In the past 184 days, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio has bested AJ Styles, Penta, and Octagon Jr. to continue his reign as Intercontinental Champion, and on Monday’s episode of “WWE Raw,” former challenger Rusev attempted to stomp out the young Mysterio’s rising momentum. Rusev’s signature rage — a typical asset for the Bulgarian talent — was ultimately his undoing, as it was an irate interaction with a referee that opened the door for Mysterio cinch in a victory for his eighth successful title defense.

Monday’s contest started as a slugfest in the challenger’s favor, as Rusev alternated between issuing stiff-handed beatdowns to haphazard tosses. Mysterio’s body ragdolled as Rusev shouted at the young champion.

“This is my title!” Rusev spat menacingly.

Eventually, Mysterio, tired of being manhandled, attempted to walk out of the match with both of his titles, only to be met with recent Intercontinental Championship challenger Penta, who intimidated him back into the ring. Rusev shoved both men into the timekeeper’s area before dragging Mysterio back to the ring. When Penta attempted to follow, Rusev nailed him with a sharp jab.

The opportunistic Mysterio tripped the distracted Rusev against the ropes, but his 619 attempt was caught by the challenger. Rusev grabbed Mysterio’s legs, only to find a hidden hammer in the champion’s boot. The referee intercepted Rusev’s hammer strike attempt, which sparked an argument between the two. Mysterio capitalized on the distraction to low-blow Rusev before finishing the match with a 619 and Frog Splash combo.

As Mysterio walked out with both his Intercontinental and AAA Mega Championships, Rusev mourned. His pity party, however, was soon crashed by Penta, who flattened him with a Springboard Cutter before pointing to the escaping Mysterio.

While it seems that Penta is set to challenge for one of Mysterio’s titles, an official match has yet to be announced.