LogFAQs > #919635777

7. Wrestlemania 27: John Cena vs. The Miz "Hate Me Now"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GEq75UxSRE" data-time="

Now that we moved on from "how to retroactively sell a match" to "how to retroactively sell a performer." Even winning the world title, everything leading up to this WM match was basically all about Rock and Cena. And truthfully it still ended up being all about them. Miz was the thirdiest of third wheels to a match where he was the literal world champ.

But for a few minutes, you had to not just respect Miz, you completely understood everything he represented. Yes, it's a little bit cheating to pick an incredibly famous song to set this promo to and lyrically it might be a little bit off outside of the chorus, but combining Miz's character growth up until that point with the history of the WWF/E most famous moments really paints the portrait of who he has become.

Like after watching this you actually felt like Miz needed to win not to retain his title, but to prove a point. He had to prove his haters wrong one last time, to knock off a multiple time world champ with one of the biggest names in the WWE and Hollywood (well, not so much that at the time) looming over their match to prove that not only had he grown so much since his Real World days, but to prove that he was right.

The use of his watching the video himself also feeds into his egotistical side. It's not enough that this promo exists, he has to be seen of him watching it (on multiple screens) himself. Kind of to push the idea that he made this himself. That he made it on his own, that all his successes are his and his alone. It's why he says the old saying: "I'd rather you all hate me for everything I am than love me for something I'm not."

Honestly as good as Miz has been since 2016, this will always be my favorite Miz moment.
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TheRock ~ I had a name, my father called me Blues.