NXT champion Dominik Mysterio talks The Judgment Day ahead of Acrisure Arena WWE event

In pro wrestling, multigenerational names such as Rhodes, Hart, Orton, Von Erich, Guerrero and Anoa'i mean something and are respected.

But there's another name in the business representing a San Diego family that's legendary in the U.S. and Mexico: Mysterio. That extended family of wrestlers includes Rey Mysterio Sr., El Hijo de Rey Misterio, Metalika and current WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio.

In 2020, Rey Mysterio's son, Dominik Mysterio, made his WWE debut and is the current NXT North American Champion and former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion with his father. But wrestling families aren't exempt from family feuds.

Fans were shocked in 2022 when Dominik was lured away from his father into the nefarious wrestling stable The Judgment Day featuring Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor and Damian Priest and Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley. A feud between father and son began when Dominik referred to Rey as his "deadbeat dad" who was more focused on his wrestling career and never home.

Dominik took it further when he showed up with Ripley to the family's San Diego home on Christmas Eve. He was shown being asking for Ripley to bail him out and has since referenced the event on TV as doing "hard time."

The Mysterios faced off against each other in April during Wrestlemania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which was a highlight of the WWE's biggest annual event. Rey was victorious thanks to some assistance by rapper Bad Bunny, who was commentating at the Spanish TV table and got up to pull a chain out of Dominik's hand, which caused interference and the older Mysterio to win the match.

But The Judgement Day continues its pursuit of dominating the WWE, and that's expected to continue on Saturday at Acrisure Arena during the WWE Supershow when Dominik is scheduled to take on The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. (Card subject to change)

Dominik spoke to The Desert Sun about his momentous year, The Judgment Day and being part of the first-ever wrestling event at Acrisure Arena.

DS: It's been quite a year for you and you've had some epic matches, but where do you see yourself going in the WWE?

DM: I see myself continuing the reign with The Judgement Day that we're currently on with Finn and Damian as the Undisputed Tag Team Champions, with Rhea as the most dominant and current Women's World Champion and me continuing on this run as the NXT North American Champion. It's only up for us from here. We're on all three shows continuing to take over all the WWE. The future is just continuing this reign of terror.

DS: When JD McDunough became a player in The Judgement Day business and after seeing what happened to Jey Uso recently on "Monday Night RAW," are you concerned at all about your spot in The Judgment Day?

DM: I don't think so. I think we're all a very tight-knit family. We all discuss what's going on as far as family affairs go. Nothing gets done without each other's approval. I've said it on TV before — we're all equals. I'm a champion, so I don't see The Judgment Day giving me the boot anytime soon. But JD is a longtime friend of Finn, Finn trusts him and JD is slowly gaining our trust. But Jey obviously betrayed us, so I don't see why we have to talk about Jey anymore.

DS: You combine the Mexican style of wrestling and the more traditional styles seen in American wrestling. When you look back on your training and what you've learned since, where do you see opportunity to grow?

DM: I think there's always opportunity to grow. This August was three years since I debuted, so I've only been doing this for three years and some change. I grew up with that Lucha style of wrestling and watching my dad, Dean Malenko, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera and guys like that in WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and that's all I knew. Once I grew up and found other kinds of wrestling, I went down the rabbit hole of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat and those kinds of guys. Once my training started, I tried to do the best I could to have my culture and take the best of what I could from the American style of wrestling ... to combine all sorts of styles of wrestling so no matter who I wrestled, I could be universal and wrestle any kind of wrestler from around the world.

DS: When I was growing up and watching WWE in the '90s, there weren't many Mexican wrestlers or representation of the Lucha Libre culture. How does it feel to see that now?

DM: It feels amazing to even just be a part of it, and such a blessing and an opportunity that I've been handed to be that guy, especially with my guy Damian Priest. We have a Puerto Rican and Mexican taking over the WWE right now and it's kind of crazy. You saw what Damian did for the live event in Puerto Rico against Bad Bunny and they tore the house down. The fact that there's so many of us representing at this point with me and Damian, and of course the LWO (Latino World Order) with my dad, Joaquin Wilde and Santos Escobar, we just have a lot of Latinos representing the culture right now, and it's cool to see.

DS: Family is something we all relate to, including the conflicts within them. But was it still difficult to step into the ring with your dad at Wrestlemania?

DM: I wouldn't say it was difficult. I think the thought of it was difficult. But once I put my hands on him, I was like, 'This feels right.'

DS: How do you avoid injuries and stay healthy while you're on the road?

DM: The best thing for me is just maintenance. After a match, whatever is aching or sore, I throw bags of ice on it because I don't always have the availability of jumping in an ice bath or whatnot for recovery. There's a famous picture of Kobe Bryant where he's sitting on a bench with two bags of ice on each knee, on his shoulders and on his back. Sometimes I walk out of the arenas like that all RoboCop'd up.

DS: What kind of music do you listen to when you're traveling or before a match?

DM: I'm a different kind of dude when it comes to music and it depends on the mood I'm in. Being from San Diego, for some reason most people would expect me to listen to hip-hop. Don't get me wrong, I love hip-hop, but I've been in a country mood lately and a lot of traditional Mexican music as well. I've been listening to a lot of Peso Pluma, Grupo Firme but also country like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Bailey Zimmerman.

DS: Acrisure Arena is new and this is the first time it's hosting a WWE wrestling event. How does it feel to be coming to a new arena?

It's awesome, especially for me being a California native born and raised in San Diego. Being able to go back home to California and perform in a new arena like this that's never had wrestling, it's a special moment for me because that's something I'll never forget. We get to break in that arena for the first time. It's a blessing and a dream come true.

If you go

What: WWE Supershow

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Acrisure Arena, 75-702 Varner Road, Palm Desert

How much: Tickets start at $26

More information:acrisurearena.com

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.