WWE Survivor Series match at Petco Park might give Padres fans exactly what they need

Dominik Mysterio has lived the San Diego dream that many have grown up picturing for themselves. Local kid, lifelong Padres fan, now walking into Petco Park under the lights with a championship on the line. Only this time, the bases are replaced by turnbuckles, and instead of facing a division rival, he’s staring down John Cena in what’s being billed as one of the final stops on Cena’s retirement tour.

If that setup sounds familiar to Padres fans, it should. A beloved veteran, one of the greatest ever, coming into a hostile environment for a legacy-defining moment? San Diego has watched that movie way too many times from the wrong side. But for once, the script might finally flip in their favor.

Petco Park’s WWE Survivor Series moment could hit Padres fans right in the feelings

There’s real storytelling juice baked into this match. Cena recently snatched the Intercontinental Championship away from Mysterio in his hometown of Boston, completing a feel-good moment for one of WWE’s all-time babyfaces. Now the belt is on the line again, only this time in San Diego, with the roles reversed.

Mysterio, who was born in San Diego and grew up in the orbit of his legendary father Rey, walks into Petco Park as the unquestioned villain on TV. But tonight, that “bad guy” might get the kind of love usually reserved for a walk-off homer.

On WWE programming, Dominik Mysterio is easy to boo. That’s literally his job. He’s smug, whiny, constantly ducking fights — the kind of character that gets showered in boos before his music even hits. But peel back the character, and you’ve got a dude who reps San Diego as loudly as anyone.

He was recently featured in the Padres’ City Connect 2.0 ad, leaning all the way into the identity the team has been building with the city. There’s no hiding who he roots for when he’s in the stands. This is a Padres diehard stepping into a ring.

So don’t be shocked if the “heel” entrance at Petco sounds more like a Fernando Tatis Jr. at-bat. The same fanbase that spends 162 games riding emotional rollercoasters in this ballpark might decide, just for one night, to rally behind one of their own, even if he’s technically supposed to be the bad guy.

Padres fans have some things to get off their chest. Between disappointing seasons, payroll drama, front office angst, there’s plenty of pent-up frustration around San Diego sports right now.

WWE is built for exactly that kind of emotional release. Instead of watching a bullpen meltdown or runners stranded in scoring position, fans inside Petco on Nov. 29 get something much simpler: a hometown kid trying to topple the supposed G.O.A.T.

His match with Cena at Survivor Series won’t change the roster construction, won’t fix the rotation, and won’t magically erase any past heartbreak at Petco Park. But for a few hours, it gives the fanbase something pure to latch onto.

For all the Padres fans still carrying the weight of another letdown season, a win for San Diego’s own in the middle of WWE chaos might not just be entertaining. 

It might be exactly what they need.