Dominik Mysterio’s ‘Time Is Now’ for a Passing-of-the-Torch Moment from John Cena in San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- Petco Park is a stadium Dominik Mysterio knows well. He has visited countless times to watch his San Diego Padres and has even thrown out the ceremonial first pitch.

On Saturday, he’ll step inside the ballpark for something entirely different—his first-ever match in Petco Park and a return to the city he calls home.

“It only feels right,” Mysterio said.

He recalled watching his father, Rey Mysterio, wrestle at the old San Diego Sports Arena, remembering even a security guard named Tony who watched a 5-year-old Dominik come to see his dad—now seeing “Dirty Dominik Mysterio” return to wrestle there.

“That's special to me because I grew up going to that arena, seeing, you know, my deadbeat dad wrestle there,” Mysterio said.

This weekend, Mysterio comes home for what is likely the biggest match of his career and the biggest feud of his young run—against the legendary John Cena.

Cena, who once lived in San Diego, has just two matches left before he hangs up his jorts for good: Saturday at Petco Park, and one final match on December 13 in Washington, D.C. After that, fans won’t see him in a ring again.

When Cena announced his retirement a year ago, one name fans immediately wanted him to mix it up with—on the mic and in the ring—was the brash, rising Mysterio.

WWE

Two weeks ago, during Cena’s final WWE appearance near his hometown of Boston, he reflected on his career—until Mysterio interrupted.

“This is for me and this is about me, so I had to make it about me,” Mysterio said.

Moments later, Triple H made the match for the Intercontinental Championship. Cena won, becoming a Grand Slam Champion for the first time in his career.

A week later, Mysterio interrupted Cena again—this time to demand a rematch, but not in Madison Square Garden. He wanted it in his city, his stadium, with his people.

“It's a dream come true for me, man,” Mysterio said.

Under the bright lights, Mysterio held his own with one of the greatest ever. He didn’t look intimidated. If anything, he leaned into his confident persona, smirking when he told Cena, “Any era I would have whooped John Cena’s ass.”

Mysterio is 0-1 against Cena in singles action, but Saturday could be far more meaningful than regaining the IC title or becoming a double champion again—it could be a passing of the torch.

Two years ago, when I spoke to Mysterio during a San Diego return with The Judgment Day, I wrote “How Dominik Mysterio turned into the biggest heel in the WWE.” Today, the question is why WWE should use Saturday’s match as that torch-passing moment. I asked Mysterio what he thought.

“Hell yeah,” Mysterio said. “It speaks for itself.”

WWE has featured him heavily on Raw and house shows, and since acquiring AAA, he has also become their AAA Mega Campeon—the equivalent of WWE Champion. He held the Intercontinental Championship for 204 days before losing it to Cena.

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“You see me everywhere,” Mysterio explained. “There's a reason for it. I'm only five years in. I said it to Cena on Monday. I haven't even hit my peak yet. I feel like I'm still just getting started.”

The company’s trust in him has been clear. In 2023, Mysterio was the opponent chosen for the returns of both Randy Orton and CM Punk. In 2025, he held two championships and now stands opposite Cena in one of his final matches.

“So it's like the fact that they're putting the faith in me to be able to be in these positions and to do all this, it just it says a lot,” Mysterio said. “The amount of trust that they have for me, and I'm here for it, man. There's no moment too big for me. At the end of the day, it's all the same shit, just a different day.”

Mysterio has been in the spotlight since age 5—from debuting as a 23-year-old rookie in a street fight with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2020, to betraying his father at Clash at the Castle in 2022, to winning the IC title at WrestleMania 42. The big moments haven’t swallowed him.

Early on, as a babyface, the expectations may have weighed on him—especially being the son of an all-time great. But instead of shying away from the pressure, he embraced it.

“To me, I saw it as like a challenge,” Mysterio said. “I’m like, ‘Man, fuck that. Give me everything. Give me all that you can possibly get... I'll put all of them on my back, and I'm gonna take the Mysterio name to places it's never been before.’”

Orton, Cena, and Cody Rhodes have all publicly praised him in interviews.

“Special, special talent,” Rhodes on All The Smoke. “He’s somebody that’s often cited internally — I don’t think I’m giving anything away here — as somebody who’s gonna be the future of the WWE. He’s one of the ones that when it’s said, I believe it. I think I’m gonna come to a WWE show in 15 years and pay money to see and it will probably be Dom Mysterio on the top of the card, because he’s figuring out how to do it.”

"I'm incredibly grateful to get in there with Dom Mysterio, who I respect and admire,” Cena said on WWE Raw Recap. “He reminds me a lot of me, and he reminds me of a lot of the mistakes I've made. I can see all of the mistakes which are about to happen with him, and I want to shake him and be like 'you're going to do this', but I want him to learn for himself. But he is authentic, he's reliable, he works hard and is passionate about the business, he'll learn, he'll figure the rest out."

"Oh my God, that kid has got a hell of a future in store,” Orton said on The Bump. “We haven't even seen anything from him yet and he's already done so much. The reaction he gets from the people... I've been able to work with him on some live events recently and the kid is good. He's got the future by the balls..."

They unanimously believe he’s the future—and when those quotes were read to him, he smiled before sliding back into the smug grin fans now expect.

“It’s amazing,” Mysterio said. “It's really cool to hear. They're not wrong. It just seems like when they need something done, I'm the guy for them.”

Chavo Guerrero has also taken notice, praising Mysterio’s blend of Mysterio and Guerrero traditions as he continues both legacies.

Mysterio uses moves from both men, from tucking the ring-bell hammer into his boot to hitting the 619 and frog splash.

“As a kid, I was told the one who's going to carry the Guerrero legacy is going to be me,” Mysterio said. “So I've said it before. I got two legacies on my back.”

WWE

Eventually, WWE will have to decide when to place a world championship on him. The build has been deliberate and effective—the crowd reacts, whether cheering or booing. And Mysterio believes his time is coming.

“The world might be ready, but I don't know if WWE is ready,” Mysterio said. “Their hands are going to be way too full if I'm the world champion. They're going to have no idea what to do with me.”

The WWE finds itself at a crossroads as Cena nears retirement and many top stars—Rhodes, Reigns, Orton, Punk—are in their 40s. With Mysterio at just 28, it’s time to elevate younger talent.

Saturday night’s showdown with Cena should be the passing of the torch. A win could transform Mysterio’s career and solidify him as one of WWE’s next foundational stars.

It all begins Saturday at Petco Park, against John Cena, one final time.

“I’m very blessed,” Mysterio said. “This is a wild opportunity, and I'm just taking advantage of every single one of them.”