"I think he wants to be the first him" - The Miz on comparisons to top AEW star

The Miz thinks MJF is doing just fine in AEW

While Maxwell Jacob Friedman has often — and sometimes derisively — been compared to him, The Miz thinks he's doing a fine job of being himself. The former WWE Champion touched on the different stars he's taken inspiration from.

While the man born Mike Mizanin has undergone evolved throughout his WWE career, his current persona is his most recognizable. Nowadays, he portrays an arrogant and cocky heel, who likes to gloat about his "success" in Hollywood and flaunt his wealth by wearing expensive clothes. It's not dissimilar to the character MJF plays in the ring.

What does @mikethemiz believe the key to his success in @WWE is? 🔑

He tells our @Rosenbergradio and @StatGuyGreg in the #RoyalRumble edition of 'Cheap Heat.'

🎧 Listen here: spoti.fi/3fZQ9b1 https://t.co/1z9ES38SQB

During a recent appearance on The Ringer wrestling podcast (H/T to Fightful), however, Mizanin pointed out that the most successful wrestlers have taken bits and pieces of the personas of other wrestlers and added them to their own:

"You take things. When you're learning and coming up, you see things that you like out of certain superstars and are like, 'Oh, I'll use that, sprinkle of that, sprinkle of this' as an homage."

The Miz thinks MJF is an "original"

The Miz doesn't think that MJF is the second coming of himself. Quite the contrary, he feels like the AEW star is trying to be unique:

"You want to be an original. There are comparisons. I've always been compared to, I was compared to Jericho for a while, I was compared to Ric Flair for a while. I don't want to be compared. I want to be an originator... I don't think he wants to be the next [me], I think he wants to be the first him. Honestly, he's doing a great job at it."

The 8-time WWE Intercontinental champion also pointed out MJF's youth and recalled where he was at that stage of his career.

"25 years old. When I was 25 years old, I was still in developmental and Deep South Wrestling and still learning the trade. I wasn't putting on matches on national television and putting together memorable promos that people talk about. I wasn't doing that."

MJF will finally have his long-awaited bout with CM Punk, whose comments about him being a "less famous" version of the The Miz sparked these parallels, on the February 2nd episode of AEW Dynamite.

"He's just a less famous Miz." - CM Punk to MJF 😨

WE GOING THERE.

(via @AEW) https://t.co/YgLibA50xi

Mizanin and his wife, Maryse, will face their own rivals this weekend, as the couple face off against Edge and Beth Phoenix at the Royal Rumble.