Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio has been pulling double duty for a while now, competing at both WWE and AAA shows. Earlier this month, he wrestled at the AAA Guerra de Titanes event in Guadalajara, Mexico, teaming with El Grande Americano to battle his father, Rey Mysterio, and Rey Fenix.
However, we later learned that the Judgement Day member suffered a legitimate shoulder injury. It reportedly occurred during the closing moments of the match when Dominik took a DDT from Rey, and there were conflicting reports about whether he'd ultimately need surgery for a potentially separated shoulder.
During Monday's RAW, it was briefly mentioned that Dirty Dom would be out of action "indefinitely." However, if Dave Meltzer is to be believed, he's not going to require surgery and could be back in action as soon as next month.
"Dominik Mysterio, he found out that he does not need surgery," Meltzer reported. "What I was told today is that they’re looking at 3-4 weeks, so it’s not a long-term thing. He should be back for the Rumble. The timeline is fluid, but 3-4 weeks is the number he got from the doctors."
Fortunately, it's doubtful that WWE will strip Mysterio of the Intercontinental Championship after he recently regained it from John Cena at Survivor Series: WarGames, and a surprise Royal Rumble appearance makes sense.
Dominik has been pulled from WWE's ongoing holiday tour, but with the Rumble scheduled for January 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he has ample time to recover if Meltzer's latest update is correct.
"I enjoy being a bad guy," Mysterio said of his status as one of WWE's biggest heels earlier this year. "I feel like I have more liberty in what I can do, say, and get away with. I feel like I’m pushing the boundaries a little bit more. This might sound terrible, but kids and their dads will show up to events and I’m like, 'Is that your dad? He’s probably a deadbeat too.'"
"So it’s just getting to have more fun with them other than being a good guy. I’ve witnessed that my whole life with my dad. I wanted to do something different with the Mysterio name."
"Starting off with him by my side was a huge cheat code," he added, sending some kind words his father's way. "The man’s been in this business for 30-plus years now, so being able to have him ringside for my first couple of matches — he was literally guiding me, yelling at me, [telling me] what to do, how to do it. That was very helpful for me to grow and learn in-ring."
"But being able to get away from it and realizing what I can do on my own, it’s almost like removing the training wheels off the bike. Once I realized I no longer needed them, it was game time."
Stay tuned for updates on Dominik's status as we have them.