37-Year-Old Star’s WWE Exit Presents Fresh Challenge for Dominik Mysterio at NXT No Mercy

September has been a bittersweet month for the WWE Universe. This month alone has seen the WWE merge with the UFC to form a $21.4 billion behemoth- TKO. Just days later, Dwayne Johnson broke his four-year hiatus to make a return. But just days after that, the company released several top stars.

While this has left many fans sad, it has also led to changes in the roster. One wrestler who is going to face challenges due to the mass layoff is Dominik Mysterio. The Judgment Day member is set to defend his NXT North American Championship at NXT’s marquee event No Mercy on September 30. But the changes have now made things harder for Rey Mysterio’s son.

How will the changes affect Dominik Mysterio?

As many as 20 wrestlers have been recently let go by the WWE. Among those were Shelton Benjamin and Dolph Ziggler, who had made their debut in the promotion in the early 2000s. The list also included Adeel Alam, who goes by the moniker Mustafa Ali in the WWE.

The 37-year-old would have engaged in a tussle with Mysterio for a title match at the aforementioned event. However, his departure means that someone else could step up to the plate. This would require Mysterio to rework his strategy against that opponent. The prestige wrestling promotion has already declared the name of the challenger and it’s none other than Trick Williams.

The 29-year-old NXT star, however, did not earn his selection randomly. In fact, he won a fatal four-way match, defeating opponents Tyler Bate, Axiom, and Dragon Lee. Interestingly, Williams wasn’t supposed to compete in the match on the September 26 episode of NXT. The match was initially planned as a triple-threat bout between the other three wrestlers. But he was able to have a word with NXT creative head and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels and make the list following the alteration.

Read More: “Run All of WWE”: Despite Just 4 Years as an Active Wrestler, Dominik Mysterio Proves Why His Job Didn’t Come From Nepotism

Meanwhile, WWE has also made another announcement, which is likely to increase Dom Dom’s difficulty.

Dominik Mysterio’s recent foe to join hands with Trick Williams at No Mercy?

The North American Championship bout will feature a guest referee. The surprise announcement reportedly surfaced after the show went off air. Dragon Lee, who Mysterio defeated recently on RAW, to defend his belt, has attained the role.

Lee, who has been endorsed by Rey Mysterio as the future of Lucha Libre, failed to keep up with the latter’s rogue son at the flagship brand. However, the luchador showed glimpses of his brilliance during his first match on the main roster.

He is now likely to avenge the loss by favoring Williams during the bout. On the other hand, Dominik Mysterio, who thus far has been winning matches with help from his stable mates- Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, and Damian Priest- managed to secure the win without any aid. In fact, no member of The Judgement Day attended the match in order to lend a helping hand if the need arose.

Overall, with Mysterio’s growth as an in-ring performer and Williams’ recent surge, the match promises to deliver thrills and twists aplenty. That said, many will miss Mustafa Ali, as the seasoned performer with his mic work and wrestling prowess would have posed another level of difficulty for the current champion.

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So, what’s your take on the replacement? Let us know in the comments.