Dominik Mysterio is tired.

Since somehow becoming one of the top stars in the entire WWE Universe, a heel so hated that he can't even speak in front of most live audiences, Mysterio has become Judgment Day's go-to setup man, a multi-time NXT North American Champion, and even received a very public spanking from his father in front of 70,000-plus fans in Inglewood, California, at WrestleMania 39.

Stopping by the backstage area of SmackDown to discuss his forthcoming match with Dragon Lee at Deadline after watching the “Future of Lucha Libre” take an L to Santos Escobar in the United States Championship tournament, Mysterio expressed to Cathy Kelley just how tired he is, as he feels as though he's been carrying the entire WWE Universe for two years now.

“Well, you know, my back also hurts from carrying this company on my back for the past almost two years now. I already beat Dragon Lee twice with my dad in his corner,” Dominik Mysterio told Cathy Kelley. “So I don't know why I need to continue to prove myself on why I'm the greatest NXT North American Champion that has ever stepped foot on this planet. Anyway, I think we're done here because I need to go somewhat prepare for Dragon Lee, I guess. I mean, I already beat the guy, but whatever.”

Can Mysterio keep his title with so many other things on his mind? Or will Drgon Lee become the new NXT North American Champion, even though he's become a full-on SmackDown star over the past few weeks? Either way, it's unlikely things are going to slow down for Mysterio any time soon, even if he really wants it to.

Booker T is incredibly proud of Dominik Mysterio.

Speaking of Dominik Mysterio and his Deadline match with Dragon Lee, the man who will be calling his match, Booker T, decided to comment on the second-generation luchador's progression over the past few years and let it be known just how proud he is of Rey Mysterio's son.

“Dominik Mysterio has had a h*ll of a year as far as being a heel and a guy that the fans really despise, being a guy that the fans want to come to the arena and pay a ticket to despise. He’s done a h*ll of a job on the main roster as well as coming to NXT and spicing that game up a whole lot. What he’s done for NXT, I don’t see anybody else doing a better job than what Dom has done,” Booker T said on his Hall of Fame podcast via Fightful.

“I might be going out there a little bit here, but I truly believe that you could put five guys in the WWE as far as MVP of the year, and Dom could be one of those names, and I really believe, at the end of that poll, Dominik would be the MVP of 2023, bar none. I really believe that. This kid changed the whole name of the game and showed what it really means to be a performer. What he does out of the ring is awesome. But then I turn to what he does inside the ring, he is so freaking uncanny. I talk to my students, and I tell them, wrestling, there’s no wrong way of doing this as long as you do it right. He has all of those elements to where it may not be traditional, but it’s right, every single freaking time. That’s what I love about watching Dominik do his work in the ring and like I said, what he’s done outside the ring, it hasn’t been a whole lot at all, but it’s definitely make you feel something. You can’t remember a Dominik promo [but you remember the boos]. That’s what I mean by performer. He’s definitely embraced that part of the game, so a lot of credit to that young kid.”

You have to admit, Booker T really has a point, as even if you don't like Dominik Mysterio's schtick, which some fans genuinely don't, he has borderline mastered how to work as a heel before he turned 30  and has become so good at being bad that some fans have embraced him in a full-circle meta way. While he probably wouldn't be many wrestling fan's MVP for 2023, as he can't really wrestle at the same level as, say, Will Ospreay, Gunther, or even his Deadline opponent, Dragon Lee, when it comes to working over an audience and schmoozing it up against pretty much anyone, few are better than the younger Mysterio.