Will Rey Mysterio Rebound?
That’s a good question following being beaten in two consecutive falls for the first time in his career on Raw. The fact he lost to Andrade, a rising star, can’t be ignored. Neither can how he looked so dejected and at a loss for words afterwards when interviewed.
Rey Mysterio has been a mainstay in wrestling since bursting on the scene in WCW’s cruiserweight division in the late ‘90s (he’s been wrestling since 1989), but no matter how groundbreaking he may have been, it may be time to reinvent himself.
Where’s the pressure coming from?
It could be from anywhere. It could be from him personally or the creative team at WWE. The one thing that’s certain is it started with his less than a minute loss to Samoa Joe at WrestleMania 35.
While he’s redeemed himself at times, he’s left a lot to be desired when it comes to his legendary status. Sure, the wrestling business piles up the mileage on the body and he’s not a young man anymore, but aside from his dislocated shoulder, he’s shown pretty well and seems to move pretty good. While that doesn’t mean he’s 100%, it does show that he still has his head in the game, so we can’t count him out.
He may just need a break similar to Finn Balor taking the next two months off to recharge.
How many times before has a wrestler seemed to fade away only to come back seemingly refreshed and executing at a higher level?
This doesn’t mean it may not be story driven. Mysterio may need some time off for whatever reason, and the WWE creative team is running with it by giving him a story arc that allows him to share his problems on screen and in the ring. Wrestling is a male soap opera and reality show in one, so this is a definite possibility.
Could it be something else?
There’s also the push by fans wanting to see younger talent, and this could be a way to that end. Not by forcing Mysterio out, but by allowing him to fade into the background and have him return with his son, Dominic. Maybe even in a managerial role or sorts.
It’d give him the chance to pass the torch after Dominic was teased during Mysterio’s feud with Samoa Joe, and Dominic has been training with former WWE superstar lance Storm, so he could see the ring in the next year or two.
All of this is only speculation, but it’d make sense given the amount of second and third generation superstars on the roster. There’s little doubt the WWE would handle this better than WCW did with Ric and David Flair. At least, we hope so.
