WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio has confirmed that the recent rib injury that sidelined him for over a month was legitimate. In a new interview, “Dirty Dom” also revealed another, more severe injury from early in his career that he impressively finished a match with.
Speaking on The Club 520 podcast, Mysterio addressed the perception that, as one of WWE’s most despised heels, everything he does is part of the act. He confirmed that the injury that caused him to miss his match at Night of Champions was very real.
Dominik Mysterio: “I Was Actually Hurt”
Dominik Mysterio was out of action from early June until late July with what was announced as a rib injury. Due to his cowardly on-screen persona, many fans assumed the injury was a work.
“I dislocated my two lower ribs and they were digging into my cartilage. So that was why I was actually hurt,” Mysterio confirmed. “Everyone thought I was faking it, but I was actually hurt.”
The most shocking revelation from the interview was a previously untold story about an injury he suffered in his first-ever match as a heel. In September 2022, he faced the legendary Adam Copeland (Edge) on an episode of Raw.
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“I did a frog splash and I cracked my rib and it punctured a lung,” Mysterio revealed. “And then I finished the match… Went back to the locker room, ten minutes later, I was like, “I still can’t breathe.”… Sure enough, went to the hospital and they’re like, “Yeah, you got a pneumothorax. You can’t fly home.'”
A pneumothorax is the medical term for a collapsed lung. The fact that he was able to finish a match with such a severe injury adds a massive layer of legitimate toughness to his character.
The Most Hated Man in WWE
Since his shocking heel turn on his father, Rey Mysterio, and his alignment with The Judgment Day, Dominik has become arguably the most hated villain in all of WWE. His “Prison Dom” persona and his on-screen relationship with Rhea Ripley have made him a master at generating incredible crowd heat. It is this effectiveness as a performer that leads many fans to believe everything he does is part of the show.
His recent run has been incredibly successful. He defeated AJ Styles at SummerSlam to retain his Intercontinental Championship and is now scheduled to compete for the AAA Mega Championship at Triplemania this coming Saturday.
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