Dominik Mysterio Explains Why He Bypassed Full WWE NXT Run

Dominik Mysterio entered the WWE spotlight early in his wrestling career and has explained why he didn't have to follow the traditional path through "WWE NXT."

Mysterio, in fact, made his WWE debut when he was a child, appearing in his father Rey Mysterio's storyline with Eddie Guerrero way back in 2005. 15 years later, he made his in-ring debut at SummerSlam, against former world champion Seth Rollins. The former Intercontinental Champion said to The Undertaker on the "Six Feet Under" podcast that he was originally supposed to go to "NXT," but tight schedules ensured that his trial by fire happened on the main roster.

"But I still never actually did the PC [Performance Center] stuff. Originally, I was supposed to go down to NXT and do the classes while I was doing NXT, but the issue was, I was on Raw, and then I would do NXT Tuesdays, and then I'd be home Wednesdays, and then I'd fly out Thursdays for SmackDown, and then we'd have live events Saturday and Sundays. So there's no time. What class did you want me to go to on Wednesday?" asked Mysterio. 

The Judgment Day said that he learned on the job while working with several of the talented stars on the WWE main roster, both on live events and WWE television shows.

"At that point, I didn't see what I was going to learn when I was learning from everyone on the road doing three different TV shows," he added.

Mysterio eventually competed on "NXT," but by the time he joined the brand, he had already racked up several matches on the main roster and began his run with a bang. In just his second match on "NXT," Mysterio won the NXT North American Championship, holding it for more than two months before losing it to Trick Williams. He had his second and final run with the title later in 2023, eventually losing it to Dragon Lee, a wrestler he would face frequently on the main roster.