| FEATURES ON MIZ IN THE WASHINGTON POST EXPRESS
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Many thanks to Christopher Porter for passing along a couple of great features on Miz in the Washington Post Express. :)
 Fightin' Words: WWE Superstar the Miz Is Awesome on the Mic
THE BEST professional wrestling matches are the result of amazing athletics, but a bout's dramatic framing is built on the mic, not in the ring.
Superstars such as The Rock, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair could get an audience hot for a match simply by hurling insults and challenges to their competitors. This is why they're called "promos" in wrestling parlance: great mic skills equal ticket sales.
In today's WWE, the greatest talkers are CM Punk, Chris Jericho and The Miz, and all three will likely be in Baltimore on Sunday for the "Extreme Rules" pay per view. (At press time, The Miz and other Superstars on WWE's "Raw" show were just leaving the U.K. after being stranded there due to volcanic ash. Punk and Jericho made it back to the U.S. and are confirmed for "Extreme Rules" matches, but the Miz's appearance has not yet been announced.)
Jericho plays an erudite heel who belittles the crowd and opponents with whithering wit; Punk plays a mad-messiah type who delivers edgy sermons praising the straight-edge lifestyle; and The Miz plays a smart-aleck narcissist with copious comedic one-liners — which the man born Mike Mizanin said he usually spouts "off the top of my head."
"If you believe it, everyone else will believe it," he said over a London phone. "If you don't believe, or if you're trying to think of something to say ... you're not going to come off that great. Sometimes I'll cut a promo and have no idea what I just said."
But for all his natural skill, Miz works hard, too, which is why he's been rewarded with three title belts: He's the WWE United States Champion and the Unified WWE Tag Team Champion with The Big Show.
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Slam Poetry: Wrestling Experts Talk Promos & the Miz
IN ADDITION TO our big interview with WWE Superstar The Miz to preview the "Extreme Rules" pay per view in Baltimore on April 25, we spoke to three wrestling journalists about the Miz's skills on the mic and in the ring. Plus, we asked them who are the best talkers in the history of sports entertainment.
Weighing in are Wade Keller, editor of PWTorch.com; Bryan Alvarez from WrestlingObserver.com and Figure Four Weekly; and Vinny Verhei, co-host of "The Bryan and Vinny Show" on WrestlingObserver.com.
» EXPRESS: Where does the Miz rank among today's best promo cutters?
» KELLER: I think Miz is rocketing to the top. I've liked Miz's promos for a while; I've been a backer of him getting a push. I liked him last year saying he wanted to be a main eventer. I think sometimes you've got to set your sites high and let people know you're not settling. I think if Shelton Benjamin, five years ago, had said, "I want to headline pay per views, and I want to do what it takes to get there," I think management would have taken him more seriously and looked to him to step up and do that. I think Miz has stepped up. He changes his ring gear,he changed his look, but he's great on the mic. He's quick-witted; I don't know he much he prepares ahead of time versus home much just comes out of him naturally. I think he's growing into one of the top promo guys in the industry, and I think that he is opening some eyes. I don't know if it will be in the next 12 months, but I think when we start looking at mid-2011, if WWE portrays him well and let shim work his way to the top with some credible in-ring work I think fans will take him seriously with his mouth and his in-ring work combined as a potential pay per view main eventer.
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Posted by Kristy, 24 Apr 2010.
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BIG SHOW & THE MIZ
