Following an epic match against his father at WrestleMania 39, WWE Superstar Dominik Mysterio is ready to look towards the future.
Undoubtedly one of the hottest heels in professional wrestling, he looked at home in front of 80,000 fans in Los Angeles earlier this month and, if it wasn’t for interference from Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, he could have walked away with the win against Rey Mysterio.
To a 26-year-old, a match at WrestleMania could seem a daunting prospect. But not for Dominik, who has this business running through his blood.
“It was a super crazy experience, being able to be a part of WrestleMania against my dad and him getting inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before,” Mysterio told TheIndependent.
“It was all just a surreal moment, how everything built up and the way it was leading up to the match. It was super fun and a blessing to be a part of it.”
While many fans feel Dominik’s current run is his best work in WWE to date, the man himself is staying grounded and admitted that he has been critiquing every detail of his performance at WrestleMania.
“I feel like I’m my own worst enemy. I critique my matches as strictly as I possibly can, even up to the littlest movements,” he said. “But for me, I’m very happy with the match and how it turned out. There is so much that went into it, especially with the whole outfit having hints of ‘97 Halloween Havoc and having Eddie [Guerrero’s] design on the sides.
“It was just all about symbolising the history and the culture of wrestling and what we’ve done and how much blood, sweat and tears those two generational families have put into it.”
Mysterio will no doubt have many more WrestleMania matches to look forward to. But right now, there’s the small matter of the upcoming WWE Draft, which looks set to shake up both Raw and SmackDown.
The 26-year-old will be happy to land on either brand but made it clear he wants to move forward with his stablemates Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest and Finn Balor.
“I just want to go wherever The Judgment Day goes,” Mysterio admitted, referencing the trio’s collective name. “I want to make sure that we don’t get separated, because we’re genuinely not sure about what’s going on. We’re getting drafted for real. I hope I get stuck with the Smackdown Women’s Champion. But who knows? We’ll see what happens.”
As it stands, Ripley is the only member of the dominant group with gold around her waist. But with the draft coming up, Mysterio expects that to change very soon – and has set his sights on two WWE Superstars he wants to challenge.
“I think that Judgment Day needs some gold, so I would definitely like to get my hands on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn,” he explained, teasing a match with the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.
“You know, see what we can do there. Whether it’s Finn and Priest, or me and Priest, or me and Finn, however they want to work it. I think even me and Rhea can get a shot at the titles,” Dominik continued, calling for a rare mixed-gender tag team match.
While we will have to wait and see if Mysterio can talk his plans into reality, it’s clear that he has his sights set on a Hall of Fame-worthy career – much like that of his father.
And as he continues to grow and improve as a WWE Superstar, forging his own path in an industry surrounded by close friends and family, Dominik still carries the memory of the late Guerrero every single time he steps in the ring.
“He’s always on my mind. I’m always thinking Eddie Guerrero, whether it’s just constantly watching his matches, or someone bringing him up to me. He’s literally always the topic of conversation and even when I’m in the ring, man, sometimes I feel him in there with me.
“I just know he’s watching over me, so it’s really cool to always have him be a part of it.”
::WWE Money in the Bank will air live from London’s O2 Arena on 1 July 2023, the first Premium Live Event to be held in London in over two decades. Friday night SmackDown will also air live from London on 30 June, the first time ever that SmackDown will broadcast live from the UK.
