WWE Champion The Miz told Baltimore Sun Ring Posts blogger Kevin Eck that JBL wasn't always tough on him backstage. "It’s funny with JBL," Miz said. "In front of all the boys back in the day he would always be making fun of me or saying [imitating JBL’s voice], 'Miz, I look forward to your amazing work. You’re a gift from God.' But whenever no one was around, he would come up to me and say, 'You’re doing a good job.'
"He’d always give me a little pat on the back. Most people think he was really, really bad to me and this kind of stuff – and, granted, there were times – but there were also times when he sat me down and said, 'Listen, you’re doing a good job. This is what you’re doing wrong. This is what you have to do to get to the next level.' So he has helped me as well."
Miz was also asked about his relationship with Daniel Bryan during NXT season one. "We were very cordial with each other, but you could tell on the inside that we were both trying to one-up one another because I thought I was better than him and he thought he was better than me," said Miz. "I thought I was better than him just because I’ve been in WWE for four years now and how long had he been in WWE? Zero time. He basically performed in front of 25 people at a bingo hall and was called the best in the world.
"I mean, please, I don’t care if some dirt sheet is writing about how great you are and that you were able to perform in front of 100 people. Congratulations. I’m performing in front of 16,000 to 20,000 a night and millions across the globe. As far as working with him, though, he’s a very, very cool guy and very, very talented. He is one of the true up-and-comers in the WWE and has proven himself and keeps proving himself and improving. And he really, really wants it, which is all you can really ask for."
