Rey Mysterio Staying With WWE: Is He Worth It?

[Jack-Hammer]

PWInsider.com released a report yesterday alleging that Rey Mysterio plans to stick around and will sign a new contract with WWE once his current deal expires, which is said to be soon. One of the reasons that Mysterio is staying is because, allegedly, he's scheduled to be part of The Flintstones movie that WWE will be releasing next year to coincide with WrestleMania XXXI. The site goes onto state that WWE has downplayed Mysterio on television until he informed officials as to whether he was leaving or re-signing.

A little while back, there were reports alleging that Mysterio might head over to AAA once his WWE deal is finished and be part of their new TV show. He'd been seen and viewed as a big deal there partially because of his success in WWE and in Mexico.

There aren't any details pertaining to this new deal, as expected, but I'm not all that sure if Mysterio is worth it. His knee issues are very well documented and have kept him out of the ring for much longer than he's been in it for the past few years. Personally, I think it has to do with Rey being someone that's been a top merchandise mover for WWE for a long time. After all, he's almost 40 and the wear & tear of his high risk style has taken its toll. It wouldn't surprise me if Mysterio will be working a limited schedule, hence he probably won't be making as much as he used to.

 

[James Greiga]

No, he's a merch seller in latin countries but from what I've read the biggest merch seller in those territories is Del Rio and behind him is Sin Cara. Rey Mysterio used to be good but now he only has like two moves to his credit and it is actually pretty sad seeing him come out now. I think he's in the same boat of wrestlers who should have been released in 2010 (Big show, Great Khali, Hornswoggle, Santino, a few others). They've just overstayed their welcome.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I wish they would just Future Endeavor Mysterio already. In his prime he was great, but he's long, long past that. Yes, the latino crowd still likes him but it's not like he's the only act in town, in that regard.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

This is an accountant signing. Somewhere, some bean counter said "Look, Rey sells more T-Shirts per capita in Latin America than anyone else, so we have to keep him."

"Okay, let's stick him in our shitty Flintstones movie that no will see and have him show up on TV twice a year...hopefully he won't blow a knee out with that schedule".

 

[Mustang Sally]

...hopefully he won't blow a knee out with that schedule

Yeah, but he will.....if not the knee, then it will be some other crippling injury that will keep him out for amazing amounts of time.

Yes, when someone gets hurt, we're not supposed to criticize their value to the company....we're supposed to feel sorry for them, etc. etc. etc. The problem is that when a person is on the sidelines, they're getting paid good money, yet not producing anything for the company.....and even those precious merchandise sales will diminish the longer the guy's out of action. You can feel as sorry for them as you want, but from a corporate point of view, a performer who can't stay healthy reaches a point in which it just isn't worth having him on the roster anymore. Rey Mysterio has long since exceeded that point, imo.

I'll say this, however..... this last go-around he's enjoyed since returning has been more to my liking; instead of having him contend for world championships and cutting down men who are twice his size, they've had him engaging mostly in matches with multiple performers in the ring (instead of singles contests) and he's been there mostly to entertain the kiddies and sell his masks rather than being cast as a force in the division.

I don't think he's worth keeping anymore, especially at the salary he most likely receives after all these years, but if they insist on employing Rey, at least let it be on the lower card, as they've been doing recently.

 

[wrestler36]

Here's an idea that won't happen. Have Mysterio go part time, like the Undertaker. Maybe he wrestles a few PPV a year and the occasional Raw. Rebuild the light heavyweight division and 'rebrand' Mysterio as the king of the division with vignettes of his ECW, WCW, WWE days. Have the other light heavyweights battle, perhaps in a tournament with the chance to face Mysterio. This would rebrand Mysterio as strong and keep him from wrestling too often, as well as bring back interest in the light heavyweights. Sure, the light heavyweights haven't been a 'draw' in the past, but with the right marketing, the new network, 3 hours of time on Raw, it could turn into something.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Mysterio has long been a favorite of mine. And I'm confident he can still go. The problem is that he's been on TV so infrequently over the past few years through injuries that I don't get excited when he returns and WWE don't seem like they can put him into any significant feuds.

Mysterio needs to get himself a Jericho schedule. Show up when he feels like it, has about three feuds during his run and then takes a break. I don't expect Mysterio to appear full time anymore and I'd prefer it if he became a WWE part-timer.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Here's an idea that won't happen. Have Mysterio go part time, like the Undertaker. Maybe he wrestles a few PPV a year and the occasional Raw. Rebuild the light heavyweight division and 'rebrand' Mysterio as the king of the division with vignettes of his ECW, WCW, WWE days. Have the other light heavyweights battle, perhaps in a tournament with the chance to face Mysterio. This would rebrand Mysterio as strong and keep him from wrestling too often, as well as bring back interest in the light heavyweights. Sure, the light heavyweights haven't been a 'draw' in the past, but with the right marketing, the new network, 3 hours of time on Raw, it could turn into something.

Mysterio has long been a favorite of mine. And I'm confident he can still go. The problem is that he's been on TV so infrequently over the past few years through injuries that I don't get excited when he returns and WWE don't seem like they can put him into any significant feuds.

Mysterio needs to get himself a Jericho schedule. Show up when he feels like it, has about three feuds during his run and then takes a break. I don't expect Mysterio to appear full time anymore and I'd prefer it if he became a WWE part-timer.

You two are talking as if Mysterio isn't currently part time. He comes back from injury, works a few weeks, and then leaves injured. It's basically part time.

If he wasn't so good for the child market and such a great merch seller, he should've been let go years ago. Sin Cara, built up, can take the latino market. And frankly, DB is playing the ultimate underdog role to a T right now.

He was great in his day, but at this point I don't think he can cut a promo without getting injured.

 

[MCMG]

Rey, when healthy, is still a solid worker who is a big name. He can be used to elevate younger talent and he will always have a purpose. However, Rey being healthy isn't a guarantee. He is getting injuries far too often and it is a worry.

Rey will always sell merch. He is ridiculously popular and if can have a few short, sustained runs then he will bring in a lot of money and put over other talent. Add in his years of hard work, Rey is definitely worth it.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Merch wise he's more than worth having on the payroll, but in ring wise I don't see him doing much outside of being paired up with a random agile face who does most of the team's work. Good for a few cheers and could be useful to help a heel team get over, but not much else outside of hopefully helping another young high-flyer like Sin Cara get over.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

Reys been with wwe for a long time now so it wouldnt be right for them to just get rid of him but.he does seem to get injured a hell of a lot and tbh personally i dont actually find him all that interesting anymore when it comes to his matches the saying same old shit fits perfectly.his routine has become seriously tiresome and when hes on one of his lenghty absences i tend to forget hes even still a part of the roster im guessing he still makes wwe a fair bit of money but i think he should mayby start to think about calling it a day soon.

 

[NancyBenoit]

There is nothing about Rey that I enjoy, he is one of the people that gets an automatic fast forward. He was an alright cruiserweight back a decade ago but now he's as exciting as sin cara. He's a roach that won't go away but thankfully he's a broken roach so we only have to deal with him a couple times a year...but sadly that's way too much of him still. He can't wrestle anymore, never could work a mic, and adds nothing to any aspect of the wrestling world. So he sells a couple shirts to a very small minority...way to take a spot away from someone who actually could matter...typical selfish dick

 

[Limitless]

Rey was cool in ECW, and was alright in WCW... until he got lost in bad feuds. Now in WWE he was great when he first debut on smackdown, and as time went on, I actually started to get upset with him.

Rey should have never won the World Title and should have stayed a mid-card guy. Now with his recent injuries, I feel as though he is just a dying act. The guy needs to accept a HOF ring and retire at a PPV, possibly passing the torch to a latino based wrestler to put them over. Rey could always do something behind the scenes for WWE, the ring just seems to be saying NO!

 

[Eddie Menuek]

You'd like to think that there might be an element of loyalty or sentimentality behind keeping Rey within the company. He's been with the company for twelve years and (not to mention the money that he has made for the company within those twelve years) he continues to put his body on the line when surely you'd imagine he's accumulated enough money through wrestling to call it a day; some would call it stupid but it's clear that he loves what he's doing and he's the sort of guy that, as long as he wants to be around, I'd want to have around. He can only be a good influence for the younger guys on the roster, particularly those trying facing the same challenges with their size as the sorts of challenges that Rey has made a career out of.

I might be too sentimental for my own good but there's certain guys that I'd like to think have a 'job for life', so to speak, and Rey is one of those guys.

 

[jc_ultimate]

I don't care, nor do I know if a particular wrestler is "worth it" to the WWE. I don't know the nature of their particular contracts, or how they determine what to pay particular performers versus what they do on television and in merchandising. I also don't care to know this kind of information.

As far as do I want to see him anymore? Nope. The only thing that was ever interesting or entertaining about him was his in ring ability, of which he currently has none left.

 

[Pedigree1]

Rey Rey needs to retire.. I really think its sorta of selfish,on reys part.. I can understand the WWE's part of signing him,he sells merch little kids are absolutely crazy about him,and he is so popular in latin america.. But Merch wise alone,i dont think its worth it..

He has been injured now,for far too long.. The schedule he works,he just cant handle it anymore.. His knees are just too beat up,its a shame.. It is selfish,i dont mean to sound like a dick or anything,but Rey is taking up a spot from a future star.. With the money or supposed money there going to pay him,were gonna be lucky if we see him 3 times a year. I hope during that time,he doesnt blow his knee out doing a 619!!

Were gonna be lucky if he doesn't get hurt waking up in the morning! He needs to retire and the WWE should have forced that upon him

 

[kadroan]

I wish he didn't wrestle anymore for the sake of his health. I can definitely see all these years took a toll on him. I'd hate to see an injury take him out for a career and won't be able to walk anymore.

 

[boozinjedi]

I think he signed so he can get a HUGE farewell,according to some reports his uncle wants to pass the name on after Rey retires....as many would leave boots symbolically in the ring,He'd leave boots and mask.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

It is selfish,i dont mean to sound like a dick or anything,but Rey is taking up a spot from a future star..

I don't really get this line of thinking. It's not like a professional sports team where the company has a limited number of spots on the roster to fill. Rey isn't taking anybody's spot. Him being around can only be a positive thing for the more inexperienced guys on the roster. He doesn't even need to be actively participating in the ring to pass on what he's learned from over two decades in the business.

As for whether or not he should retire, that should be for Rey Mysterio and WWE's medical team to decide. If he can't pass their medical then I'd agree that the decision should be taken out of his hands; however, none of us are privy to that information right now.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Rey, (if what I heard is true) moves merchandise and has a strong backing from the Latin/Spanish (Forgive me if I offend any one with the terminology) segment of their audience. If that's the case, then signing him makes sense. Also another promotion trying to make inroads might swoop in and pick him up, ROH, TNA or possibly AAA(I believe) if they don't sign him..

I do understand the complaints though. He's been off with a lot of injuries and in the eyes of many, his best years are behind him.

I think you have to make some sort of deal to keep him around and making some contribution to your company. Sin Cara and Del Rio both can't fill his spot so what do you do ? They have a few faces who move merchandise really well, but the more people you have who can do that, the better off you are. You need to either keep him for a time until you find a performer, the Latin community can get behind and support, or until you see no need to keep him around. I think it should be a legends contract or minor deal, not too small to insult him but not too much that is unreasonable for the company to shell out if he's injured and can't work.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I agree Rey should retire from being on the active roster but I think there still value with him being in a ambassador type role. They could still have a merchandise deal and still have him featured in some of there projects like movies, video games and shows on The WWE Network. He's done commentary for the Spanish announce team so that might be another option for him.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I'm not surprised with the Mysterio hate on these posts, considering that he got booed when he entered the Royal Rumble, and some have still not forgiven him for being WWE Champion, and being a part of the Eddie storyline.

I think this year has shown the WWE Universe's true colors, in that they hate anyone who is not Daniel Bryan, or C.M. Punk. Rey got Batista-style hate at the Royal Rumble, and people here have been dumping on his career for years.

Before, people here claimed to like the guy, but deep down, they resented him, because of his size and that he kept beating their favourite, Eddie Guerrero (the Daniel Bryan of the past era).

You don't like him also because of the same reason you don't like Cena. They appeal to children, and most of you seem to think that wrestling should cater only for you, not the next generation.

I bet most of you are waiting for Rey to get a permanent injury so that he will retire. I bet that will make you happy.

You people are a disgrace for booing Rey at RR.