The bustling crossroads of sports and pop culture have just witnessed a delightful new intersection, as none other than WWE’s Mike “The Miz” Mizanin finds his way into a realm he might have never anticipated: Major League Baseball card collections. The multi-talented performer, known as much for his reality TV escapades as his wrestling ferocity, has been immortalized in cardboard form through the 2025 Topps Series 2 baseball card set. But what makes this inclusion sing is its honoring of The Miz’s ceremonial first pitch at Progressive Field earlier in the year—a tip of the hat to his Cleveland roots and sporting spirit.
Treading new ground is nothing foreign to The Miz, considering his storied journey from MTV personality to a cornerstone of WWE’s marquee events. Yet, his foray into the baseball card arena comes with an unexpected flair that matches his own signature style. Usually, trading cards are a domain where one might not expect wrestlers to gain footholds, except through their own sports’ memorabilia. However, The Miz’s appearance is part of Topps’ increasingly beloved tradition of spotlighting celebrities and athletes who’ve taken on the honor of a first pitch at MLB games.
This tradition adds a sense of charm and accessibility to baseball card collections—bringing in stars from different walks of life to unite under a singularly American pastime. New releases have similarly featured hip-hop titan Travis Scott, budding NBA phenomenon Victor Wembanyama, and the chart-topping musician Bad Bunny—each coming with their own ceremonial pitch and nod from Topps in Short Print (SP) card form. These cards are among those scarce treasures that collectors feverishly seek, their rarity only inflaming the passion to hunt them down.
For The Miz, whose area codes hail from Parma, Ohio, being cast in such a light is not just an accolade but a heartfelt salute to his beginnings. His palpable Cleveland pride is no mere footnote; it’s a headline. His first pitch during a Guardians game represents a full-circle moment for the man who grew up just a stone’s throw from Progressive Field. Clad in that indomitable sense of hometown loyalty, The Miz stood tall on the mound, epitomizing what it means to give back to the place you call home.
Perpetually defined by an exuberant personality that transcends into all his ventures, The Miz’s latest achievement is yet another feather in an already flamboyantly adorned cap. From his bombastic persona on The Real World to the grandiose battles on the WWE pay-per-view scene, and now, surprisingly, to a first-pitch baseball card, The Miz defies pigeonholing at every turn.
The card itself, featuring an image of The Miz mid-pitch, has stirred excitement in dual fandoms of wrestling and baseball. The deluge of reactions online encapsulates the hybrid appeal he commands, musing over how fiction and reality blend seamlessly in such a fascinating snippet of sports culture. Overwhelmed by this capture of his spirit, The Miz expressed his astonishment and delight on social media—a virtual string of marvelling exclamations that translate simply to: “Wait, this is real?! I need this!”
For a newbie in the baseball card space, the 2025 Topps Series 2 collection offers more than your usual pack of players—the thrill now includes the prospect of discovering a Miz SP card. Already, the demand is sprouting like hot cakes fresh from the oven, making The Miz’s card a spotlight stealer among collectors and fans.
This merrymaking addition to the Topps ensemble magnifies how sports cards are not merely a pastime but a vibrant tapestry through which icons—even those from other arenas—are woven into the sporting culture. It highlights how much sport, at its core, is not just about athletic excellence but about the stories, personalities, and moments that construct its narrative.
For The Miz, this isn’t just about sealing another notch on his belt but about celebrating a personal achievement that ties back to his foundations. It captures a man whose roots, passions, and career have been unpredictably braiding into a life full of entertaining chapters, this time, on a baseball card that nobody saw coming—except, of course, for fate itself.