Dominik Mysterio is no stranger to big crowds and bright lights, but Tudum finds him alone in a dark room on a Wednesday afternoon at WWE’s Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
Video game controller in hand, the only source of illumination comes from his computer screen displaying high-octane action — the first-person view of a firearm-wielding soldier blitzing through a vacated town, taking refuge behind abandoned vehicles and firing at opponents while dodging their crosshairs. The game is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. “The Usos [Jimmy and Jey] are the ones that put me on it. Usually in the locker room they’ll have their setup and we’ll play Tekken. I was like, ‘You guys got to help me get the setup figured out,’ because I’m not good with computers at all.”
Though Dominik offers to stop playing his game for the conversation, Tudum declines, and he seamlessly multitasks between chatting and wiping out online opponents. “I’ve been around [wrestling] since I was 3, 4 years old,” he recalls when asked about the moment he knew he wanted to be a WWE superstar. “There’s pictures of me in full-on ringmaster outfits before I could even walk. When I was 8, I fully got into the whole Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio storyline.” The plot in reference played out in 2005 and involved WWE Hall of Famer, Eddie Guerrero, and Dominik’s real-life father, pro wrestling legend Rey Mysterio, becoming bitter enemies in a feud centered around young Dominik, with Guerrero claiming to be the boy’s biological father. There was even — brace yourself — a ladder match to decide custody of Dominik.
“To me, that really opened my eyes to what this business is, and I just fell in love with it,” he says. “The crowd reactions, being in the ring, and the way it made me feel as a kid. I knew it was something I wanted to explore. When I got the opportunity as an adult, there was no turning back.”
His early in-ring career portrayed him as the ultimate face — a “good guy” in every sense who often wrestled alongside his father. However, in 2022, Dom betrayed Rey, immediately transforming him into one of WWE’s biggest villains. “Once I clotheslined my dad — that whole stadium — they were just chanting the worst of names to me. I saw a couple people spitting at me and right off the bat, I knew it was going to be a crazy ride.”
A match against his father at WrestleMania 39 drew additional heat for Dominik, who noticed increasingly staggering hostility from WWE live audiences. “I realized this is something special. I had been able to cut promos, but after Mania, people started booing me nonstop. I couldn’t even get a word out. The fact that I’m still getting reactions like that is honestly insane.”
Though his words are often drowned out by a tidal wave of boos, Dominik thrives on the audience’s distaste, getting under their skin by cockily flexing his arms, calling his beloved father a “deadbeat,” or provoking the live crowd with self-aggrandizing taunts. “I enjoy being a bad guy. I feel like I have more liberty in what I can do, say, and get away with. I feel like I’m pushing the boundaries a little bit more. This might sound terrible, but kids and their dads will show up to events and I’m like, ‘Is that your dad? He’s probably a deadbeat too.’ So it’s just getting to have more fun with them other than being a good guy. I’ve witnessed that my whole life with my dad. I wanted to do something different with the Mysterio name.”
Despite their on-screen animosity, Dominik remains grateful for the time spent under his father’s wing. “Starting off with him by my side was a huge cheat code. The man’s been in this business for 30-plus years now, so being able to have him ringside for my first couple of matches — he was literally guiding me, yelling at me, [telling me] what to do, how to do it. That was very helpful for me to grow and learn in-ring. But being able to get away from it and realizing what I can do on my own, it’s almost like removing the training wheels off the bike. Once I realized I no longer needed them, it was game time.”
Though Rey has been on the receiving end of Dominik’s villainous wrath in the story, he’s thoroughly enjoying his son’s success. In a November 2024 conversation with Tudum, the senior Mysterio said, “To see him grow in a prosperous way, it’s so satisfying to me as a dad because I’ve always had this idea that if he were to follow in my footsteps, he was going to do something bigger than what his dad did. I’ve always had it in my heart, in my mind, and now it’s coming to fruition. He’s becoming a lot bigger than what I’d accomplished in the first four years of my career. I wish I would’ve known what he knows in the short amount of time that he’s been wrestling. It’s just incredible. I’m very proud as a father.”
So, how does it feel to make an entrance and perform in-ring under the spotlight when you’ve been surrounded by wrestling since birth? “It’s different for everybody,” Dominik says, adding, “I’ve been around it so long that I’m used to it. I’m not desensitized, it’s just more like I know what has to be done. When I go out there, I’m locked in. Certain people get in their zones. They put on headphones and can’t talk to you until after their match. I feel like I’m calm, cool, and collected. Don’t get me wrong, I always get jitters and feel anxious and stuff before I go out there, but to me, it’s normal at this point.”
While his familiarity with the environment may contribute to his comfortability, he takes no rest when developing the “Dirty” Dom character, giving attention to even the tiniest details and crediting colleagues who help keep the character fresh. “A lot went into heel Dom. There’ve been so many evolutions already. The slicked-back hair Prison Dom, and now the mullet and mustache. It’s a bit of help from everyone — from Triple H to Bruce Prichard, guys in the back throwing ideas my way, me doing my best to put my own twist to it. Whether off-white flannel or cowskin boots, little things like that played a role. It was a huge team effort.”
He adds, “We work with writers every week. We have certain writers we get fit to, or work better together, who help us, but they’re very lenient when it comes to that. We put things in our own words, we don’t do things verbatim. It’s really cool that they give us that creative liberty. Of course, if it’s something big you’ve got to run it through the chain of command, but I feel like the writers do a good job of helping us out with stuff like that.”
While Dominik draws visceral reactions from fans, it’s not absurd to imagine him getting back in their good graces. When asked about the strong emotions he pulls from audiences, he says, “I feel like it gets to a point where they hate you so much, they have to love you. I don’t know if I’ve gotten there yet, because people genuinely hate me so much. I’m sure one day we’ll get there.”
He recalls getting a sample of fan support during a match with Gunther on Raw in December 2024 (seen below). “He was beating me up, chopping me, and doing what he does best. People were chanting, ‘Dirty Dom’ and for some reason it sounded like they wanted me to win. I don’t know if it was the sympathy they felt with me getting beat up. Maybe the crowd loves a good underdog and they never imagined I’d win. When they started seeing that it was a possibility, they got behind it.”
Whether fans cheer or boo Dominik, they should plan to get used to seeing him around, because the young Mysterio has lofty goals ahead. Asked what he’d like to achieve in 2025, he answers swiftly, “Getting more gold for the Judgment Day. Possibly a singles title run for me. Maybe the Intercontinental title. Or, why not go for the World Championship?”
Aside from gold accolades, Dominik wants the smoke; and there are a couple potential opponents at the top of his mind. “CM Punk. He sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to my sister in the ring when I was 12-years-old and he was doing his little shenanigans. Now, I’m 6’1, 200 pounds and much taller than he is. I’d like to see him try and sing to me now. I feel like there’s also some bad blood with Seth [Rollins]. He took advantage of me when I debuted because I was new. ‘Dirty’ Dom isn’t going to take that.”
With a long career ahead and a monumental legacy to build upon, Dominik embraces his current position — busy schedule, physical toll, and all. “Being on the road constantly, what we put our bodies through, it comes with the job. It’s the best job in the world. What we do is genuinely a blessing. And it’s one of a kind. No one else gets to go out there every week on TV, with no off-season, in front of 10,000-plus people. Whether they’re chanting for you or booing for you, as long as you’re getting a reaction, that’s what you want. Being at the top level, doing it for WWE and Netflix, it’s game-changing.”
Raw airs live on Netflix every Monday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
