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 Aug 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 Aug. 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, Aug 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.
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