4 Ups And 4 Downs From WWE Hall Of Fame 2023

Ups...

4. Dominik’s Walk-Out

Ever since Rey Mysterio was announced for the Hall of Fame, fans have wondered how WWE was going to handle having Dominik at the ceremony. Would he and his Judgment Day buddies interrupt the ceremony? Would they attack Rey? Or would they just not even show?

Friday, we got our answer. Dom, Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest (who had replaced Buddy Murphy next to Ripley by that time) were seated on the aisle, and they remained firmly planted in their seats while everyone stood for Mysterio. Rey made his way down the aisle, hugging the likes of Kurt Angle, Drew McIntyre, Triple H (who was seated right in front of Dominik) and Booker T (seated behind Judgment Day).

That visual of Dominik, Rhea and Damian sitting there stoically and ignoring Rey was powerful, but they would eventually stand up – and walk out in the beginning of Mysterio’s acceptance speech. The crowd rained down boos, and Rey simply noted that he would handle business at WrestleMania.

It was a perfect way to continue the angle, be true to the characters, and not disrupt or diminish the ceremony or Rey’s honor.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.