Dear WWE,
For nearly two years now, Dominik Mysterio has been keeping his father, the legendary Luchador Rey Mysterio company on the main roster. He has learned this business from one of the greatest that ever did it and plenty of members in the current locker room. His progression has come so decently that he was given a shot to showcase his own talents in a SummerSlam debut against Seth Rollins, no less!
Recently, young Dominik, along with his dad have become the Smackdown Tag Team Champions. Whether they have a lengthy reign or not, please don’t book Dominic to turn heel on his dad.
Vince McMahon In 1993: "Families Don’t Fight"
According to Vince McMahon’s right-hand man, Bruce Prichard, the Chairman once believed that families don’t fight. That thought must have been long before The Attitude Era because The McMahons have been fighting on television for nearly twenty-five years!
But how often have the WWE and any wrestling company in general gone to the well of breaking up tag teams with the inevitable double-cross? It’s already easy to see it can happen - Dominik repeatedly has to go to the ring to defend the titles by himself. When he finally loses, he turns on Rey, Owen Hart style and kicks Rey’s leg out from his leg.
He Doesn’t Have Have The Experience...
Or perhaps he does have the experience. But generally speaking, turning heel on your own family member, much less your father needs to be a very nuanced turn. There needs to be an air of deep-rooted feelings of jealousy and often vitriolic hatred.
While that could in theory be manufactured for a storyline, behind-the-scenes fans already know just how much Rey has put himself out there to ensure his son’s success. While that could definitely make for a good storyline, it’s also the kind of story that would define Dominik’s career, similar to an Owen Hart. He’d wind up being a heel for the better part of his career, a move that he might not be ready for yet.
Could Have The Opposite Effect
It’s hard to gauge what the true fan reaction to Dominic will be once WWE is out of the Thunderdome. But the wrestling industry loves Rey Mysterio. He’s one of the few superstars who has been a career babyface. It’s easy to get heat on him and certainly Dominik would be booed if he turned on his father.
But it also would be the kind of go-away heat for a lack of believability.
The Eddie Guerrero Factor
There is one caveat here. One way that the storyline of Dominic turning heel could actually work. One way that Dominik can turn heel without ruining his career before it gets kicked off the ground.
It would obviously be tongue in cheek, it’s crazy and far-fetched, but’s it’s also the only way the crazy storyline could work. If Dominik starts to slowly embrace some of the qualities his "Papi" Eddie Guerrero embodied throughout his career, it could work.
By starting out small with some funny shenanigans but slowly becoming more unhinged with his cheating, Rey may eventually try to straighten out his son but Dominik might feel that it's cooler to "lie, cheat and steal" than play fair.
Pulling off a heel turn can always be a hard sell to the audience, especially for a fresh-faced babyface like Dominic Mysterio. He deserves some more ring time and mic time to get comfortable before being sent off into the brave new world of being a smarmy heel, especially when turning against your own father. The youngster should start watching tapes of Shane McMahon now to learn what it takes to be a prodigal son.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKeoqqSowaa%2BjZympmenrLJuv8yamqScn6y7cMPWnmSdp52eu6q3jKGcnqRdqcKzuoyrnLJlna7AtbHRoqZo