The Fink's Payload 7.23.07: The Return of Rey Mysterio - Part 2
Posted by Halden, Adamson and Wilcox on 07.23.2007
More mind boggling and one of our readers is on a roll.
Matt: We're back with The Fink's Payload, continuing on with the return of Rey Mysterio. Will the Chavo love continue? I'm joined once again by Daniel Wilcox and J.T. Andrew Clark has some interesting plans in his head.
Rey Mysterio makes his much-hyped return at the GREAT AMERICAN BASH. He cuts an emotional and exciting promo about how he is ready to return to action and make his fans proud this year. He says that Teddy Long has welcomed him back to Smackdown after his extended hiatus, stating that he lost the "Loser Leaves Smackdown" I Quit Match to Chavo last October and so, to be completely honest, he did "leave Smackdown" for several months but his new contract was set in stone tonight. A few minutes into his speech, the Boogeyman's music hits. He does his creepy thing but Rey makes quick work of him: 619, West Coast Pop, and a huge ovation. Edge retains the World Championship against Kane during this show as well.
The next week on Smackdown, "The Cutting Edge" has Rey as the special guest. Edge plays with the crowd at first, talking about how great it was to be on Smackdown with Rey back in 2002, winning the tag team championship and just having a good old time. But he kills the moment pretty quick. Edge says that the difference between him and Rey is that in the past five years, Rey still hasn't quite "grown up," while he is a former two-time WWE Champion and is the current World Champion. In the usual fashion of the Rated R superstar, Edge goes into half-shoot mode: Rey's championship run was the most pathetic thing in the past five years, no one ever really believed that Rey could handle the pressure of being the number one guy in the company, he doesn't belong in the big leagues and never did, etc. Edge then says that he was backstage before the segment and he was talking to a friend of his who shared these views, and this friend asked if he could come out on the show tonight and really, really show Mysterio how he felt. Well, this "friend" just happens to be Mark Henry, who plods his way down to the ring and faces off with Rey Rey while Edge instigates the entire deal. "For the world's strongest man," he says, "it was a pretty big insult to see such a sad, small little man calling himself a champion, wasn't it, Mark?" While Rey Mysterio doesn't back down, it does little good, and the Silverback of Smackdown destroys him to end the segment.
In the weeks leading up to Summerslam, Chavo Guerrero starts to cause a mess in the backstage politics of Smackdown. Upset that Rey Mysterio is back on the show even after he won an official match that should prove otherwise, Chavo petitions to the board of directors that Teddy Long should lose his position as GM of Smackdown. He claims that Teddy is way too involved with Kristal to be the General Manager and since he has been delegating responsibility to Vicki Guerrero anyways, she should take his spot. This should be an ongoing storyline that carries through August and September- The Guerreros (Chavo and Vicki) against Teddy Long for control of Smackdown.
SUMMERSLAM- Mark Henry versus Rey Mysterio- The match won't win any awards, but big guy versus little guy is a tried and true formula. Mark Henry should dominate the match, but about five minutes in, Mysterio gets some good offense in. He hits whatever power moves he can, Henry gets frustrated and grabs a chair. He smashes Rey on the head to earn a DQ and continues the beatdown until Mysterio is a bloody mess. Later that night, Edge defends his World Championship against Ric Flair in a submission match. He retains the title (despite repeated interference by Batista throughout the match) by reversing the figure four leglock.
The night after Summerslam, "The Cutting Edge" opens the show and Edge says that he is sick and tired of being a champion on the run. He beat Batista over and over again and even when he isn't fighting Batista, like last night against Ric Flair, he's still fighting Batista. So, he has decided that, starting tonight, the World Heavyweight Champion will have backup and he presents his two mystery guests to the audience... the Major Brothers, Brett and Brian. They now have the same grunge-punk style as the Rated R Superstar (complete with long blonde hair) because they joined Smackdown's newest stable-- The Rated Army.
Later that night, Rey Mysterio (with bandages from last night's attacks) has a match with Jimmy Wang Yang. It is a good match. After the match is over, Vicki Guerrero's music hits while Rey and she announces that Teddy Long has been asked to take the rest of the night off while the board of directors take further investigations into his position stemming from Chavo Guerrero's complaints. She makes the rules for the rest of the night and she is granting Mark Henry a rematch with Rey Mysterio... right now. Of course, Rey is screwed. Henry destroys him again, and pins him this time.
In the weeks leading to Unforgiven, a battered and beaten Mysterio demands Henry in a No Holds Barred Match and is granted the request. Teddy Long remains on "indefinite suspension" as a result of Rey Mysterio's illegal reinstatement and his own unprofessional involvement with Kristal. Vicki Guerrero is the de facto GM from this point on.
UNFORGIVEN- Mark Henry versus Rey Mysterio (No Holds Barred Match)- Well, it's the grand finale of this feud. Mysterio pulls out all the stops and pins the big black beast with the help of the ring steps, or something similar. Crowds cheer. Later in the show, the Rated Army (Edge, Brett Major and Brian Major) are defeated by Ric Flair, Batista, and Kane when Batista pins one of the Majors.
During October, Rey is still under the eye of the new heel GM. A ten-man over-the-top-rope battle royal is held to determine the new number one contender and Rey Mysterio is entered along with Kane, Ric Flair, Fit Finlay, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, MVP, Great Khali, Chris Masters and Kenny Dykstra. He comes up just short when he and Finlay are battling by the ropes and both are eliminated at the same time by Kane, who wins the match and earns the title shot. After being eliminated, Finlay continues his assault on Mysterio through the crowd; he exhibits enough anger and brutality to warrant a full-length match between the two at No Mercy. Also, Batista and Ric Flair take the WWE Tag Team Championship from Deuce and Domino on an episode of Smackdown.
NO MERCY- Finlay versus Rey Mysterio- These two could put on a show. Two varying styles, two veterans in the ring, and plenty of time to work with. Rey Mysterio should win because Finlay doesn't need to. That night, the Major Brothers win the WWE Tag Team Championship from Batista and Ric Flair (with Edge's distraction) and then return during the main event to help Edge retain his World Championship against Kane. At the end of the show, the Rated Army hold up their gold belts proudly. It is their shining moment.
After his victory over Finlay, Rey Mysterio calls out Edge. The Rated R Superstar promptly dismisses any idea of defending his title against little Rey Rey since he's been spending so much time with crazy old Kane and the Evolutionaries lately. The Major Brothers come out to back up Edge and deliver a solid beatdown to Mysterio before Batista and Flair provide the save. The next week, it is revealed that Rey Mysterio will receive a title shot against the Major Brothers at Cyber Sunday, with the interactive stipulation being that the fans will get to choose Rey's partner from a list of all active Smackdown superstars. Leading up to the pay per view, we should get to see Brett and Brian grow as singles wrestlers with each one being involved in one-on-one matches against Mysterio.
CYBER SUNDAY- The Major Brothers versus Rey Mysterio and Mystery Partner (WWE Tag Team Championship)- Well, the fans get to choose the partner, so it should be either Kane, Matt Hardy, or Batista, but the outcome should be the Major Brothers retaining the titles. Probably through some cheating. Mysterio is a four-time tag team champion, each time with a different partner, and he doesn't need the tag gold to get over. At the same pay per view, Edge retains his World Championship against John Cena and CM Punk (Champion of Champions Match) when the fans vote to put his belt on the line.
Leading into Survivor Series, we have a perfect set-up for a classic survivor series match. The Rated Army should still have all the gold going into this match, and Rey should be the overwhelming face against Edge's heel. Batista and Flair can reallly put over the Major Brothers and Kane, hopefully, can hold his own for this long as a demented force to be reckoned with (and not the jobber to the stars that he has been for the past, oh, five years or so).
SURVIVOR SERIES- The Rated Army (Edge, Brett Major, and Brian Major) and Mark Henry versus Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista and Kane (Classic Survivor Series Match)- If we can keep Mark Henry's involvement in this match to a minimum, it will all turn out okay. Not every match has to have the titles on the line, and this one showcases several storylines together while keeping Mysterio and Edge from having to meet in a one-on-one match yet. I think that Mysterio should be the sole survivor here, especially since his involvement in traditional Survivor Series matches to this point has been less than awe-inspiring.
Now that I'm finished, I think that the fans and the WWE will be ready to see Rey Mysterio chase Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. He could now feasibly get his first title shot at Armageddon, which would be a full five months from when the feud between these two started at the end of July. If the WWE could hold off on pushing Mysterio down our throats too fast, he could turn out to be something really special in this fight against Edge and his new cronies. I also always hated how they never explained why Henry attacked the Undertaker in May which led to Edge's title win, and I think this booking kind of straightens things out. It also gives Mysterio a good chase for the championship, keeps Batista away from the gold (like the "Do or Die" stipulation decrees), puts veterans like Kane and Ric Flair back in the spotlight without taking away from Edge's big, long title reign, gets rid of Teddy Long and that annoying Kristal storyline, and gives two new stars a good push. How's that sound?
Matt: You manage to do one really good thing that seems like a lost art these days… the slow build. It's a great idea to build a feud this way. Keeping the two Main Event wrestlers from meeting one on one while maintaining their feud is a fantastic plan. The fact that it's over the World Title doesn't thrill me, because I'd rather it be somebody who isn't formulaic in that spot.
Dan: Awesome. That's two weeks in a row that you've delivered
the goods. This is great long term booking. You give two new guys a huge
push by putting them high up the card while keeping some of the vets in the
spotlight. The one thing I might change is the name of the stable from
Rated Army to Rated R Army. It just sounds more obvious. Tremendous work
though.
J.T.: I agree completely. One of the things the original ECW did was building great feuds that were great based on the fact that guys would have to wait months before they got their hands on each other. I'm with Matt also, there are other guys I think should be in the title scene before Mysterio. His nostalgic title run was merited and nice to see because he really did deserve it based on his years and dedication to the business; but keeping him around the title all the time is just unrealistic to me.
Matt: David takes the opportunity to be heard.
Ok I am not real sure on what day Rey will return but I will say it is the Friday before the GAB. Rey comes out and cuts a promo about how he loves being back and seeing all the fans. He goes on to talk about his injury when all of a sudden Vickie Geurrero's music hits. Vickie comes walking out and ask Rey what he thinks he is doing. She goes on to say that you are no longer a member of smackdown because you quit when Chavo made you. You must leave smackdown for you are not welcome we only except winners not quitters. Chavo then comes walking out and laughs at Rey with Vickie and waves to the back where security comes walking out. rey then gets escorted out of the ring by security while being mocked by Chavo. At the Bash Chavo is scheduled in a match against someone for the Cruiserweight title, as Chavo sets up to connect the frog splash to end the match Rey comes out of no where and hits a top rope rana on Chavo. Then starts pounding him as he is laying on the mat. Vickie then comes out to have Rey escorted out once again. On the next smackdown, Chavo comes out to the ring and grabs a mic. He says to Rey. That's it! I have had enough. You are a quitter and I already made you quit once so if you are going to cheap shot me essay then I will break your leg again. You want back on Smackdown fine then prove you are worthy at Summerslam. Me and you Rey one on one but if I beat you again not only can you never appear on smackdown again, but you will never be aloud to show your ugly face on any WWE programming again. Rey then comes out and says Chavo I will beat you any time any place anywhere, and since I'm putting my career on the line if your so confident why don't you put your belt on the line in a Mexican death match. Chavo hesitates thinking about Rey's request and says I have already made you quit once now I will make you retire. Rey charges the ring and the go at it again. Over the next couple of weeks they interact but never get in the ring together building up the tension for Summerslam. at Summerslam Rey beats Chavo and claims the cruiserweight title. I know he is so far over this belt but maybe it will give it a little rub (ok who am i kidding but anyway) if he holds it for a couple of weeks before Edge cost him his title somehow and they move on to that feud going towards the Survivor Series.
Matt: My response to an earlier submission holds true here. Rey not in the World Title picture is good, while bringing back the 15th Rey vs. Chavo feud is not good. The intro to Rey's return here could also be a little more exciting. Basically what you've done is read the book on WWE booking, which is a very generic and boring book, but it seems to work. Too bad they don't realize it's boring and formulaic.
Dan: I stopped reading when I saw it was just another idea to
restart the fire that was Chavo vs. Rey.
J.T.: I agree with Matt again and we're seeing a trend; stay away from the title, and stay away from Chavo. I understand the revenge thing, but does anyone seriously believe that Rey would legitimately feel that the Cruiserweight Championship is something that he'd want to go after having now been a World Championship? U.S. Title, I can see. But sadly the cruiserweight title just does not mean enough at this point to make a believable storyline out of it. You said it yourself David, he is so far over the belt and him winning it will do nothing for it.
Matt: First time Fink's contributor Garrett writes in to us.
This is my first time booking something here on the Payload, so here goes nothing.
July 11th: WWE.com announces that Rey Mysterio is returning to action at the Great American Bash and that he has issued an Open Challenge to any and all superstars.
July 13th SmackDown!: Chavo Guerrero comes out for a promo and says that he made Mysterio quit in October on SmackDown. He says that he wanted to end Mysterio's legacy in that match, but he failed. Chavo says that last year at the GAB he ended Mysterio's World Title reign, and that this year, he will end Rey's career for good! Chavo says he is answering the open challenge and will get rid of the nuicence of Rey Mysterio permenantly. Jimmy Wang Yang appears and says that Chavo might want to destroy Mysterio, but he had the Cruiserweight Title and he wants it.Wang Yang says he is better than ever and feels that he can beat Chavo. Chavo accepts and says they can do it right now! However, GM Teddy Long comes out and says that it will not happen tonight and Helms has not proved anything. Long says that it will be Jamie Noble vs Jimmy Wang Yang for the No. 1 contenders spot next week, and if Mysterio beats Chavo at the bash, the match will be a triple threat match with Mysterio included. Long says the match will be the SmackDown after the Bash.
July 20th SmackDown!: Jimmy Wang Yang vs Jamie Noble- Wang Yang defeats Noble after a Moonsault. A lot of back and forth action between the two. Chavo appears and says that Yang better be ready for a fight, because it will just be the two of them. Chavo goes on a rant and says Mysterio will be destroyed at the bash and Chavo guarantees it.
July 22nd Great American Bash: Rey Mysterio vs Chavo Guererro (c)- Non Title: Rey comes back and the two have a good 15 minute matchup. Chavo gets the advantage early and manages to hit the three amigos. Mysterio gets a come back after a Crossbody outside the ring. Rey almost hits the 619 but Chavo manages to dodge it and Chavo starts waving for someone. Mark Henry comes out and goes after Mysterio. Mysterio manages to hit a Baseball slide into a headscissors takedown on Henry before he can get in the ring! Mysterio gets back in the ring and dodges the Gory Bomb, and manages to hit the 619 on Chavo for the pin! Chavo and Henry are pissed!
July 27th SmackDown!: Rey Mysterio vs Jimmy Wang Yang vs Chavo Guererro (c)- Cruiserweight title: After a good 12 minute or so match,the ref gets knocked out by Chavo accidently. Mysterio hits the 619 on Yang, and looks for the west coast pop, but Mark Henry sneaks out and manages to hit a cheap shot on Mysterio! Henry hits the Worlds Strongest Slam on Mysterio on the outside, and Chavo hits the Gory Bomb on Yang for the win! Henry and Chavo celebrate, and Chavo tries to hit Mysterio with a chair, but Mysterio manages to escape.
August 3rd SmackDown!: Rey does a promo and says that he was cheated out of the Cruiserweight Title last week because of Mark Henry. Rey says that even though he had gotten beat up alot by Henry before, Rey is back and better than ever. Rey gets interupted by Batista! Batista comes out in a suit and says that not only has Rey been cheated, but Batista has been cheated out of the World Title by Edge. Batista says he managed to defeat Khali at the Bash after getting Khali coutned out, and Batista says that is a feat in itself. Batista says him and Rey should do something about what has happened. Batista says that they both have history together, and Batista has unfinished business with Mark Henry. Teddy Long comes out and says that the Main Event will be Batista and Rey Mysterio vs Edge and Mark Henry in a tornado tag team match. (Edge defeated Kane clean at the Bash and in a rematch the week before.) In the main event Rey hits the 619 on Mark Henry but Batista is pinned via a spear by Edge and it is to late. Edge and Henry win.
August 10th SmackDown!: Rey confronts Batista and says that they cannot do anything if Batista cannot hold is own. Batista says that Edge was lucky and that Rey would have gotten killed without Batista there. They get in an arguement that leads to them fighting. Rey manages to hit a hurrricarana and escapes the ring. However, Chavo comes out and pushes Mysterio back in the ring! Batista hits his Demon Bomb on Mysterio and stands tall. Chavo raises Batista's hand in victory.
August 17th SmackDown!: Teddy Long says in the beginning that it will be Rey vs Chavo for the Cruiserweight Title tonight in a rematch. In the match, Mysterio hits the 619 on Chavo and is about to win when Batista comes down to the ring running. Mysterio hits a baseball slide on Batista, but Mark Henry enters the ring from the other side and hits the Worlds Strongest Slam on Mysterio, DQing Chavo. Mark Henry and Chavo beat down Mysterio. Batista gets a chair and enters the ring, but hits Henry and Chavo with it instead! He then leaves with his music playing and questions looming. Batista says later on that he had unfinished business with Henry and that he did not need anyone to help him out with anything.
August 24th SmackDown!: Teddy Long has booked Rey Mysterio vs Mark Henry with all superstars banned from ringside. If Rey wins, he will get a shot at the CW Title at SummerSlam. If not, he gets no more title shots. At the match, Henry almost hits the Worlds Strongest Slam, but Mysterio reverses into a Hurricarrana. Mysterio eventually hits the 619 and the dropping the dime for the shocking win! Chavo appears and congradulates Mysterio, but he says that Rey will be destroyed at SummerSlam. Chavo says that he has been training as hard as ever for SummerSlam and he looks foward to destroying the legacy of Rey Mysterio.
August 26th SummerSlam: Rey Mysterio vs Chavo Guererro (c)- CW Title: After 15 minutes of intense in ring work, Rey manages to hit the 619 but only gets a nearfall. Chavo hits the Gory Bomb and a Frog Splash but Rey manages to get to the ropes even when the ref counted 3. Chavo tries to get a chair but Mysterio manages to get it away from him. Rey gets the 619 eventually after about three tries and finally wins the CW Title in 20 minutes! Also, Batista vs Mark Henry would occur, ending with Henry defeating Batista after the Worlds Strongest Slam.
Post Summerslam: Mysterio would then defend the CW Title against many opponents, including Chavo, Jimmy Wang Yang, Jamie Noble, Funaki, Nunzio, and others. Rey would hold onto the title until Survivor Series when he loses it to Yang or someone like that. After that he could fued with Batista and maybe even Edge in a short World Title fued. At WM 24, Rey would face someone for the US Title, maybe MVP or someone along those lines and continue to work his way up slowly, maybe even leading into another World Title run that is more successful around mid 2008.
I dunno if this would be the best plan, but thats what I got involving Rey Mysterio and thats probably how I would book it. Thanks.
Matt: Again too much Chavo. I didn't know he was that over with our readers. Apparently most of you seem to think that a feud with Chavo is inevitable. I sure hope not. Aside from that repeated fact, the ideas you present are interesting and fudging it a little might make it a lot of fun.
Dan: So not only do we now have more Chavo/Rey bullshit, we are
also supposed to believe Mysterio can beat Henry? Sure.
J.T.: One thing I did like about this was that – while Chavo was present – you did seem to throw other guys in there, and separated the "Chavo Revenge" angle and the "Cruiserweight Championship" angle. Another thing I DON'T like about this is the random Helms sighting. I mean he shows up on one show, bitches about the title, then disappears again? Let's remember that he's out for like a year; he has no business on TV.
Matt: Alright, well that leaves one thing to do. Give our ideas for Rey's return. I want to see Nitro get more cocky. They've been plugging Rey's return on Smackdown, but wouldn't it be surprising if they scrapped that generic, directionless idea and sent him to ECW? I think so, in which case a spot in the World Title scene is actually smart as it's about on par with the U.S. title. Nitro is getting cocky saying he's been through the whole ECW roster and the Rey comes out and challenges him. They feud for a while and it can lead to an eventual Rey vs. CM Punk match or feud.
J.T.: I mentioned the ECW thing earlier, and I'm sticking with it. I think that one of the reasons they are waiting on a Punk title reign (which I am very much in favor of) is because nobody credible (no offense to Nitro) has been the title holder for him to chase. Nitro is more than capable of putting on some good matches with Rey, culminating with Rey eventually winning that title. NOW we've got the belt on someone that would make the Punk chase important. I wouldn't have Punk win it immediately, but I can see Rey eventually giving him the rub, making Punk another credible champion. From that point on their options are fairly limitless; there are some big guys to feud with, some new blood to go after, and even continue the Punk feud.
Dan: Renew that awesome feud with Chavo. In honesty I don't
have that many ideas other than give him his World title shot at Summerslam,
and either send him to ECW or put him in the mid-card to fight for the US
title.
Matt: Well, that's it for this week. Next week your homework is to book the potential last 5 months of the career of Ric Flair, assuming he will not wrestle after 2007.
