5 Potential challengers for Dominik Mysterio's WWE Intercontinental Championship
'Dirty' Dominik Mysterio won his first major WWE singles championship on the grand stage of WrestleMania 41 in Allegiant Stadium. Since his much-celebrated victory, Dom has successfully defended his Intercontinental gold against former AEW star Penta El Ciero Miedo. At only 28 years old, the future looks bright for one of Monday Night RAW's standout talents.
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious prizes in professional wrestling and sports entertainment. The title dates back to 1979, and since then, it has been held by iconic superstars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and Triple H. Dirty Dom has some big shoes to fill during his first reign with the legendary belt.
There are sure to be numerous superstars looking to dethrone Dirty Dom and win the Intercontinental Title. Let's examine five potential challengers for the youngest star currently in The Judgment Day!
#5. Former two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles
The dirtiest wrestler on the RAW roster disrespected The Phenomenal One, interrupting Nick Aldis' discussion with AJ Styles on the April 28 episode of Monday Night RAW. The young Mysterio made fun of the 47-year-old Styles for apparently being old, suggesting that Aldis was talking about a retirement home for AJ.
Aldis wanted to speak about potential opponents and opportunities for Styles, and judging by the way that segment turned out, it's very likely that the inaugural TNA X Division Champion will be locking horns with Dominik Mysterio sometime soon.
Styles is a highly decorated wrestling veteran who has won world titles in every major promotion he has joined. The Gainesville-native has held two reigns apiece with the top men's singles title of WWE (before its current undisputed status) and New Japan's now-retired IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He's also held five singles world title reigns in TNA, with three reigns as NWA World Heavyweight Champion and two stints as TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Dirty Dom could gain a lot by defeating a competitor of the caliber of The Phenomenal One. Styles is also a former WWE Intercontinental Champion, and he'll have a chance to add a second reign as IC Champ to his résumé if he can overcome Dominik and his Judgment Day cohorts.
#4. Penta (again)
Penta was screwed out of his most recent Intercotinental Title match after a returning JD McDonagh interfered and helped Dirty Dom overcome the fearless luchador. The former AEW World Tag Team Champion has beef with numerous wrestlers on the red brand, ranging from The Judgment Day to Chad Gable.
Whether one-on-one or in a multi-person match, Penta will likely again find himself contending for Dominik's gold in 2025. Considering that Gable had his heart set on winning the IC Championship for years and AJ Styles appears to be an emerging challenger, another Fatal Four-Way title match isn't out of the question for Penta and Dom.
#3. El Grande Americano
Chad Gable couldn't become Intercontinental Champion in 2023 and 2024, but maybe his amigo El Grande Americano has a better chance of achieving that task in 2025. Americano currently has more momentum than Gable following a WrestleMania victory against Rey Fenix, and it'd make greater sense for someone like him to receive a title match rather than a wrestler who was seemingly off the cards of The Show of Shows this year.
If Grande goes after Dominik's gold, maybe it'll be in a multi-man match like a Triple Threat or a Fatal Four-Way. Dirty Dom seemingly has unfinished business with Penta and AJ Styles. Perhaps the tongue-in-cheek legendary luchador will be thrown into the mix because of Gable's beef with El Zero Miedo. Penta physically assaulted Chad on last week's episode of RAW during a backstage segment. Grande could retaliate on Gable's behalf, akin to Americano eliminating Rey Fenix from the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal after Fenix had eliminated Chad Gable.
#2. Former four-time WWE World Champion Sheamus
The Celtic Warrior's goal before retirement is to become Intercontinental Champion. So far, Sheamus has failed in every attempt at becoming IC Champ, most notably losing to Gunther in epic matches on PLEs like Clash At The Castle 2022 and WrestleMania 39.
The Irishman hasn't been seen on televised WWE programming since competing in the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble match. If and when he does return, Sheamus will likely be hungry for Dirty Dom's gold.
Sheamus most recently wrestled during WWE's tour of the United Kingdom on March 22nd and 23rd, losing to Bron Breakker in a pair of matches for the Intercontinental Title. Dominik may be in for the hardest-hitting test of his IC Championship reign if the Irishman returns looking for the title that has eluded him his entire in-ring career.
#1. The inaugural WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor
Tensions have been brewing between Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor for months. Finn is also the wrestler Dom pinned to become Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania 41. Many onlookers predict an upcoming split between The Prince and Dominik, potentially leading to another battle over the Intercontinental Championship.
While some suggest that Dominik will betray and replace Balor, it's possible that the opposite may end up happening. It would be a shocking twist if Liv Morgan cheats on Dom with Balor and they stab the IC Champ in the back, revealing a new onscreen romance between Finn and Morgan and setting the table for a Dominik face turn. Dirty Dom was heavily cheered at WrestleMania 41, potentially foreshadowing a character change for the red brand's midcard men's champion.
