Rey Mysterio is allowed to have a fresh start – at the young age of 47 – back on WWE SmackDown after a catastrophic run on RAW that started off nice enough but quickly came apart due to his son’s decision to forsake his family legacy for a run with Rhea Ripley and the rest ofJudgement Day.
A brilliant move by Paul “Triple H” Levesque prevented one of the most illustrious careers in WWE, Lucha Libre, and wrestling in general from ending permanently and gave Mysterio a new platform from which to do what he does best: win wrestling matches. Mysterio had originally planned to retire from the sport permanently out of a deliberate desire to avoid getting physical with his son.
And even though the sample size might be tiny, Mysterio has won matches.
Mysterio was quickly re-established as a player in the SmackDown corner of the WWE Universe after being introduced as the mysterious fourth participant in a Fatal Fourway for the Intercontinental Championship’s top contender position. Mysterio defeated Sheamus, Solo Sikoa, and Ricochet to win the honour. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, the Imperium’s resident tag team, were naturally angry because after bumping into the tiny luchador in the backstage area, they essentially found themselves facing Mysterio in a one-on-one match.
By the end of the evening, Kaiser undoubtedly wished he had declined the challenge.
When it became clear early on that his game wasn’t up to par against the future Hall of Famer, the second-generation pro started to cheat by receiving some outside-the-ring assistance from his in-ring friends. Kaiser entered the ring with his factionmates GUNTHER and Vinci. Mysterio triumphed despite GUNTHER and company’s best efforts to not only ensure Kaiser the victory but also guarantee his next opponent will still be badly beaten when they wrestle in two weeks.
Unfortunately for Imperium, Mysterio has defeated more powerful opponents than GUNTHER in the past. Who else but The Undertaker? and despite everything that was hurled at him, he beat the odds and sealed the victory once and for all.
Is Mysterio concerned that, in order to win the IC Title, he will have to defeat all of Imperium in addition to GUNTHER? He may have hinted at that, but not at all in his post-SmackDown interview on the SmackDown LowDown.
An Imperium army can’t stop Rey Mysterio’s pursuit of WWE gold.
When asked by Meghan Morant on the SmackDown LowDown how he feels after defeating Ludwig Kaiser in his first solo SmackDownmatch since 2021, Mysterio gushed about his love for the blue brand and his eagerness to compete against Gunther, even if it means going three-on-one.
Mysterio told Morant, “I felt amazing; I felt like I never left.”
Since 2002, when I made my debut, SmackDown has always been my home, and I’m still here.
When questioned about the possibility of competing against GUNTHER and, thus, Imperium for the Intercontinental Championship, Mysterio displayed little enthusiasm for taking on yet another group that had his demise in mind. Would he require any support?
Right now, I’m fine, Mysterio said. I handled business against Ludwig today, Gunther will move up in two weeks, and I definitely intend to win the Intercontinental Championship.
I don’t know about you, but I would never wager against Mysterio in a match against anyone considering that the 33-year-old veteran has held 20 different titles throughout his illustrious career, totaling 49 reigns. He may even increase that number to 50 or higher before the end of his in-ring days. Mysterio has a fantastic opportunity to continue his success in SmackDownand demonstrate that sometimes, blue isn’t bad, as he explained to Graham “GSM” Matthews of Bleacher Report in an interview following his brand transfer. With a match against GUNTHER scheduled and a (almost) guarantee that Judgement Day won’t appear on SmackDownto interfere with the match before it can really get started, Mysterio has a golden opportunity to continue his success in SmackDownand
Mysterio declared, “I’ve always been a blue-colored dude. “SmackDown has always been my favourite brand. I’ve found that it works better for me and have grown accustomed to the SmackDown brand for some reason. But I’ve always enjoyed change and flexibility, especially now that my kid is starting his career. It will be thrilling. Right now, Rawright has a lot of talented people, and we’re excited to collaborate with many of them.
Success with Imperium! Rey, if anyone has the ability to defeat a performer of the quality of GUNTHER, it’s Mr. 619.
