Dominik Mysterio’s NXT North American Title win has proved to be a big success for WWE.
On July 18th, Dominik Mysterio wrestled in NXT for just the second time as he challenged Wes Lee for North American gold. Thanks to help from Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor, Mysterio scored the win and claimed his first singles championship in WWE.
The match marked the second week in a row that Judgment Day had appeared on the show, and the move provided another ratings boost. The strategy of main roster stars appearing in NXT has paid off more than once in recent weeks.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer highlighted just how successful the move had been. The veteran journalist pointed out that the increase in viewers during Mysterio’s title win helped the show to 746,000 total viewers which took it past AEW Collision from the previous Saturday.
“We got a lot of talk from different people within WWE after the NXT rating came out. The key points were how much the Wes Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio quarter did, the 72.2 percent year-over-year increase in 18-49 (keep in mind last year’s number was down due to being head-to-head with the All-Star game but NXT’s growth since using main roster stars has been tremendous) and also pointing out that the final quarter of the show did total viewer numbers similar to Dynamite and how the show beat the previous Saturday’s Collision which was a loaded up show.
Obviously the introduction of main roster talent to the show has been a big success and with Dominik Mysterio’s title win, that pretty much means Judgment Day will be appearing more. They also pushed the Lee vs. Dominik match hard on Raw the night before.”
Meltzer added that while it was Mysterio in the match, Rhea Ripley is playing a huge role in his success now she’s effectively become the biggest female star in WWE.
“While it was Dominik, it is the Dominik & Ripley act that is so strong and Ripley to me has become the biggest star in the women’s division, even ahead of Lynch who had held that mantle for some time.
The crowd treats her like a real superstar and her merchandise is among the top selling. The two points most talked about by different people were that this is a contract year so these gains are coming at a great time for the renewal price, and those in NXT who are definitely pushing for the idea of doing numbers that beat Dynamite.”
Has Dominik Mysterio Been In NXT Before?
Unusually for WWE, Dominik Mysterio made his debut on the main roster, taking on Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2020, missing out on appearing in NXT altogether. However, before his recent appearances on the brand, Mysterio wrestled Raul Mendoza back in March 2022 meaning his current record stands at 2-0.