Well it doesn’t make sense for Zoro to not be the strongest swordsman ever, right? If Luffy is going to surpass the end all be all of Pirate’s, Zoro should surpass the best swordsman there’s ever been. That and Rayleigh never impressed me.
Zoro will not only surpass Mihawk as WSS but might also surpass Rayleigh as the best right hand man ever.
Also there is a reason why Rayleigh was assigned to Luffy while Mihawk to Zoro
Oda wouldn't give Luffy a weaker Master than Zoro
No matter how you look at it... it won't make sense for a Captain to have a weaker Master/Milestone/Opponent/goal than his own underling.
Prime Rayleigh > Mihawk >= Old Rayleigh
At best Mihawk is equal or near to Prime Rayleigh, not superior