I'm leaving home (The Miz's full letter from WWE Main Event)
On WWE Main Event, The Miz read a letter to the WWE Universe - a display reminiscent of fellow Ohio native Lebron James days before. WWE.com had obtained the full letter from the "Moneymaker."
"I’m Leaving Home" by The Miz:
Before anyone ever cared about where I would compete – the main event of WrestleMania, for example – or what movies I would star in – like The “Marine 3: Homefront” – I was just a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I first started cutting promos in my mirror at home. It’s where I flipped burgers at my Dad’s “Mr. Hero.” It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People have seen me grow up.
I sometimes feel like I’m their sun – as in the center of their universe. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. Now that I’m bigger, stronger, smarter, and more successful than I’ve ever been, I realize that I owe it to not just the people of Northeast Ohio, but to each and every member of the WWE Universe – to leave that awful, dying city of Cleveland behind and never look back.
Cleveland is a small-market city with small-minded, ordinary people – much like yourselves. I have a responsibility to lead, and I want kids everywhere who look up to me to realize there are better places to grow up.
Remember when I was WWE Champion in 2011? I was thinking. This is really tough. I could feel it. Holding that title was almost like college for other kids. I guess it was my fate to lose it – because the past three years without it, helped raise me into who I am. I became a better man … and a Movie Star. I now think of the film set as my second home. I learned from The Marine Franchise what is important in life … The Moneymaker.
I'm doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don't want anyone thinking: Mr. McMahon made me do it. Although the media and my public are hungry for it – I'm not having a press conference or a party. After this, it's time to get to work.
I left Cleveland seeking championships. My goal is to win as many titles as possible, no question. Cities like Fayetteville, Cleveland, Charlotte – they don't know what it's like to be a winner. I do. I needed a city that screamed The Miz. So I made LA my home.
To make the move I needed the support of my wife and family and dogs, who can be very tough. The blogs telling me I sucked, "The Miz is awful!" chants from the crowds, Angry Miz Girl – experiencing all that was hard for them. My emotions were mixed. It was easy to say, "OK, I don't want to deal with these people ever again." I could just do features films. I even thought, maybe I should just leave, but you wouldn't want that. But as heartless as all of you are, I didn't bring myself down to your level.
What if I were a kid who looked up to a movie star, and that movie star made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I refuse to deprive the innocent children of my presence because of your mistakes, and though I personally don’t ever make mistakes. Who am I to hold a grudge?
I'm promising a championship. There's a lot of young talent in this Battle Royal – and they all look up to me as a mentor now. I know I can help Dolph Ziggler connect with the audience. I can reunite with Zack Ryder, one of my favorite competitors. I'm excited to lead these guys – then throw all of them out of the ring.
But this is not about the Battle Royal or WWE. My calling goes above that. With that title, it would be my responsibility to lead as a Global Role Model across a multitude of media platforms – magazines, TV guest appearances, films, TMZ, to name a few and I take that very seriously. I want the kids from these uninspiring towns to realize there are better places to grow up. Getting them out of communities like yours … That would make me smile.
In life, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have. I’m ready to accept the challenge. Because I’m not just some kid from Northeast Ohio. I’m the Miz, I’m from Hollywood, and I’m ... a star.
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