You can poke a man all you want, but never insult his woman. That’s the level of animosity it took Rey Mysterio to finally accept Dominik Mysterio’s challenge for a father vs. son match at WrestleMania 39. The legendary luchador finally defeated his stubborn son on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
Dominik Mysterio had verbally abused, verbally abused and physically attacked his father for months. Rey Mysterio, who will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania, had adamantly refused to physically confront his relatives. That all changed when Dominik Mysterio yelled in his mother’s face on Friday’s show.
SmackDown also hosted the ongoing rivalry between Sami Zayn and The Bloodline ahead of Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship on night two of WrestleMania.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rey Mysterio gives Dominik Mysterio a long overdue slap and accepts the WrestleMania challenge
Rey Mysterio fought backstage in a match against LA Knight after last week’s physical altercation.
knight def. Rey Mysterio via Pinfall by rolling up after a distraction from Dominik Mysterio. The legendary luchador was in control for most of the match but ate the pinfall after Dominik tripped him on the ropes.
Dominik then tried again to talk his father into a WrestleMania match, but Rey Mysterio refused to go along with it and slipped out of the ring. Dominik Mysterio approached his mother and sister who were seated ringside and yelled at his mother to shut up! That action was enough to evoke a physical reaction from Rey Mysterio, who punched his son, drawing a huge bang from the live crowd. Rey Mysterio warned that disrespecting his wife was a step too far and eventually accepted Dominik Mysterio’s WrestleMania challenge.
Earlier in the evening, a match between Cody Rhodes and Ludwig Kaiser started SmackDown.
Rhodes def. Kaiser about pinfall after Hitting a Cross Rhodes after two previous attempts. Rhodes was in control for most of the game, but Kaiser had his moments. Kaiser wrestled a technical match but couldn’t get past big moves like the Cody Cutter and Beautiful Disaster Springboard Kick. Heyman and Sikoa arrived ringside during the game but only minimally distracted Rhodes.
Heyman confronted Rhodes on the mic after the match, revealing that Rhodes would go head-to-head against Sikoa on Monday Night Raw. Heyman also announced that Reigns would meet Rhodes in person on next week’s SmackDown.
Rhodes reminded The Bloodline that he beat Seth Rollins with “half his body hanging by a thread” in Hell in a Cell, a nod to his horrific lacerated chest injury. Rhodes warned Siko and Reigns that they are not ready for what he will bring to Raw and WrestleMania.
Rey Mysterio giving his entitled, tearful son a long overdue slap in the face was more satisfying than it could ever be. The crowd clapped it with great cheers and a curt “Yes!” Singing. Dominik Mysterio was maligned as a babyface under his father’s tutelage, but that annoying man-child personality was a hit. Watching a father versus son match at WrestleMania is a fairly rare treat, and you can bet Rey Mysterio will do whatever it takes to make it a success. It was an oddly uninteresting night for The Bloodline, Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. It may be the natural de-escalation of things now that months of loose storylines are converging. Still, it was far less interesting than what the last few weeks and months have offered. Grade B
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- John Cena vs. Austin Theory starts Night 1 from WrestleMania 39, according to Michael Cole.
- Charlotte Flair edited a promo dismissing the idea on which her success stems Nepotism, fear or safety ahead of her SmackDown Women’s Title match against Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania.
- Natalya and Shotzi defeated. Xia Lia and Shotzi by submission after Natalya caught Li with the sniper. Natalya and Shotzi earned their way to the fatal four-way tag team showcase match at WrestleMania.
- Ronda Rousey and Shayna Bazler added to the fatal four-way tag match at WrestleManiarevealed the duo after the game.
- GUNTHER, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus signed their contracts for an intercontinental title match at WrestleMania.
- GÜNTHER def. Butch about pinfall after I planted it with Last Symphony. McIntyre knocked out GUNTHER with a claymore kick after the match.
- The Usos laid out Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn during a merry episode of “The KO Show.”