Dominik Mysterio has been WWE's surprise hit of 2023. The second-generation star harnessed the disdain some fans have for him who claim he's only where he is because of his dad and has become one of the hottest heels in the business today. The boos from the crowd are so loud whenever Mysterio brings his lips to the mic that you can barely hear him speak, so naturally his North American Title win on NXT this week went down like a led balloon.

So Close To A New Record

Mysterio beat Wes Lee on Tuesday night, naturally having quite a bit of help from The Judgment Day. It's the first time Mysterio has ever won singles gold, and it prevented Lee from breaking a pretty impressive NXT record. Had the former champion kept hold of the title for just five more days, he would have officially been North American Champion longer than anyone else in NXT history.

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Pointed out by Wrestling Stats & Info, Lee's first and only reign as North American Champion was stopped short by Mysterio at 269 days. Carmelo Hayes, who has been North American Champion on two occasions, held the title for 273 days total. There's every chance Lee eventually surpasses that total, providing he is North American Champion again in the future, but for now, Hayes will retain that impressive record.

Still Managed To Set One Record

It's not all bad news for Lee. Even though he doesn't hold the record for most cumulative days as North American Champion, his single reign was longer than any other in the belt's still relatively short history. Quite a bit longer, actually. At 269 days, Lee's reign with the championship was 60 days longer than the next best one, a record previously held by Velveteen Dream who is the only other North American Champion to boast a reign that surpassed 200 days.

Mysterio now has the chance to set some records of his own, but that seems unlikely. While it doesn't appear to have been officially added to the card just yet, it was insinuated that the new champion will need to defend his newly won title against Mustafa Ali at Great American Bash next week. We were finally meant to be getting the Lee vs. Ali match that had been teased for weeks, and I fully expect Ali to win the title from Mysterio so we do eventually get that match after The Bash.