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The Miz Reveals He Was Supposed to Win WWE Championship in 2011

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Kellie Crawford | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 1:57 PM ET

The Miz nearly became WWE Champion during the 2011 tournament; plans to beat Mysterio then Cena changed.
He held the WWE title from Nov 2010–May 2011 and briefly again Feb–Mar 2021.
A Tough Enough alum, he debuted on SmackDown in 2006 and remains a steady WWE presence.

WWE Superstar The Miz made his official WWE in-ring debut on the September 1, 2006, edition of SmackDown. He won the match, which was against Tatanka. Before that, the former Real World star was part of the fourth season of Tough Enough in 2004. He made it to the final round but lost to Daniel Puder. He also co-hosted the 2006 Divas Search competition. So he’s been with the company for a long time, and that means he has lots of backstage stories. One of those stories is about him almost becoming a champion.

The Miz Almost Was WWE Champion In July 2011

While a guest on Bussin With The Boys podcast, The Miz revealed that he was almost a WWE Champion in 2011. So in a storyline, CM Punk left with the WWE Championship at the 2011 Money in the Bank in Chicago after he defeated John Cena. So WWE decided to hold a tournament to crown a new champion, which The Miz was supposed to beat Rey Mysterio and then beat Cena. He said:

“CM Punk left the show and he took the title with him. They made up a ‘paper champion’ or whatever. They brought a championship and said, ‘He’s leaving the show. He’s gone.’ They put the title in a refrigerator; that was the big meme. They were going to have a tournament. I went up against Rey Mysterio. I was going to beat Rey Mysterio and then beat John Cena, so I would be the champion. They switched it because usually we like babyface vs. heel. Bad guy vs. good guy. In this instance, it would have been babyface vs. babyface. ‘You need bad guy vs. good guy.’ I was the bad guy, but then, it was two huge monumental babyfaces that are Rey Mysterio and John Cena. Let them go at it. There was a moment there where I would have been a (two-time) champion." (H/T: Fightful)

Though after Mysterio defeated The Miz, becoming the new champion, he would lose it that same night on the July 25, 2011, episode of RAW.

The Miz Was Still Champion In 2011

While he didn’t get that win in July 2011, to be honest, the Miz was still champion for some time in 2011. Let’s go back to November 22, 2010. It was on Monday Night RAW, Miz defeated Randy Orton for the title. He would hold onto the WWE Championship until May 2011 at Extreme Rules. Cena would defeat him and John Morrison in a Triple Threat Steel Cage match. The Miz had a moment again as the WWE Champion, though this was much briefer. His title run lasted from February 21, 2021, to March 1, 2021.

Miz was last in action on August 29, where he teamed with Carmelo Hayes for a shot at a match against The WWE Tag Team Champions, The Wyatt Sicks. The match ended up going to the Street Profits, which they lost anyway. So in the end, Miz will hopefully always be a fixture in WWE. He's that old standby that WWE fans need in an ever-changing promotion.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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