Most WWE fans can agree that, outside of John Cena and his retirement tour, Dominik Mysterio was arguably the most popular wrestler in the business in 2025. Following his Wrestlemania victory to claim the Intercontinental belt last April, it's been all Dirty Dom, keeping the storylines fresh and oscillating between baby face and super heel (when he tried to step to Cena in Boston).
So when news dropped that Mysterio suffered a "serious" shoulder injury at AAA Guerra de Titanes, fans held their breath. The Intercontinental and AAA champ has been a driving force for the wrestling industry over the past 10 months. What would they do without him if he had to miss significant time, especially with the Royal Rumble approaching?
It turns out we probably won't have to experience that unfortunate reality — one fans were forced to face with Liv Morgan, who suffered a shoulder injury last June that required surgery and kept her out until only a few weeks ago. Here's the latest from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select:
"WWE sources at the time claimed to Fightful that Dominik sustained a shoulder injury. However, some good news in that WWE sources now claim it doesn't look like he will require surgery. The hope internally is that he will be cleared by Royal Rumble week."
The 2026 Royal Rumble is set for Jan. 31, and honestly what would that event have been without Dirty Dom (assuming he's going to be an entrant)? Not too long ago, Mysterio was one of the last two men standing in October's Battle Royal to become the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight championship before Jey Uso eliminated him. The crowd was going wild for Dom throughout the match and it was obvious had he won it would've been a celebratory moment.
Ever since, Uso lost to CM Punk at Saturday Night's Main Event and is now a tag team champion with his brother Jimmy. LA Knight is injured as was deemed out indefinitely. Randy Orton only just returned after an extended absence. The Vision is becoming a tired storyline, and Cody Rhodes needs better action surrounding his future WWE title defenses.
Dirty Dom has been the next star-in-waiting as he rises the ranks. Shoulder surgery would've been a killer for his momentum and certainly would've made the product more boring. Thankfully, fans might've avoided a disppointment, and WWE might've avoided a creative disaster.