The Miz’s latest WWE championship run is rumored to be a short one, but the newly crowned is confident he will not be a transitional champion, telling Sports Illustrated. 

“I do not plan on being a transitional champion,” Miz said to Sports Illustrated after winning the belt at WWE Elimination Chamber. “That idea only fuels my fire, and hearing it is nothing new. It makes me think back to when I cashed in the Money in the Bank contract and won the belt in 2010. People thought I would lose, but I didn’t. Instead, I won the WWE championship. When I won, I heard I was only going to be a transitional champion, but I went on to main-event WrestleMania and I won, as a bad guy, in the main event, which never happens. Ten years later, I heard the same thing: I’d never win the title. So this is another opportunity for me to prove people wrong, which is what I plan on doing.”

He added: “Over the last five years, I’ve found a new gear. I remember facing AJ Styles when he came to WWE, and his style was so different than anything I was used to. That’s when I knew I needed to elevate my work. And my wife deserves a lot of credit, too. Working with her, she gave me confidence that brought me to a new level.”

See also: Angry Miz Girl Reaction To The Miz Becoming WWE Champion