The Miz has watched John Cena and AJ Styles start thinking seriously about life after wrestling, but he’s not ready to join them just yet. At 46 years old, Miz says he still feels damn good in the ring — even if there are a few parts of the WWE grind that definitely don’t feel the way they used to.
Speaking to Z100 New York, The Miz was asked whether retirement had started crossing his mind as more veterans begin winding down their careers. Miz made it clear that his body hasn’t given him that message yet, saying he doesn’t feel slow or sluggish when he steps between the ropes.
“I still feel good, man. Like, if I started feeling aching and pain and my energy was low, I don’t feel that right now. I’m 46 years old, and I still feel very, very good in the ring. Like, when I’m in the ring, you know when you’re feeling slow? I don’t feel slow or sluggish. I feel as good as I’ve ever felt.”
In fact, Miz believes experience has actually made him a better performer. He might not approach wrestling exactly the way he did when he was younger, but he feels smarter about putting matches together and knowing exactly what an audience needs from him.
“I feel like the matches that I’m putting together are as good as they’ve ever been. I feel like I’m smarter, and I think that takes a lot of it as well, knowing what to do and when to do it and how to do it for an audience.”
That doesn’t mean Miz has no idea what Cena and Styles are talking about when they discuss getting older. While the actual wrestling still feels good, he admitted the constant travel and recovery after longer matches are becoming noticeably tougher.
“So when Cena said that, like, his body, when he knew it was time, you kind of understand. AJ said the same thing, and I do understand. The travel is what really gets you, and the long matches really take a toll on your body, and it takes a longer time for my body to heal when I have a longer match.”
And television only tells part of that story. Miz pointed out that WWE wrestlers can work several consecutive days between televised shows and live events, meaning all those bumps and bruises keep piling up even when fans watching at home don’t see them.
“So when we do, you know, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we have live events that are non-televised that people don’t see, but we’re still doing those matches. And so the bumps and bruises, the pain, it takes a lot longer to go away.”
Then there’s Je’Von Evans, who apparently gives Miz a pretty hilarious reminder of exactly what being young feels like. Miz noted that Evans wasn’t even alive when he started wrestling in WWE, and watching everything the younger star puts his body through makes that age difference pretty obvious.
“Like, I watch Je’Von Evans. He wasn’t even alive when I started wrestling in WWE. And I see the things that he is doing and he is able to do. They call him Bouncy because everything he does, he’s bouncing off the ropes, he’s bouncing off the top rope, he’s bouncing into an ambulance at Money in the Bank.”
Miz can appreciate watching Evans throw himself around, but apparently his 46-year-old body has absolutely no interest in joining him.
“I mean, the guy is absolutely insane and so much fun to watch, but I’m looking at everything he’s doing, and all my body is telling me is like… and he’s probably like, ‘I feel great.’”
So retirement might eventually come for Miz just like it does for everybody else, but he doesn’t sound interested in picking a date simply because other veterans are doing it. The recovery takes longer and the travel hits harder, but as long as he still feels sharp once the bell rings, Miz apparently sees no reason to start planning his goodbye.
How much longer do you think The Miz can keep going at this level before his body finally tells him it’s time to walk away? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
