Rhea Ripley Reacts To Dominik Mysterio Losing WWE NXT North American Title At Deadline

While Dominik Mysterio is no longer the holder of the "WWE NXT" North American Championship, Rhea Ripley remains eternally proud of his efforts this year.

Last night, Mysterio defended the "NXT" North American Championship against Dragon Lee in the opening contest of "NXT" Deadline. Unfortunately for Mysterio, this title defense came without the usual accompaniment of his Judgment Day stablemates, providing a clearer pathway for Lee to dethrone him. Despite her initial disappointment in the match result, Rhea Ripley later provided some encouraging words to her now-titleless teammate. 

"Am I upset? Sad? Mad? Yes. But [Dominik Mysterio] has been THE BIGGEST WORKHORSE within WWE all year! His growth has been insane... Very VERY proud! Forever my Champion," Ripley wrote on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a black and white photograph of herself and Mysterio.

Ripley's sentiments closely echo those recently shared by WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Shawn Michaels, both of whom labeled Mysterio as the MVP of WWE in 2023. Michaels also dubbed Mysterio as "an iron man" for "NXT" this year, referencing Mysterio's hard work and professionalism as evidence of his serious dedication to WWE. Mysterio's hard work would also earn him two reigns as "NXT" North American Champion. 

Across his appearances on "NXT," "WWE Raw," "WWE SmackDown," and live events, Mysterio has wrestled 102 matches for WWE so far this year — the second most of 2023. The only WWE Superstar to exceed Mysterio's number of performances is "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes, who currently stands with 104 matches under his belt this year.