How WWE Superstar Miz Made His $14 Million Fortune
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Besides being a professional wrestler in the WWE, The Miz is also known as a famous reality star. He has amassed a massive $14 million fortune from his championship winnings and salary.
Michael Gregory Mizanin, better known as The Miz, hails from Ohio and graduated high school before enrolling at Miami University. He dropped out of his Business major to pursue a reality television career and became part of The Real World's show in its tenth season. Within two years, he made headway and introduced The Miz persona in WWE. While continuing his budding career as a professional wrestler, he also continued to become a part of various reality shows, from gaming to adventure. The wrestler has tried working on various platforms, even in films, and has garnered a whopping $14 million net worth.
The Miz has become a household name since his career as a professional wrestler took off, and he is an inspiration to aspiring WWE stars who are taking over from the past generation. A man of many talents, he has continued to thrive in his career while balancing family life in California. From starring in reality television to becoming a WWE Champion, let’s look inside the $14 million net worth of The Miz.
A Start In Reality Television
Born in Parma, Ohio, The Miz grew up with his mother and stepfather alongside his step-siblings. As a student at Normandy High School, he served on the student government body, captained the basketball team, and was a part of the yearbook staff. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he joined Miami University in Ohio and dropped out of his plans to pursue a business course to become a part of reality television. He was a contestant on the tenth season of The Real World, where the world first saw him take on the character of The Miz.
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After his 2001 stint in The Real World, he returned to the show to star in its various spin-offs, including Battle Of The Seasons, The Inferno, The Gauntlet, Battle Of The Sexes II, and The Inferno II. While being a part of the reality series, The Miz admitted that he felt isolated from his roommates as a young college kid but soon developed an on-screen persona to cope with the anxiety. When people started preferring his alter ego, The Miz, instead of his true self Michael, he continued to entertain audiences as per their liking. After working on the reality show, The Miz had maxed out his credit cards for being a part of the show and decided to move to Los Angeles to try his hand at professional wrestling, as noted by Yahoo.
Making Segway Into Professional Wrestling
Once the filming of The Real World had ended, The Miz looked back on his appearance on the show, wondering what he could do next. He saw an action figure of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson at his father’s condo, and The Miz made up his mind to enter the wrestling ring. He researched a variety of wrestling schools before choosing the Ultimate Pro Wrestling training school that is located in South California. As mentioned by Bleacher Report, the producer of The Real World was on good terms with the school’s owner, who helped him get a kickstart in the training facilities. In 2004, he took part in WWE Tough Enough season four to earn a WWE contract and $1 million but came in second. WWE gave him a developmental contract to play tag team matches.
In 2006, he was given a Miz TV segment on WWE’s Smackdown, where he interviewed the wrestlers before and after their matches. A year later, he was officially drafted to play Tag Team matches in the wrestling ring. The same year, The Miz showed his magic inside the ring and won his career's first WWE Championship. After winning the United States Championship and Unified WWE Tag Team Champions within a few months, he became the first player to have three championship titles bestowed upon him.
A Career That Has Stood The Test Of Time
The popularity of Miz TV has also helped Michael receive various hosting opportunities for reality shows. He has hosted two seasons of The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars in 2017 and 2018, along with its many reunion shows. In September 2020, he began hosting the US version of Cannonball, which aired on the USA Network. Since 2018, The Miz has also given a glimpse into his life outside the wrestling ring in the reality show Mr.& Mrs., a spin-off of Total Divas. The show centers around him and his wrestler wife, Maryse Mizanin, as they navigate their career and family life.
The Miz has also collaborated with various brands over the years and even raised money through charitable campaigns. He partnered with Bayer’s antifungal brand in May 2021 to support the non-profit SolesForSouls, as stated by Forbes. He donated his signed Nike sneakers for a charity auction wherein Bayer matched the amount up to $50,000.
Along with making a $1.2 million annual salary from his WWE contract, The Miz has grown his fortune with his family reality television series and gigs. As one of the most unproblematic wrestlers in the show business, many notable wrestlers, including John Cena, have praised his dedication and hard work.
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Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Yahoo, Bleacher Report, Forbes
