6 Ups & 3 Downs From NXT Great American Bash 2023

2. A Predictable Ending

Mustafa Ali Dominik Mysterio
WWE

The Honky Tonk Man’s Intercontinental Championship “defenses” were predictable, as he ran away, got disqualified, or relied on outside interference and cheating to hold onto his title.

So, it shouldn’t have been shocking that Dominik Mysterio defended his NXT North American Championship Sunday by relying on Rhea Ripley once again to bail him out and to capitalize on other wrestlers’ hard work. Dom-Dom retained his title in a Triple Threat when Mustafa Ali hit a 450 splash on Wes Lee, but Ripley pulled him out, allowing Mysterio to nail the frog splash for the pin. That was classic Dom, but also within the confines and rules of the match.

The match itself was pretty good, though it noticeably slowed down whenever Mysterio was involved. Still, they managed to have a nice little bout, while Rhea stole the show with her ringside antics, freaking out multiple times and taunting – and then attacking – Lee.

Who knows how long this Dominik experiment will last? Regardless, it’s pretty hot stuff right now, and maybe, just maybe, Mysterio will pick something up while battling guys like Ali and Lee.

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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.