Dylan jackson
Dominik Mysterio’s evolution into fake convict and despicable, estranged son is one of WWE’s biggest success stories of 2023. But before that, Dominik’s performance as Rey Mysterio’s courageous son had viewers begging to take him away. it from your screens.
Dominik’s first match in WWE was a street fight against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam in 2020. It was a notable high-profile venue for a debut match. Most professional wrestlers spend their entire careers fighting on small independent stages. Dominik debuted against a multi-time world champion in a “Big Four” pay-per-view for the industry leader. Nine months later, Dominik and Rey won the SmackDown tag team championship. It was too soon for young Dominik as the feelings of fans and critics turned against him.
“There will be a lot of comparisons between you and your father,” Rey and trainer Lance Storm told Dominik at the start of his training, something Rey reiterated to CBS Sports while discussing A&E’s “WWE Legends Biography – Eddie Guerrero,” premiering Sunday . “You let them go in one ear and out the other. You follow your path and follow your goals. You do what you believe is the best thing for you. Follow the advice, at the end of the day, you dissect the advice and figure it out. “
Rey’s aura extends far beyond her five-foot-five height. The WWE Hall of Famer enjoyed success at the highest levels of WWE in an era that still prioritized muscular giants. Rey advised his son to navigate negativity, as Rey did on the way to becoming pro wrestling’s biggest underdog.
“I’ve never paid attention to negativity in my career or in my life,” Rey said. “I’ve always pushed it aside or gotten rid of it. I remember telling Dom a few times, ‘Hey, go ahead and do what you think is right.'”
Dominik was diving in as a third-generation superstar until the Judgment Day faction took him under their wicked wings. Dominik was able to create a distinct new gimmick once he distanced himself from his father. “Dirty” Dom is a bratty, deadbeat son whose comically brief stint in prison turned him into a ridiculously hardened criminal. Dominik flourished under the supervision of teammates Damian Priest, Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley. He was soon drawing the loudest boos of any WWE superstar. This time it was intentional.
“A lot of the advice wasn’t coming from me anymore,” Rey said. “We were separated and he was doing what he wanted. I think it was probably the best thing that could have happened. He didn’t have his father shouting in his ear saying ‘Try this’ or ‘Try that’. He was figuring it out for himself, which is what should be done. When you let your kids loose and they’re taking off, you hope they find growth and figure it out.”
Rey and Dominik’s careers remain closely linked despite the split storyline. The father-son duo fought each other in a singles match at WrestleMania 39 and a tag team match at WrestleMania 40. The elder Mysterio raised his hand both times. Rey has no immediate deadline for retirement, but he has the perfect scenario prepared for his farewell. Rey wants to bet what’s most important to him against the person most important to him.
“The perfect scenario is that Dom is the right person,” Rey said. “And not necessarily to retire, but to put at risk what’s most important to me and that’s my mask. It’s something I would be willing to to do.”
Dominik may be Rey’s son, but sometimes he’s the spitting image of Eddie Guerrero, from his relationships with Ripley and Chyna, respectively, to his questionable mullets. This led to numerous jokes about Rey and Guerrero’s “Custody of Dominik” ladder match at SummerSlam in 2005, after Guerrero claimed to be Dominik’s biological father.
“I have to say this and my wife will kill me,” Mysterio joked. “But I told her several times, ‘Did you cheat on me with Eddie? Because Dom – I don’t know.’ And she said, ‘Yes, and I never told myself!’ I scream, ‘No!’
“I really believe Eddie is having fun with this and, to some extent, Eddie has been by Dominik’s side from the beginning. It’s very special and sentimental to watch my son grow up and to see every now and then a little Eddie -ish in his character and in his development and in the way he behaves. For the most part, there’s a lot of pride when I see him and it reminds me a lot of the moments I lived with Eddie… Sometimes, when I see photos. of them, it’s just scary.”
Rey and Guerrero were dear friends who wrestled each other globally before and during their WWE careers. Guerrero, 38, died of acute heart failure on November 13, 2005. His unexpected death shook everyone, but it hit Rey particularly hard. Rey defeated Shawn Michaels the following night on WWE Raw in a main event dedicated to Guerrero. Rey gave a speech honoring Guerrero to the live audience. Rey discreetly removed his mask afterwards, something he rarely does publicly.
“The mask in lucha libre is very sacred. It’s something we protect and value,” Rey explained. “Especially when it comes to generations of a family. When it’s generational and you carry the name of your father or someone who came before you – in my case Rey Misterio Sr. and Rey Mysterio Jr. – you even practically protect him with your life.
“I remember during that incident I wanted the fans to hear Rey Mysterio, but I also wanted them to, in a way, know who was behind the mask and the feelings I felt. beautiful and incredible, but the connection we had outside the ring was even deeper.”
Check out the full interview with Rey Mysterio below.
Fans interested in hearing Rey and Dominik share more about Guerrero can watch Guerrero’s episode of “Biography: WWE Legends” premiering Sunday on A&E.
