Doing what he does best

STILL a month shy of his 34th birthday, Michael Gregory Mizanin has already won championship titles at the WWE (formerly the World Wrestling Entertainment) on 12 different occasions and starred in three full-length feature movies.

Better known by his in-ring name, The Miz, he headlined Wrestlemania - WWE's signature annual event - in 2011 where he defeated John Cena against all odds to retain the coveted WWE championship.

The Ohio native doesn't take too kindly to suggestions that he has reached his peak in his wrestling or acting career, though.

"It couldn't be further from the truth. I'm still peaking to this day. I've been winning championships every year since 2011, I've been doing more movies, so I'm far from done," he tells BT Weekend in an exclusive interview while on a promotional visit to Kuala Lumpur recently.

The Miz is one of about 20 WWE performers who are heading to the Malaysian capital for a two-night show on Oct 10 and 11 at the Putra Indoor Stadium. This will mark the company's return to South-east Asia since it last toured the region in 2009 and its first show in Malaysia in 12 years.

The Miz, who likes to refer to his chiselled face as the "money maker", will be in one of the event's top matches as he challenges Irish superstar Sheamus for the United States championship.

In this candid interview over lunch, he sheds more light on his hectic life as a professional wrestler and his future plans in acting and sports entertainment.

Q You've been mobbed by fans everywhere while in Malaysia. Are you surprised that WWE has such a huge following in this part of the world?

A As soon as I came out of the airport, people were yelling "Miz". Then I walk down the street and people are calling me "money maker". It's always interesting that, whenever I am in a new country, there are people who know who I am.

But this is what happens all over the world when it comes to the WWE. Whether it's young kids or adults, everybody knows something about us. When we come to town, we tend to take over the city and then give our fans an experience that they will remember for a lifetime.

Q In your nine years in the WWE, you've been both a face (good guy) and a heel (bad guy). Which do you prefer?

A I've always considered myself a face. Everyone else thinks the opposite. But I can't make the fans cheer or boo me. They just do whatever they want. I have no idea how the fans in Malaysia are going to react when they see me because we haven't been here since 2002. But it doesn't matter because I'll just feed off their energy and use that to my advantage on my opponent.

Q How much creative control do you have over your character?

A It's all me. I just do what I want to do, when I want to do it. Can we give our inputs? Absolutely. When we go out to the ring, we are entrusted to do what we do best, which is to entertain the audience. You always know whether you've done well or badly based on the reaction of the fans.

Q What do you like about acting?

A I love it. The preparation is arguably my favourite part. I love getting ready for a role - finding out about the character, the way they walk and talk, looking at a script and seeing what I have to do, getting on to the set and having cameras all around. I enjoy having my fellow actors bring out the best in me, and me bringing the best out of them.

The movies I've done with WWE Studios so far (The Marine 3, Christmas Bounty, and the upcoming The Marine 4) are very fast-paced when it comes to shooting. We usually have only 20 days to get them done, so everyone has to be on top of their game at all times.

Q How do you prepare for a big wrestling match?

A My routine is to work out in the morning before heading to the arena. Once there, I try to get a feel of the audience. I do some warming up, some stretching and get focused. A lot of people don't realise how much mental preparation is needed. It's not just the physical part.

If I was six-foot-six, 300 pounds and all muscle, I wouldn't really have to prepare much mentally. I would just beat the guy up. But someone my size has to mentally figure out different ways to win my matches.

Q What's your usual training regimen?

A I work out four days a week, and do every body part twice. I get 30 minutes of cardio each time. I have different workouts, it all depends on how I feel that day and how much time I have. We travel as many as 250 days in a year, so it's about finding time to get to the nearest gym. We don't want to be sore in the ring so it's important to always get our bodies going.

Q If you could choose between being in the main event of next year's Wrestlemania in San Francisco or getting a leading role in a major movie, which would you pick?

A I've already done both, and in the same year in fact, so why not both? I would never want to deprive my fans of the opportunity of watching me in the main event or doing a Hollywood movie. So to answer your tough question, I'm going to say I can do both, because I'm The Miz and that's what I do best.