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The Miz is back on the top of WWE pecking order after he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Drew McIntyre at Elimination Chamber. His triumph made him a two-time WWE Champion nearly a decade after his first title run.
On Sunday night, WWE's Most Must-See Superstar took advantage of a weakened McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior went through a hellacious Elimination Chamber Match before an assault from Bobby Lashley took him down.
The Miz was not the first star to win a title nearly ten years after his first reign. This list includes four other future Hall of Famers who managed to walk the same path in their careers.
#1. WWE Superstar The Miz made history repeat itself
In July 2010, The Miz won the Money in the Bank ladder match to earn a guaranteed championship match at any time in the next year. He initially suffered some some failed attempts to cash-in on the WWE Champion Sheamus. But his perfect opportunity to win the title came the November 22 episode of Monday Night Raw.
On this memorable show, Randy Orton had to defend his WWE Championship against the leader of Nexus, Wade Barrett, seconds after he was attacked by the group. Although he suffered a leg injury, Orton successfully defended his title with a little help from John Cena. But he was surprised after the match by Miz cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.
Despite Orton's resistance, Miz managed to take advantage of his opponent's injury. He reversed an RKO into a Skull Crushing Finale to get the pin and win his first-ever WWE Championship. The Miz went on to defend the title against John Cena at WrestleMania. But he lost the championship to Cena at Extreme Rules 2011 in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match that involved John Morrison.
The Miz's second WWE Championship run came nearly a decade later. As previously mentioned, he once again cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at this year's Elimination Chamber PPV to pin McIntyre. With the win, The Miz firmly reclaimed his place as a main eventer in WWE. The A-Lister should have a prominent role on the road to WrestleMania.
#2: Former WWE Superstar The Rock
The Rock is a guaranteed WWE Hall of Famer, and one of his best achievements was winning the WWE Championship eight times. The last two runs came a decade apart.
The Rock was one of the top superstars in the company in 2002 when he won the WWE Championship at Vengeance. The victory came during a Triple Threat Match against Kurt Angle and The Undertaker.
The Great One's championship run did not last very long, as he lost his belt to Brock Lesnar less than a month later at SummerSlam. It was the last time Rock held the title before he left the company in 2004.
The Rock returned to WWE in 2011 for some sporadic appearances before he entered a heated feud with John Cena. But it was not until 2013 when he decided to challenge the then-WWE Champion CM Punk for a title match at the Royal Rumble.
The two superstars squared off at the Royal Rumble, and it seemed like Punk had won the match after he took advantage of an attack on The Rock as the lights went out. Nonetheless, Vince Mcmahon had a different plan. He was about to strip Punk of his title until The Rock asked him to restart the match. The Rock then defeated Punk to win the WWE championship more than a decade after his last reign.
The Rock remained the champion until WrestleMania 29. There, he lost his title to Cena after they reignited their legendary feud.
#3: Former WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar
On the September 18, 2003 episode of WWE SmackDown, Brock Lesnar squared off against Kurt Angle in a 60-minute Iron Man Match. It was the third bout in a series of title matches between the superstars.
Lesnar and Angle had an epic Iron Man Match that ended with The Beast Incarnate coming out on top with a five-four score. With the victory, he earned his third WWE Championship. It was his last title win for more than a decade.
Lesnar lost his championship to Eddie Guerrero after nearly five months at No Way Out 2004. He then before left the company to chase his dreams elsewhere.
Lesnar made a surprise return to WWE in 2012, but it was not until 2014 that he got a chance to win the WWE title once again. His opportunity came at SummerSlam against John Cena in a match that he dominated in an unprecedented fashion.
The Conqueror hit his opponent with the F5 seconds into the match. He then took him on a painful tour to Suplex City. Sixteen German Suplexes and a few F5s were enough for Lesnar to get the pin and recapture the title he lost about a decade earlier.
#4: Five-Time WWE United States Champion John Cena
John Cena is a five-time WWE United States Champion. His third reign started when he defeated Carlito on the November 18, 2004 episode of WWE Smackdown. But he had to wait for more than ten years to get another run with the title.
Cena lost his United States championship to Orlando Jordan on March 3, 2005. A decade later, he attempted to regain his lost title when he went head-to-head with Rusev at WWE Fastlane 2015, but he came up short.
Cena go ta rematch at WrestleMania 31, where he managed to hand Rusev his first pinfall defeat to become the United States Champion. The win came after Lana tried to interfere while Cena applied the STFU on her husband.
While Cena argued with Lana, Rusev tried to hit his opponent, but he conncted with his manager instead. Cena quickly hit Rusev with the Attitude Adjustment for the three count. He remained the United States Champion for nearly five months before he lost the title to Seth Rollins at WWE SummerSlam.
#5: Five-Time WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy
On September 3, 2007, Jeff Hardy clashed with Umaga for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The Samoan Bulldozer had interrupted Hardy's match against Mr. Kennedy the week before, and he delivered a beating to the Charismatic Enigma.
Umaga dominated most of the subsequent title match, but Hardy persevered. He managed to trip The Samoan Bulldozer off the top rope to get a quick pin. Hardy dropped the title to Chris Jericho a few months later in March. It took Hardy nearly 13 years to win the title again.
Hardy left WWE in 2009, and he did not return until 2017. He eventually won the Intercontinental Championship again last August. He successfully challenged AJ Styles in a match for the title on the August 21 episode of WWE SmackDown.
At the end of the dynamic contest, Hardy escaped a Styles Clash by hitting his opponent with his knee brace. Hardy then delivered a Twist of Fate and his signature Swanton Bomb to pin the champion. With the win, Hardy earned his fifth title run. The next month, he lost the title to Sami Zayn at WWE Clash of Champions.
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