"It's gonna hit you right in the heart like a baseball bat" - Edge on historic WWE SmackDown match in backstage footage
WWE superstar Dominik Mysterio teamed up with his father, Rey, and Edge to take on Roman Reigns and The Usos in a six-man tag team match on SmackDown in July 2021. This was his first WWE match in front of a live crowd.
The promotion recently released a short video documenting everything that transpired backstage right before the match. In the video, Edge can be seen giving a pep talk to Dominik before one of the biggest matches of his career.
"Look at me. You are gonna have a great time," said Edge.
Rey Mysterio was seen talking to his son, who encouraged Dominik to believe in himself. The masked legend also took pride in being able to compete alongside his son, a moment that not many will experience in WWE. Speaking before his match on the July 16th episode of SmackDown, Dominik said:
"For me, this is basically another debut, and it is in front of the live crowd. So, I am blessed and this is exciting. Seeing seats and not seeing the ThunderDome, that's crazy. I feel like I am gonna freaking poop myself, but I also feel like I am rad. I just want to go out there now. I need to go, but I also need to slow down and compose myself."
Rey and Dominik Mysterio were not the only ones who were nervous about the latter's big match. The crowd returned after nearly eighteen months, and Edge wanted to support Dominik every step of the way. The Rated-R Superstar shares a long history with The Mysterios leading him to don the role of the cool, ferocious uncle.
Edge talked about competing alongside Dominik in WWE and reflected on his relationship with the rising superstar. He also discussed the pressure of performing in front of fans but praised Dominik's confidence in his skills. Here's what he had to say:
"To be able to be out there with Dom whom I met when he was four, and he has got pictures of the SmackDown tag titles that Rey and I had. It's all these things again and you can't write that. It just has to happen. If you want to talk about the pressure, Rey and I have been doing this for 30 years, right? Dom's first match in front of an audience is in the main event the night we come back to full crowds. I mean, talk about the pressure cooker."
No wonder there was a sea of emotion in Edge's eyes backstage when Rey Mysterio and Dominik made their entrance.
"It's going to hit you right in the heart like a baseball bat," said Edge.
Edge warned Dominik about performing live but asserted that the WWE crowd's engagement during matches is the best part of the job.
The trio lost on SmackDown after Jey Uso pinned Rey Mysterio, but the iconic match found a special spot for itself in WWE history.
You can watch the entire video below:
Dominik stuns The Usos on WWE SmackDown
Dominik and Rey Mysterio lost the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships to The Usos at Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Jey and Jimmy Uso never picked up a clean victory over the former champions, but they looked dominant.
However, last week Dominik surprised everyone on WWE SmackDown by slyly helping his father defeat Jimmy Uso in a Single's Match. Borrowing a page from The Usos' book, Dominik pressed both his legs against his father's back to help reinforce the pinfall.
Both teams are expected to continue their title feud on the Blue brand in the coming weeks. Rey Mysterio and Dominik might get a deserving tag team championship rematch against The Usos at WWE SummerSlam 2021.