When Dominik Mysterio initially made his debut in WWE, it was impossible to divorce him from his father.

Pre-“Dirty” Dom dressed like his father, used basically the same move set, and was effectively utilized as the future WWE Hall of Famer's shadow, as they worked as a tag team up until Judgment Day got their talons into his developing mind.

Discussing the plight of being a second-generation Superstar, Corey Graves reflected on Mysterio's WWE run on his After The Bell podcast and let it be known that, in his opinion, Mysterio was smart to differentiate himself from his all-time legendary father.

“Dominik, to me, is doing some of the best work in the business right now. Part of it was out of necessity, in a sense that, look at all the second, third generation superstars that have walked through the doors in WWE. Yes, you have your Charlotte Flairs. Yes, you have your Randy Ortons, but having a famous last name, particularly in that Hall of Fame tier, can oftentimes be more of a curse than it is a blessing,” Corey Graves said via Wrestling Inc.

“He's still young, he's still green as we say. Dom is only gonna get better, which should be a terrifying thought for everyone on the roster. Dom, instead of leaning on his Mysterio name, [Dominik's] forsaken it, and he's taken a hard left in a completely different direction going, ‘I'm going to make my own path. I'm going to make my own fortune.' Someday down the line, we know how this story goes. They're going to meet again. There's going to be some sort of repercussions for the years of turmoil between Rey and Dom. It will come to a pinnacle again, but in the meantime, just appreciate it for what it is.”

Would anyone have faulted Dominik for sticking around with his father, playing the Santos Escobar role in the new LWO? No; while fans weren't exactly big fans of the Mysterio-Mysterio pairing, few would have faulted the second-generation WWE Superstar for wanting to ride out his father's glory days by his side. By swerving and going the opposite way, however, Dom gets to create his own legacy, which is exactly what his father did a few decades earlier.

Dominik Mysterio comments on his feud with Dragon Lee.

On Monday Night RAW, Dominik Mysterio took part in one of the most important matches of his professional wrestling career when he wrestled Dragon Lee for the NXT North American Championship in the former La Faccion Ingobernable member's main roster debut.

While the match has largely been viewed as a coming out party for the masked luchador, with fans who weren't familiar with his work immediately falling in love with the high-flying phenomenon, for Dom, it was more about proving he's the Mysterio to watch within the WWE Universe, as he's out to make Rey irrelevant.

“Now, I wouldn't say I'm intimidated by Dragon Lee. You know, I've dealt with guys like Dragon Lee my entire life growing up in this Lucha Libre style of wrestling, especially someone who's trying to be like my dad. So, you can say I have some experience with it. So, I don't think I'm intimidated by him at all. I've already beaten him. Unfortunately, he has also had a victory over me, but it was a fluke victory. I have a clean victory over him. So, I don't think I'm really intimidated by it, and I see myself walking out still the NXT North American Champion,” Dominik Mysterio said via 411 Mania.

“I don't think there will ever be the next Rey Mysterio. Not because he's my dad, but because the Mysterio that matters is me. I'm the one out here putting the Mysterio name on my back and taking the NXT North American Title to literally all of North America, which is Canada, Mexico, and the United States. No one's ever done that. So the fact that I'm main eventing all three shows in one week, literally the main event of RAW every week. There is no ‘next Rey Mysterio.' I'm the Mysterio that matters, plain and simple.”

Did Mysterio prove his mettle on Monday Night RAW? Debatable; after being consistently outworked by Lee for the duration of the match, Mysterio's win felt more out of obligation, as opposed to a well-earned victory based on his in-ring merits. Still, today, Mysterio is the North American Champion, and Dragon Lee is not, and based on his comments since winning the match, that's all that matters to “Dirty” Dom.