How Dominik Mysterio Became One of WWE's Biggest Homegrown Stars

Sportskeeda Wrestling

Backstage Pass is your one-stop subscription to everything pro wrestling. Breaking news from the most reliable insiders, interviews with legends, live Q&As with industry veterans, we have it all. SUBSCRIBE NOW - https://bit.ly/3zbHEH8  From his early days alongside his legendary father, Rey Mysterio, to becoming one of WWE’s most talked-about stars, Dominik Mysterio has had an incredible journey. In this video, we explore how Dominik rose through the ranks, carving his own path and stepping out of his father's shadow. Find out how his natural talent, storylines, and key rivalries have helped him become one of WWE's biggest homegrown stars today!  You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe  #dominikmysterio #livmorgan #rhearipley #reymysterio #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling

Transcript

00:00At Summerslam 2005, Rey Mysterio faced Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match for the custody

00:06of Dominik Mysterio.

00:08Yes, that was an actual match that happened in WWE.

00:11Dominik played a huge role in the feud between Rey and Eddie and appeared on TV quite a few

00:16times.

00:1715 years later, at Summerslam 2020, he made his in-ring debut against Seth Rollins.

00:23Although he lost the match, he managed to impress many with his performance.

00:27Just two years later, in 2022, Dominik shocked the WWE Universe by betraying his father Rey

00:33Mysterio, instantly becoming one of the most despised heels in the company.

00:38Since then, he has consistently delivered not only in-ring but also with his evolving

00:42character.

00:43Now, Dominik finds himself in a prominent role regarded as the future of WWE.

00:49This rise happened because of his ability to embrace his villainous persona and capitalize

00:53on his natural connection with the audience, all while carving his own path away from his

00:57father's legendary shadow.

00:59So let's talk about Dirty Dom.

01:02How did he become one of WWE's biggest homegrown stars?

01:06You think you know all the wrestling stories?

01:08There's more you haven't heard yet!

01:11Join us on Backstage Pass!

01:14As we all know, Dominik is the son of the legendary luchador Rey Mysterio and he has

01:18been in the public eye since his childhood.

01:21He often appeared on TV with his father Rey and was a part of the storyline where Eddie

01:24Guerrero claimed to be his real father.

01:27Different times, different stories.

01:29It's safe to say a plot like that wouldn't make it in WWE today.

01:33This led to a ladder match between Rey and Eddie for Dominik's custody, which Rey won.

01:38We can criticize the storyline all we want, but this gave Dominik exposure early on and

01:43tied him to a wrestling legacy that built intrigue around his future.

01:46He appeared a few more times after this, but wasn't part of any story.

01:50In 2018, he began training with his father and Jay Lethal to become a professional wrestler

01:55and started making regular appearances in WWE in 2019.

01:59He was heavily involved in storylines alongside his father.

02:02In late 2019, he received a beatdown from Brock Lesnar in front of Rey.

02:07At this time, Dom had a clean cut look.

02:10He wore simple, casual clothing and wasn't part of the roster.

02:13So people felt sympathy when Lesnar put his hands on him.

02:16Rey faced Lesnar at Survivor Series and although Rey did not win the match, Dom interfered

02:21and delivered a 619 to Brock.

02:23This was the first time that fans saw him in ring in action.

02:27He seemed to be following in his father's footsteps as a babyface, but fans were skeptical

02:31about his future in WWE as he hasn't shown any range as a character or even had a match

02:36yet.

02:37But that all changed at Summerslam 2020 when Dominik faced Seth Rollins for his first match

02:41in WWE.

02:43Up until this time, Dom was established as a WWE character who used to hang out with

02:47his father Rey Mysterio.

02:49He failed to win his match against Seth, but teamed up with his father to defeat Seth and

02:53Buddy Murphy at Payback.

02:55He was decent in the ring, nothing special, but there was potential that everyone saw

02:59in him.

03:00He entered the 2021 Royal Rumble and eliminated Baron Corbin before being eliminated by Bobby

03:05Lashley.

03:06He then formed a tag team with his father Rey and at Wrestlemania Backlash, went on

03:10to capture the Smackdown tag team titles.

03:13It was a monumental moment in WWE history.

03:16Not only was it Dominik's first championship in WWE, it marked them as the first father

03:20son duo to win tag team gold in WWE history.

03:24Following this, the Mysterios briefly feuded with the Bloodline and lost the tag titles

03:28to the Usos.

03:30They were sent back to Raw after this and Dom began losing his matches.

03:34This was the time where fans started to lose interest in Dominik Mysterio.

03:38While the father son dynamic was exciting, Dominik's character felt one dimensional

03:42and he was still heavily reliant on his father's legacy.

03:45He had not yet developed his own identity or personality that could stand out in WWE.

03:50Compared to other rising stars, he didn't deliver consistent memorable performances.

03:55The constant focus on the Mysterio family dynamic without significant changes or new

03:59story arcs made his appearances feel repetitive, causing fans to grow indifferent to his character.

04:05Something needed to change.

04:07He continued teaming up with Rey and faced The Miz in a debuting Logan Paul at Wrestlemania

04:1138 in a losing effort.

04:13In the summer of 2022, the newly formed Judgment Day, who had just kicked their leader Edge

04:18out of the group, began targeting the Mysterios.

04:22At Summerslam, the Mysterios defeated Finn Balor and Damian Priest following interference

04:26from the returning Edge.

04:28This is when a new chapter in the Dominik Mysterio story started.

04:32Rhea Ripley started attacking him backstage and in the ring.

04:35The more Rhea attacked him, the more fans gained interest.

04:39One particularly viral moment saw Rhea choke him against the ring post.

04:44Ripley's incidents helped shift the audience's attention to his dynamic with Rhea, which

04:47ultimately paved the way for his character transformation.

04:50At Clash at the Castle, Rey and Edge teamed up to defeat the Judgment Day, but what happened

04:55next changed everything for Dominik.

04:58After the match, he entered the ring seemingly to celebrate with his father, but shocked

05:02everyone by delivering a low blow to Edge.

05:05Then he clotheslined Rey and walked out, marking his first heel turn in his career.

05:09Meanwhile, the Judgment Day looked on, laughing at the chaos he had just caused.

05:14His presentation was completely different the next time he appeared.

05:17He was in all black and Rhea Ripley was the one to control him.

05:21She influenced him by helping him embrace a more aggressive persona and providing guidance

05:25as he navigated the complexities of being a heel.

05:28Her previous attacks on Dom and aggressive tactics elevated his character and also established

05:32her dominance in their relationship.

05:34Dominik adopted a gimmick reminiscent to Eddie Guerrero's Latino Heat during his partnership

05:38with Rhea Ripley and referred to her as Mommy.

05:41The following months, Dominik feuded with his father, who refused to wrestle him.

05:45Dom claimed that Rey wasn't a good father and wanted to fight him.

05:49To get away from his son, Rey left Raw and went to SmackDown.

05:52However, Dom had other ways to torment his father.

05:56He attacked Rey on Thanksgiving with the help of Rhea Ripley in his home.

06:00He then again invaded the Mysterio house, but this time was arrested.

06:03Yeah, remember prison, Dom?

06:06It was because of this.

06:07He started pretending to be a dangerous former convict who had served time in prison with

06:11the world's most dangerous people while lacking actual street credibility.

06:15It was hilarious.

06:16Suddenly, he was one of the most hated men in wrestling.

06:20This all happened just a few months after he turned heel.

06:23The feud with his father continued at Royal Rumble 2023 where Dominik entered wearing

06:27his father's mask after seemingly ambushing him.

06:30After that, Rhea Ripley won the Women's Royal Rumble match and chose to challenge

06:34for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

06:36The Judgment Day began making appearances on SmackDown, leading Dominik to once again

06:41torment Rey.

06:42He challenged his father for a match at WrestleMania 39, but Rey refused.

06:47The situation escalated on the March 24th episode of SmackDown when Rey attacked Dominik

06:51after he disrespected his mother and sister, ultimately accepting Dominik's challenge.

06:56On Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 on April 1st, Dominik got what he deserved as Rey went on

07:01to beat him after interference from the newly formed Latino World Order and Bad Bunny.

07:06Although he wasn't winning all of his matches, he was in a prominent role as he appeared

07:10with the new Women's World Champion, Rhea Ripley.

07:13He didn't win matches on the main roster, but around this time, he went to NXT and won

07:17the NXT North American Championship and held it for quite some time, even appearing on

07:22Raw with the title.

07:23It was necessary to give him a singles title to establish him as a credible threat in the

07:27division and allow him to showcase his growth as a performer.

07:30Additionally, he continued to assist the other members of the Judgment Day in securing victories.

07:35He played a crucial role in helping Finn and Damian capture the Unified Tag Team Championships

07:40as well as helping Rhea retain her title.

07:42He became the X-Factor within the Judgment Day, which also welcomed JD McDonough in late

07:472023.

07:48At Survivor Series WarGames, Dominik participated in his first WarGames match alongside The

07:53Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre against Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn and

08:00the returning Randy Orton in a losing effort.

08:03But he didn't lose momentum, in fact, every time he came on screen, the boos were so loud

08:08that he couldn't talk.

08:10This was the same guy who wasn't getting any reactions when he was with Rey Mysterio.

08:14He wasn't done with his father and teamed up with Santos Escobar to face Rey and his

08:18partner Andrade in a losing effort.

08:20For some reason, Dom wasn't able to beat his father, but that would change in the coming

08:25months.

08:26We'll get to that later.

08:27In the meantime, Rhea Ripley got injured after Liv Morgan attacked her backstage, which led

08:32to Mami relinquishing her Women's World Championship.

08:35This is when Liv started pursuing Dom, who was reluctant on her advancements.

08:39However, he accidentally helped her win the Women's World Championship.

08:43Liv even kissed him on live TV, but it was clear that Dominik wasn't fully on board

08:47with it.

08:48The chase continued for the next few weeks, and Dom finally agreed to team up with Liv

08:52to face his father Rey and Zelina Vega, and for the first time in his career, he pinned

08:56Rey Mysterio, beating him in the ring.

08:58This happened because of the help of Liv Morgan.

09:01After Dominik beat Rey, Dominik was about to kiss Liv Morgan, but Rhea Ripley made a

09:05surprise return, putting an end to the moment.

09:09Dominik quickly acted innocent and tried to downplay the situation.

09:12At this point, Dominik had been with Rhea for a year and a half, and while some might

09:16argue that their partnership could have continued a bit longer, the timing felt perfect for

09:20a change.

09:21With Rhea getting full fan support and now coming back from injury, she was the ultimate

09:26babyface.

09:27Liv had heat for taking her out, so why not align her with Dom, who was the most hated

09:31man in WWE?

09:32That's exactly what happened.

09:35At Summerslam 2024, Dominik assisted Liv Morgan in defeating his mommy, Rhea Ripley, to help

09:40her retain the Women's World Championship.

09:43This time after the match, he fully embraced Liv by kissing her in front of everybody,

09:47solidifying their alliance.

09:49Right now, he is one of the most important figures in WWE, and has been featured regularly

09:54on TV.

09:56Ever since he turned heel in 2022, Dominik found his true strength as a wrestler.

10:00He has always shown up and delivered.

10:02Whenever WWE needed him to put someone over, he would do it.

10:06Whenever they relied on him to generate a strong crowd reaction, he delivered it.

10:10He is just 27 years old.

10:12He has a solid 15 years of wrestling ahead of him.

10:15Given how he is currently being booked in WWE, and how he draws crowd reactions, it

10:20won't be long before he captures a championship.

10:22Currently, his job is to generate heat and play a supporting but very important role

10:26in the Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley saga and be the heat magnet that he is.

10:31The moment WWE decides to push him as a credible wrestler, he will quickly establish himself

10:36as a force to be reckoned with.

10:38He has already proved himself as a great performer.

10:40All WWE needs to do is wait for the right moment to capitalize on his potential.

10:45He has not competed in any wrestling promotions outside of WWE, making him a genuine, homegrown

10:50WWE superstar with the potential to become a top tier champion and a cornerstone of the

10:54company for years to come.

10:56What do you think about Dominik Mysterio?

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