The Miz Gushes Over Rey Mysterio Following Hall Of Fame News

The announcement that Rey Mysterio will be the first inductee into the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame has been universally praised and celebrated by everyone from the WWE Universe to Superstars alike. 

Mysterio will become one of the rare athletes to enter a sport’s Hall of Fame while still actively competing, which is a testament to his unparalleled in-ring acumen and seemingly never-ending fan support. Frankly, there isn’t a current WWE Superstar more deserving of a HOF nod than Rey Mysterio — although that hasn’t stopped his son Dominic from using Rey’s upcoming accolade as fuel to the fire in their bitter family feud:

The two Mysterio men still find themselves without a showdown at WrestleMania. However, fret not, WWE Universe — there are plenty of miles remaining on the Road to WrestleMania, and we’d be shocked if their highly-anticipated one-on-one match won’t be taking place in Los Angeles this year.

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Speaking of WrestleMania, the Miz recently revealed that he would be handling hosting duties at this year’s event and decided to open up his official Instagram account and answer questions from the WWE Universe. In a video posted yesterday, he responded to a fan question regarding Rey’s Hall of Fame announcement — and surprisingly, he had nothing but wonderful things to say about his fellow RAW Superstar.

Before revealing he initially thought the announcement foreshadowed a prompt in-ring retirement for Rey, the Miz shifted gears, confessing that the WWE locker room is united in their praise for the man credited for modernizing the Lucha libre style of professional wrestling.

“If you talk to any Superstar that’s ever been in the ring with Rey Mysterio, they would tell you that he should be in your Mount Rushmore, he should be in your top five because he is just that good,” the Miz said candidly. “There’s no one better.”

As one of the pioneers of the cruiserweight wrestling style that became popular in the '90s, Rey Mysterio spawned many imitators who ultimately fell short in their bid to overshadow him.

“People have tried to emulate, they tried to be like Rey Mysterio, but they couldn’t do that,” Miz said.

Some of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time are respected by their peers — not just for their ability to perform, but for who they are outside the ring. The Miz went out of his way to profess his admiration for Rey for the man he is away from WWE.

“Rey Mysterio the person, the family man? Above and beyond,” he said. “If kids want to meet their hero, that’s one you want to meet because he’s that kind of person. He absolutely deserves to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s no doubt about it.”

The Miz has been known to break the fourth wall now and again, and we have to be honest, the Miz opening up about his feelings about Rey Mysterio feels remarkable from a fan’s perspective. Rey seems to think so, too, as he couldn’t help but leave Miz a tongue-in-cheek comment on Miz’s Instagram post.

“Nothing but love and respect,” Rey wrote. “But you already know how I feel about you in the ring.”

Quite a show of mutual respect from the upcoming WWE Hall of Famer — even if he couldn’t resist giving Miz a good-natured jab about his in-ring abilities.

Don’t worry, WWE Universe: While this unexpected show of heartwarming sentiment is appreciated, we fully expect the Miz to return to his usual smarmy, self-aggrandizing self by the next time he opens his mouth.

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