Add as a preferred source on Google Rey Mysterio came very close to ending his in-ring career before Dominik Mysterio got into pro wrestling.
The WWE Hall of Famer, who remains active on Monday Night RAW after more than three decades in the business, revealed during a recent appearance on The Late Run Show that he had lost the feeling he used to have when stepping into the ring.
According to Rey, the physical and mental toll had reached a concerning point. He said he even spoke with his wife, Angie, about the possibility of walking away for good.
“I didn’t feel what I always felt when I stepped into the ring anymore. I think I’m going to quit. I just don’t feel it anymore.”
Not long after that conversation, Dominik told his father that he wanted to try getting into the business. From there, everything changed.
Rey said helping his son take his first steps brought back the fire that seemed to have gone out. Dominik went on to make his official WWE in-ring debut at SummerSlam 2020 in a Street Fight against Seth Rollins.
Rey Mysterio says he considered tapping out of wrestling before Dominik got into the business:
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) June 11, 2026
“Not too long ago, maybe about five or six years, I just wasn’t getting that same emotion when I would step into the ring. I think my body was burnt out mentally, physically. I told my… pic.twitter.com/hHtZWryiQJ
The following year, father and son made history by defeating Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode at WrestleMania Backlash to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, becoming the first father-son duo to capture tag team gold in WWE.
Their partnership did not last forever. In 2022, Dominik betrayed Rey at Clash at the Castle and joined The Judgment Day, kicking off one of WWE’s most memorable family rivalries in recent years.
The feud reached its peak at WrestleMania 39, where Rey, already announced as a WWE Hall of Fame inductee, defeated his own son in one of the most emotional matches of that year’s event.
In other words, Dominik’s arrival did more than extend Rey Mysterio’s career. It opened one of the most important chapters of his recent WWE run.