Add as a preferred source on Google Dominik Mysterio could have started his WWE career with a completely different look. Before “Dirty Dom” became one of WWE’s top heels, the plan was for him to carry on the family tradition.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Mysterio discussed the plan for him to wrestle in a mask.
“Yeah, when I first started training, I had masks made.”
Dominik still has the prototype.
“I still have my prototype mask that I would use to train with. Imagine just like a normal Mysterio mask, but instead of the two eyes, it’s like a whole visor. Almost Power Rangers-style.”
Days before SummerSlam in 2020, Dominik and Rey said the mask and gear for the “Prince Mysterio” character were already complete, but his debut was fast-tracked during the feud with Seth Rollins.
“It all happened so fast with the Seth Rollins storyline and me helping my dad, with me being a babyface. I didn’t have the chance to pick my name and music.”
Dominik made his in-ring debut on August 23, 2020, losing to Rollins in a Street Fight at SummerSlam. Although he did not wear the mask on television, he trained in it while preparing for the match.
“Before I debuted, I trained with the mask on just so I’d get used to it.”
Dominik ultimately decided against the mask because fans had known his face since childhood, particularly from the 2005 feud between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero.
“Like, I wanted to debut with the mask, but also people have seen me without a mask since I was 8, so it didn’t make a difference to me. So at that point, I figured let’s do the opposite of what the culture does. Everyone comes out with the mask and leaves it on. Let me come out with the mask and take it off, disrespect it.”
In a 2024 interview, Dominik also admitted that he probably would have struggled to wrestle with his face completely covered because he would have felt suffocated.