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Following a 3-year hiatus from the WWE, which saw him scale great heights in the indie professional wrestling scene, Rey Mysterio signed a 2-year contract with the WWE as revealed this September. The original Ultimate Underdog has now officially returned to the WWE, competing in his first singles contest on last week's episode of SmackDown Live i.e. SmackDown 1000 – defeating Shinsuke Nakamura in one-on-one action.
While Mysterio is unlikely to wrestle as frequently as he did until a few years back, if his incredible back-and-forth match with Nakamura last week and The Miz this week, are anything to go by; the Lucha legend has more than enough left in the tank to go in the ring for a good 5 years down the line. Being 43 years young, Mysterio is undoubtedly a freak of nature, as the man still moves as though he were a young athlete whom gravity forgot –defying the laws of physics, and soaring through the skies in the Americas as though he were a famished eagle.
Add to that the fact that Mysterio's promo work seems to be on point as always – what with his appearance on Miz TV solidifying his command over the mic – and everything seems to be near-perfect on his end of the deal. That, in turn, brings us to his future in the WWE, which, for now, is contractually-guaranteed to last for a period of two years. Mysterio was one of the marquee Superstars on the SmackDown Live brand back in the day, and despite having faced names such as Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy on multiple occasions in the past; the current crop of the blue brand's Superstars boast names with whom we've always wanted Mysterio to clash.
Today, we are going to be looking at the top storylines WWE could put forth, featuring Rey Mysterio, after the latter's performance at the one-night WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel (November 2nd, 2018) is done with...
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura – Tenacious as a rabid dog
We go with the most obvious storyline WWE could book Rey Mysterio in, moving forward, especially considering how Nakamura was his first singles matchup in WWE since 2014, as well as the fact that Mysterio beat The Artist clean.
Bear in mind friends, Nakamura – being the cunning and deadly villain that he is – has always possessed the tenacity of a rabid dog, and is a heel who neither forgives nor forgets. Following Mysterio's performance in the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel, irrespective of whether he wins or loses, the former WWE Champion may very well find himself as the victim of a sneak attack by none other than Nakamura.
The former NXT Champion laying waste to Mysterio on the SmackDown Live episode after Crown Jewel would serve as the catalyst to a feud between the two – a storyline which has 5-star potential written all over it!
#4 Samoa Joe – Clash of Styles
"The Destroyer" Samoa Joe was recently involved in an amazing rivalry, which at times got a bit too personal, against reigning WWE Champion AJ Styles. While the latter would go on to defeat Joe and successfully defend his WWE Title, The Samoan Submission Machine now finds himself in a rather unenviable position, where he has no interesting feuds lined up for him in the immediate future.
Well, you could easily add the returning Rey Mysterio to the list of top SmackDown Live Superstars who are currently bereft of any decent storyline on the WWE's Tuesday night flagship show. Joe, a powerhouse brawler, and Mysterio, a high-flying technician, would definitely make for an interesting matchup when booked against one another in a feud.
In fact, it wouldn't be hyperbole to state that Joe vs. Mysterio presents a rather unique clash of styles inside the squared circle, and since Joe's bitter rival AJ Styles has now moved on to a feud with Daniel Bryan, WWE's best bet is to book Joe against Mysterio. Samoa Joe could attack Mysterio at Crown Jewel, and perhaps cost the latter the chance of winning the WWE World Cup, thereby commencing a rivalry with the masked legend.
#3 A 619 on Rusev Day
Around the time Rey Mysterio was on his way out from the WWE, a certain Bulgarian Brute was on the rise, as the latter, who then went by the name Alexander Rusev, crushed his way to the top of the WWE food chain. Fast-forward to the here and now, and "Rusev Day" is one of the most popular acts in all of sports-entertainment.
Speaking of which, Rusev is presently involved in a rivalry against his former best friend Aiden English, a highly personal feud at that, since English sank as low as a person could, in his attempts to drive a wedge in the beautiful relationship between Rusev and his wife "The Ravishing Russian" Lana. Regardless, the rivalry seems to have almost run its course now, as Rusev continues to dominate English almost every time they do battle with one another.
With that being said, a dream feud which has often been discussed in the professional wrestling community – particularly during the surge in Rusev's popularity after the Rusev Day gimmick took off last year – is that of him taking on Rey Mysterio. Well, now that the Lucha legend has returned to the WWE, Mysterio vs. Rusev could very well come to fruition. The WWE will likely book Rusev to lose a one-off random match to Mysterio, following which, the former would have an emotional outburst and attack Mysterio, thereby marking the beginning of an epic rivalry between the two.
#2 The Miz eats his words again
The Miz conducted an interview with Rey Mysterio on Miz TV this week, and in a matter of minutes, a brawl broke out inside the ring – as the former battered Mysterio, as always, using underhanded tactics. Regardless, the duo later competed in a singles match against each other; with Mysterio picking up the win courtesy a thunderous 619.
Truth be told, both The Miz as well as Mysterio are absolutely awesome performers (see what I did there; pun intended!). However, both The Awesome One as well as The Master of the 619, find themselves wandering the SmackDown Live landscape without a notable storyline to be featured in. Perhaps both these wanderers could be booked in a rivalry, pitting them against each other.
With The Miz being a legitimate upper-mid-card Superstar on the SmackDown Live brand, and Mysterio finding himself in a similar position; the WWE could choose to book The A-Lister against Rey. The method of commencement of this rivalry would be a tad different from the others though, especially given The Miz's well-known love for pomp and circumstance. Expect him to invite Mysterio to yet another edition of Miz TV, and attack the smaller man – this time around beating down Mysterio with a steel chair, and embarking on the path to a heated rivalry with the latter.
#1 AJ Styles – Who flies higher?
Despite being considerably bigger than his Luchador counterpart, AJ Styles is no slouch when it comes to the aerial department of professional wrestling, having been accorded the honor of being counted amongst the rare breed of performers who can go toe-to-toe with someone like Rey Mysterio in the high-flying realm of wrestling.
Both Styles and Mysterio can wrestle on the mat as well as fly around in order to get the upper hand on their opponents. Besides, with Styles having spent a better part of his pro-wrestling career in TNA (now Impact Wrestling) while Mysterio embraced the grind for years in the WWE, fans never quite got to witness these two gladiators go at it in a WWE ring.
It was in February of this year that the WWE had teased a potential match between Styles and Mysterio, and honestly speaking, the promotion has time and again striven to turn fantasy into reality. Now that Mysterio has signed with WWE, and isn't simply making one-off appearances as he did at the Royal Rumble in January and the Greatest Royal Rumble in April of this year, the company is likely looking forward to booking these two warriors against each other.
Regardless of whether or not Styles loses his WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan, it's best for The Phenomenal One to engage in a feud with Rey Mysterio – even if it's a short-term feud – before the end of the 2018 calendar year.
Which of the aforementioned storylines would you like to see Rey Mysterio in? Sound off in the comments!
