Rey Mysterio didn’t make his WWE return during the WWE Royal Rumble PPV as the rumors claimed , but that doesn’t mean his return to WWE programming isn’t happening very soon. He hasn’t been featured on WWE television since the post- Wrestlemania 30 edition of Monday Night Raw back in 2014 and has not been under a WWE deal in roughly two years. However, he hasn’t had trouble staying busy outside of WWE.
Since leaving WWE, Rey Mysterio has worked with AAA, Lucha Underground and many other independent promotions over the past two years. For many years, Mysterio was injury prone because of the many years of wrestling on his body and the WWE schedule made it hard for him to stay healthy. However, Rey having a lighter schedule working with other promotions has allowed him to do some of his best work in years.
Recently, Rey Mysterio has chosen to work with Lucha Underground and explore other opportunities over staying with WWE because he enjoys the in-ring style more than working the WWE style. However, a lot has changed in the industry since Mysterio was last in WWE. Part-timers are treated differently than they were two years ago. Wrestlemania is around the corner, and Rey Mysterio may be back in a WWE ring by then.
The reason why the rumor mill picked up that Rey Mysterio could be returning to WWE during the Royal Rumble match was due to a report that his contract with Lucha Underground has expired and he would be returning to WWE once his commitments outside of the company were finished. He’s appeared on two full seasons of the show, but his deal with the promotion ending means the doors of opportunity are open again.
Last year at this time, there were rumors that Mysterio was headed back to the company for Wrestlemania 32 . At the time, he was under a contract with AAA and Lucha Underground, but that was expired. Goldberg, Kurt Angle, and Rey Mysterio were all rumored for WWE returns. The only one left on that list is the latter.
Heading into the 2017 Royal Rumble match, Mysterio was still rumored. Now, his name continues to come up for a potential return as Wrestlemania 33 gets closer by the day. As of this writing, nothing is confirmed, but if he’s currently a free agent without an exclusive deal, nothing is standing in his way of a return either.
The WWE Universe would welcome Rey Mysterio back with open arms. He is one of the most beloved faces in wrestling history, but the WWE roster has changed dramatically over the past few years. There are many dream matches that would be perfect for the grandest stage of them all. Mysterio has done it all in WWE, so helping put over some of the young guys would do wonders for the WWE roster even if Rey’s run is short.
It may not be the first idea thrown around, but bringing Rey Mysterio to 205 Live would give the program a massive boost for the show as WWE officials continue the struggle to get the show over with the fans. 205 Live isn’t doing very well with the WWE Universe, but Mysterio’s involvement could be enough to get fans to tune in even if Mysterio has one match against someone like Neville, Jack Gallagher, or another star.
There is no question that WWE programming will be better with Rey Mysterio than without him. On paper, Mysterio may not even need to wrestle another match for WWE. Kurt Angle’s recent return may not include a match. WWE officials could follow that pattern and simply let Mysterio to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year in Orlando. The point is that the door is wide open right now and he’s invited back inside.
[Featured Image by WWE]
