On the final episode of RAW before Money in the Bank, Dominik Mysterio decided he wanted to do something nice for the fans in Savannah, Georgia, and welcome them to the show.
Unfortunately, the crowd wouldn't let him get a sentence in either way, leading to visible frustration from the second-generation WWE Superstar and his Mami, Rhea Ripley, being forced into action in order to send a message to Cody Rhodes before their match at Money in the Bank live from the O2 Arena in London, England.
“Cody Rhodes, you little favorite Cody Rhodes, he's nothing but a wannabe and a loser,” Ripley said as the crowd booed. “His momentum has been slowing down as of late, and at Money in the Bank, Dom's gonna end it.”
In true wrestling fashion, when his name was evoked on the mic, a Superstar appears, and moments after the opening bars of “Kingdom” rang through the arena, the “American Nightmare” emerged from the back and sauntered on down to the ring in order to send a serious message to his Money in the Bank opponent.
“Dom, I think I know what you were trying to do; it would have been pretty special,” Rhodes announced as the crowd went wild. “I'll just go ahead and do it: Savannah, Georgia, welcome to Monday Night RAW!”
Enthused by his efforts, Ripley stood her ground and sent a shot back at the “American Nightmare.”
“Cody, you can try to bully my Dom Dom as much as you'd like, but Dom is a very dangerous man,” Ripley responded before Mysterio whispered a message in her ear. “And Dom says that at Money in the Bank, he's going to show you exactly how dangerous he is.”
Welp, that's that, right? Rhodes turned around and left the arena, choosing to let his actions do the talking at Money in the Bank, right?
… yeah, if Rhodes has taught fans anything in WWE, it's that he loves to talk and will do it early and often before any big-time fight.
Cody Rhodes decimates Dominik Mysterio ahead of Money in the Bank.
With a segment to burn and nowhere to be for the next hour or so, Cody Rhodes decided to lay out once and for all to Dominik Mysterio and the entire WWE Universe exactly what's at stake in London and what he hopes to accomplish at the O2 Arena.
“Oh, thank you for the education. Dom has proved tactile and lobbed a few cheap shots, which are dangerous actually; effective. You're a smart guy; I'm sure you've heard this one before, ‘then Dom, go ahead, be who you are, say how you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter, they don't mind.' Do you know who said that? The Cat in the Hat. Yeah, the Cat in the Hat; a children's book. I'm quoting a children's book because that's what you are; you are a scared little boy,” Rhodes said.
“Dom, come on! Damian Priest isn't running from me. Damian Priest, me and him tonight for the first time ever; where are you going, Dom? Come on, show me something. Come on, hey Dom, I'm right here; I'll give you a free shot; let's do this here and now.”
Whoa, congratulation Savannah, Georgia; you get a free Mysterio-Rhodes match without having to fly to London… or did they? No, despite Mysterio posturing like a tough guy, he ultimately sulked back to his Mami and stood on as the “American Nightmare” handed him a few parting words before their match at the O2.
“Okay, Dom, okay; I see you walking, I see you leaving; here we are again; like I said, these cheap shots have proven to be effective, dangerous, dirty, ‘Dirty Dom.'” Rhodes said. “Dom, on Saturday at Money in the Bank, you are stepping in an entirely different body of water. I want you to show me something; I wanna find out, Dom, if you are half the man your father is or if you're just Mami's little boy.”
Is Rhodes right? Is Dominik stepping into an entirely different body of water than he's used to, especially when his warm-up match was against Akira Tozawa instead of one of Rhodes' friends like Kevin Owens? Or will the son of Rey Mysterio prove the entire WWE Universe wrong and secure the upset win of the century, maybe with Ripley or the “Beast Incarnate,” Brock Lesnar providing an assist that shakes the foundations of RAW forever? Fans will have to tune into Money in the Bank to find out.