WWE uninterested in Rey Mysterio, what next for the master of 619?

Rey Mysterio

News is that Rey Mysterio‘s contract will be over in a few months’ time and that WWE isn’t considering a renewal of his contract. This wouldn’t have been a case a few years ago when Mysterio used be a top star in the company. What happened then? Rey Mysterio has been nursing several injuries in the last couple of years, that have kept him out of action for nearly the entire 2013, a year in which he wrestled only 18 times, that number is too small for someone who usually wrestles nearly 100 times every year.

WWE’s lack of confidence in him can be seen in his booking since his return, he has only been involved in tag team matches with different partners such as Big Show, Sin Cara and most recently, The Rhodes Brothers. A former 3 time World Champion competing only in tag team matches would tell you everything.

Mysterio is a great athlete and a top merchandise seller, but his exclusion from any storylines upon his return tells that WWE no longer need him, maybe because they don’t want a storyline to be ruined because of Mysterio’s vulnerability to (knee) injuries. WWE might renew his contract in the next month but it has never happened before that WWE left the choice of renewing the contract of a top talent till the end or even considered the option of releasing them.

WWE’s losing interest in Mysterio is also visible in his exclusion from a recent live event in his own hometown. As 24wrestling.com reports “Speaking of Mysterio, one of the main reasons he was booked to work the non-televised live events in Northern California as opposed to his hometown in San Diego was due to the feeling in the company that he has been booked too often in San Diego.” In reality, WWE have shows in San Diego only twice every year, which means that even if Mysterio stays fit for the entire year he can only wrestle twice in his hometown and that’s far from “too much booking.”

In fact, the last WWE live event in San Diego (February 8, 2014) had the worst crowd among the live events. It looks like omitting Mysterio from the San Diego didn’t work in WWE’s favor but one thing is clear, that WWE are no longer intent on pushing Rey Mysterio, even if it means losing a top talent who could go to some other (rival) company/promotion.

Despite the injuries, Mysterio’s value still stays intact, TNA might find him expensive, but a return to Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) which is moving to the U.S. seems to be a realistic option. A role in the lucha libre promotion, whether as a wrestler, manager or promoter is going to work in both AAA and Mysterio’s favor. Having Mysterio on the posters is going to draw a big U.S. crowd towards the AAA. So it’s up to the WWE whether they want to extend the contract of one of their most talented stars or let him walk away and join a soon-to-be rival company.