Is Dominik Mysterio a better sports entertainer than Rey Mysterio?

What an incredible week of pro wrestling we all experienced, as WWE SummerSlam brought with it many twists, storylines and changes in direction that completely shook the foundation of WWE as we know it, both for Raw and SmackDown. One of those men at the center of the changes is Dominic Mysteriowho was heavily involved in a love triangle with Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan.

Dominik has grown up before our eyes on WWE television, both literally and figuratively, so it could be argued that he has surpassed his father in many ways. While that may sound a bit exaggerated, there is a good reason Dominik Mysterio could be a better “sports entertainer” than his father, Rey Mysterio, ever could be.

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Rey Mysterio is still a better wrestler than Dominik Mysterio

Rey Mysterio has been wrestling for several decades

• Dominik Mysterio wrestles very similarly to his father, Rey Mysterio.
• Dirty Dom is heavily inspired by Eddie Guerrero.
• Despite his age and injury history, Rey Mysterio can still step into the ring against anyone.

When it comes to pure wrestling ability and punch-for-punch action, it’s safe to say that Dominik Mysterio is truly a carbon copy of his father when it comes to wrestling skills. He has inherited his father’s talent and has developed some neat tricks from others over time, most notably taking inspiration from the late Eddie Guerrero in terms of his current look, hairstyle, and several moves that “Latino Heat” once used as a tribute to the WWE legend.

Rey Mysterio has wrestled for various wrestling organizations worldwide since 1989, such as AAA, NJPW, ECW, WCW, and WWE. Despite his small size, Rey has stood the test of time and continues to be on par with his wrestling skills. Although his skills have diminished today due to age, previous injuries, and the like, he is still one of the best WWE wrestlers and can put on a great wrestling match with anyone who steps in the ring with him.

This is not to take away from Dominik, but due to his years of experience, Rey is still superior to his son in terms of wrestling skills, even though Dominik has improved tremendously as his personality and character continue to grow and develop over time.

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Dominik Mysterio is a far better character than his father could ever be

Rey Mysterio’s character has remained largely the same

• Rey Mysterio was never a villain in the WWE.
• Dominik Mysterio became a major villain when he turned against his father and joined Judgment Day.
• Dirty Dom has become even more hated after turning on Liv Morgan’s side against Rhea Ripley.

Now it gets interesting when you think about Dominik and Rey Mysterio. Without wanting to diminish Rey’s accomplishments or successes in the wrestling industry, his character hasn’t evolved much since his time in WCW when he took off the mask and became a member of the Filthy Animals. This brought out a new side to Rey Mysterio’s character that we hadn’t seen back in the late 90s. In terms of his WWE career, Rey Mysterio has remained pretty much the same character since his WWE debut in 2002. Aside from clothing changes, mask colors, and the like, little has changed. His character and personality have remained the same, never becoming a villain or showing any signs of changing.

Dominik Mysterio has changed quite a bit since his debut in August 2020, aside from his childhood when he was used as a pawn in a storyline between his father and Eddie Guerrero over a custody battle in 2005. Dominik went from being a squeaky clean kid who wanted to be like his father, showing great potential in the ring and growing up as a performer before our eyes. The moment he became a villain and joined The Judgment Day in 2022, Dominik seemed to find his niche as a true villain superstar hated by the masses.

Dominik took things to a new level when he entered into a relationship with Rhea Ripley as the two of them made his father’s life hell with The Judgment Day. Recently, Dominik turned his back on his “mommy” and officially began a romantic relationship with Liv Morgan. He cemented the relationship change at SummerSlam by helping Morgan defeat Ripley to retain her WWE World Women’s Championship and usher in a new version of The Judgment Day.

Dominik is now more hated than anyone can imagine. Rey Mysterio continues to do his thing, but as you can see, the younger Mysterio clearly has a better handle on the sports entertainment aspect, having ridden the wave and developed his character in ways his father could never achieve.

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Who is the better Mysterio in 2024?

Rey Mysertios mask has damaged him as a character

While there are various criteria that can be used to debate which Mysterio is clearly the better one these days, for us, whether you love him or hate him, Dominik Mysterio is clearly the top dog and has accelerated his character development and evolution in a way that his father hasn’t in years. This isn’t meant to be disrespectful or a knock against Rey Mysterio for everything he’s done in the wrestling industry, but going against his tradition and dropping the mask in WWE could have brought out other facets of Rey Mysterio’s character, as we saw before in WCW. Perhaps the mask was ultimately what hurt Rey Mysterio’s character, just as it helped him become a recognizable personality for all ages.