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Speaking of some of the most prolific high flyers in the WWE would for sure bring the name of Rey Mysterio as one of the most popular masters of innovative offence. The once 'Biggest Little Man' was one of the most popular superstars of the Ruthless era till the initial period of the PG era. While he had his fair share of entertaining matches, Mysterio broke the glass ceiling taking on much larger and traditionally 'Dominant' superstars. The 'Greatest underdog champion' had a resume that spoke volumes about his in ring ability while putting on entertaining feuds.
While his brief appearance in this year's Royal Rumble displayed the tremendous shape he is in, it left us wanting more. With the RAW and Smackdown airing vignettes of the imminent return of Rey Mysterio, here we take a look at some possible feuds for him to get back on track.
Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn has displayed quite the ability to portray a heel character ever since his march to the darker side of personality. And while Sami has displayed genuine talent to be one of the best performers in the industry, he has also displayed his ability to get on the nerves of returning superstars, much like what was seen in his recent feud with the returning Bobby Lashley. One of the most banked on technique of the WWE to solidify and give a start to returning superstars is utilizing heel characters who are jealous of the spotlight they receive. While there are several superstars who could efficiently fit this role, Sami Zayn by far, is one of the best on the roster right now. In addition to that, Zayn's in-ring abilities would allow Mysterio to build up great matches which would further add credibility to his return.
The Miz
Assuming Rey Mysterio ends up on SmackDown, a similar role could be played by The Miz. Owing to the popularity of Miz TV as well as the Miz's ability to be seriously irritating often taking jibes at how long a returning superstar has been away all the while bringing up his own achievements, we can clearly see a picture of what might turn up on Mysterio's return. While the Miz can be seriously irritating, let's face the fact that we love to hate him and nothing could be more satisfying than watching Rey Mysterio beat some sense into that celebrity head and some respect out of that big mouth.
Jeff Hardy
WWE has quite intelligently and subtly brought over the gimmicks of the Hardys from IMPACT! wrestling. We also saw shades of IMPACT! wrestling's 'Decay' terrorizing Hardy while he leads his 'creatures of the night with 'Sanity' answering Hardy's challenge last week. The fact that Jeff Hardy holds the United States Championship currently is also one of the reasons which could lead to a possible feud for the title between him and Mysterio. While Jeff has solidified his position as one of the topmost midcard competitors on the present roster, his feud with Rey Mysterio makes much sense. While Hardy and Mysterio have feuded in the past, watching Mysterio take to the air with the present incarnation of Jeff Hardy would build up quite an engaging storyline with the potential of these two veterans to create classic matches would be magic.
Dolph Ziggler/ Drew Mcintyre
Coming back to Monday Night RAW, Rey Mysterio might again be put in a midcard position with the focus centering around the Intercontinental Title. With the prestigious title being in the possession of Dolph Ziggler, it is only a matter of time before we see Mysterio finding himself in a feud with the duo of Dolph Ziggler and Drew Mcintyre. While they have worked up to garner a significant amount of heel heat, they have also proved to be especially dominant in the ring with the two working in an extremely cohesive manner. With Mysterio being a solid babyface, it is one of the most possible scenarios where WWE sets up these two superstars up dominating the lone underdog while Rey puts on the gimmick of a struggling hero putting all he's got into bringing down the evil villains.
Braun Strowman
Rey Mysterio is no stranger to fighting and taking down opponents much bigger and way more powerful than he is. The position of Rey Mysterio in the WWE as one of the greatest underdogs was fortified by his feuds agaainst the likes of Mark Henry and Kane. Rey Mysterio is bound to find himself in such a situation once again and who better to square him off against other than Braun Strowman, the new resident monster?
Roman Reigns
Like him or hate him, there's no denying the fact that the WWE considers the Big Dog to be the next face of the company. And speaking of Mysterio's long history with big men, it is only a matter of time before we see him face off against the Big Dog. Win or lose (oh come on...... everyone is made to lose. Gotta make Reigns look strong!), a feud with Roman Reigns is absolutely necessary if he is to be highlighted as one of the prime players in the company. Whether he dominates or gets dominated is another story for another time. But a feud with Roman Reigns would provide Mysterio with the much needed main event push.
Bobby Lashley
Pitting the underdog against the dominator is a tried and tested formula used by the WWE for ages. Booking Rey Mysterio against Bobby Lashley could be one hell of a crowd puller. while we have seen Mysterio taking on Batista in the past, Lashley, though similar in size and place in the industry, has never faced off against Mysterio. While this might be a one time event with a long feud not presenting much of a potential for a very storied rivalry, we might see this once.
AJ Styles
The Phenomenal One has displayed his potential to work up great matches with just about everyone and so has Rey Mysterio. Assuming that Rey Mysterio ends up in the 'House that AJ Styles built', we might be in for a visual treat complete with high octane action. AJ Styles possesses the star power which would do justice to Rey Mysterio's Hype as well. going by the vignettes that have been featured, it is evident that WWE holds Mysterio in high regard and a feud for the most sought after prize on SmackDown might be 'Best for Business'
Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura has proved to be one of the most terrifying characters as a heel. A master of mind games, he could prove to be one of the characters who would gain a psychological advantage over the underdog. The technical capability of the two superstars along with the intense storyline that could be created puts this potential rivalry in one of the top spots.
Brock Lesnar
Who better to reinforce Rey Mysterio as a top character in the WWE than the beast incarnate himself? while Mysterio has a history with the one 'Next Big Thing', he is yet to face the beast that he has evolved into today. A rivalry with Brock Lesnar would not only tickle the nostalgic bone of many fans, it would also place Rey Mysterio in a position of fight or flight, the situation that has made him what he is.
