The Miz Doesn’t Care About People Wearing His T-Shirt, Talks About Being an Underdog & More

– The Miz spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new interview. You can see some excerpts below:

On not worrying about merchandise sales: “I could care less if people are wearing my t-shirts. I have a job to do, and it is to be the greatest villain the WWE has ever seen. I don’t see myself as a villain, but everyone else does. People think I’m cocky, arrogant, and egotistical–but I’m confident in myself. That’s what people should be seeing me exude. People should be more confident in themselves in their own life. Some people are so negative on the Internet, as well as in the WWE Universe, that sometimes they don’t even realize how negative they are being. If they had a little more positivity in their lives, then maybe they’d cheer me.”

On being considered an underdog: “Everyone always said I’d be out of here in three months. People thought I’d be fired, and I was kicked out of the locker room. But–through hard work, sacrifice, dedication, blood, sweat and tears–I’m still here fighting and scratching and clawing and craving. This new era of superstars coming in makes it very difficult to keep your spot, but I’m motivated every day. The hatred that people send to me on Twitter and Instagram really motivates me to be better, and hopefully that motivates someone else, too. I never really considered myself an underdog until an interviewer asked me how I felt about it. I thought, ‘That’s right–I am an underdog.’ No one looks at it that way, even though I am, so I’m doing something right.”

On what it’s like for Maryse being married to him: “Marrying The Miz? I’ll answer for my wife: it’s an honor and a privilege. Seriously though, I think she’d honestly say that every day is better than the next. We’re a great team, we complement each other perfectly, and we’re able to talk to one another about our problems, our work, our success, and we learn from one another. It’s really great to be traveling with my wife, and I think she’d say the same. I’m so glad she’s back in WWE because we have so much fun together. She’s been back for how many days? [Editor’s note: Maryse’s returned 149 days ago to WWE, which was the same night The Miz defeated Zack Ryder on Raw for the Intercontinental title.] Well, that’s the same amount of days I’ve been Intercontinental champion. I wonder why? She adds another degree of confidence for me.”

On his post-Smackdown routine: “I’ll have a good solid burger after my match on Tuesday. That’s my cheat meal. I don’t go to the concession stand, I look on Yelp, find a five-star burger joint, and that’s where we go.”