I remember being on SmackDown and thinking, 'Alright, I'm primed up and ready for the WWE Championship,' and this is when I was doing the Intercontinental Title stuff. I felt like it was it was the title that was more talked about than any other title in WWE. I was like, 'Oh, I'm on the wave right now to get to the WWE Championship,' and then I got drafted to RAW.

"Once I got drafted to RAW, I felt like I went from here and I had to build myself back up, and I was able to do that. I did it once again, and once I felt like I was ready and primed up for the WWE Championship again, I got drafted again. It keeps going back and forth, and you having to build yourself up. Granted, some people don't have to do that that build up. Some people are already there and they just are able to get it. I'm not. I have to be built up and build myself up all the way up there to do it."

Bully Ray asked The Miz what has kept him from returning to the world title scene. The Miz gave possible reasons with counterpoints. He questioned whether his size played a factor but points out that hasn't hindered Daniel Bryan. He also notes the importance of wins and loses in terms of fan perception.

"I don't know," The Miz admitted. "If I look at myself in the mirror and I'm completely honest with myself, I look at myself and I'm like, 'Well, you're only 6'1". You're only 200 something lbs.', but then you sit there and go, well, Daniel Bryan, but Daniel Bryan is known as a technical wrestler. I always drive it back to I'm known as a reality star.

"Reality stars aren't supposed to be butt-kickers, but I think I've proven myself to do that. And honestly, I think it's just bad timing sometimes. I wish there was just a clear-cut answer on why I'm not the guy. Maybe the creative thinks differently. I always have this problem. Whenever someone comes out of a meeting or something, I'm like, 'Man I lost,' and they're like, 'Yeah, but tomorrow you'll get back on the microphone and nobody will remember that loss,' but then I'm like, yeah, but once you start losing quite a bit in WWE, people start looking at you like a loser."

The Miz also talked about how he has always excelled as a heel. He says that may factor into him being a world champion since WWE is "a good guy business."

"You need to have wins under your belt, big wins. And I've always been a bad guy," The Miz noted. "I'm really good at being a bad guy. I'm not good at being a good guy. I know I'm not, and sometimes I think that's the reason, because if you look at WWE, it's a good guy business. You look at our biggest stars, they've always been good guys.

"I've always been that catalyst, that person that's a villain, that will do whatever it takes to cheat, lie, or do whatever. Whenever I am going over the hump where people are starting to respect me and say who were cheering this guy now, I'm just so good at being bad that it just doesn't work in my opinion. Maybe that's it."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.