John Cena just handed The Miz one of the biggest endorsements of his career. Cena says whenever he talks to young WWE talent about effort and turning every opportunity into entertainment, Miz is the example he brings up.
The message came on September 2, 2026, after The Miz celebrated the 20th anniversary of his WWE in-ring debut. Miz posted footage from his early days and took a victory lap over everyone who thought he would be gone within a few years.
“20 years ago today, I made my WWE in-ring debut. Most said I wouldn’t last. That aged well.”
Cena responded by saying Miz earned his respect a long time ago. Then he revealed just how often Miz’s name comes up when Cena speaks with WWE’s younger wrestlers.
“Respect is earned. You earned mine a long time ago. Each sunset makes it far more difficult for most anyone else to deny theirs.”
“Congratulations on an incredible 20 years! You ARE the example I consistently bring up to young talent of effort and turning anything into entertaining!”
That’s one hell of a compliment coming from Cena—and their WWE history makes it hit even harder. Miz started coming after Cena on RAW in 2009. Cena initially refused to take him seriously, so Miz began counting unanswered challenges as victories and created a fake undefeated record against WWE’s biggest star. Cena eventually accepted the challenge and beat Miz at The Bash. At that point, Miz was still fighting to prove he belonged anywhere near WWE’s main-event scene.
Two years later, everything had changed. Miz entered WrestleMania 27 as WWE Champion with Cena coming after his title. Their main-event match initially ended in a double count-out before The Rock restarted it without disqualifications or count-outs.
Rock then dropped Cena with a Rock Bottom, allowing Miz to make the cover and leave WrestleMania with the WWE Championship still in his hands. Cena and Miz also briefly held the WWE Tag Team Titles together before Miz turned on him. Later in 2011, Cena brought The Rock back to the ring and teamed with him to defeat Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series.
Their fight wasn’t finished. In 2017, Cena and Nikki Bella faced Miz and Maryse at WrestleMania 33 after weeks of personal attacks. Cena and Nikki won the match before Cena proposed in the middle of the ring.
Cena watched the entire transformation up close. Miz went from an easy target who couldn’t get taken seriously to a WWE Champion, WrestleMania main-eventer and 20-year company veteran. Now Cena uses that grind when talking to the next generation.
He isn’t telling every young wrestler to copy Miz’s character or career. He’s pointing to the effort Miz put into every assignment and his ability to squeeze entertainment out of whatever WWE handed him. Twenty years ago, people were waiting for The Miz to fail. Now John Cena is using his career to teach young WWE talent how to last.
What do you think about John Cena using The Miz as an example when speaking to younger WWE talent? Let us know your favorite moment from their history in the comments below.
