With NXT Deadl1ne rapidly approaching, the reigning and defending North American Champion, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, received a surprising endorsement from none other than WWE's “Apex Predator,” Randy Orton.

That's right, stopping by Logan Paul's ImPaulsive podcast, Orton discussed his relationship with the Mysterios, Rey and Dom, and just how proud he is to see the second-generation WWE Superstar shine in his current role as the sparkplug of the Judgment Day.

“His dad and I are tight. Rey is probably the only guy back there that is freindlier than Omos,” Randy Orton told Logan Paul via Fightful. “Rey took care of me back in the day. I wrestled Dom on RAW. It was such a pleasure to be out there with him. Just to be out there knowing, ‘I know your dad is at home watching, I want to make your dad proud.' It was a great feeling. I am so proud of Dom as well. When he first started coming up, Rey brought him around, and it was like, ‘Ohhh, this kid needs another f**king ten years. He needs to go fight in a war or something and come back grizzled.' The tattoos help. He's got it now.”

When Paul noted that he thinks the younger Mysterio's star really exploded due to his feud with his father, Orton agreed, recalling the night he knew young Dom had truly come into his own.

“I remember that night, I texted Rey and Dom that night, he either clotheslined his father or kicked his dad in the nuts. Rey is such a lovable guy, and for him…we all grew up, 20 years ago, fans saw Dominik on television, he was involved in storylines. Everyone saw this cute little kid, and now here he is, he's disrespecting his father, who we adore. Booo.”

With Mysterio set to face off against his surprise rival Dragon Lee for their third singles match in 2023, only time will tell how much longer “Dirty Dom” will be able to call himself the NXT North American Champion. Still, whether he keeps the title into the future or has to prepare for life without the belt once more, it's safe to say an endorsement from Orton is a pretty sweet consolation prize.

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Shawn Michaels believes NXT is the best wrestling show on television.

Speaking of NXT ahead of the final Premium Live Event of the year, Shawn Michaels had this press conference with reports and explained that, in his opinion, Tuesday night hosts the best wrestling show on television right now.

“My feeling is, a lot of it is the movement of the show. Our show moves very fast. I think that's something that resonates with that audience. I'll also say, it's a variety show, it's sports entertainment. We have something for everybody. Certainly, for me, is what I believe is resonating with that audience. It's quick moving, it's going from one scene to another. It's almost like scrolling on your phone, some of the segments we have,” Shawn Michaels said via Fightful.

“We can go from a Chase U segment to a backstage promo into the ring to a shot that happens from the Performance Center to an off-site with the Family at the restaurant. We have a lot of different atmospheric aspects to the NXT show. That's why I do say that we're the best two-hour wrestling television show on TV today because we have so much variety. That's something that being in Orlando at the Performance Center allows us that other people don't have. That's one of the things that resonates. Also, we have younger writers on our show. The old man is still making the final decisions, but at the same time, we're always trying to think of stuff that is natural and what is going on today. Certain emotions are there regardless of age group; anger, jealousy, joy, happiness, being hurt, any emotion you have under the sun doesn't really have an age group. If you can find yourself tapping into all of those emotions, that's what sort of attracts the 18 to 34 audience because I think they are a bit more focused on that aspect of television.”

Is Shawn Michaels on the money? Does NXT truly have the best wrestling show on television, be it one hour, two hours, or even three? Well, while some fans may argue for RAW, for Dynamite, and even for Collision, it's cool to know that HBK believes in his show and is actively trying to produce a little something for everyone. That takes effort, and fans certainly appreciate him for that effort.