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WRESTLING COLUMNS

I GOTTA SAY THIS
Defending The World Heavyweight Champion
April 10, 2006 - by Brad Dykens

It has been one week since WrestleMania 22 and it is already a distant memory. I watched Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton put on a pretty good match Thursday night (we still get to watch Smackdown! on Thursdays in Canada). After big pay per views, I try to spread myself around the internet reading and listening to the thoughts and opinions of a variety of wrestling fans. This PPV got mostly thumbs in the middle, leaning towards a thumbs up. I can't remember the last time I felt a resounding roar of praise for a WWE pay per view. Why did I waste my money on that crap? I'd hear. Yet they'd be right there the following month sitting in their high chair getting spoon fed Vince McMahon's high-fiber brand of entertainment like a true sucker.

The big controversy coming out of WrestleMania 22 was the apparent saddling of a cruiserweight wrestler with a heavyweight title. I heard wise cracks about how the World title belt weighed more than the Champion, and how ironic it was that the smallest guy on the roster won the World title on a show entitled "BIG TIME." Others felt the need to point out that Rey Mysterio would never be considered for a World Championship position if it wasn't for Eddie Guerrero's death. I think that is so disrespectful -- and here's why.

Rey Mysterio is a veteran of professional wrestling. He may look like a 12 year old but he has more experience in pro-wrestling than just about anybody on the roster. He has devoted his life to wrestling -- just like Eddie Guerrero -- and has been a top performer everywhere he has worked - just like Eddie Guerrero. He consistently puts on incredible matches with wrestlers in all divisions, cruiserweight, lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight, and even super heavyweight (just like Eddie). Why wouldn't you want a performer THAT versatile as your headliner? I'd rather have someone who has good matches with everybody as my Champion than a guy like Batista who is "hit and miss" at best or Randy Orton, who usually has to be carried to a decent match.

As far as Eddie Guerrero goes, if he did not tragically die this past November, I'm pretty sure it would have been him holding up that World championship belt at WrestleMania after the 3-WAY. It is my feeling that the idea WWE had prior to Eddie's passing was to continue the Eddie/Batista storyline and build towards a 1-on-1 match or a 3-WAY with Randy Orton at WM22. Then Eddie died but the storyline didn't necessarily die with him. It was certainly tragic, but WWE chose to continue the storyline to honor Eddie's memory. They quickly elevated Rey Mysterio and teamed him with Batista, which is right where Eddie left off. Bad luck reared its ugly head once more when Batista was side-lined with an injury, thus ruining the restructured storyline once again. So they recruited Kurt Angle from RAW to replace Batista as World Champion and continued the remodified program leading towards WrestleMania 22. As we all know by now, Rey Mysterio won that match, and raised the belt high above his head with Eddie Guerrero's wife standing by his side, giving her total support. Great moment.

Don't you understand? Eddie Guerrero is still alive. He is living through Rey Mysterio Jr.. What better tribute could you give to a best friend than to carry out his storyline following his departure from this World, and then dedicate the title victory to his memory? Would Rey have won a World title without Eddie's death? Well he certainly wouldn't have had the opportunity to do so, but think about this; what better gift could Eddie leave to Rey, one of his closest friends, than his World title reign? I believe the "divine intervention" angle was a shoot. I believe Eddie did influence the decisions from the afterlife. And I'm sure he was up there in heaven, hanging out with Owen Hart and all the other dearly departed wrestling stars, looking down on Chicago, cheering for Rey Mysterio's triumphant victory -- beating the odds and prooving that dreams do come true. Congratulations Rey Mysterio on capturing the World Heavyweight title and best wishes for a prosperous reign filled with hard fought emotional matches. Eddie opened the doors, but you earned your place in history.

In closing, I want you to consider one more thing. If you privately pulled each WWE wrestler aside and posed the following question, what do you think they would say? "In the event of your untimely death, would you like your name used to advance WWE storylines?" For a wrestler who lived and breathed the wrestling business like Eddie Guerrero did, I couldn't imagine them wanting it any other way. God bless you Eddie Guerrero. We will never forget you.

by Brad Dykens


Adam Tarczon wrote:
I totally agree with you on this. But i think Rey should've won the title back when he faced Kevin Nash for it in WCW. He literally carried that match, and made it a real treat to watch. But as time went on, the match itself faded away, but Reys talent never did. He fully deserves this title, and I congratulate him on winning it.
Mikko Laurinen wrote:
Thank you for a great article. While I never felt that Rey was not deserving of anything he got after the unfurtunate death of Eddie Guerrero, I have had some trouble putting it into words exactly why. Obviously he's had a heck of a career and he's had to claw his way every inch of the journey to make it. A man his size would usually have NO hope of EVER making it as for in wrestling as Rey has, even prior to this push. Rey just put that much more heart and effort to make it there. Yes, Eddie's passing did open the door for one of his best friends to main event Wrestlemania by winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but like the author mentioned I really believe that's exactly what Eddie would have wanted. Not the "He's down there in hell" comment, but all the rest of it, of that I have no doubt.
DragoMatt wrote:
I Really cant disagree with you here but i dont feel the same way about Rey Mysterio winning the HEAVYWEIGHT title. First of all he is not a heavyweight and therefore should not be put into competiton for that type of title. Smackdown did a good thing in signing Kurt Angle and he was good as the champ, the fans really started liking him. He was dominating. But in all of this drama they forgot about one person and that person is Randy Orton. Orton was the youngest heavyweight Champ in WWE an d he beat Chris Benoit to do it. I understand that it was eddies storyline at first and then the sudden untimely death of him made it hard to bring back but there are so many people you could have used. What about a real family member like Chavo Guerrero i mean he has been overlooked and used as a jobber every since he got to the WWE. Chavo could have been a serious competitor for a title if the WWE used him right but they dont see the potential he has. As for Rey being the world chmap, all i can say if that there are better and more deserving friedns that eddie had that they could have used to fill eddie's place. Chris Benoit comes to mind. All im saying is that they never did this for Owen hart and Bret Hart. I hope that the WWE is not turning soft and starting to Give Rey all the opportunities in the world because if they are, many people who deserve to be champion that have been waiting for a long time (RANDY ORTON) will never get to be champ again. Good luck and congratulations to Rey and his Family but you cant keep doing this WWE. Sooner or later other wrestlers and Rey are going to start to take adavantage of Management and if they dont get what they want im afraid it will be the end of WWE as most will start to defect to TNA for Opportunities to hold a World Heavyweight Championship.
H�ctor A. V�squez wrote:
I enjoyed reading your column and your perspective makes plenty of sense, however, I always wonder, where do they (WWE)/we (the fans)draw the line between honoring or abusing the name of the late Eddie? Maybe its a topic for a different column. As far as Rey, glad he was given the chance, however, i do think it will be short lived and will not happen again.
Steve Prozaryck wrote:
I actually believed that this was indeed going to happen at one point because ever since Mysterio's WWE arrival, he was made into a main event wrestler, battling Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero right away. I didn't believe it would happen so soon, however. He's a great performer, very entertaining and a great athlete. The only thing that we have to watch about Mysterio is how long the title reign will last. If he loses it in a month or two, then we'll know that he was just being used and holding it for someone else, like Bret Hart held the belt for Shawn Michaels. I was very surprised at 'Mania and happy for Mysterio. I think he has great potential as Champion. It's the WWE that will let him have his run, and we'll have to see how that turns out.
Jeff Springer wrote:
I just wanted to say that was a great column and I feel the same way you do on this subject. I feel this storyline deserves all the respect in the world instead of a certain Story involving a boss and his son vs HBK and The Big man Upstairs this is the type of story I still watch WWE for.
Mike Tedesco wrote:
I still don't feel comfortable with Rey Mysterio, a Cruiserweight, holding a Heavyweight World Championship. It's nice and with the "Eddie Guerrero left him his title reign" business and that's a good way to look at it, but why not give it to Chavo then? Bring him to Smackdown. He's in Eddie's immediate family and he's seen a great boost in fan support. I think that'd have been better and nicer. In reality I'd have left the title on Angle anyway.
Lance Thiele wrote:
Here is why I have a problem with this. I don't believe Eddie dying should be used to sell tickets. Nothing is off limits to Vince, exploiting a wrestlers addictions for money (the DVD), storylines based on an actual death, this is the undertaker dying again, and returning at the next paperview, a person died. Now McMahon is booking a match against God. C'mon. But back to why Rey shouldn't have won the title. I will put it this way. Even if you believe Rey deserved to win the title, and why not, he is more fun to watch then Yokozuna was, or believable as an athlete then Sargeant Slaughter was as champ, he shouldn't have won it now. Let him win it when it is about him, not Eddie. Rey would have more merit as a champ, in my eyes, if he didn't ride the emotion of Eddie's death to the main event. People were chanting Eddie, not Rey, and it shouldn't be that way. The hard fact is that the reason we didn't see this when other wrestlers died, is this. Money and marketability. Don't get caught up in the kayfabe that you really think, Rey and Chavo are "channelling Eddie in their matches". Remember it is all orchestrated, and maybe as I did, you get a little uncomfortable and turn the channel.
MCT wrote:
I believe you are right when you say Rey deserves the World title. I dont think the World title should have any limitations. Rey Mysterio is the hardest working athlete in the WWE, hands down. He is 5'6 and can make every match he is in memorable (any ppv match atleast) After watching Smackdown this past week, I notice he is starting to build his own little fanbase and people are gearing away from the whole "EDDIE" chants. Even though "Randy Orton" is my favorite right now, I feel since Orton is out on a 60 day suspension, they should do all they can to try to push Rey in these next couple of months. It will definately be interesting to see Rey in the main event.
Thhe 1mperfex Collector wrote:
My problem isn't Rey winning, it is the match. I had a really sour taste when Creative used Eddie's death in the feud between Orton and Rey-Rey (IMO, I think the storyline should've been different). WWE went through all this trouble for Mysterio, and gave him the win to BOTH Randy Orton and Kurt Angle! Sorry, Rey can beat then both, but in 9 MINUTES! Why the match was so short, cause of the other matches that didn't really belong (Booker/Boogeyman, Casket Match [or the last 5 min.], and the WWE title intros). That match could've become a classic. It should been last on the card to give a special feeling for it. But most important, IT SOULD'VE BEEN AT LEAST 20 MINUTES [note: I sound like a loser now, huh?].

That match made WWE look like Raw was more better than SmackDown! Sure, the crowd were HOT against Cena, but give SmackDown! some light. This is the 3RD time RAW has been the spotlight main event. Rey won a mid-card Royal Rumble, lost to Orton in the Eddie's death storyline, and won in 9 min. a triple threat match that had a Pillow Fight as the second main event (WWE Title being the last). This reminds me of Cena's win over JBL in less than 11 minutes. Now, the only thing I remember most about Wrestlemania 22 was the controversial crowd reaction for the WWE Championship (sorry, Rey).

I hope SmackDown! can recover with this, but as I write this, Randy Orton is now suspended for two months due to his behavior backstage since No Way Out to Wrestlemania, and rumors says he may be at risk to being fired (sure, they are rumors, but they became true for the expected card at Wrestlemania). I do hope Rey can make the most of his win, since he does deserve it.

One last thing: how DARE anybody expect Eddie Guerrero expect to return to Wrestlemania! That is stupid and a shame. I respect Eddie and everything about him, but he's dead. HEY! Don't use the Undertaker as an example!

Good luck, Rey! God Bless You, Eddie!
Jack MacLaine wrote:
Alot of people don't understand that Mysterio is a master of his craft which is luchadore wrestling. Mysterio is also a veteran in the ring. Alot of smarks on the internet have this obsession with Orton winning the belt. My question is why? Orton is inexperience compared to Mysterio. Orton's career dosn't scream "I need the belt now." Mysterio is getting old and slowing down, his career screams "I need the belt now." For those of you who say he only won the belt because Eddie died, thats a lie. WWE was pushing Mysterio way before Eddie died. The bottom-line is many smarks complain that WWE never pushes anyone under 6 feet tall. Well here is a guy under 6 ft, who has loads of talent winning the belt and you people complain about it. Mysterio is a breath of freash air and I hope he has the belt for a long time.
Helen Griffin wrote:
man, u hit the nail on the head, this is my opinion exactly. Eddie is looking down on rey and saying to himself ` im proud of you, not just for winning the title, but because u did it for me, and my family ` To people that may now despise orton for his comments, this is just to fuel a stiryline, he was close to Eddie also. If people can just realise that this is all done to keep money flowing in and wrestling flowing out, then internet spoiler websites, would have nothing to discuss. Great job, really woke me up!
Julien from Montreal, QC wrote:
Even if all your current replies are agreeing with you, I can only say that I believe you're missing the boat. Yes, I dislike Rey Mysterio (his promos are the weakest ever...), but I sure respect his wrestling abilities (his ECW matches with Psycosis are classics). Creatively the company is going down, aside Edge's title win, there's nothing new. Since Mysterio won the rumble, all people I know are not even watching wrestling anymore. Not even Wrestlemania. Why? Because they knew that Mysterio was doing the yearly-lame-babyface-WM title win. WWE isn't about surprises anymore, justa about plans. Let me ask you a few questions: knowing that Rey Mysterio got boos following his WM win and his ''moment'' wasn't really a moment (except for Eddie's fans which I respect also), do you really want Rey to be your champ for the year? If you're really a wrestling fan, wouldn't you prefere a 25 minutes classic Orton-Angle matchup? If Rey is that great, why not give him a long title reign? Because, Rey Mysterio is NOT a champion. He's a spectacular wrestler, but not a champion. And by the way, be objective, Randy Orton is probably one of the few wrestlers in WWE that doesn't need to be carried. Watch his matches next time before writing and you'll notice he's awesome. And just worth noticing, the main event for Wrestlemania before Eddie's death was Batista vs Orton (the Rumble winner). It was confirmed by many high-profile wrestling sites. I know my post won't make it because I disagree with you...
Edrom41 wrote:
I enjoyed your article and before it, never saw how Rey did actually seem to carry out the Eddie storyline without Eddie. I personally feel that Rey should wear the title proudly b/c it's no secret he's put in his work in the business. yes, it is a heavyweight title and Rey's a cruiserweight but Rey has so much popularity the fans in general don't really care, at least I think so. all in all, great article.
Joe L. wrote:
Hallelujah. Finally, someone who sees something special. It's funny how most of you people criticized WCW and WWE for not pushing small but immensely talented wrestlers to the top and give them World Heavyweight gold. Yet when Rey Mysterio, one of the most popular and athletic wrestlers to still exist today, wins the big prize, you people start egging him because he is a cruiserweight and that cruiserweights should not be heavyweight champions.

Um...hello, people. Did your common sense jump out the f----- window?

In a stale, predictable business like wrestling, we need something new and unexpected to keep us interested with the industry. Rey Mysterio's triumphant World title win was new and unexpected and he, like Christian Cage, unexpectedly rose to the top, seize the opportunity and ran the ball with it. As for Rey's size? The fact that a 5'4 wrestler won the World Heavyweight Championship makes it even more monumental.

As for a theory that Rey Mysterio won the title due to his relations with Eddie Guerrero, who gives a damn? To see Rey hold the World title in the air with Chavo and Vicki Guerrero is an unforgettable moment, luck or not. You people seem to have forgotten that certain wrestlers achieved success due to coincidences.

Like when Bret Hart was not originally supposed to win the World title from Yokozuna at WMX but rather Lex Luger. But Luger blew it away that opportunity by giving away the results at a local bar to a nearby reporter and plans were scrapped. Bret won the World title and carried for several months. It may have been a coincidence but it didn't matter because seeing Bret win the title made WrestleMania X extremely special.

How about the status of the WWF without Hulk Hogan? AWA had a treasure in its hands and they blew it away because of Verne Gagne's refusal to make Hogan the top star and as a result, Hogan left the AWA to go to the WWF. Amazing what wrestling would be today had Hogan stayed with the AWA.

What about Sid Vicious' dream of being WCW World Champion at Starrcade 1993 that never came true? Sid could have been the main event player of 1994 but he, like Lex Luger, threw it away in a display of stupidity by attacking and nearly killing Arn Anderson with a pair of scissors. Sid was fired for the incident and replaced by Ric Flair, who ended WCW in a positive note after a redundant year for the promotion.

Who cares if Rey Mysterio's World title win was just a coincidence? Who cares if that was not the original Wrestlemania main event plan? Luck is good for the business because it can take an original direction, throw in special twists and come out with an angle that ends up being eventful. Fans will eat this up and bookers could take this opportunity to come up with a great idea that was never their intented plans. The only thing I did not like about Rey's dramatic title win was that it did not end the show.

Brad was right that Eddie's legacy lives inside Rey Mysterio. Don't you understand? Rey and Eddie were not just close friends; they were like brothers and every time you saw these two in the ring together...BOOM! A masterpiece was born. Rey's love and respect for Eddie Guerrero can only be matched by his passion in making the fans and his family happy.

For Rey to dedicate his World title victory to Eddie is not an exploitation of the deceased; it is a proud, respectful tribute to an equally honorable wrestler. We should all be clamoring about this event like it was David flattening Goliath and instead, you people attack him because he is Eddie's friend and he is too small to carry the prize. For you people to say that kind of garbage is cruel, selfish, nauseating and insensitive.

I am proud of Rey. I am proud of seeing him hold the World title. And I am proud to know that people I die, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero won the top straps of a wrestling promotion. We should all be happy. I am most definitely sure that Eddie Guerrero, who was watching from above, is happy at what happened at WrestleMania.
Jon Rosaler wrote:
I agree on many terms on this column. The Last time I wrote to OWW.com, I was comparing Cena to a Superhero. Rey Mysterio and John Cena both Rap. I can assume that is one of the reasons Rey gets booed from time to time. Why does everyone think Black people are the only ones who can Rap? Rey does a good Mexican Rap and John does his own thing the way he tries. These 2 Champions don't deserve this much hate. I mean if people are tired of Cena,that's understandable. Trish got booed and held her 6th title for 15 months. Fans may worry that Rey Wil hold onto the title for Months and Months. Eddie Guerrero held it for 4 months, I can guess that's how long Rey will hold it. Many important people died these past months. Some Reletives of mine (can't mention), Eddie Guerrero (1967-2005) and The Person I used for John, Superboy (RIP 1993-2006) Rey Mysterio wears a Mask, we haven't got a Masked World Champion since Kane. So, Anyone thinking I will use a masked Superhero for Rey like the Flash or Green Arrow is jumping to conclusions. Congratulations, Rey. Dreams really do come true.
Drew Yamada wrote:
I'll be the first to say that Rey Mysterio does indeed put on great matches and has worked his tail off in this business. It was, like you said, a real tragedy that Eddie Guererro passed but there must have been a better way to go about making Rey the World Champion. To me it seemed as if they just handed the world to Rey Mysterio out of sympathy for what happened and to tell you the truth had they never onced mentioned Eddie Guerrero the impact of Rey Mysterio winning the World Title...would have truly been "BIG TIME". If after he won the title he had a tearful moment in the ring and simply pointed to the sky and slapped his EG armband...it would have been more of an impact and a real tribute. Also the question must be asked what about Angle? Yes, it was terrible what happened to Guererro and giving Rey that storyline, perhaps it was a good idea to some, but what about Angle? He carried John Cena through months of main event PPV matches and took some of the roughest losses including Three Way Matches and Ellimination Chamber matches and finally he gets the World Title when he comes to SmackDown! Kurt Angle is just as much a veteran in the business as Rey was and was Guerrero's friend as well...so what would have been so wrong with Angle retaining and continuing an Angle/Rey feud?

Also, what about Randy Orton? Yes, he is now under a 60 day/indefinite suspension but you cannot deny that he has put on some of the best matches in the WWE. He really isn't bad on the mic and god only knows how many times he was supposed to win the World Title in the first place. When Batista injury first developed the idea was to drop the title to Orton...but Batista decides to work through the injury. When Batista's injury finally NEEDS surgery they hold an over the top rope battle royale and guess who can't compete because he is jobbing to Benoit as Booker T's sub? For Orton this title win was LONG OVERDUE and he still didn't get it. Its no surprise that Orton's attitude turned worse than usual when they brought Angle over becayse they gave Angle what Orton should have had on numerous occasions.

As for Rey getting booed because he supposedly raps...ummm...what? Cena doesn't get booed because he raps he gets booed because he has become stale and predictable. Rey got booed because a lot of fans feel he was indeed the charity case of the WWE.

I think the WWE's heart was in the right place but the execution could have been MUCH better. I do think Rey has earned his shot at the World Title...but something inside me just didn't like the way he won it.

I like that the WWE wants to keep the spirit of Eddie alive but if they looked at the fanbase they would realize that they didn't even have to mention Eddie and he would have lived on forever through the fans. Those fans started the Eddie chants and regardless of whatever tactless comment the WWE had their heels say about Eddie...they would have still chanted. If Rey had won the title simply on his own merit and not done any of the dedications then I would be with you all saying "Rey earned it, he showed the world that dreams can come true and the little man can compete AND beat the big man. I bet Eddie is smiling in heaven right now..." but to be honest...I can't because it was made so blantatly obvious that Rey was given the title because of Eddie's passing that it just leave me feeling awkward to even say he won it.
[ANONYMOUS] wrote:
To see what wrestling fans are reduced to is appalling. Why can't wrestling fan support Rey Mysterio Jr? He IS the best wrestler on Smackdown. Here is why: Batista barely has any coordination. The Undertaker is getting old. Angle could be the best if he didn't get injured everytime he was the champion. Orton makes an idiot of himself backstage; so if they ever put the title on him, it would drop the morale of the wrestler backstage. JBL...I mean come on...JBL isn't even a great wrestler and even HE was Champion for 10 months! He went from fishing with Faarooq (who was an underused Heavyweight Champion from WCW that the WWE never pushed right) to being the Champion in a matter of two-three months. Chris Beniot (is another great wrestler that the WWE refuses to push EVEN after a great performance at WM 20 and an even better match putting over Randy Orton at the next Summerslam). Booker T is another underused great wrestler that the WWE doesn't push right, and will never see a push because the WWE doesn't want any Black American wrestler to be the champion other than the Rock. Matt Hardy can be another good performer, but the WWE screwed up all his momentum after bringing him back to the WWE and putting him whack storylines that pumped Edge more than it pumped Hardy. After Hardy is a bunch of no names that barely show up on television. Think about it, MNM are the tag team champions, and they barely appear twice a month. People don't understand. The smaller wrestlers are the best in the business. Look at TNA, their best wrestlers are who? (Other than Samoa Joe, who is the best on TV...period.) AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and the X-Division puts on the best shows on television. People forget that the best matches on WCW before it went under was the Cruiserweight division matches. The matches were so good, that they even made a Cruiserweight tag team division just to expose the cruiserweights more. Yes, i was disappointed to see the Women's title match was longer than the World Title match that should have been the headliner and not the 10 minute intros of Cena and HHH, and the obvious carrying of the match by HHH. Now who is the top wrestler, Rey Mysterio, a cruiserweight, and still one of the top performer. It is about time that the WWE put the title on him. Christian was gaining popularity and felt that the WWE wasn't giving him an opportunity for success and he left and now he is the NWA Champion. The WWE roster is getting thinner and thinner with injuries and departures, and the last think they need is Rey Mysterio popping up at a TNA PPV whenever his contract is up. Yes, the Eddie Storyline is screwed in everyway. They made it seem like Eddie is the only reason why Mysterio is the champion. I mean, obviously Rey has his limits. There is no way Rey can perform his usual uncanny moves in a match with the Undertaker or Batista (Because its hard for them to sell the moves of Mysterio), but if they properly build up wrestlers like Beniot, Hardy and Booker T over time, then Mysterio will have great matches with them. It about time that not only a 5'5' wrestler won the title, but for great performers stuck in the midcard. Thumbs Up Rey Mysterio Jr!
Barry Bradwell Jr. wrote:
I want to comment on what Joe L wrote. Finally someone said something and isn't afraid to say it. Yes I'm a Rey Mysterio fan but I watch his career from WCW. He's a very good athlete and talented for a guy his size. I like to watch him with the moves that he can do. He's truly a remarkable athlete.

Now people saying on this column..Rey is cruiserweight and shouldn't hadn't won the World Title. People have we forgotten that this is World Wrestling Entertainment?Keyword I'm using is entertainment. There's no rules against cruiserweights going for bigger titles. Eddie Guerrero,Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit were all United States champions and no bigger than 230. You the wrestling fans should wake up and realize that this indeed entertainment. I think that Rey didn't want to win the title base on Eddie's death. I think Rey would had want to win it another way.

Now if you got a problem with Rey Mysterio being the World Champion,don't watch WWE. It's as simple as that. Good for you Rey. I wish you luck on your first title reign.
Richard wrote:
The Wrestling Machine got screwed, period............

Man, ole man. Nothing is better for Mysterio and Chavo than exploiting Eddie Guerrero's death.

The unthinkable has happened! Rey Mysterio is World Heavyweight Champion? What a disgrace! No wonder his first title Defense was against Randy Orton the man he beat who was never champion to being with. So much for Champions having rematch clauses if they lose the title. Seeing as how Kurt Angle made Mysterio tap out to the Ankle-Lock two days prior to WM XXII, if I was Rey Mysterio, I would be everywhere Kurt Angle ISN'T.

This is beyond ridiculous. This is simply an OUTRAGE!
paul pacheco wrote:
Let me say this first. I think the word HEAVYWEIGHT in the phrase World Heavyweight Champion is sticking out in peoples minds a bit much. If it were the WWE Championship people actually might not be complaining so much about Rey's title win. I disregard the word Heavyweight when it comes to that championship. Rey is a deserving World Champion PERIOD. Whether he is 5'6, 2'11 or 7'3, you can't deny his ability. I don't, nor ever have looked at wrestlers for their size. For me, when it comes down to it, it is all about ability. WRESTLING ABILITY. Now cutting a promo is a big deal in alot of peoples minds, but I think when you can wrestle as Rey can, promos don't have to be great. His feet, and his movement in the ring tell the story for all his matches. As for "Divine Intervention"...Yesterday, before I read this article, I was thinking to myself "I think Eddie truly had something to do with Rey getting this title reign". I think it makes perfect sense as well that Eddie would have done everything in his power to raise Rey to the absolute top status, where he had once been himself. Especially considering that Eddie was undoubtedly on his way BACK to the top just before his tragic death. I know this may sound kind of funny, but when I was watching Rey in that match, I could almost feel Eddie's presence as I looked at the Allstate Arena on my TV. And everytime they would pan to his giant picture up in the arena, I would get chills. When Rey won, I was ellated, I jumped out of my couch and screamed "YES!". It was a terrific match. And even though it wasn't as long as we all expected it to be, that is one of the reasons I thought it was great. Because I truly believed Angle was going to win even though I was rooting for Rey. And when suddenly Rey hit the west coast pop on Randy and pinned him WITHOUT a kick-out and WITHOUT Kurt breaking the 3-count (which I was sure was going to happen) I was in Shock (in a good way). Rey has possibly more pressure on him than any World Champion in the last decade, or EVER. The critics are already running rampid. But Rey will prove many of them wrong with his in-ring work (as he has done his whole career). It's just this time it will be more difficult than ever. Rey is by no means a heavyweight, but you can't deny that he is a World Champion.
Jose Aguirre wrote:
Rey Mysterio being champion is not really belivable. I understand the under-dog story, but Mysterio is a Cruiserweight/Lightheavyweight. He is an amazing athlete, but he has horible promo-skills, and dosen't know how to get the crowd drawn into the match without doing his 619 chant. The thing that makes me most uncomftrable isn't his weight or his height, but the fact that he is "Heavyweight" World Champion. If it was just "World Champion" I really wouldn't mind.
James Redd wrote:
While I have never been a Rey Mysterio Jr. fan, I support him in his title win. Personally, I think the Cruiserweight class should be done away with (unless they promise to give whipping boys Nunzio [did anyone else see him on Howie Mandel's show?] or Funaki a chance, or even bring back Tajiri the Japanese Underused-Talent-Saw). I was happy to see the Juniors go because they were even more predictable than Randy Orton matches. Let these guys all be thrown into the mix. Is there really a difference among all the belts? Why are we supposed to believe that a guy wants the Cruiserweight belt as much as the US/Intercontinental belt as much as the WWE/Heavyweight belt (I won't get started on the Tag Team belts here)? If a man is good enough to make it into the WWE (Heaven knows how many try) then he is good enough to face a man of unequal size/strength/speed. Why are RMJ matches so entertaining? Because it is the aforementioned David and Goliath story. We all want the little guy to win. It's OK to admit it. It makes for a good story even if it is a little stale. It's why we keep watching.
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