Dominik Mysterio and Judgment Day are sitting pretty as fixtures on WWE Monday Night Raw, and his current Hard Times angle has been good for some laughs. While the faction was initially featured as a hard-hitting heel group, they’ve recently taken on a comedic edge. That’s not a bad thing, as no one was really buying Finn Balor or Dominik Mysterio as legit tough guys. That’s why WWE’s choice to book Mysterio in a jail stint storyline is so humorous. The bit stemmed from Dom and on-screen love interest Rhea Ripley crashing Rey Mysterio’s holiday get-together. Police kayfabe got involved, carting Dominik Mysterio off to jail in a viral segment on WWE’s social media.
Despite only spending a few hours in jail, Mysterio is making his best Prison Mike impression and acting like he’s a hardened criminal. Speaking to Konan on the Keeping It 100 show, Dominik Mysterio discussed how this character shift came to be. “It was kind of like a collective team effort. You know, I feel like the writers put in a lot of effort and kind of pitch us their ideas, and we roll with it.” Dom then spoke about how the other members of Judgment Day have weighed in. “Whether it’s Finn or Priest or Rhea that kind of have a different take on what’s being presented to us, they’ll talk to them, and they’re very open to what changes that we may want to do or whatnot.” (h/t to wrestlingnews.co for the transcription)
This Dominik Mysterio Can’t Retire Rey Mysterio
Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley have been found gold for WWE’s social media team. The bits these two are featured in frequently perform well on Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. Those footprints are significant for the brand’s overall media impact. In this sense, Mysterio has positively influenced Raw since joining Judgment Day. His character still cannot be taken seriously, and this recent Hard Times bit has been played for laughs. Moreover, Mysterio has been portrayed as a 6-foot-1, 200-plus pound adult who can’t handle his problems without Rhea Ripley sticking up for him. It’s generating heat, but at the expense of Mysterio appearing like a legit threat to anyone.
The role reversal has been interesting—borderline refreshing at times—but this Dominik Mysterio can’t be the one booked to retire Rey Mysterio anytime soon. It’s long believed Rey’s retirement match will come against his real-life son, Dominik. If WWE wants that match to occur at WrestleMania 39, it’ll have to pivot away from the current Hard Times angle within the next several weeks.
For now, Mysterio pretending to be a tough guy after spending virtually no time in jail gives fans all the more reason to boo him. Judgment Day is generating a ton of heat on the red brand, and fans are aching for them to face some comeuppance after months of cheating to get by. WWE has repeatedly gone back to the distraction roll-up playbook during these matches, and it’s grown stale between Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble. With WrestleMania season fast approaching, Dominik Mysterio will need to find yet another new gear, especially if the plan is for him to fight Rey Mysterio as the Showcase of the Immortals.
Sources: Keeping It 100, wrestlingnews.co