Dominik Mysterio on Earning Cody Rhodes’ Approval: “It’s A Blessing”

Dominik Mysterio has addressed the “stamp of approval” he received from undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, noting that the endorsement holds great meaning for him. Rhodes had publicly referred to Mysterio as a key part of WWE’s future.

Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Mysterio reflected on how his WWE journey began in 2020, during the pandemic, when fan attendance was limited. He said the transition from performing in empty venues to packed arenas has influenced his character and his connection with live audiences. He mentioned that current crowd reactions play an important role in shaping his work on television.

“Man, I feel like I’m just getting started. I started during the pandemic in 2020… The first half of my career had no fans. So now, leading into this, now we get crowd reactions, so for me, I live off of that…”

He said that receiving positive remarks from Rhodes felt “cool to hear” and said he viewed it as a fortunate moment in his career.

“Like you said, ‘future of the WWE’ and hearing Cody (Rhodes) say that. Cody’s like that big brother that goes off to college and you don’t really see him every now and then, but you get excited when he comes back to town, and you want that stamp of approval from him, you know? So it’s really cool to hear that from him, and it’s a blessing. I’m just fortunate to be able to do my thing.”

Dominik Mysterio is preparing for another high-profile match as part of John Cena’s farewell tour. He will challenge for the WWE Intercontinental Champion at Survivor Series: WarGames. He recently reflected on facing the legend in three out of his four final dates.

Please credit 411mania if you use any quotes from this article.

"Cody's like that big brother. … You want that stamp of approval from him. It's really cool to hear that from him."

Dominik Mysterio on Cody Rhodes saying he's the future of the WWE 🤩 pic.twitter.com/MYoB1GypAW

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 18, 2025