The Miz recently reminisced about his 2010 WWE Raw segment with Pee-wee Herman, portrayed by actor Paul Reubens. Miz revealed that this segment, which aired on November 1, 2010, remains his father’s favourite moment from his WWE career.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Miz discussed the segment where he and Alex Riley interrupted Reubens while he spoke to the crowd. “That’s my dad’s favourite thing I’ve ever done in WWE,” Miz said. “It’s not main-eventing WrestleMania or winning the WWE Championship twice. It’s me getting in the ring and having a verbal sparring match with Pee-wee Herman.”
Miz also shared that he had a hand in crafting the segment. Being a fan of Pee-wee Herman, Miz was thrilled when Reubens agreed to appear in character. “Earlier that day, his publicist mentioned that he wouldn’t come out as Pee-wee and would be himself,” Miz recalled. “I couldn’t believe it, so I approached him and asked, ‘Can we please do Pee-wee?’ He agreed, and I was pumped. I suggested doing the ‘I know you are but what am I?’ gag and the secret word, knowing it would be a hit, especially with me as the bad guy.”
“That was my childhood. I grew up watching Pee-wee, I wore the suit. I knew it would be so great,” he said.
“Paul was a really wonderful person and a great friend,” Miz said.
Reubens passed away on July 30, 2023, at the age of 70 from acute hypoxic respiratory failure. He was best known for his role as Pee-wee Herman, first seen in the 1980 film Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie.
The Miz is set to host the WWE SummerSlam Premium Live Event which will take place in his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. Read more about that here.
