Martial Artist, Former WWE Wrestler & Actor Ernest “The Cat” Miller
Former WCW & WWE star, Martial Artist and Actor Ernest “The Cat” Miller is beyond a wrestler, he is first and foremost a true martial artist.
He has secured a recurring role on the new MacGyver TV series, has other film projects in motion and is launching his professional point fight league. Also on the show is actor and martial artist Vincent Cecere, he has a number of projects in the works that can’t be mentioned yet but they are sure to be awesome films. He does a lot of giving back that we hope to touch on next week.
Miller made his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) debut when he saved Glacier from a two-on-one attack by Wrath and Mortis at the 1997 Slamboree pay-per-view. Initially thought as just a fan who had jumped the railing, the WCW commentators then realized that this was no ordinary man and he was in fact the three-time karate champion Ernest Miller. Glacier and Ernest Miller quickly became tag team partners in their feud with Mortis and Wrath. After Glacier turned on Miller, Ernest left him and became a villain with Sonny Onoo as his manager. It was during this time that Miller’s popularity heightened.
As a villain, Miller adopted an arrogant, Muhammad Ali-like trash-talking personality, calling himself “The Greatest” and gloating that he could beat anybody within two minutes, which he often did using his signature kicks. It was also around this time that Ernest began wearing ruby slippers in the ring and dancing in a James Brown-esque fashion to celebrate his victories. He would claim on Nitro that he knew the actual James Brown, leading to a pay-per-view “dance-off” between Miller and Brown, who had been brought in specially. Miller even went as far promoting his own instructional, karate home video with a pseudo infomercial. This served as a comedic parody to Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo exercise videos which were quite popular at the time. Miller and Onoo also did comedy duo routines similar to Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan’s characters from the film Rush Hour.
Miller then began a minor feud with Kaz Hayashi, as Onoo has been previously Hayashi’s manager and had left him to manage Miller. Ernest won several matches over Hayashi with Onoo’s help, and also enlisted Perry Saturn as his ally. However, Saturn suffered many losses against inferior opponents due to Miller’s botched interference, so the two faced off at Starrcade, where Saturn won. Miller continued coming out and challenging the fans, the wrestlers, and anyone else to try and take him out, feuding with Scott Norton. For a time, he started coming out with the snow machine and music of Glacier, which Onoo had “purchased”, but it was short-lived, and he soon returned to his James Brown music. In March 1999, Miller and Onoo attacked fellow martial artist Jerry Flynn, with Ernest cutting off Flynn’s ponytail as a sign of disrespect. They all faced off in Uncensored in a handicap match, but Flyinn defeated them both. Miller bounced back after some time, getting a win over Scott Norton after hitting him with a crowbar. He and Norton were scheduled to wrestle in The Great American Bash, but Norton was pulled out for health problems and replaced with Horace Hogan, who Miller defeated after kicking him with a steel-tipped red dancing shoe.
In June 1999, Miller had a dancing contest with Disco Inferno, who he attacked in jealously over the fans’s attention. They fought in Bash at the Beach in a “dance match” with the stipulation that the loser could not dance anymore (though this stipulation was removed at Bash at the Beach), with Miller winning thanks to Onoo. The Cat’s next opponent would be Buff Bagwell, who became famous by doing an impersonation of Miller with a bald cap and black face paint. The two met at Road Wild, but this time Onoo’s help backfired when he accidentally hit the wrong man with a briefcase, making Miller lose the match. After that, the two broke up and Onoo left WCW.
