Dominik Mysterio has followed in his legendary father Rey’s footsteps by joining the WWE, and they became the first father-son duo to ever win tag-team titles in the brand’s history. It’s a moment the younger Mysterio may not have imagined back in his youth, especially when his father was locked in a custody battle with Eddie Guerrero for parental rights, fictionally speaking of course.
WWE fans may remember the infamously bizarre storyline from 2005 in which Eddie Guerrero, months before his death at age 38, alleged he was the biological father of the then-eight-year-old Dominik Mysterio. Guerrero literally fought for custody of Dominik with Rey Mysterio in a SummerSlam ladder match, with Mysterio being “awarded” custody of Dominik as a result of his victory. Dominik Mysterio appeared on Ryan Satin’s podcast Out Of Character after joining Monday Night Raw via the WWE Draft, and shared a story that indicated how his youthful mind processed it all at the time.
I don’t know if I think I thought it [was real], but like, I think I thought I would eventually go home with Eddie if he won. ... I genuinely thought that I’d probably end up going home with them. Because I do remember them telling me they wanted to do this storyline, and my dad pitched it to me, and I was all on board with it. But I remember asking [myself later] ‘What’s gonna happen afterward when this match does happen?’ ... I’d be like, ‘Eh, you know Eddie’s cool, I don’t mind,' you know. [Laughs.]
Dominik Mysterio was aware that Rey Mysterio was his biological father, but because he was only 8 at the time, he also thought Rey could legitimately lose custody of him in the match with Eddie Guerrero. (He clearly hadn't seen any retirement matches get immediately retconned.) Hilariously enough, Mysterio revealed that he ultimately reasoned he could live with the Guerrero family if he had to, which would have been wild. Fortunately for the lightly confused kiddo, Guerrero lost the match.
This hilarious tidbit would certainly explain why Dominik Mysterio looked so stressed during footage from the match. Mysterio could’ve just been a great child actor based on some of those reactions, though the WWE superstar assured it was a mix of his confusion and shy nature that really sold the emotion.
I think they were kind of just going for my genuine look on what was going on, and I think most of the time, I was genuinely super shy and didn’t want to be out in the crowd. So like, I’d sit there freaking out and like thinking about it. . .I don’t remember if they told me specifically what they wanted. . .I didn’t even know the bedtime story. I was kind of curious to see what the bedtime story was! I think it was a little bit of genuine fear in there, too, because I was a kid, man.
It’s kind of sad to hear that young Dominik was that worried about his possible future, but obviously, he’s moved past such ridiculous and has become a successful wrestler in the WWE in his own right. We’ll see whether or not he’ll incorporate any Bring Your Child To Work To See If It's Actually Your Child Day storylines in the near future, though if he does, I’d imagine he’ll make sure everyone of all ages knows what the details are.
Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more on the WWE, read up on the latest happenings with Bray Wyatt and where he may end up right here.
