25 Best Wrestling Moments Of 2025

4. Dominik Mysterio Wins The Intercontinental Title

Dominik Mysterio
WWE

On a strict or pedantic basis, the Intercontinental title switch at WrestleMania 41 should have been an eye-roll of a booking choice.

WWE wanted to take the belt off Bron Breakker, ahead of a promotion up the card, but they didn’t want to pin him. A Fatal 4-Way match was booked to accomplish that goal - which didn’t deter fans from feeling like ‘Mania 41 was a political compromise of a show more concerned with packing stars on it than telling bold, high-stakes stories via the biggest possible singles matches of the year.

This particular booking choice was sound, in and of itself, since Dom was a cowardly love-to-hate figure. He pinned Finn Bálor in a smash-and-grab.

People had grown to love Dom as an entertaining midcard fixture too stupid to realise how quickly he was drawn to trouble. Dom played a classic heel role wonderfully - the punchable face, the overestimation of his own ability, the callous dismissal of his father’s influence - but nobody realised quite how much, until he won the gold. The fans exploded. One of the biggest heels of his generation received one of the biggest babyface pops in WWE history.

This was a massive, deserving roar of appreciation for Dominik Mysterio, who might well be the biggest success story of Triple H’s booking career. Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns were hot before Triple H took over. Dom was his long-term project, and his evolution from bland, dorky nepo-baby to deadpan entitled idiot was incredible.

A lot of Triple H “guys” are frosting over now - Drew McIntyre being one of them - but Dom is still ridiculously over. The next WrestleMania pop might not be so unexpected.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!