Passing The Torch: When Is The Right Time For Dominick Mysterio’s In-Ring Debut?
Photo by Andy Hayt/SanDiego Padres/Getty Images
Rey Mysterio‘s son Dominick has been making an increased number of appearances in 2019. He’s been an important part of Rey Mysterio’s storyline development and it seems as though WWE is intentionally exposing him on-screen more to get the WWE Universe familiar with him. It’s been no secret that he’s been training to become a wrestler, and we just saw him get involved in a big way at Survivor Series.
It’s a great start for him to make and a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that WWE wants him to debut in 2020 and report to the Performance Center around then. These reports were seemingly confirmed when Rey Mysterio was on the verge of retiring in the storyline, only to be stopped by his son, who said that when he debuts, he wants to debut alongside his father. For that alone, Mysterio decided to keep going.
It’s interesting how the storyline was about Mysterio being a “grizzled old veteran” whose best days were behind him when in reality, he’s only improved and grown as a performer and looks better in 2019 than ever before! Either way, this article isn’t about Mysterio. It’s about whether debuting Dominick in 2020 would be the right call.
For one, we know for a fact that Dominick won’t have to go through NXT like every other superstar. Because of his status as Mysterio’s son, he’ll jump straight to the main roster and will have to either sink or swim then. But is it the right decision to do that to someone who’s 22 years old and hasn’t even had an official wrestling match yet?
It’s a tricky situation and one that WWE is going to have to navigate through properly. Dominick reporting to the Performance Center is something that needs to happen sooner than later. It’s a World Class facility filled with the best coaches on the planet and they are the ones who need to decide as to whether Dominick is truly ready or not.
We only got a glimpse of what he’s capable of at Survivor Series 2019 when he hit a double-619 with his father on Brock Lesnar along with a frog splash. It’s in no way a representation of what he can do and we’re yet to see whether he’s better than what he came across or he’s still not on the level that he’s reached.
One thing is for sure – there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the 22-year old. At that age, superstars should ideally be developing in the Performance Center and having a basic run in NXT but due to the circumstances and the family that he was born into, that won’t be the case. It’s up to WWE to protect Dominick as much as they possibly can and only debut him in 2020 if they’re 110% sure that he’s ready for it. If there’s even a slight sign that he isn’t ready, they shouldn’t force him into the spot and give him more time to polish his skills and shine.
Making sure that he isn’t overexposed or humiliated should be WWE’s priority and nothing else!