During his chat with Peter Rosenberg on Cheap Heat, Shawn Michaels offered his thoughts on several current WWE Superstars (and one returning one).
Michaels had positive things to say about everyone he & Rosenberg discussed. But when asked about the wrestler who currently holds NXT’s North American championship, the man in charge of that brand went one better:
“To me, Dominik Mysterio – MVP of the WWE this year. Every time he comes here, I look at him and I say, ‘Hardest working man in show business.’ He has just been an iron man for us.
“And again, I can’t speak to what he does on the main roster, but he has just done everything we have asked of him. He’s done it professionally. He’s done it admirably. Done it to the best of his ability. Yes, do I think it’s been to his advantage because a lot was put on him early and he, you know, he probably didn’t get the opportunity to develop, you know, behind the scenes as much as other people had and he had to do it out there in front of the world and probably got judged harshly for it — but I’m telling you, I have nothing but admiration for that young man. He has been a stud for us.
“And again, I think from a company standpoint, everybody would agree with me. He got a lot put on him early, and I think he’s grown a lot in this last year. I think he’s become a hell of a performer as well, when everything is said and done. But it’s hard for me not to admire the young man who’s worked so hard for us.”
HBK went on to say that he every time he sees Rey Mysterio he tells his fellow Hall of Famer that he “raised a really wonderful young man”.
Regarding the Most Valuable Player designation, it’s hard to argue with. Plenty of other names come to mind: Roman Reigns is a hugely important piece for WWE, obviously, but can you really say he’s irreplaceable when they manage to replace him for months at a time on SmackDown? LA Knight, Sami Zayn & Jey Uso have had great years, but they haven’t been as consistent a presence as Dirty Dom. Cody Rhodes is always around, but he hasn’t worked across all three brands the way Mysterio has.
Mysterio’s closest competitor for MVP is probably his Mamí, Rhea Ripley. In addition to holding down the WWE Women’s World title, Ripley is also the de facto leader of their faction, The Judgment Day, and often accompanies Dom on his many appearances. So let’s get her take on this, shall we?
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