The Awesome Rise of The Miz

In 2003, The Miz took his first step into the wrestling business when he debuted as part of Ultimate Pro Wrestling. He would compete in the promotion’s “Mat Wars” tournament, where he’d reach the finals before losing. In 2004, he would find himself back on reality tv. This time, on WWE’s Tough Enough, where he’d be competing for a coveted WWE contract. He would make it all the way to the finals before losing to Daniel Puder. Despite not winning the competition, The Miz is ironically the biggest star to ever come out of Tough Enough. He was offered a developmental deal by WWE following the show, and arrived in Deep South Wrestling to begin training with the notorious Bill DeMott. Miz would go on to win the Deep South Heavyweight Championship before being moved to the heralded Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2006 for further training. The Miz was on the verge of achieving his WWE dream. When he finally made the main roster though, he was a small fish in a an extremely huge pond.