Shae Cornette was ready for Tuesday’s episode of First Take, expecting a normal interview, but she got a bit confused. The ESPN host sat down with WWE star Dominik Mysterio and quickly realized she had stepped straight into full wrestling drama.

Cornette took over as host in October after Molly Qerim’s exit and has handled the job well. Stephen A. Smith also praised her, saying, “Hosting First Take is no easy assignment. It requires confidence, toughness, and real sports insight and Shae brings all of that and more,”

But Tuesday brought a new challenge. Mysterio came on the show to discuss the latest episode of Raw and his on-screen fight with his father, Rey Mysterio, and Cornette suddenly found herself caught in WWE-style drama.

WWE Moment Catches Cornette Off Guard

Shae Peppler Cornette on SportsCenterShae Cornette (Photo via Instagram)
Mysterio stayed in character from the start. He joked about Rey kicking him on Raw and said, “Who kicks their child like this? I should have called the police. That’s abuse.” Cornette looked stunned and said, “Oh my,” as she tried to figure out how to handle the moment.

WWE fans noticed it right away. Many said they could tell Cornette didn’t expect Mysterio to stick to the storyline.

One fan wrote, “This why you shouldn’t interview wrestlers fr tbh. It’s kayfabe and some ppl don’t even know that.”

Another said, “Someone needs to smart her up on kayfabe.”

A third fan joked about the family angle and asked, “Are they going to have Thanksgiving in an underground bunker somewhere so no one sees them?”


Shae Cornette is still getting comfortable in her new hosting role, and this moment proved she’s still adjusting to the entertainment side of sports TV. Dominik Mysterio, on the other hand, stayed fully in character. He’s pushing his long-running feud forward and is set to face John Cena on Nov. 29 for the Intercontinental Championship.

Cornette didn’t expect the WWE storyline to follow her onto live television, but her reaction showed why viewers like her. She listens, reacts quickly, and handles unexpected moments with ease.