During a recent interview with Matty Paddock of the Daily Star, WWE Superstar Beth Phoenix discussed her admiration for The Miz and how he provokes a strong emotion from the fans.

On her admiration for The Miz and his ability to provoke emotion in fans: 

“I’ve known Mike [Miz] since his first day stepping in the ring, and Maryse, too. The wrestling business – especially a couple of decades ago – we were a very close, tight-knit group and paying your dues was important. Here you had someone coming in with fame and in the beginning, people were hesitant: ‘are you just seeking more fame, how much do you love this?’ Unfortunately, that put Mike on a path to be swimming upstream because, really, nothing could be further from the truth. I have such admiration for him. To have the thick skin to spend all these years not getting the approval that you deserve and portrayed as a heel all these years – that is tough. It’s not easy to go out there and have people screaming at you that you suck every single day. Mike knows that that’s his role, and what he’s great at is that he provokes emotion in people and that is a talent that not many people have.”

On Miz being one of the most decorated performers in WWE history: 

“I have admiration for his longevity and for how hard he’s worked – he is one of the hardest working, consistent and durable performers we’ve ever had in WWE. We don’t talk about it much, but he’s also one of the most decorated performers we’ve ever had in WWE. As a heel, he doesn’t need the pat on the back to know he’s awesome, no pun intended. Mike is confident in himself and that is really special amongst performers. It’s really admirable.”

Miz & Maryse fire back at Edge & Beth Phoenix