Editor Andrea is here to talk WRESTLING:

Hi and welcome to the Semi-Annual Wrestling Roundup with your Babyface Trivia Mafiosa Andrea. I am known for trying to shove as many wrestling questions into the weekly games as I can and it never works out in my favor (i.e. someone always complains). SO, I am elated to have this space to talk about this topic near and dear to my heart. Earlier this month, I crossed a thing off my Bucket List and made the trip to Los Angeles to go to WrestleMania 39! A lot (of questionable hair choices) happened since, so let’s recap just one of the highlights of WrestleMania weekend.

One of the highlights of WrestleMania 39 was the intense feud between Rey Mysterio Jr. and Dominik Mysterio, a father and son with a legacy deeply rooted in the WWE universe. It’s a story that arguably had its roots in the infamous “Custody of Dominik” ladder match between Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero at SummerSlam 2005. I’d say that the rivalry between Rey and Dom isn’t quite over, but it did reach an apex earlier this month with the father-and-son match at WrestleMania 39. Their storyline leading up to this was a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with family drama, betrayal, and eventual redemption. Dominik’s heel turn at last September’s “Clash at the Castle” deeply hurt Rey, as it not only shattered their father-son bond but also challenged Rey's legacy as a wrestler and a father. Dominik’s increasing resemblance to the late Eddie Guerrero as Dom becomes even more of a baddie with his Judgement Day cronies is no coincidence, and only served to break Rey even further. Dom adds fuel to the fire and insults his father by saying that he wishes that Eddie was his real father. Ouch. Rey finally said, “Enough is enough” when Dom turned the insults to his own mother and Rey’s wife, Angie. Determined to settle the score at the grandest stage of them all, Rey took on Dom’s challenge of a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 39.

At some point during this feud, the WWE announces that Rey Mysterio Jr. is headlining the 2023 Hall of Fame class. With numerous championships, including multiple world titles, and a reputation as one of the most talented and charismatic wrestlers in the industry, it’s a well-deserved honor for Rey. Not only is it an honor, Rey’s induction into the Hall of Fame was brought forth by a profound and heartfelt induction speech by his mentor and former manager, Konnan. In his speech, Konnan highlights Rey’s illustrious career and his journey of bridging cultural barriers to become a global lucha icon. Luchadors like Rey Mysterio Jr. have a rich cultural heritage in Mexico and Rey only helped introduce it to a global audience through his work beginning in the ’80s in major wrestling promotions such as Lucha Libre AAA, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and WWE. It’s honestly a beautiful thing to me when someone gets inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame while they’re still alive or, in Rey’s case, still actively wrestling. Other inductees in the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame are referee Tim White, who passed away last year, and provocateur/song-and-dance-man Andy Kaufman. In his speech, Rey pays respect to those whom he had the honor of facing in the ring, including Psicosis, Randy Orton, Batista, and of course, Eddie Guerrero.

Dominik Mysterio’s punk ass couldn’t even be bothered to stay for his father’s Hall of Fame speech. He, Rhea Ripley, and Damian Priest got up and left shortly after it began. You could even see through the bedazzled mask how disappointed and heartbroken Rey felt to see this happen during a big milestone in his career. It adds to the emotional investment we all felt in watching this match the following night at WrestleMania.

Fast forward approximately 24 hours to WrestleMania Day 1. It’s an electric night so far. John Cena kicks the show off by making some kids’ dreams come true. When it is time for the highly anticipated Rey/Dom match, Dominik is escorted to the ring from prison in handcuffs with four corrections officers (one of the corrections officers being none other than literal Frontman and F1rst Wrestling powerhouse JAH-C! Having seen Jah-C wrestle many times in Minneapolis, I felt like a proud indie wrestling fan, but I digress). To add insult to injury, Dom makes his entrance with a similar looking mask to Rey’s, cheapening the sanctity and legacy that Rey’s mask brings. Rey Mysterio strikes back with a tribute of his own to his late friend Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania 39 by coming to the ring in a lowrider, driven by rapper and WrestleMania Co-Host Snoop Dogg. Rey even uses a little bit of Eddie’s old theme music before his own music hit. Cut to me crying a little in the audience. ¡Viva la Raza!

Just picture walking into a stadium where more than 75,000 people want to see you get beat up by your dad. The Ringer was right when they said, “Imagine if we could all watch Tom Hanks beat up Chet Haze.” On the outside looking in, it is very terrible to cheer on a dad beating up his son. However, these are sports entertainers we’re talking about and the crowd reaction of all of SoFi Stadium cheering on Rey is something I won’t ever forget. The place erupted in cheers. At some point Dom tries to illegally use a chain as a weapon but Bad Bunny, who had joined the Spanish commentary team as a guest before the match, intervenes and takes the chain away from Dom. Rey wins and he embraces his family in victory. It’s a feel-good story for the ages. Even in defeat, Dominik is made a star by his own father. As I mentioned earlier, this feud isn’t over and this certainly won’t be the last we’ll see of Rey and Dom Mysterio. But until next time, thanks for reading the Semi-Annual Wrestling Roundup! For more pro wrestling talk, follow me on Instagram @mobyoctopad or send me an email at andrea@triviamafia.com.