In Conversation with WWE Superstar and Parma Native Mike
“The Miz” Mizanin
WWE SummerSlam is coming to Cleveland Browns Stadium this
August
By Danny Cunningham
Few events on the WWE calendar are as big or bigger than the
company’s annual SummerSlam. This year, that event will be
held on August 3 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. It’s the
second time SummerSlam has been in town, joining 1996 when
it was held at the then-Gund Arena.
The WWE does have a couple of local ties to Cleveland, with
the most notable being Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. Mizanin grew
up in Parma and attended Normandy High School in the 1990s
before rising to WWE superstardom. In preparation for this
summer’s biggest wrestling event, Cleveland Magazine caught
up with one of Northeast Ohio’s own.
Questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Cleveland Magazine: What’s special to you about SummerSlam
2024?
Mike “The Miz” Mizanin: “The fact that it's in my hometown
of Cleveland, Ohio. You know, growing up in Cleveland, I
went to Guardians games, I went to Cavs games. I went to
Browns games. Never did I think in my wildest dreams that I
would play at Progressive Field where the Guardians play
when I played for the [MLB Celebrity Softball] All-Star
Game. I never thought that I would do pump up pieces for the
Cavs, to pump up the crowd during the playoffs. Never did I
think I would be able to perform where the Cleveland Browns
play, like at this stadium. Cleveland, the last time we had
SummerSlam was 1996. I was in high school. Now we're here in
2024, I'm the World Tag Team Champion and I plan on taking
that title all the way to SummerSlam. Hopefully, I mean,
it's two months away. You never know what can happen. But
the goal is to have it there and defend it there.”
CM: Are you planning anything special for when SummerSlam is
at Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 3?
MM: “We always tell people to expect the unexpected.
Whenever you go to a big show, like SummerSlam there's
always surprises. There's always an electricity in the
entire city, the entire week, we take over the entire city
where we will do community work promoting Cleveland. We do
autograph signings, pictures, whatever it is like there's
just so many events that happened before the main event
which is SummerSlam, Saturday, August 3. And you know,
people always say, you know, what can we expect? And I
always tell him look, expect the unexpected because you
never know what's gonna happen at SummerSlam.”
CM: What is your dream match? Whether against a currently
active WWE wrestler or one of the industry’s legends? Why?
MM: “Ultimate Warrior. I always wanted to wrestle Ultimate
Warrior because he was my favorite growing up as a kid. I
mean, I used to paint my face put streamers on my arms and
run around the house, acting like I was Ultimate Warrior. I
mean, that would have been amazing.
CM: What is your most memorable match from your career?
MM: “Interesting question. What is my most memorable match?
I mean, to me, but my Main Event of WrestleMania. I mean,
anytime you Main Event WrestleMania that's pretty memorable.
But also, anytime I was in the ring with my wife, Maryse,
was always a special moment. So when we face John [Cena] and
Nikki [Bella] or when we face Edge and Beth [Phoenix], those
were pretty special moments because I got to do it with my
wife.”
CM: You mentioned doing pump-up videos before Cavs games,
what are your thoughts on the postseason run the Cleveland
Cavaliers are currently on?
MM: “I love them at home. Away, something's happening to
them that they just were not playing as well as I'd like
them to play. When you go into these playoff situations,
you’ve got to play playoff basketball. I mean the regular
season is one thing and I thought they were very good in the
regular season. But when it comes to playoff basketball
every team steps up to the plate. And you know Boston is
looked at as the top team. I would say in my mind Boston and
the Minnesota Timberwolves are the two top teams going at it
and to see Cleveland in there is amazing, but I want to see
them take down one of the top tier brasses in the Boston
Celtics. If they can do that, they can win the championship.
I mean, after [Game 1], it was very disappointing. But you
know, that's just one game. Take one game at a time and work
your way back.”
CM: What are your favorite parts of Cleveland?
MM: “Parma. That's where I'm from. So, I always like going
back to Parma. I mean, if we're talking about where I like
to go, I always try to find out if there's a Guardians game,
a Cavs game, a Browns game, because I always try to go to at
least one of each a year. I think there's no better stadium
than Progressive Field for baseball. It's a fun atmosphere.
It's a great stadium. I've been to so many. Like, I was
thinking about it last night. I was like man, I've been to
Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, I've been to Fenway, I've been to
Wrigley, I've been to all these different places. And my
favorite is Progressive and there's just something about it.
That, when I go there, it makes me feel like I'm home, but
also there's something in the crowd that really makes that a
special stadium.”
Tickets for WWE SummerSlam 2024 go on sale to the general
public on Thursday, May 9 at 10 a.m. on TicketMaster. The
event will be streamed live on Peacock.
