The Miz is out there promoting the John Cena Classic, but there’s one little problem — apparently nobody has actually invited him to compete in it yet. And considering his history with Cena, Miz isn’t exactly letting that slide quietly.
During an interview with Brandon Kravitz promoting WWE and Disney’s two-day event at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports on December 14 and 15, The Miz complained that Cena has already been handing out special coins and letters to other Superstars while his own invitation remains nowhere to be found.
“And I’m not even invited yet. Like, Cena is already inviting people. He’s giving people a coin and, like, a letter, and I haven’t received mine yet. Yet I am out here, right here, right now, promoting the John Cena Classic.”
Miz then decided to use Cena’s own “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” motto against him. After 20 years in WWE and a WrestleMania victory over Cena, he figures he’s checked every box necessary to deserve a spot.
“If that’s not hustle, I don’t know what is. Loyalty. Been in WWE for 20 years. And respect. I feel like I should have gained John Cena’s respect when I beat him at WrestleMania 27 for the WWE Championship.”
That WrestleMania 27 history clearly still matters to Miz, especially because he never got the final match against Cena that he wanted. Now he feels like he’s getting passed over for Cena’s tournament too.
“His moniker is hustle, loyalty, respect. I think I fulfilled all of those things. Yet, I have not received my invitation. Haven’t gotten my coin. I didn’t get my one last match to close the chapter of The Miz versus John Cena rivalry. I feel like people are shading me.”
Unfortunately for Miz, that last match isn’t happening either. He revealed that he actually asked Cena about getting physical when they crossed paths at WrestleMania, only for Cena to make it very clear that his days of hitting Attitude Adjustments in WWE are over.
“I know. I don’t get that. No, I will not get that opportunity. As a matter of fact, I saw him at WrestleMania, this last WrestleMania, and I asked him, I was like, ‘Hey, are you going to be doing AAs or any kind of physicality?’ He’s like, ‘Nothing. I am done with the in-ring stuff in WWE. That chapter is closed.’”
Miz certainly took Cena at his word. As far as he’s concerned, fans have already seen the final Attitude Adjustment of Cena’s career.
“So no one will ever see John Cena give an AA ever again.”
Despite feeling personally snubbed, Miz still gave the John Cena Classic its flowers. He likes the idea of established Raw and SmackDown names sharing the stage with NXT talent, especially since the tournament isn’t simply being decided through traditional wins and losses.
“But the mere fact that he’s still involved with WWE, still doing a John Cena Classic where he’s pitting the top stars of Raw and SmackDown and going up against the up-and-coming future of WWE in NXT.”
Miz also pointed to the fan-voting element, with Club WWE members helping determine which Superstar steals the show. That makes the whole thing especially frustrating for a guy who has spent his career insisting he belongs in the spotlight — assuming Cena eventually remembers to send him that coin.
“And it’s so, it’s not bizarre, I would say, but it’s very interesting in the way that they’re conducting who wins the John Cena tournament and who wins the title because the Club WWE members get to vote on the Superstar that steals the show, and they will be [named] the champion of the John Cena Classic. So it’s not about wins and losses. It is about stealing the show, stealing the spotlight. It’s what we all thrive to do each and every time we go through that curtain.”
Whether Miz eventually gets that invitation remains to be seen, but he’s certainly making it difficult for Cena to claim he forgot about him. If nothing else, Miz managed to turn promoting somebody else’s tournament into a pretty convincing pitch for why he should be in it.
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.
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