5 WWE Stars who reluctantly agreed to a storyline

#4 The Miz was reluctant to participate in John Cena parody skits on WWE SmackDown

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John Cena and Nikki Bella defeated The Miz and Maryse in a mixed tag team match at WWE WrestleMania 33 in 2017. Following the match, Cena proposed to his then-girlfriend in front of over 75,000 fans at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

The build-up to the match revolved around The Miz and Maryse making fun of Cena and Nikki’s lavish lifestyle. The Miz & Mrs. stars dressed as their opponents on WWE SmackDown and imitated them in several parody skits.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated in January 2018, The Miz said he initially rejected WWE’s comedy segment idea.

“I didn’t want to do it at first. I just didn’t know if it would be good. When I go out there, I set out to do something memorable. Something great. And when I first heard the pitch of, ‘Hey, do you want to imitate them?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know if it’ll be great. I don’t know if it’ll be good.’ I kinda turned it down,” The Miz said.

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The Miz eventually agreed to take part in the parody skits after he began imitating John Cena’s voice during a car ride with Maryse. He said Maryse never laughs at anything, so he knew the segments would be good after his Cena impression made her laugh.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Kartik Arry

5 WWE Stars who reluctantly agreed to participate in a storyline

#4 The Miz was reluctant to participate in John Cena parody skits on WWE SmackDown