The Miz Names Santino Marella and R-Truth as WWE’s Funniest Stars, Singles Out Great Khali’s Chokeslam as Most Painful Finisher

The Miz has never been shy about sharing his opinions, and in a recent appearance on Robbie Fox’s My Mom’s Basement podcast, the veteran entertainer opened up about which WWE colleagues made him laugh the hardest — and which finishing move left him hurting the most.

When it came to in-ring laughs, Miz pointed directly at Santino Marella and R-Truth as the two performers most likely to crack him up during a match. On Marella, Miz was effusive: “Santino Marella. I mean, every time I would have a match with him, I would be laughing during the match. Because he would just crack me up. Just some of the things that he would come up with is so funny.”

R-Truth received equally high praise. Miz suggested that Truth is probably the most common answer anyone in the locker room would give to that question, and explained why the veteran has managed to remain so beloved over such a lengthy career. “Truth is unlike any other superstar I’ve ever met in my life,” Miz said, pointing to the groundswell of support that followed Truth’s release last year — when fans and fellow superstars flooded social media and arenas with calls for his return — as evidence of just how deeply he connects with people. Miz also noted their history as tag team partners, having won the titles together as Awesome Truth on multiple occasions.

The conversation shifted to pain when Miz was asked which finishing move has done the most damage to his body over the years. He identified powerbombs as a general category of punishment, and acknowledged that Kevin Owens’ pop-up powerbomb is no picnic. But when it came to naming the single worst move he has absorbed, Miz went in a different direction entirely: the chokeslam, and specifically, Great Khali’s version.

“When I want to take a chokeslam, I’m going as high as I possibly can, and when you come back down, poof, your back feels it,” Miz explained. “Oh, Great Khali’s. Holy cow. Great Khali would have to be number one.”

The full conversation is available on the My Mom’s Basement YouTube channel. It’s a candid, entertaining look back from one of WWE’s most durable performers — a man who has shared the ring with just about everyone, and clearly has the aching back to prove it.