Yes, that is WWE’s The Miz in Supernatural season 11’s “Beyond The Mat” – here’s why his cameo works, and the character’s ultimate fate explained. Supernatural is no stranger to a star-studded guest spot, and while not all have hit the mark (Paris Hilton and Snooki come to mind…), many more have been fan-pleasing, expertly-chosen cameos from the wilder world of horror and pop culture. Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter, The Exorcist‘s Linda Blair, and Freddie Kruger himself, Robert Englund, all got a pop out of the Supernatural faithful.

Given how often Sam and Dean find themselves trudging through the small towns of America’s Mid-West, it was only a matter of time before the brothers stumbled across some good, old-fashioned rasslin’. Supernatural season 11’s “Beyond The Mat” brings the heroes to independent Missouri promotion Top Notch Wrestling, and while Dean Winchester delights in reliving his childhood, there’s a spooky case to solve. Among Top Notch’s wrestlers is up-and-coming hotshot Shawn Harley, played by real life WWE superstar, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Unlike other wrestlers who turned their grappling mitts to acting, The Miz has remained in WWE full-time while still racking up credits in TV shows such as Psych and Sirens, as well numerous reality projects and WWE’s own The Marine movie franchise. As such, he was perfect for the Supernatural gig, possessing in-ring acumen, inside knowledge of the wrestling business (which sits at the heart of the episode), and experience as an actor beyond the narrow spectrum of cutting WWE promos.

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“Beyond The Mat” expertly uses The Miz’s WWE persona to subvert Supernatural fans’ expectations. In his day job, The Miz is a conniving heel (bad guy) who cheats to win at any opportunity and boasts an ego big enough to fill the entire ring. So when Sam and Dean Winchester begin to suspect a Top Notch wrestler is making deals with demons, The Miz’s Shawn Harley immediately becomes the prime suspect. It’s exactly the type of thing his WWE persona would do. Supernatural twists these assumptions around on the viewer, eventually revealing baby-faced Gunner Lawless as the one smuggling demons backstage. Harley actually refuses a demonic promise of glory because he wants to win championships the right way.

Unfortunately, this admirable integrity quickly gets Shawn killed, as Lawless is ordered by his demon friend to claim The Miz’s soul. There’s an element of ambiguity over whether Shawn Harley does actually die. We see the demon give its command, and despite putting up a brief protest, Lawless clearly accepts what he must do. But then the action quickly cuts away to Crowley without revealing Harley’s fate, and when “Beyond the Mat” returns to the scene of the crime, Sam and Dean arrive to see a bloody knife in Gunner’s hand. While there’s no explicit confirmation that he carried out the murder, there’s enough implied violence for the audience to assume The Miz’s character was added to Gunner Lawless’ ongoing collection of souls.

Not every wrestler who ventures from WWE into the wider television world does so successfully and, similarly, Supernatural doesn’t always get away with its pop culture cameos. The Miz, however, proved a perfect addition to season 11’s wrestling episode, exhibiting his acting chops in a familiar environment and confirming there’s more to his repertoire than just being Awesome in WWE.

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About The Author


Craig Elvy
(3630 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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