Dominik Mysterio’s reign as Intercontinental Champion continues, but not without controversy. During his title defense against AJ Styles on tonight’s episode of Raw in Paris, Mysterio secured the victory only after El Grande Americano emerged from under the ring to attack the challenger.
The interference came at a critical moment in the 16-minute bout. Styles had Mysterio in position for the Phenomenal Forearm, but El Grande Americano appeared and pulled him off the apron. The masked figure then delivered a headbutt with what appeared to be a loaded mask, allowing Mysterio to hit a Frog Splash for the pinfall. Styles had come close to winning moments earlier after hitting a Styles Clash, but Mysterio managed to get his boot on the rope to break the count.
This marks Mysterio’s fifth successful title defense in a reign that has now lasted 130 days since he won the championship at WrestleMania 41. It is also the second time he has defeated Styles for the title, following their match at SummerSlam, which also ended under dubious circumstances after Mysterio used his boot as a weapon.
The ongoing rivalry between the two has been a focal point on Raw for months and even spilled over into AAA, where Styles interfered in one of Mysterio’s matches. The alliance between Mysterio and El Grande Americano, portrayed by Ludwig Kaiser, appears to be building towards Mysterio’s upcoming AAA Mega Championship match at the Worlds Collide event on September 12.
The Intercontinental Championship match was a featured part of the Raw broadcast from the Paris La Défense Arena, which also saw Adam Pearce announce the plans for the vacant Women’s World Championship and dealt with the fallout from the Clash in Paris premium live event.