He calls himself a “lying and cheating back stabber” who uses his signature move, the Skull-Crushing Finale, to destroy his rivals in the WWE ring.
He calls himself a “lying and cheating back stabber” who uses his signature move, the Skull-Crushing Finale, to destroy his rivals in the WWE ring.

WWE's Skull-Crushing Miz ready for Abu Dhabi



ABU DHABI // Mike Mizanin is a placid, mild-mannered man. As a teenager in Parma, Ohio, he was editor of his high-school yearbook, he was a studious young man at business school, and he avoids spicy food because it makes his nose run. He would not, in short, say boo to a goose.

His alter ego, however, is another matter. The Miz is mad, bad and dangerous to know, the man wrestling fans love to hate. He calls himself the Awesome One, uses every dirty trick to win, and dispatches his opponents with moves called the Neckbreaker, the Half-Nelson Facebuster and the Skull-Crushing Finale.

So when the sound of his signature theme I Came To Play by Downstait belts out at Zayed Sports City next month, guess which one of his two personalities will appear?

"I am the guy who lies and cheats, and I will do whatever I have to do to absolutely win," The Miz, 31, said yesterday. "Take a mental note, because when I come to Abu Dhabi, I'm the bad guy. "You look at me and my size and you probably think, 'I can take this guy'. But the fact is I will backstab anyone to win."

The boos, jeers and catcalls of the crowd? Bring it on, he says. "I embrace it. It just fuels my fire to win. I am the guy you're going to boo for the rest of your life."

The character of The Miz first surfaced on American reality TV about 10 years ago, when Mike realised it was the perfect passport to a career in professional wrestling. He signed to the World Wrestling Entertainment consortium in 2004 and was ranked No1 last year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.

An unashamed showman, he has too much respect for the audience to pretend that pro-wrestling is pure sport. "It's a cross between a rock concert, an athletic sport and an improv comedy show, all wrapped up into one mega-entertainment event."

He is, he says, "like a puppet master" - and the audience is his puppet. "I can hear how the audience feels, and I know exactly what to do to get them to be where I want them to be."

The WWE has had its share of controversy since it was founded in 1952, including a series of allegations of steroid abuse and excessive violence, compounded by a lawsuit in 2002 that forced the company to change its name from the original WWF (World Wrestling Federation).

In 2008 it began broadcasting more family-orientated shows to a growing audience of women and children, and WWE has gained a large following in the Middle East through its television shows, Smackdown and Raw.

The Miz says the new bloodless shows mean he has to work harder, but he enjoys the challenge of having to be more creative in the ring.

The shows in the Raw World Tour from February 9-11 at Zayed Sports City will be WWE's first live event in the UAE. Household names such as Chris Jericho, CM Punk and John Cena are among those who will flex their muscles at the event, but The Miz says he will win - as he "always" does, because he is "smarter" than his rivals.

"I'm planning on being undefeated in every match in Abu Dhabi for my entire career."

The only wrestler to have won the WWE United States Championship twice, he plans to continue breaking records. With his catchphrase "I'm The Miz, and I'm awesome", he wants to be the "biggest star the world has ever seen", both in the WWE and in the real world.

"It's going to take a lot of work, but I'm the type of person who doesn't mind a lot of work," he says.

"You do it because you love it. And I love it.

"I'm the WWE superstar, so I get to do what I want and how I want."

And anyone who cares to disagree risks a Skull-Crushing Finale.

The Man Behind The Miz

He calls himself a “lying and cheating back stabber” who uses his signature move, the Skull-Crushing Finale, to destroy his rivals in the WWE ring.

But in the real world, Mike Mizanin, aka The Miz, is the type of guy who avoids spicy food because it “heats me up and makes my nose run”.

Getting the sniffles is not a side many fans get to see of the loud-mouthed professional wrestler, who was in the UAE on Thursday to promote the WWE World Tour, which arrives in the capital next month.

He might act like a savage in the ring, but on the outside he avoids eating red meat, even though he loves a good cheeseburger. “I enjoy what I want, when I want,” he said.

The performer, who divulged that he has a cameo in Will Ferrell’s forthcoming film, Dog Fight, said he always tells people to watch the WWE for its entertainment value – as though it were a movie with “great soap opera lines and larger-than life characters”.

Back home, in his Hollywood condominium, the Ohio native has a “Wall of Miz” with all the action figures, awards and trophies he was won throughout his career. His favourite item is the WWE Championship trophy.

“It was a title everyone said I would never get, but I did, and that was a childhood dream,” he said.

* Marie-Louise Olson

Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

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  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

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Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
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Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm

RESULT

Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: 
Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')

Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)

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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

If you go

Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.

Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com

A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com

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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.