WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio has confirmed that the injury that forced the cancellation of his match at the Night of Champions event was legitimate. In a new interview, Mysterio detailed the rib injury and pushed back on fan speculation that it was a storyline.
Speaking on the Club 520 podcast, “Dirty Dom” addressed the rumors that he was faking an injury to get out of his scheduled match against AJ Styles. He explained the specific and painful nature of the injury he was dealing with.
“I dislocated my two lower ribs. They were digging into my cartilage. That’s why I was hurt,” Mysterio said. “Everyone thought I was faking it, but I was actually hurt.”
The Intercontinental Championship match was originally scheduled for the Night of Champions premium live event but was pulled from the card the week of the show after it was announced Mysterio was not medically cleared to compete. In the weeks that followed, AJ Styles stalked the injured champion until Mysterio was finally cleared for a return to the ring.
With the injury now behind him, “Dirty Dom” is set to finally face “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles this weekend at the two-night SummerSlam premium live event. The highly-anticipated match for the Intercontinental Championship is scheduled to take place on Night Two of the event, this Sunday, August 3rd, live from MetLife Stadium.