My Mom's Basement - QUARANTINE MINI-POD: THE MIZ

Episode Date: July 8, 2020

The Miz joins the From The Top Rope boys for the first time ever to discuss his new hosting duties on 'Cannonball', USA's newest game show, the change in locker room culture over the course of his 15 years at the WWE, his dream cinematic match, life as a reality star, and more.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mymomsbasement

Hey, My Mom's Basement listeners, you can find our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. It is My Mom's Basement. This isn't fake. This is a real... I built this, by the way. I'm in my guest house, not my mom's basement, but... Right. Oh, wow. These are my kids' toys right here. Yeah.

This is my kids' blow-up, like, popsicle. That's a TV that I literally have a computer over there i have a light over here a light over here i do not have a fan well you're proving my point ms you're proving my point that you're building a fake set this is authentic this is authenticity that's jared's biggest fan not even set up like you're – dude, you're all over the place. You have a back – you have a window that's open. You need to close that window or you need to face the window so the natural light comes at you so you actually have good lighting. Like, people are going to look at this and go, this dude is literally – I see more – I have more focus on your like fan than anything else and that shouldn't be

so here's the thing ms let me uh let me walk this little theory by you right now okay well let me walk through it because all i'm paying attention to right now is your ceiling fan right and the light behind your head yeah it's like a halo it looks like you're an angel. Thank you. That's the point. So here's the thing. We have the Miz on the podcast today and I want the focus to be on you. So if maybe if my, if my video is not as set it, we're putting them over. It's not on me. If my, if my screen is not aesthetically pleasing, then people automatically don't want to look at it. They want to look at you, the Miz, and look at the moneymaker. That's what they're – so I'm putting you over.

So I think that you not only owe me an apology, you also owe me a thank you. It's all for me. It's not that you just literally woke up and you're still probably in your bed doing your podcast. This actually is my childhood bedroom. I don't sleep in this room now, but it is the room that was my childhood bedroom up i don't i don't sleep in this room now but it is the room that was my childhood bedroom up until i was 18 years old is your mom gonna call you during this podcast my dad has been known to walk by at all times like he his cigar box is in here so he'll walk in he'll grab the cigar over here and then he'll walk by in the background and then if he

recognizes anyone on the screen then he leans in to say hi. Wow. Okay. Yeah. All right. I have to tell my mom to be quiet while we record. Yeah. So this is boxing gloves. At least we see hobbies. I tried to make a little set some nice boxing gloves. He's got a flag behind him. You know, he's got his Viva La Barstool sweatshirt on. I mean, he looks like a professional.

He actually has a headset on. He looks like he actually took time to set something up so he could have a professional podcast. Look at this. It's like rock, paper, scissors. Jared puts you over. You put me over. I don't know who's next. I got to get over at some point.

However, I will say this, Miz. I'm trying to move. I'm from Boston. I got to get over at some point. However, I will say this, Miz. I'm trying to move. I'm from Boston. I had to live in New York because that's where Barstool HQ is. But I'm trying to move back to Boston, not at my parents' house. So if I do get my new apartment in Boston, I'll build a set just for you. And if I put in that effort, that means that you have to come back on the show. What's wrong with New York?

It's trash. It smells like puke. Come on, New Yorkke. It's just a combination of every bodily function. And Boston is much better? Yes, significantly. I'm from New York and I don't like New York. Wow. Okay. Honestly, I was on the real world in New York. I was there for six months and I told myself I have to be a billionaire in order to be happy living in New York. Exactly. So, and I don't like the weather, but Boston,

it would be the same problem. I feel like, but I don't actually, you know what, but Ms, let me, let me tell you exactly where I would be moving to because it's not Boston. And it is a place that is near and dear to your heart.

It is Saugus, Massachusetts, the home of Kowloon. Oh, my God. That is the greatest food that you could possibly have. And they've always treated every WWE superstar that walks into that restaurant like the biggest stars in the world, which obviously we are. But, I mean, either way, the food's amazing.

The service is incredible. Every time I'm in Boston, I go to Saugus. Yes. And that's where I'm from. That's where I'll be moving to. And I will be at Kowloon. We actually met at Kowloon. I know that you don't remember.

It wasn't a life-changing moment for you. The next time it will be, you will not forget when we cross paths the next time when you come to my hometown and you come to my Kowloon restaurant. I'll even, you know what? I would love to share some pork fried rice with you, miss. That would be fantastic. Andy will let us in and say, Hey, we got a separate table for just you too. You, Ms. And the guy that has a podcast where he takes a video and he has his ceiling fan as the highlight of the entire thing. But you'll never forget my ceiling fan.

It's true. You're going to remember that ceiling fan for the rest of the day. This is our, I've done a million interviews for Cannonball right now. And you bar none have the worst set by anyone, anyone. And I mean, I I've been,

this is like my third day. I I've seen everything. I thought I've seen everything. But legit, the rules of having like, you don't have backlight. Like you don't, if you anything, you put yourself in front of a window. So you have the natural light. Like, how does like Dave Portnoy not call you and go, Jared, does he even know who you are?

He's actually my biological father. Oh, is he? Okay. Yes. I forgot. Very familiar with me. Yeah. But I keep coming back to this word here.

The key word, authenticity. That's what Barstool is all about. That's what I'm all about. Could I have maybe done a better job with the lighting? You're really making up excuses for your laziness right now it's called it's called a spin zone i think that you should get familiar with that word it's a great spin zone and you know what else it's all about authenticity cannonball that's why we're here today that's tomorrow july 9th on usa network at 8 p.m ms we're here to talk

about cannonball why don't you tell us a little bit about it? Well, I'll tell you what. The set is much better than Jared's mom's basement, and it's huge. It's gigantic. Think of the biggest water park you could possibly imagine, and then we put 12 contestants. We do these insane challenges. One of them's called the human dart. What's the human dart, you might be asking yourself. Think about going 100 feet high, and then you have to go down a water slide. You're going about 60 miles an hour. You are launched into the air about 80 feet, and then there's a target that you must hit with any part of your body, hence the human dart.

And it's hard hitting. It's fun. It's funny. It's entertaining. It's hard hitting it's fun it's funny it's entertaining it's dramatic it's competitive it's a little bit of everything for everyone sounds electric it sounds like when the giant remember when he threw ray mysterio into the side of that truck like a dart they played that clip a thousand times over again so ms you've got the reality show you've got wrestling obviously you've got acting you've got uh hosting this show doing the commentary for this show what's next yeah are you trying to be like the next joe rogan here i mean

do you have any professional goals that you haven't accomplished yet um yeah i want it all like my agent called me he goes what uh so how's everything going i'm going what else we got he goes what do you mean what else you got what else do you want like you're a host of a huge show cannonball coming out like that it's going to be amazing like we already had like a sneak preview on nbc and the ratings were amazing like like i expect like whenever i do something like you want it to do well but you really don't know like i watched it live and in person i was like this is an incredible show it's huge it. It's big. It's fun. It's summery.

And NBC is really behind it. But you really don't know what the numbers are going to be and what the reaction of people are going to be. Honestly, whenever I go on Twitter, everyone tells me how much I suck and how terrible I am. But after that sneak preview on NBC, the numbers were incredible. And the backlash, which I thought I was going to have on Twitter, because I have backlash on everything it feels like, was amazing.

Like people were so positive and so happy with it. They were like, right now in the world that we're living in, it's nice to have something that I can just sit at home with my family and just laugh at. And then not to mention, not only do I have Cannonball out, but Miz and Mrs. were actually getting ready to give you guys 14 more episodes coming this fall. And, you know, that is one of my like, it's honestly a passion project. And when I first was presented with it, I didn't want to do it. And it wasn't because of anything that happened in my previous time, like say on the real world, the challenges, I love being on the real world.

I love doing the MTV's, the challenges, but I kind of ventured away from it. And when I was on like the real world, it was like, like I came to LA to act and to do WWE and to all these things. And everyone was just so negative. Nobody wanted to talk to me because I was on a reality show.

And it's not like that anymore because honestly, to me because I was on a reality show. And it's not like that anymore because honestly, everything is reality. Instagram is a reality show. Facebook is a reality show. YouTube is a reality show. Like everyone knows everything about everyone. So I started looking at it like that. And I was like, you know what, if I can do this show my way, the way I want to do it, where I will look at the show and I will be proud of the show and proud to give it out to everybody else. Then that's what we'll do. So we set out to, you know, showcase our family. Like my dad is a loose cannon. He was at WrestleMania two years ago and literally got inside the ring against Shane McMahon and put up his Dukes and it became a meme worldwide. And my dad now, every day my dad calls me and he goes,

you know, Mike, you know what you're doing wrong in WW? I'm like, please tell me, dad. And he's like, you know what you're doing? You need to go off the top rope like that AJ Styles. You need to be a little bit more like Rey Mysterio. I'm like, dad, like our genetics don't allow me to do the things that AJ Style can do he goes yeah well you know don't take my advice I was only in the ring for five seconds and got more famous than you and you've been there for 15 years but you know why why why why pay

attention to me so you have him on our tv show you have my my mother-in-law, Marjo, who is just an absolute loose cannon. Like, she can be the most amazing person, but she also can be the most annoying person you've ever met. And then you have the two most adorable human beings that I think in this world. My daughter, Monroe, who is two years old, who sang for the first time two days ago, Frozen, Let It Go. I don't know if you guys have kids but i people always tell you there's these heartwarming moments and two days ago she

started going like let it go let it go and i went oh my god i'm going to start crying because this is so cute so yeah mrs and mrs going great. And then also WWE on Fox. You know, being back in a tag team with John Morrison has been a real treat because John really pushes me and really makes me think outside of the box. And, you know, him driving me and pushing me has made me do things that are definitely outside my comfort zone, but has made me a better talent for WWE. Yeah. I mean, there's one name that you mentioned in there aj styles you have an acting career on top of the wwe career if you were to have a cinematic match at wrestlemania like aj and the undertaker had

what would your theme be and And who would your opponent be? Oh my God. I mean, it would definitely be a cinematic match. Because obviously we're from Hollywood and there's no one bigger than the A-lister. So it would definitely be like a Hollywood studio lot kind of match. And like, I would like it to be like, this is just going off the top of my head. I would like it to be like this is just going off the top of my head i would like it to be like do you remember that uh like um that john ritter movie where he just went to different

channel like different tv shows like i can't remember that what the movie was called but so john ritter would like go to these different tv shows and he would he would be stuck in them and so what if the match would be like all of a sudden we're on the set of Friends. And like, we're beating each other up. Then you're on the set of American Gladiators. And you got Nitro and Turbo. Stay tuned. What's that?

Stay tuned with John Ritter. Yes, that is it. And so, and then like- A skull crushing finale through Danny Tanner's kitchen table. What if in the next, in the next scene, you're in a driving like type of a show where it's like intense and you know, I don't know. I'm just going off the top spit balling here. Yeah. And there's no one I'd rather do it with than John Morrison, who is my tag team partner.

That's actually a great idea to like do it in different recognizable tv sets or movie scenes that would actually be phenomenal yeah could you imagine just like you know i don't know seeing like all these these different cast of characters like all of a sudden i'm on the set of of goldbergs and like very big tasty is there i mean it'd be great i feel like you've thought about this that's too good of an idea to come off the top of your head no that was actually that was actually that was spitballing i haven't actually thought about that i don't i don't even think that was that great like if i had time to think about it i'd really think of something good they should give you time to think about it they should do it so you mentioned that i mean imagine yeah never mind go ahead no

go ahead you you're still you're still spitballing on this idea where's it where's your mind headed i mean now it's headed to like what if i go on the next netflix show big show show and like all of a sudden we land there we got to fight big show off to like get to wherever we need to go with those kids like you put them on your arm any fight them you know we have to beat up hulk hogan you know i mean what if all these like i don't know you put a boy no evil has to beat up vader he comes out he's a king guy i'm the biggest cane fan in the world then all of a sudden we go on the set of the marine three and i have to face myself as jake car Imagine, but you go to the set of the Marine one, then and then it's the Marine versus the Marine John Cena versus the Ms

WrestleMania rematch. Oh my God. We're printing money here. Spitballing things right now. We're printing money here. So you mentioned that obviously when you first came into the WWE, the culture was obviously a bit like you were shunned away. You were from reality TV and you've talked about that throughout your career. But now it feels like you're almost one of the veterans of the locker room. Like you said, you've been there for 15 years.

How has the locker room and the locker room culture changed in the time that you've been there? Oh, it's completely different than it was when I first started. Like when I first started, I felt like I was an outcast. And I was. Like, you know, WWE, like the locker room is like a fraternity, you know? It's like, you know, you're like family. You're traveling with one another all over the world. You're away from your family, away from your friends.

Like, this is your family. These are your friends. And so for a person to come in from a reality background, people just thought I wanted to be famous and didn't think I had the love and the passion. And honestly, we're very protective. Like, like even before, like, so now I say we are, as in, I feel like I'm part of the fraternity now. So it's like, I feel like we're very protective of our fans.

Our fans want people that are dedicated to WWE, to entertaining them. They don't want a person that is there for one month. And then all of a sudden you hear that they quit because it was too hard. And it was too rough on them. The schedule was too this or too that. So a lot of people would be weeded out before they even got there. But now like the locker room is, I just feel like it's completely changed.

You know, back then it was very competitive, and everybody wanted to be the top spot. And instead of, like, motivating you to be, you know, that top guy, it was more like, you know, you're going to take my spot. This guy's going to take my spot. Now I feel people are more like, if this guy's going to take my spot. Now I feel people are more like, if this guy's going to take my spot, let's build them. Let's get them there. Let's figure out a way to make this guy and enhance all the talents that he has

and any weaknesses that he may have. Let's try to hide him as much as possible. So let's, let's make sure that this guy is, we're going to build this person into being something. So I feel like it's more a collective unit uh than than it was before we're still competitive with one another but i think everybody is on the same page to making whoever we have to make or who do whatever we have to do to make that person the next the next star yeah obviously i think the fans are smarter now as well yeah well that's inevitable now and they're only going to get smarter with like the internet and social media.

So you have a situation where, you know, like I grew up in watching wrestling in the 90s where you didn't even know the wrestlers real names. Like now wrestlers use their real names on their social media. Do you like that? Or is there like an element of like you still wish kayfabe really existed because now it's just like i think it's a little bit of both um you know back then you know it's like a magician you don't want you want to know the tricks you really don't do you like you don't want to know how david copperfield does all these incredible amazing magic tricks you just you do but you don't and so not knowing like if i would have met the ultimate warrior and he was completely like i i remember like

ultimate warrior was backstage and i was like as a kid that was my favorite i would paint my face put streamers on my arms and run around the house cutting promos you know what i mean like and so i was backstage and i i i it was like a hall of fame and i knew he probably had a speech that he had to memorize and with that and i honestly i almost didn't want to meet him because i liked knowing Ultimate Warrior as a kid, and it was just – he was an icon. He was immortal. It was amazing. So I never really did get to meet Ultimate Warrior, and I kind of regret not being able to meet him.

But now if you look for today, like people want to know what's going on. They want to be in the know, but they want to be a part of it. Like our fans just want to be a part of it and they'll play along. And it's okay to know, you know, Mike Mizanin, the father and the husband and Mike Mizanin on the reality show or the host of Cannonball. But also you get the character of the Miziz who's arrogant egotistical you know that character you know that person like i've always dedicated myself in wwe to make sure that people know a person like me and they feel like they can beat them up and they want this person to be beat

up and so i am the person that gets beat up for everyone else. I always say people on Twitter, you know, instead of going after, you know, bullying kids at high school, like come at me, like, like the Miz deserves it. You know, the Miz deserves to be told that he sucks, that he's a terrible human being that he's horrible. Now are there parts of me that truly believes that I am the best in WWE and I am the best that WWE has to offer

you damn right I do I truly believe that and whenever I don't have a WWE championship whenever I'm not front and center on a poster it I get aggravated because then that's my motivation that's the fire that fuels me like I don't know if you guys saw the Michael Jordan documentary yeah and yep like I never thought like anyone else thought like me and this is terrible to say like wow like michael jordan thinks like me but like i when there were things that i was like oh wow i do that like i make up stuff inside my head to get get angry and get mad and and it motivates me and i can feel the fire when i go out there it's almost like acting you know it's like acting 101 totally it's almost method acting before you get out there

and you've written a line of that reality and kayfabe thing almost better than anybody that promo on talking smack against daniel bryan that is super famous now obviously a huge highlight yeah that's what i mean like that did you see a change in the way fans treated you from that? Because I feel we've been fans of yours for a long time. Legitimately, we've talked about you on the show for a long time. And how you're sort of, I compare you to Roddy Piper. And that like, you're the heel that is not concerned about being the cool heel. You're concerned about getting the boos.

And you usually get those boos. It felt like people kind of had a turn after that and understood what you were doing. Did you feel that? Yeah, it's getting harder now, especially with the reality show coming out and the success, how successful it's been and people actually seeing Mike as a dad and as a father. And so, you know, it's definitely getting harder, but I always find a way and but I always find a way. And I'll always find a way. But I think it all, like, started to me getting respect from the, I guess we call them, like, the smart mark, if you will.

The uber WWE fan that knows the inside outs. Those guys, I think, started respecting me. And I think it was, like, when AJ Styles first came into WWE and uh uh I was I was his basically first opponent and we created a program and anyone that goes in a ring with AJ Styles is going to look like a million bucks but I think WWE started seeing my worth and really started going like wait we we've got money in this and then I won the Intercontinental title. My wife came back, Maryse. And everything started elevating.

And I started feeling the momentum. The momentum that I had when I won the WWE Championship. And that's the momentum I started feeling. And I was like, ooh, we're getting somewhere right now. And then Talking Smack happened and and by the way Talking Smack was on obviously just like WWE Network yeah and it was a brand new show it was needing eyeballs it needed something it needed a little spunk it needed something and that day I'll never forget that day like I was so angry and so bitter because I was told I had to do a dark match.

A dark match meaning the first match of the show that I wasn't on the show. I was the Intercontinental Champion. And I told people, I was out there on the microphone saying, for the weeks that I'm going to bring prestige, I'm going to bring honor to the Intercontinental title because that was the title that I loved so much growing up because it was the workhorse title it was the title that was doing the 30 40 minutes was the showcase of the show and now it was just one of those titles that was thrown around and I didn't want that to happen and so when they told me I wasn't on the show, I was angry.

And I was like, they're not gonna put me on the show. Put me on talking smack tonight. And Daniel Bryan was like the general manager. And I was, and I was just going to take out all my frustrations out on him. I didn't know what he was going to say. I didn't know what he was going to do. We just went out there and Daniel and I just have this chemistry.

We are completely polar opposites in real life and in WWE. And, you know, it just works. It just clicks. Like, you can feel, like, almost the hate. Like, I can feel the hate of him because he is an uber independent wrestler who has the respect of all the indie fans. And here I am as a reality star coming in. I still feel like he has that aggravation because I got in before him.

Because you utilize what you have. Like, to get a WWE contract, I don't care if you're an NFL football player that gets one just because you're six, five and full of pure solid muscle, or if you've been on the Indies for 45 years and work towards it, or if you're on a reality show, you did a couple Indies here and there and you, you love the business and you get a contract that way. It's all about what you do after you get that contract and how much passion you have towards the WWE. And I think Daniel Bryan and myself just have this distinct mesh that is just polar opposites.

And it works. He was even, or you were his pro on NXT. Like it even went back to that. How genius was that? His documentary. By an abuser or creative to literally put me me and you know, was aggravating about that. When I got put as his pro people started going like, why is the Miz his pro? By the way, I've been there for like four years. Like I've won titles. I've been through battles. Like just because you were on the independent scene,

working in front of 25 people doesn't mean that you can come to WWE and work in front of 10,000, 20,000 people. It's a completely different art, a completely separate, different thing. I don't care if you've been to Japan and back, it doesn't matter. Like WWE is its own prize and it is the top.

There is nothing better. You will not see any better sports entertainment better better wrestler wrestling than you will in wwe and this little guy is going to come in here uh from from his independent circuits and think that he can be my pro i don't think so so i it was it was real like that was real yeah and it came off that way ms this has been an honor it's been a pleasure talking to you. Cannonball, like I said, July 9th, tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on USC Network. I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you very much. It's going to be a lot of fun. Thanks, guys. Get a new background, Jared. I'm going to try. I'm going to try for you. Will you? I really feel like you're not going to try.