Wrestling / Dominik Mysterio

The Prodigal Son.

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Dominik Óscar Gutiérrez (born April 5, 1997), better known by his ring name Dominik Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. The only son and eldest child of the legendary Rey Mysterio, Dominik has been appearing on WWE television since he was a child. He participated in his first storyline at eight years old, during his father's feud with the late Eddie Guerrero, where it was revealed that he was Eddie's (kayfabe) biological son. He is a two-time NXT North American Champion and a one-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion.

Dominik made several sporadic appearances on WWE television, before officially beginning training as a professional wrestler in his own right in 2018. He became a more active participant in his father's storylines in 2019, especially during Rey's feud with Brock Lesnar where Lesnar would viciously attack him to spite his father, before officially debuting as a wrestler in 2020 at SummerSlam, losing a street fight against Seth Rollins.

He would later form a tag team with his father called "The Mysterios", and they would win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships, becoming the first father-son tag team champions in the history of WWE. After losing the titles to the The Usos, Dominik would betray his father at Clash at the Castle (2022), making a Face–Heel Turn and joining the heel faction The Judgment Day. On July 18, 2023, he became the NXT North American Champion.

Ex-Con Tropes:

• Abusive Offspring: After turning heel, to his father Rey Mysterio. Naturally, when Rey finally retaliated when his wife Angie gets abused, Dominik complained and called him even more of a deadbeat dad than he already was.
• Arch-Enemy:
  • Seth Rollins after he injured his father's eye.
  • The Judgment Day, who attempted to turn him into their new member after their betrayal of Edge. They kept attacking him and his father until Dom's Face–Heel Turn, with Rhea Ripley in particular taking glee in tormenting poor Dominik.
  • After joining The Judgment Day, Edge. Dom's Face–Heel Turn was partially driven by jealousy of Edge, even though the man was his Honorary Uncle.
  • He wants to be this to his father Rey Mysterio, but Rey refuses to engage Dominik in any sort of violence no matter how much Dom tries to provoke him. Dominik ended up resorting to disrespecting his own mother in order to finally get his father to fight him, which succeeded.
• Antagonistic Offspring: To his father, the legendary Rey Mysterio. Rey did his best to not reciprocate the feeling, but after Dominik started insulting his mother and Rey's wife Angie too, he hit his Rage Breaking Point and accepted his son's challenge to a match at WrestleMania to teach him some respect.
• Anti-Villain: His Face–Heel Turn at Clash at the Castle was the result of multiple beatdowns at the hands of numerous heels, and him wanting to escape his father's shadow. He cost himself this status by continuing to hate and antagonize Rey.
• Beard of Evil: Much like his arguable AEW counterpart MJF, Dom accentuated the obnoxious mullet of his heel persona by growing a scraggly, truly douchey chinstrap beard.
• Big "SHUT UP!": To his mother Angie, when the she tried to talk sense into him. It was that action that finally caused Rey to go after him.
• Boisterous Weakling: After joining The Judgment Day. He loves to run his mouth, but is usually the first member of the stable to get his ass kicked when it's time to throw down.
• Bullying a Dragon:
  • Dominik kicked off his Face–Heel Turn by attacking his Honorary Uncle Edge, a WWE Hall of Famer and an eleven-time world champion, in addition to being an infamous Ax-Crazy basketcase back in his heyday. While Rey refused to attack his own son, Edge made it very clear that he was going to regret this and absolutely refused to pull his punches during the subsequent match, no matter what Dominik once was to him.
  • Went out of his way to provoke his legendary, 3-time World Champion, and Hall of Fame father by constantly insulting him, his career, and his parenting skills. However, it became clear he only pushed his buttons because he knew Rey wouldn’t hit him back. When Dominik started insulting his mom as well, this pushed Rey too far and he knocked him on his ass. The fans and, especially, Michael Cole loved every bit of it. Dominik was quite obviously shocked at the action and terrified of his father, showing he never actually wanted to fight Rey, just throw his weight around.
• Call-Back: A subtle one, but Dom's betrayal of his father at Clash At The Castle was almost a shot-for-shot remake of Eddie's betrayal of Rey in 2005, right down to the arm around Rey's shoulder before the Face–Heel Turn-triggering clothesline.
• Continuity Nod: The 2005 Rey/Eddie feud where a child Dominik first appeared with The Reveal that Eddie was supposedly his biological father, has been referenced time and again in his heel run, often in a tongue-in-cheek way by announcers and other wrestlers, and in an unspoken but more direct way by Dominik himself as his entire gimmick is a send-up to Eddie's 2000 heel run, with Rhea Ripley as his Chyna.
• Cosmic Plaything: Before Payback 2020, it was downright ridiculous what Dominik had to deal with ever since going on his way to be a wrestler. When he wasn't forced to watch his father get beaten, he was beaten into a bloody mess himself with kendo sticks. He lost his first official match against Seth Rollins after a series of unfair events, and when he got the chance for a rematch in a tag team match with Rey against Seth and Murphy and was winning? Retribution charged in, with NO ONE STOPPING THEM (when Braun Strowman was under attack the entire locker room came to his rescue within minutes), to destroy both him and his dad with Seth and Murphy laughing at their misfortune. For all his talent, he just couldn't catch a break or even a decent win...
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: ... until the aforementioned Payback, where not only did he and his father win their match against Seth and Murphy, but he was the one who made the winning fall.
• Dark Is Evil: Black hair, black tattoos, black leather costume. If one can credit Dom for anything, he really knows and sells his stereotype.
• Dark Reprise: His post-heel turn theme, "It Is My Time," is a slower-paced, more aggressive version of his previous theme, "Vengo Por Ti," with additional lyrics.
• Dirty Coward: Whenever facing off against someone who won't take his crap (which is basically everyone on the roster that's not his father), Dom has a tendency to hide behind the other members of The Judgment Day, usually his kayfabe girlfriend Rhea Ripley or their biggest member, Damian Priest.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He first showed up in 2005 during the infamous feud between his father and Eddie Guerrero in which his custody was on the line. He also showed up during his father's WrestleMania 26 feud with CM Punk in 2010. He wouldn't be an active wrestler until 2020.
• '80s Hair: Despite being born a decade after the hairstyle went the way of disco,^note except among a certain college football team in South Carolina—google "Mormons vs. Mullets" if you're interested Dominik - in an obvious visual homage to Eddie - wears his hair in an inexplicably, inherently obnoxious-looking mullet.
• Even Evil Can Be Loved: Despite how much of a horrible person Dominik had become (in kayfabe), Rey still loved him and refused to fight him. In fact, it's only because Dominik is his son that Rey hadn't punked him out yet, as Rey himself admitted. It wasn't until Dominik crossed the line and started disrespecting his mom too in front of Rey's eyes that Rey finally found it in himself to strike him, and accept his challenge to a match at WrestleMania 39.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Say what you will about Dom, and hot damn is there a lot to say, every indication says he's madly in love with Rhea, and he always pulls his weight helping out the rest of his faction. Like Dom, said girlfriend and faction are in fact unrepentant pricks, but it's still the singular redeeming quality he has to his name.
• Even Evil Has Standards: on the 1/29/24 RAW, he looks surprised when JD kicks R-Truth from behind when The Judgment Day decided that R-Truth could no longer be associated with them (as Priest specifically asked Dom to do something — most likely removing Truth's shirt — before JD took matters into his own hands.
• Evil Costume Switch: Switched his colorful blue ring gear for a black and purple one after turning on his father and joining The Judgment Day.
• Face–Heel Turn: At Clash at the Castle after Rey Mysterio and Edge defeated The Judgment Day, Dominik attacked Edge and his own father turning heel for the first time. The episode of Raw after this, he would accompany The Judgment Day in their beatdown of Edge while ignoring his father's pleas to talk to him.
• Faux Affably Evil: He may act nice as a heel, but it was just an act to look down on his opponents and boost his pride.
• Happily Adopted: In-Universe, though part of it was due to Oblivious Adoption first. After he found out the truth, he was a bit conflicted for a time, but once became clear Eddie didn't really care about him and was just trying to steal him from Rey to spite his adoptive father, Dominik quite firmly sided with Rey.
• Hate Sink: Since joining The Judgment Day, Dominik has seemingly gone out of his way to break off the heat knob with typical chickenshit heel tactics and showing as much gross disrespect to his father and his family's traditions as much as conceivably possible. By 2023, it's seemingly standard procedure for Dom to get absolutely booed out of his shoes in every venue he steps in and he outright revels in it. Conversely, when Rey finally had enough of his antics and struck him, the arena became completely unglued with cheers.
• Hated by All: Outside of the Judgment Day and heel commentators (really just Corey Graves, and he admits during Dominik's match with Rey at Wrestlemania 39 that's he's having a hard time justifying Dominik's actions), he's one of the most hated Superstars on the main roster, subject to abuse from both faces and heels, and he draws more heat than almost anyone. Michael Cole in particular absolutely loathes Dirty Dom, similar to Jim Ross' rivalry with Triple H. Both commentators at least acknowledge(d) and respect(ed) both heels’ athletic abilities, but Cole tends to be less professional.
• Hates Their Parent: After his Face–Heel Turn, he declared that he hated Rey, openly wished that Eddie Guerrero had been his father, and that Rey never existed.
• He's All Grown Up: His last appearance before 2019 was during his father's feud with Eddie Guerrero in 2005 when he was a little boy. Nowadays he's much larger than his father and just as agile.
• Honor Thy Parent: Defied. After turning heel, he goes out of his way to insult his father at every opportunity. Rey was willing to bear it when it was only him — when Dominik started insulting Angie too, however, that was the last straw and what finally caused Rey to attack his own son.
• Hypocrite: Oh, big time, and at times mixed with Insane Troll Logic and Self-Serving Memory. Dom will say basically anything that paints himself as the victim, no matter how little his words match his actions.
  • His resentment of Rey for prioritizing his career over his family would hold a lot more water if he wasn't basically doing the same thing by aligning with Judgment Day.
  • On the road to WrestleMania 39, Dominik spent months constantly goading Rey into attacking him, and accuses him of being a coward when he doesn’t. Dominik finally pushes the wrong button when he turns his disrespect on his mother and sister who did nothing to deserve it. Not only does he back away like a coward when Rey punches him, Dom would whine on the mic about it three days later, even calling his family “a disgrace to the Mysterio name”.
  • Claims that Rey stole the US Title from Austin Theory. This coming from the guy whose entire stable can barely go a week without interfering in each other's matches.
  • He tries to appeal to Jey Uso to join Judgment Day by claiming that they both come from broken families. Which is true... except Dominik was the one to break his in the first place.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • Back at Clash at the Castle, he turned heel when he low-blowed Edge. At Extreme Rules 2022, Edge returns the favor with a same kick to the groin.
  • During Thanksgiving, he visited the Mysterios' family home and attacked his father. The next time he visited them during Christmas Eve, he got arrested for his trouble.
• Legacy Character: While he's already paid tribute to his late Honorary Uncle Eddie Guerrero in the past, he started invoking this trope more upon turning Heel by using his moves, adopting his mannerisms and later outright claiming to be the next generation's Eddie Guerrero. At one point, he even outright declared to Rey that he wished Eddie really had been his father, an oblique reference to his debut storyline where Eddie was his In-Universe biological father.
• Love Makes You Evil: One of the other driving factors for his Face–Heel Turn and decision to join The Judgment Day was his reluctant attraction to Rhea Ripley, who had a major Villainous Crush on him even as she constantly attacked him. Subsequently, after Dominik joined The Judgment Day, Rhea and him became a kayfabe couple.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: During his father's feud with Eddie Guerrero, learning Eddie was his biological father sent him into a Heroic BSoD, and he wasn't able to speak a word to Rey for weeks.
• Masked Luchador: Averted; while his father may be the most famous masked wrestler of the modern age, Dominik has never worn a mask (apart from during his Wrestlemania 39 entrance), implicitly because he hasn't earned the right (but also because he was seen unmasked so many times before he began his wrestling training that the mystique of the masked gimmick would be wasted). It's also justified when you consider his Strong Family Resemblance to Rey; the few times Dominik has worn a mask has seen multiple people mistake him for his father (with only his height being what clues them into the fact that it's actual Dom under there), so having him wear a mask while his father is still an active wrestler on the same roster as him could easily lead to a lot of confusion down the line.
• Nepotism: Played with. Dominik's been appearing on WWE TV sporadically since he was a child, but didn't start training to become an actual wrestler until 2018. However, because of Rey's influence, he was allowed to bypass WWE NXT entirely and was immediately given a spot on the main roster once he was competent enough to be watchable in the ring, something that's usually reserved for more experienced wrestlers who were already world-famous, such as Sting or AJ Styles. The only reason this didn't get more complaints is because Dominik was rarely booked strongly, mainly acting as an accessory to his father's storylines. All of this later served as fodder for his Face–Heel Turn, whereupon it became openly acknowledged that for all his talent, the only reason Dominik had a spot in WWE right now instead of working his way up like everyone else was because of Rey's influence, which became a component of his heel character.
• Oblivious Adoption: In-Universe, he was unaware that Rey was his adoptive father until Eddie revealed it on live television to spite Rey during their feud. Out-of-Universe, this is one of the reasons why this part of the storyline had a hard time getting over with the audience — anyone who's seen Rey without his mask can tell that Dominik is the spitting image of his father (except that Dominik is much taller), making the idea of Eddie being his father instead completely ridiculous.
• Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: As a Heel, he's most prominent feuds are against his Honorary Uncle Edge and his own father Rey.
• Parental Neglect:
  • This is how Dominik frames his feud with his father. Rey has openly admitted his flaws as a parent but Dom continued to hate him.
  • Looking into Rey's match records reveals he has actually missed most of Dominik's birthdays for matches growing up, which would add some level of Reality Subtext if Dominik was legitimately bothered by it.
• Prison Changes People: Exaggerated and Played for Laughs where a few hours in county jail after getting arrested for harassing Rey at home on Christmas turned Dom into a Cholo-styled, full-fledged hardened criminal... like Martha Stewart. He even started drawing on a teardrop tattoo, and entered to WrestleMania in a prisoner transport van.
• Running Gag: Whenever he tries to speak on the mic, expect the crowd to drown him with large boos.
• Shout-Out: For his WrestleMania 39 match against his dad, he wears an outfit similar to the one Rey wore in his famous WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 match against Eddie Guerrero. Fittingly, said outfit is purple and black, like the colors of the Judgment Day.
• Small Parent, Huge Child: At 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds, Dominik is on the small side of average size for a pro wrestler. Nonetheless he towers over his 5 foot 6 and 175 pound father.
• Spoiled Brat: What he's portrayed as. While his resentment of his father isn't entirely unwarranted, Dominik refuses to acknowledge how much Rey loves him or that his father's time in the business was to make sure Dominik and his sister got to live better lives than he did. The image is only reinforced with his so-called 'grievances' — one of his complaints was Rey getting him a BMW instead of a Mercedes like everyone else's parents, and one that wasn't even an M-series.
• Strong Family Resemblance: To his father, Rey Mysterio. One of the reasons why the idea of Eddie being his in-storyline biological father didn't correlate well to reality is because anyone who had seen Rey without his mask would know how strongly Dominik resembled him. Years later at WrestleMania, when Dominik made his entrance for his match with his father, he came out in one of Rey's masks. He looked so much like his father, people genuinely mistook him for Rey at first.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Dom is (in)famously known by his Judgement Day mates living exclusively on chicken tenders.
• Ungrateful Bastard: What Michael Cole describes him as. Rey devoted his life to giving Dominik the best upbringing possible and later used his influence to help Dominik get a spot on WWE's main roster. Dominik repaid him by betraying him for The Judgment Day and spending months making his father's life hell.
• Villain Has a Point: It's often said that the best heels in wrestling do have a point, but they take it so far beyond reason that they lose whatever moral high ground they had. Rey Mysterio freely admits that he can't blame Dom for resenting him. A schedule check would show Rey probably did miss many of Dom's birthdays growing up because he was too busy wrestling. Even after Rey moves to Smackdown to put some distance between them, Dominik refused to leave well enough alone and spent several months antagonizing Rey. It’s no wonder why the fans drown him out with boos, and the heat rises to volcanic levels when he lashes out at his mother and sister who were there for him growing up. Between that and Dominik rejecting his father’s attempts at reconciliation, it’s no shock that the fans - and Michael Cole - cheered when Rey knocked him down.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Admitted after his Face–Heel Turn that he had been desperately looking for his father's approval his whole life and saw his wrestling career as a way to prove himself to Rey.
• Wrestling Family: He's a third-generation superstar, hailing from a well-known family of luchadores.

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