When Rey Mysterio allegedly refused to put over a 42-year-old WWE veteran who is currently on RAW

For someone universally considered one of the most admirable and selfless wrestlers ever, it's pretty shocking when you realize that even Rey Mysterio once refused to lose to a superstar.

It was 2009, and Rey Mysterio had just concluded a highly-acclaimed feud with Chris Jericho involving the Intercontinental Championship. The legendary luchador emerged from a memorable rivalry with the belt around his waist and, along with Y2J, was credited with restoring the IC title's prestige.

Encouraged by the reactions to his feud with Jericho and the interest towards the Interconteinal Championship, Rey Mysterio felt he deserved a long reign and was also promised the same by WWE.

Plans in WWE change faster than a blink of an eye, and unfortunately for Rey, company officials decided to give the up-and-coming Dolph Ziggler a run with the Intercontinental title.

Dolph was a hot prospect at the time, and being Rey Mysterio's first challenger in the latter's reign was seen as a big deal for the self-proclaimed ShowOff. WWE, though, had grander plans for Ziggler and chalked out creative for him to defeat Rey Mysterio at Night of Champions 2009.

The WWE veteran, however, flat-out turned down the proposal as he was previously given assurances of having a decent reign with the secondary championship. Mysterio just didn't budge on WWE's booking demands and eventually got his way as he beat Ziggler clean at Night of Champions in 14 minutes and 15 seconds.

The two men squared off against each other again at SummerSlam that year, with Mysterio securing another victory over Dolph Ziggler, this time in 12 minutes and 25 seconds. Mysterio stood his ground, leaving WWE no option but to stick to their original commitment of letting him have a proper stint with the IC belt.

Things eventually did go south for the respected superstar as he was forced to drop the championship more than a month later to John Morrison after violating the Wellness Policy, resulting in a 30-day suspension.

Dolph Ziggler might not have won the title against Rey, but he finally got his hands on it a year later and truly began making waves as a credible talent on the main roster.

Fast forward to 2023, and the 42-year-old veteran is a RAW Superstar and is seen as a gatekeeper in WWE who never fails to make his opponents look good and has consistently put people over in recent years.

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What's in store for Rey Mysterio heading into WrestleMania and beyond?

This year's WrestleMania season seems extra special for Rey Mysterio as he will not only be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame but will also finally wrestle his son at the grandest stage of them all.

Apart from the phenomenal Bloodline storyline, Rey's feud with Dominik is the most prominent angle in WWE, a notion that has been agreed upon internally within the promotion as well. Fans can't wait to see Rey Mysterio give Dom a sound beating at WrestleMania, but fans should not expect their upcoming match to be a "one-and-done" scenario.

Reports state that WWE has big plans for the father-son duo, with the possibility of their kayfabe narrative stretching beyond WrestleMania. Rey Mysterio's job is to make Dominik look like a star, and we're sure he'll do everything in his power to make the young talent shine under the bright WrestleMania spotlight.

The Judgment Day member has impressed all the important people behind the scenes, with Triple H hoping to establish Dom as a superstar heel. For that, however, Rey will have an important role to play, and it goes without saying that the 48-year-old will leave no stone unturned in setting his son up for long-term success in WWE.

If you haven't checked it out, you can read more on WWE's extensive creative plans for Rey and Dominik Mysterio here.