The Miz has become one of the biggest, most talented stars in WWE and vital to the company's success. However, the road to arrive there was anything but easy. Mike Mizanin grew up in suburban Cleveland, Ohio with an insatiable desire to perform in front of a camera. After landing a spot on MTV's "Real World" reality show as a 20 year old, he set his sights on becoming a WWE superstar. It wasn't long until he realized that achieving his WWE dream would be the most difficult test of his life. Living in Los Angeles, Mizanin was broke, sapped of all his confidence and had family members wondering if he was throwing his life away. Still, he persisted, eventually earning a spot on WWE's main roster.