Report: Rey Mysterio not yet "ready" to return

[LSN80]

According to an article posted on the Main Site that was first reported by Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer, Rey Mysterio is still not fully recovered from his knee injuries and not truly ready to return. The article reads:

According to The Wrestling Observer, Rey Mysterio was indeed not yet ready to return to the ring on Monday's Raw, however WWE asked him to return and to work Sunday's Survivor Series PPV as he can be protected in the 10 man match.

The feeling is Mysterio's appearance on both Raw and at the PPV will feature him, and hopefully encourage people to purchase the PPV, however he won't have to work as hard as normal and risk further injury.

If this is indeed true, why is Mysterio returning simply for Survivor Series? I don't buy the idea that his return could spike PPV buys, as he's simply not been a fixture or a prominent player within the WWE over the past few years that he's going to be a large draw. If it had been several years since Mysterio missed time and he had been featured prominently while he was here, I could understand his return being a large thing. However, being that he's been injured more than not, Mysterio has been reduced to almost a special attraction and a tag team specialist alongside Sin Cara. And unlike the Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, or HHH, his appearances haven't been billed as big deals, and the Survivor Series match is a prime example. He's not wrestling for a title or in a grudge match, rather, he's in an throwaway 10-man Elimination tag match against men he has no real beef with. So why would Mysterio risk injury for this, when he's not being featured prominently? Yes, his return Monday was awesome and created a lot of buzz, but at the end of the night, he's in a match that means very little.

Without giving away any spoilers, he's also scheduled to wrestle Friday night alongside the Usos in a six-man tag against the Shield. Yes, that leaves him in another situation where he can be protected, but also, in another situation where he could have risked injury before the Survivor Series match he's supposedly being rushed back for. His big return Monday should have been enough, one would think, and he could have cut a promo Friday as to why he belongs in this match. But rather, he's wrestling. Unless WWE wanted to also showcase him in a match to entice viewers ahead of Survivor Series, I don't understand the logic if Mysterio is truly 'not ready.'

If this is the case, I think it's time for Mysterio to either consider retirement, or indeed become a special attraction. Personally, I'd go the Shawn Michaels route with the builds for Wrestlemania 19 and 21, where Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle did the bulk of the work, and HBK cut a few promos, but didn't wrestle prior to. Like Undertaker and other part-timers, Mysterio in a few grudge matches a year and one at Wrestlemania could truly be a special interest draw. If he's this banged up and fragile, it's the route I'd go, especially since it would be a great way for Mysterio to elevate others through personal feuds.

Thoughts on Rey Mysterio being apparently 'not ready', and his future in general?

 

[BaconBits]

The WWE rushing him back before he's completely ready is the worst thing the company could do with him right now. The liklihood of reinjuring a knee is much, much higher if the knee isn't completely ready to go in the first place.

If he gets hurt again, it's probably a career ender. And by coming back too soon, regardless if it was Rey's or the WWE's idea, they're running an exreme risk of ending his career in the near future.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's a mistake but the reality is that they can't keep backloading his deal when it's clear he isn't gonna be able to fulfil those dates.

WWE has for years now added injury time to your deal at the end, they did it with Christian and with Rey on a couple of occasions - generally if you have a lot of them the idea is the E doesn't lose out on their investment and it encourages guys to get back fit and prevent malingering which was a major issue in the 90's. Guys like Hennig and Animal were on cushy Lloyds insurance policies for career ending injuries. They could physically wrestle, just they got more (guaranteed) from the insurance policy so didn't as Vince didn't do contracts then - yet miraculously when it ran out, they could wrestle again with no real problems. I'm pretty sure Shawn claimed on one of these for many years!

So now in guys like Rey's case, backloading it is kinda pointless as he's had so much time. He's missed about 18 months of this deal all told, and in 18 months time he's gonna be physically unlikely to wrestle anything like his current pace or style.

The system IS good for younger guys like Evan Bourne and Bray Wyatt, as it allows them space to recover, perhaps even adapt their style to fit their injuries (I am pretty sure Bourne would have had to learn a whole new style, as his injury puts him in the Pillman/Kerry category, hence the delay) and the E can then benefit from the improvements or release them without risking being sued as they've had "time with pay" where they couldn't deliver.

It's not designed for guys like Rey who are now at the end of their careers and prolonging the deal is basically increasing the risk of something going badly wrong. If the E and Rey are smart, they will bring him in to work in a stable with Los Matadores or to team with Sami Zayn or Adrian Neville - his natural successors on the roster put one over at Mania and end it there.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's not designed for guys like Rey who are now at the end of their careers and prolonging the deal is basically increasing the risk of something going badly wrong.

That's the thing; sometimes the body just can't go anymore. For a number of years, we've been reading how Rey is just about ready to retire. Honestly, I don't know that it was ever him saying that; it might have been WWE management making some logical assumptions.

But their logic may have escaped Rey. His medical situation seems kind of obvious, but who knows what his personal circumstances are? Maybe he's financially secure, or maybe he's like Ric Flair, who would probably love to call it quits, but can't because he has debt he'll never be able to crawl out from.

Or, perhaps Rey just doesn't want to retire. I just can't believe WWE Merchandising is selling so many Mysterio masks that they feel they need to keep the guy as an active competitor. Or, maybe it's just the "kids love him" syndrome that make management want Rey to keep coming back.

One thing's for sure, though; when a performer is on the sidelines, collecting his full salary while providing the company with nothing, they have to incorporate the amount of down time into their evaluation of how much the performer is worth to the company......and if they do that, I would think they'd be much better off if Rey called it a career.

Keep him on a part-time basis as a retired legend. Let him swing a couple 619s at people as a visiting dignitary. There's no need to banish the guy forever, but I've had enough of him knocking the stuffing out of wrestlers twice his size.....especially when it's damaging his own body so much to do it.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I remember an interview with Kevin Nash several years ago where he commented on Rey's injuries, particularly his back, and more or less said that in his condition, he had very little left in the tank. That was probably 5 years ago, and since that time, Rey's been more absent than present.

The problem is that the WWE has done little to start building Rey's appearances to be one-off events. Let's face it: This guy doesn't really have any great feuds. There's no burgeoning cruiserweight division where you could always have Rey come back to go one on one with whoever is considered the best at the time. Rey's contemporaries are mostly gone now: The Guerreros, Benoit, Jericho, Malenko, etc. Who are you really "dying" to see Rey wrestle? It's not like the Undertaker or Shawn Michaels.

I'd like to say give him a once or twice a year kind of arrangement, but really, he just needs to retire.

 

[MCMG]

It's a really shame that injuries are ruining the end of his career. Rey is a fan-favourite and sells a lot of merchandise. He has been around for about two decades and has wrestled in the three big promotions. I think he has a wonderful career and, although his wrestling ability isn't what it was, I still think he has something to offer.

I just want Rey Mysterio to have one last sustained run and so does the WWE. Having him retire in this kind off manner isn't right. The problem is that injuries are preventing him from having several months on TV. In the ideal situation, Rey would be around for one full year, having feuds with various different people and putting on great matches. In reality, I think he will continue to get injured before he eventually retires. It will be a rather sombre tone to end his career which is a real shame.

 

[ASKane]

Its his retirement match. From what I have read about what he has said about his injuries he must be in a lot of pain everytime he was as he has no cartilage in his knee. I don't think he has a good run left in him even if he takes another year off. He should retire on Raw after being the sole survivor in the match at the PPV.

 

[JamesH]

I agree with ASKane - it's his retirement match. Or it certainly should be anyway.

Rey is way past his prime; I was watching some old Smackdown episodes from 2003 recently, and it's clear that he was at his best in his role of cruiserweight/occasional upper midcard standout.

Since then, he's been juggled around in tag teams, championship matches and even a couple of World championship reigns (the first of which was a disaster, the second was so short that it's often forgotten).

It's clear that WWE simply forgot how to use him and they still have no clue - Rey should retire for his own health before his career is tarnished further.

 

[Mac Attack]

I think it all depends on what Mysterio is willing and able to do. If it was significantly injured than most likely I'd say Mysterio would probably say he's not able to go and don't use me. However, I feel as if in this case especially being the tag match that he can pull it off and then take a break from active competition until he's entirely healed. We only know what the reports tell us, we can't be certain of anything except for the fact that he was injured and that it appears he's not 100 percent, but with all that being said Mysterio who has used the injury policy to take time off before would probably be ok saying I can't do this.

Regardless though WrestleMania 30 he needs to retire and put somebody over through it. It doesn't matter who but somebody needs to get over from ending is career and if at all possible I'd like it to be someone who can go in the ring and not a power wrestler. I don't want it to look like David vs Goliath I'd appreciate more a solid match with a much deserved ending.

 

[wrestler36]

I think he can still be useful as an on-air talent without having to wrestle. Maybe as a manager for somebody like Sin Cara or Evan Bourne. He can also be a spokesperson/manager if they do a David vs Goliath type feud. Yeah, I don't think he should be wrestling anymore. I don't think he was necessarily limping on Monday. Underneath his pants, I believe he wears those Donjoy braces like Austin had his last few years, so it restricts his movements. Regardless, he can still remain a TV presence and be useful to WWE.

 

[#tamale]

So, he's not ready to come back, but he is going to come back a week before a Survivor Series to hopefully spike the PPV buys and be protected in a match even though he's scheduled to be in a match on Smackdown with the Usos against the Shield which could risk further injury? You can understand my confusion.

Rey has been wrestling for nearly 25 years. He is not in his prime. This past year and a half has not been kind to him, but before then he was still tearing it up. He is probably closer to retirement but a healthy Rey (which I believe he is right now) adds much more to a product than people realize. While Kalisto rises up the ranks of the WWE (probably with Rey guiding him) to be the new Latin hero, Mysterio will be on a more limited schedule leading up to his last match...

...and I will be one sad puppy when that happens.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

quite surprised he hasnt been released already hes never there just constantly injured.wwe might be doing the decent thing and letting him retire when hes ready but at the same time i doubt wwe are a company who carry dead weight around for too long no matter who they are.so i think it is due to his popularity with kids they must think his high flying stuff is cool as hell i also think wwe must sell tons of rey merch so hes worth keeping.in regards to him wrestling before healing properly its a pretty stupid decision imo opinion rey is obviously very injury prone normally but to have him wrestle when still injured is just asking for it even if it is just a 619 or 5.i doubt he will gain many extra buys and they risk rey been useless again for the next few months.

 

[LSN80]

So, he's not ready to come back, but he is going to come back a week before a Survivor Series to hopefully spike the PPV buys and be protected in a match even though he's scheduled to be in a match on Smackdown with the Usos against the Shield which could risk further injury? You can understand my confusion.

My confusion is similar. Why would Rey return for what are essentially meaningless matches if he wasn't fit to go? I highly doubt Rey in a six-man tag, even showcased, is going to sell PPV's. The risk, if he wasn't healthy, isn't worth the reward.

quite surprised he hasnt been released already hes never there just constantly injured.

Why would WWE release one of their most popular superstars, one who makes them a boatload of money (especially amongst the Latino community)through merchandise sales, injured or not? He's a cash-cow for them in that fashion, so why would they throw that away? He makes far more for them then he makes from them.

wwe might be doing the decent thing and letting him retire when hes ready but at the same time i doubt wwe are a company who carry dead weight around for too long no matter who they are.

There's a difference between "dead weight" and someone who's been injured much of late. Is Undertaker 'dead weight' because he wrestles 1-2 matches a year, due to injury? It's the same with Rey Mysterio, on a smaller scale, and he wrestles far more than Undertaker does. I'm not comparing the two, Undertaker is the bigger draw when he wrestles, by far. But Mysterio does have drawing power, and even if he's not at or near what he was 10-15 years ago, he's still a useful hand that can have good matches and rely more on psychology(as Undertaker does) then flips, flops, and dives.

With that being said, I have a hard time buying the idea that Mysterio isn't ready to return. There's been numerous stories in the past of WWE being frustrated with Rey because they felt he was milking injuries too long, so why would he suddenly return too early at WWE's behest? I believe that Rey is a company guy, but he's also an intelligent man. He knows what he can and can't do at this point in his career. If Rey wasn't ready to wrestle, he wouldn't have returned Monday with a flourish, be wrestling Friday night in a 6 man tag, or wrestling in an Elimination match at Survivor Series. Regardless of the plans to protect him,(unless he's eliminated right away)Rey is going to have to go one-on-one at some points on Sunday. He's the biggest name in the match, so he'll likely be isolated in the match by the heels and used for long stretches as said name.

However, Rey is a huge injury risk regardless of what place his career is at. Even when supposedly healthy, he's gotten injured on simple moves, and that risk will be there from here on at. While he doesn't have many past rivals left, there's still money matches in another match with Punk, a match with Bryan, Ziggler, Orton and members of the Shield. Those can be stretched out over the period of the year so they feel special, and more importantly, Rey is protected as well.

I'd hate to see him go for good, but I wouldn't blame him. For those saying this is his retirement match, I highly doubt it. Why would he end his career in a throwaway Elimination match? Rey has been around long enough that he deserves a proper send-off in a major match, such as at Wrestlemania. Ideally he'ld become more of a special attraction, going several matches a year. But if he can't, I'd expect he'll get one last major feud and big send-off in a major match at Wrestlemania 30.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I would have Sin Cara come out at Survivor Series and get him eliminated. Next night on Raw, Rey cuts a promo saying he gets why Sin is upset. He got injured, the tag team broke up and Sin was lost in the shuffle, and now that Rey's back, he immediately gets on Survivor Series.

Sin Cara then comes out and just beats him up badly, "taking him out" for a while.

Sin Cara comes out the next week with a new garb, and with Rosa Mendes as a valet. He cuts promos in Spanish to his Mexican fans and Rosa translates for the gringos. She says that Sin will refuse to speak in English and if we want the privilege of being addressed by Sin Cara, we'll need to learn some Spanish. (If Rosa sucks so bad she can't translate a promo, I'd bring in Armando Estrada to do it. He'd be great.)

He tells all his Mexican fans that he's better than Rey Mysterio and he's sick and tired of Rey acting as if he's a rookie and needs to learn from his immobile ass. He tells The Authority he wants Rey's spot, and he isn't asking, he's taking it.

The Authority obliges, and gives him a World title match against Cena at TLC. At TLC, Los Matadores come out and turn on Cena, trying to help Sin secure the title. But Rey then comes out and evens the odds.

Rey and Sin have some promos, and maybe some tag matches leading up to the Rumble. Rey tells Sin that if he wants HIS spot, he should win the Rumble from the beginning just like he did. Sin says he won't do it from #2, he'll do it from #1 (even though it's the exact same thing).

At the Rumble, Sin enters at #1 with his posse behind him. He cuts a Spanish promo telling his Mexican fans to watch Mistico win the Royal Rumble. And then at #2, out comes Rey Mysterio! Sin goes apeshit, but Rey beats him down and eliminates him. A little later, Los Matadores gang up on Rey and eliminate him too.

Los Matadores would have won the tag titles right before Goldust's turn at the Rumble, so Rey then challenges them to a tag title match at Elimination Chamber, while Sin goes for the World title Chamber. Rey chooses Adrian Neville as his tag team partner and points out that one day he will be the new Rey Mysterio. Rey and Adrian win the titles, but lose them back the very next night when Sin costs them the match. Post-match, Sin destroys Neville with a chair and puts him on a stretcher while Los Matadores hold Rey down.

This all builds up to Sin challenging Rey at WrestleMania in a Loser Leaves Town match. Induct Rey in the HoF, put him down at WrestleMania cleanly and have Sin Cara take over from there. When Neville comes back, he can feud with Sin in Rey's place.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Rey can't say "Don't use me" or he loses money... WWE can not use him and he gets paid...

So they told him you WILL wrestle at Survivor Series, even if it's in a 5 man, and you will do x,y,z and Rey will cos he needs it to continue as long as possible.

The moment he can't get "medically cleared" or has one more injury, it's all over for him and he knows it.

It's the downside of guarantees... the company does have you by the balls when it comes to fulfilling said contract. He can turn up, sit on the apron and hit a feeble 619, but for the money he's getting they're entitled to make him do it.

 

[Pedigree1]

Heres the thing with Rey Rey.. He must have a hefty cushy contract getting his full salary while not doing anything relative in what 18 months or so?? Man this is really hard on me as i type this.. I really do like Rey Mysterio a lot! He is the greatest little guy ever in pro wrestling.. But physically Rey is done right now. His body can no longer sustain the high physical style that has entertained us over two decades now..

As to why he officially has not retired?? Well it could be he doesnt want to. He craves the spotlight and loves to entertain us especially the kids.. But in reality he can no longer do the Goliath David feud anymore.. His knees are shot he has gotta think to himself i wanna be able to walk 10 years from now without a wheelchair..

Or another reason could be he has not invested his money wisely,ala Ric Flair is supposedly in debt.. I hope that is not the case,because that would be a shame if it was.. WWE i feel needs to step in and force retirement on him.. Of course i wanna see him sign a legends deal come in do some 619s once in awhile! As far as im concerned,there is no heir to the throne once hes gone hes gone.. WM30 should be his last match