In 2005, following his experience on the “Tough Enough” reality show, The Miz was sent to WWE’s developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling, to train under Bill DeMott and Al Snow. More than a decade ago, DeMott lost his job in WWE after a wide range of accusations against him surfaced, including bullying, the use of slurs, and creating an unsafe training environment. Looking back, The Miz acknowledged that his training was harsh, but he believes it prepared him for the industry.

“I know some people have gotten flak, some trainers – like Bill – have gotten flak; I’m happy that I was trained by Bill,” Miz said on “Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway.” “I’m happy that I was trained by Al Snow, because [Snow and DeMott] taught me what I needed to know to get to here, to this level.”

Calaway (AKA The Undertaker) shared his belief that the training style of DeMott and Snow wasn’t specific to them, but rather reflective of entire generations of wrestling’s past. “Whether right or wrong, they’re trying to weed out the weak; because you can’t come up here and be weak,” Calaway said.

The Undertaker added that the process has since changed, but he’s still proud of the way he and his generation were trained because it prepared them for the harsh road they’d have to take in the industry. “Does it need to be the extreme that I went through or [The Miz] went through? No; absolutely not, but there is – there’s that sense of true struggle,” the “Deadman” concluded.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Six Feet Under with The Undertaker” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.