WWE: The Miz reveals the reason behind backstage heat he got from other stars

The Miz has talked about the backstage heat he received when he first joined the WWE's main roster in 2006. He has revealed that other WWE stars initially did not like him as he had jumped ship to become a wrestler.

Before The Miz — real name Michael Gregory Mizanin — became a wrestler he was a TV star. He has appeared on shows such as MTV's Real World and its spin-off series among others.

The company offered The Miz a developmental contract after he caught their attention during the 2004 season of Tough Enough contest, where the winner was awarded a WWE contract and $1m (£780,701). The Miz was not the winner of the competition.

"I wasn't liked. I think of WWE as a fraternity. You have the fans involved. You have the WWE Superstars involved. And you have me wanting to be a part of the fraternity and no one accepting me," he told Bleacher Report in an interview, according to Wrestling Inc.

"Every ounce of respect I have today, I had to earn. I guess I'm glad for it because it made me the person I am today and I like me."

The Miz also opened up about his experiences on Real World, where he first revealed the character of The Miz, an outlandish personality who also happens to be a wrestler.

"It got me comfortable in front of the cameras. Whenever I had an interview, it wasn't a nervous situation. That was something I'd done for a long time. It showed me I could play up to the cameras. The camera was my friend," he said on how Real World prepared him for pro-wrestling.

On using the character on Real World, he said, "The Miz came in as a way to say exactly what I was feeling and not have any repercussions for it because it was a character I was playing. That character became very popular, not only with fans but with castmates."