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Dominik Mysterio will defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Penta at the Backlash Premium Live Event. The 27-year-old star will face a luchador great, who is a skilled performer in the ring. Dom will certainly have a challenging time with Penta inside the squared circle. However, besides Penta, other superstars are also on the roster, and they could have put up a good storyline with Dom leading up to Backlash.
In this article, we will list three superstars who would have been better challengers for Dominik than Penta.
#3. Former WWE Champion AJ Styles
The Phenomenal would have been a decent challenger for the Intercontinental Title. It was surprising that AJ Styles wasn't part of the Intercontinental Title match at WrestleMania 41, as he had shown interest in the gold. On tonight's episode of RAW, Styles confronted Dominik directly, stating that he intended to pursue the IC title.
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If the contest is fair between Styles and Dominik, we know who's going to win it. Unfortunately, it won't happen this way. Even against Penta, The Judgment Day members, especially JD McDonagh and Carlito, would likely provide outside help to Dominik. Thus, if Styles goes after Dom's title, he'll have to arrange for some backup, as the entire Judgment Day will be against him.
#2. Finn Balor
A potential betrayal followed by a bitter storyline between Dominik and Balor would have been a treat for the fans. Finn and Dominik are no longer on the same page. In fact, the two have been at odds since Dominik started calling the shots in the group. The Prince has not been happy with Dom overriding him, and Dirty Dom further annoyed him by scoring the pin against his Judgment Day member at WrestleMania 41.
Finn told Dominik on RAW after 'Mania, 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' However, it seems that the Irish Gun is not delighted with Dom's win. A split in The Judgment is bound to happen, and it might happen after Backlash.
#1. Sheamus
Sheamus didn't have a match at WrestleMania 41. It would have been fine if The Celtic Warrior had been given a shot at the Intercontinental title against Dominik at Backlash. The three-time WWE Champion hasn't been featured in any good storylines since his return to the Stamford-based promotion last year.
Aside from a few matches against Ludwig Kaiser, the 47-year-old star hasn't been in the ring with another great name. Moreover, Sheamus is also the one who needs the Intercontinental title. That's the only title he hasn't won in his career, and it has also prevented him from becoming the Grand Slam Champion in WWE.
A match against Dominik at Backlash would have done him good. However, the company seems to have other plans for him. The Celtic Warrior made his return on Monday Night RAW tonight after nearly three months away. He was last seen at WWE Royal Rumble, and after that, he was absent from the scene. The Irish superstar defeated Austin Theory in his return match tonight. It will be interesting to see who Sheamus is booked against in WWE next week.
