How Dirty Dom Became WWE's Biggest Player

Sportskeeda Wrestling

Check out Sportskeeda's brand new game, BrainBuster! Can you become the undisputed quiz champion? Play now to find out - https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/brainbuster-wwe-player-guessing-game  We won't be wrong to say that Dominik Mysterio is WWE's biggest player. Right? Watch this video as we delve into this topic.  Also, make sure to like the video and subscribe to Sportskeeda Wrestling for more wrestling content.  #dominikmysterio #livmorgan #rhearipley #judgementday #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling

Transcript

00:00Just four years ago, Dominik Mysterio was fresh on the scene of WWE.

00:04He was a clean-cut, goody-goody good guy trying to follow his father's legacy.

00:10His father, the most legendary luchador of all time,

00:13the most popular mass wrestler in the last 20 years with WWE, Rey Mysterio.

00:19But considering how great his father's legacy was,

00:22there was always going to be additional pressure on him.

00:25Oh, the challenge of being the son of a great wrestler

00:28when you want to be your own star.

00:30This isn't something new.

00:31We've seen second, third, even fourth generation wrestling superstars

00:35face similar circumstantial pressure.

00:38But the difference between Dominik and let's say a Randy Orton

00:41was the fact that Dominik was in the spotlight

00:44before he very much had time to even develop.

00:46That's right, Dominik Mysterio played a supporting role

00:49on WWE television when he was just a child in the mid-2000s.

00:53Randy Orton, on the other hand, had a couple of years to develop

00:56away from the spotlight before the age of social media

00:59and the pressures that come with it.

01:01Yeah, the constant analysis of the first few years of Randy Orton's career

01:06are not the same that Dominik faces now in a near 24-7 social media news cycle.

01:12In hindsight, things play out the way they're supposed to,

01:15but it's also clear that Dominik has got a lot of unnecessary pressure and criticism.

01:20At just 23 years old, it's almost like people expected Dominik

01:23to be a carbon copy of his father, you know?

01:26Fickle fans who simply can't look at someone below the surface.

01:29Thankfully, it was realized in the scenes that have played out

01:32that he was never going to be Rey Mysterio.

01:34He was bound to be his own man.

01:37Yes, maybe wear his own mask at one point.

01:40That's a different video.

01:41The last two years have proven just how good he really is.

01:45He's one of WWE's biggest storyline players

01:49and the center of one of the hottest wrestling storylines of 2024.

01:52So how did Dominik Mysterio go from being undesirable to some,

01:58but so despised by so many, and in a way desirable?

02:02He is WWE's biggest utility player.

02:05This is Sportskea Wrestling.

02:07I'm Kevin Kellum.

02:08Sound off on Dominik Mysterio and what you think of his current wrestling status.

02:13Stand back.

02:14There's a new wrestling quiz coming through.

02:17Check out Brain Buster, the daily quiz that tests your WWE knowledge

02:22with winning strengths, stats, and more.

02:24It's time to see if you're up for the challenge.

02:28The mommy of WWE, Rhea Ripley, may have done a whole lot for Dominik Mysterio.

02:34Yes, she's done a massive favor for his career.

02:37In the months leading up to him joining the purple and black bad guy group,

02:40The Judgment Day, a clip went viral of her locking her legs around his neck.

02:46And you simpy, simpy, simpy people on the internet lost your minds over it

02:50because you all shared it.

02:51Which was really the kind of precursor to what has become their on-screen relationship.

02:56Yes, it was really a week before that happened in late July when WWE began building up to it.

03:02First, it involved Rhea Ripley hijacking Rey Mysterio's 20th anniversary celebrations backstage.

03:07She elbowed Aaliyah Mysterio, Rey Mysterio's daughter in the face,

03:11and dragged Dominik by the hair and used it so Damien Priest of The Judgment Day

03:15could ambush Rey Mysterio.

03:17The next week, the triangle choke that was seen around the world happened.

03:22The week after that, Rhea dragged Dominik's lifeless body to the stage to distract Rey Mysterio

03:28and help Finn Balor beat him.

03:30It was right before Clash at the Castle on Raw that we got an example of just how much

03:34power Rhea had over him.

03:36Dominik had a kendo stick in his hand, and the only person left in the ring was Rhea Ripley.

03:42Dominik didn't want to use the weapon on her,

03:45but his body language indicated that he would do it if he was left with no choice.

03:50Rhea, with that devilish million-dollar smile on her face,

03:55the entire time stood her ground and managed to get Dominik to simply hand over the kendo stick,

04:02which was a clear sign of the alluring power dynamic that was playing out here.

04:07Just days later, Dominik would turn on Edge and his father

04:12and officially join the Judgment Day at the Clash at the Castle event.

04:15The audible gasp, even though everyone saw it coming,

04:19was still a stunning moment, probably one of the best heel turns that WWE's had in years.

04:25That's when the wheels began to turn, not only for his relationship with Rhea,

04:30but his entire character.

04:32On the Raw after Clash at the Castle, he had a completely new look with slicked-back hair,

04:37and he got booed out of the building because, you know, of the things he did.

04:40Suddenly, Rhea was getting more hands-on with Dominik, like literally.

04:44She was literally the one who kept pushing him into situations to prove his commitment.

04:48And more than Damian or Finn Balor,

04:50it was Rhea who was helping him put on his big-boy pants and be a real bad boy in WWE.

04:57In the early stages of Dominik Mysterio and Judgment Day cutting promos,

05:00you can see Rhea Ripley eyeballing Dominik, and it was not a look of romantic affection.

05:06It was something that we'll just leave there.

05:08You can look back at it yourself.

05:10She even put on the I'm Your Poppy shirt to irk Rey Mysterio.

05:14This was changed quickly to I'm Your Mommy.

05:17Of course, a reference to the infamous storyline between Rey Mysterio

05:20and Eddie Guerrero, who claimed to be Dominik's real father, in the mid-2000s.

05:252005, SummerSlam, look it up.

05:27They fought for the custody of Dominik in a ladder match.

05:31Yeah, that was Rheal.

05:32Little did young Dominik know at the time that he would be the center of a completely

05:36different situation when he grew up.

05:38Rheal was quickly becoming a big influence in his life.

05:41It was easy to see the sub-Dom kind of relationship that was being played out here on television.

05:46They were together all the time on screen, and she was instrumental in her endless attacks

05:52with Dominik on Rey Mysterio.

05:54She helped him pin the WWE legend AJ Styles on Monday Night Raw.

05:59Then the harassment reached a new level.

06:02They first hijacked the Mysterios' family Thanksgiving dinner.

06:06Dominik, for his part, began sacrificing himself for Rhea Ripley once again, even getting,

06:12ah, yeah, misted in the face by Asuka for the sake of Mommy.

06:16The audience loved Rhea, but they absolutely hated Dominik, which probably was one of the

06:23reasons why it made for such good television.

06:26It only took a couple of months for things to take off in a big way, and by the end of

06:31the year, we got Prison Dom cutting a promo about how jail changed him, even though he

06:37was only in county prison for like 30 minutes because he interrupted another Mysterio family

06:43holiday occasion.

06:44Yeah, he was like Prison Mike from that episode of The Office.

06:47We just don't buy it, bud.

06:48We saw clips of Rhea training Dominik, then their first Valentine's Day dinner, where

06:54Mommy had to tell the waiter to go cool on the ketchup because little Dom Dom doesn't

06:58like spice.

06:59Okay, ketchup's too spicy for you?

07:02Oh, and on top of that, his card was declined and she had to pay.

07:06Ah, we get where this is going.

07:07Yeah, Rhea being the man of the relationship and having to pay the bill was just another

07:12layer of adding depth to her character that no other female player in WWE got to have

07:17at that moment.

07:18Rhea Ripley found more success than any woman in pro wrestling in 2023, and guess who turned

07:24out to be the direct beneficiary of that?

07:26Dirty Dominik, yes.

07:28He went on a small winning streak after WrestleMania 39 when he got his backside whipped by his

07:33father, Rey Mysterio, thanks to Rhea Ripley helping him stack up those wins.

07:39But more than anything, it helped further grow into his character.

07:42That character just so happened to be the biggest coward in WWE.

07:47She helped Dominik become the NXT North American Champion as well, where his presence on the

07:52show gave a small but moderate and healthy boost to the ratings of that third-tier brand

07:57for WWE.

07:59It seemed like almost everything was great between them until post-WrestleMania season

08:03this year, when out of nowhere, but not really out of nowhere, one Liv Morgan would come

08:08around and ruin it all.

08:10Liv and Rhea had quite some history, with Rhea injuring Liv and putting her on the shelf,

08:14and Liv claiming revenge on Rhea at some point.

08:18And revenge was about to creep up on everyone involved.

08:21Not only was it the spelling of the end of the day of the seemingly modern-day fairy

08:27tale dark-dripped leather-clad romance, but it would be the end of the Judgment Day as

08:32we know it.

08:33At first, Dominik was seen as being just a pawn in the mind games here.

08:38Liv Morgan's intentions were clear.

08:39She wanted to take everything from Rhea Ripley that she loved.

08:43Thus the name of Liv Morgan's Revenge Tour.

08:47Liv had every incentive to get back at Rhea, but the good old-fashioned backstage attack

08:52putting her on the shelf with an injury wasn't going to be enough.

08:56This is where a new level of brilliance for this entire story began to unfold.

09:00The old saying of how mental scars are worse than physical ones.

09:05Liv Morgan knew that even after attacking Rhea Ripley fresh off her big win at Wrestlemania

09:1140 over Becky Lynch and forcing her to vacate the Women's World Championship,

09:15the knife needed to be dug even deeper.

09:18The first part of the plan, though, for Liv Morgan was to capture that Women's World

09:22Championship that Rhea never lost and was forced to vacate due to the injury.

09:26After one failed attempt in a battle royal match on Raw, she managed to do exactly that

09:31in Saudi Arabia.

09:32And looking back at it, Dominik's interference was kind of a sus.

09:36Yeah, very suspect.

09:38He first told Liv Morgan before the match that he flew all the way to Saudi Arabia on

09:42behalf of Rhea Ripley, and his goal was to make sure Liv Morgan wouldn't be the Women's

09:48World Champion in that match with Becky Lynch.

09:50But that plan backfired.

09:51And even when you watch the footage, it looks kind of well orchestrated.

09:55Dominik slid the chair over to Becky Lynch, knowing well that she wasn't the type of

10:00champion at the time who would use it to get a cheap win.

10:03He proceeded to distract the referees so that while Becky was still processing what was

10:07happening, Liv used the opportunity to take advantage of the chair and become a champion

10:13again, taking the title off of Becky Lynch in a very controversial fashion.

10:18The next time on Raw, it was a little more accidental, but Dominik helped Liv anyway,

10:23leading to a moment where she first kissed him in the shadow of a steel cage in a very

10:29upset Becky Lynch.

10:30Liv Morgan had truly laid down the trap for Dominik, and the second part of the plan was

10:35now underway.

10:36Take Dominik away from Rhea.

10:39Despite months of persistence from Damien Priest to make his feelings clear to Liv Morgan,

10:44Dom never did it until he was forced to.

10:47The consequences of his actions were quickly catching up with him once Rhea Ripley returned

10:52on Monday Night Raw.

10:53Yeah, breaking up a very weird embrace between Liv Morgan and Dominik, but it didn't help

10:58him very long to get back into her good graces of mummy when she was told something that

11:04basically defined their relationship.

11:06She said, I'm not yours, you're mine.

11:11It all came to a head.

11:12Summerslam 2024, not too long ago, in Cleveland, Ohio, Rhea Ripley strutting to the ring, purple

11:20and black, her first big match after a serious shoulder injury, of course, inflicted on her

11:25by Liv Morgan.

11:25Liv Morgan dancing around the ring, oh, trying to avoid it, Rhea Ripley technically shoving

11:31her shoulder back into the socket, oh, all of it playing out, and teasing of a questionable

11:37interaction from Dominik at ringside, only for him to once again sneak that chair into

11:42the ring, but this time, Liv Morgan would use it once again to take out Rhea and retain

11:47the title.

11:48But in the post-match scene, it was so much more of the revenge being for Liv, that's

11:54right, Dominik would embrace her and leave the ring, giving her a big smooch and breaking

12:00the heart of Rhea Ripley in the process.

12:02She didn't just lose the championship, she lost Dominik in the process.

12:06The entire storyline is the big example of how WWE is pushing the limits of PG-rated

12:11content.

12:12It really wasn't a love triangle based on love, it was a love triangle based on feelings

12:17of hatred, jealousy, and using one person to get back at another.

12:21On one hand, Dominik was with a woman on screen who basically owned him and Rhea, treating

12:27him like a pet on a leash.

12:29On the other hand, someone was offering to be submissive in their relationship.

12:34Despite him denouncing Liv Morgan and leaving her in tears, it was all a ruse, yes.

12:39Whether it was Dominik deciding that he didn't want what he had with Rhea anymore, or whether

12:45he simply felt more affection for Liv Morgan as a better option, one thing is obvious,

12:50Dominik is a freaking sleazebag.

12:53That's right, we know you guys who are Rhea lovers wanted to hear that.

12:57From being presented as a person dragged into the middle of a storyline between two women

13:01who hate each other, he turned out to be the biggest villain out of all of it.

13:05Liv Morgan, while not exactly an angel, no she's more of a devil, had motivations to

13:10just be justified in seeking revenge.

13:12But now she's gotten more than revenge, she's gotten the affections and dedication

13:17of Dominik.

13:18But Dominik nothing justified what he did to Rhea next, she helped him win his first

13:25singles title in WWE, she helped him retain it, helped him step out of his father's

13:31shadow and genuinely helped him become a better superstar.

13:34Yes, the people that wrote this script have some really, really, really, really twisted

13:39views.

13:39He's a better man because he was with her.

13:42Oh wow, when have I heard this before?

13:44Dominik played the long game and betrayed her.

13:47He used her to get ahead and jumped into a favorable situation with someone else, who

13:53was clearly using him.

13:55So don't worry, he's being used here too.

13:57Take two steps further back and you can also see that Rhea kind of abused Dominik along

14:01the way until he joined the Judgment Day and in a weird, twisted way was dealt with some

14:07blunt force karma on herself.

14:09That's the brilliance of WWE's modern, long-term storytelling.

14:14It's not all black and white, the shades of grey are what makes the most of it.

14:18Dominik Mysterio, that innocent, clean-cut babyface from a few years ago, is now WWE's

14:24biggest villain.

14:25He is the most despised person.

14:28The guy can't cut promos without getting booed out of every building in the world,

14:31and there's no doubt he's going to face the consequences of his own actions one way

14:36or another.

14:37The big question now remains, is Dominik going to be the player, or is he eventually going

14:43to be played himself?

14:44Something makes me think that a new Revenge Tour recently started.

14:48It's the type of story that's going to have some major, long-term consequences for

14:53everybody involved, especially little Dirty Dominik.

14:56Until then, he's going to continue to be the most hated man in all of professional

15:00wrestling.

15:00What do you think?

15:01Let us know in the comments below and thank you for watching.

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