5 Opponents For Rey Mysterio Upon His WWE Return

It's only a matter of time before former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio makes his return to the company, as the All In show was his final non-WWE date for the foreseeable future.

Mysterio returned as a surprise in this past January's Royal Rumble match, where his appearance was met with a very positive reaction, which was the exact opposite of the reaction he got during his prior Royal Rumble appearance when he was the 30th entrant instead of Daniel Bryan.

When Mysterio does return to WWE, he'll likely return to the SmackDown brand and feud with Andrade "Cien" Almas. But, aside from Almas, there are a ton of other WWE superstars who Rey Mysterio could have incredible matches with, starting with...

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#5 Finn Balor

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Aside from his initial main roster push which was abruptly ended due to an injury, WWE hasn't done much with Finn Balor. In fact, it took them two years to book him in a Universal Championship rematch -- the title he never lost -- when that's probably what they should've done as soon as he returned.

If WWE wants to get Finn Balor up and running again, they should book him against Rey Mysterio when he returns to the company. It'd obviously be a great match, and it would give WWE the opportunity to turn Balor heel, where he'd probably be a lot more effective.

If done correctly, Mysterio vs. Balor could be a match of the year candidate in WWE.

#4 Seth Rollins

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Bringing Rey Mysterio back as a challenger for Seth Rollins' Intercontinental Championship would be a fantastic way to re-debut the ex-WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and it might even make the IC Title the hottest belt in the entire company for the duration of the feud.

Unlike with Balor, you probably couldn't turn Seth Rollins heel in this program, as the fans probably wouldn't want to boo him. Also, if you ask me, Rollins is a much better babyface than he is a heel, and it's pretty hard to imagine Rey Mysterio as a heel, so if WWE were to book this program, it'd be a babyface vs. babyface feud.

Of course, in the end I'd expect Seth Rollins to retain the Intercontinental Championship while having some of the best matches of his WWE career.

#3 Samoa Joe

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Unlike with the previous two entries on this list, a Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe match would be a complete clash of styles. However, as we've seen from recent events, Joe thrives in situations where he's working with a smaller, faster, high-flyer.

Also, Joe would be the perfect heel to confront Rey Mysterio when he returns, as he can probably get a ton of heat from attacking Mysterio on his first night back.

Do I think WWE will go right to Joe vs. Rey upon the latter's return? Probably not. As previously mentioned, I think they're bringing Rey in to work with Almas, but if that's not the case, I'd love to see him take on Samoa Joe upon his return.

#2 AJ Styles

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Of all the potential opponents for Mysterio upon his return, he'd probably have the most spectacular match with the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles.

It's pretty much a guarantee that WWE will book a Mysterio vs. Styles feud and/or match at some point after Mysterio's return to the company, barring some type of major injury to one of the two men.

Do I think WWE should have Rey Mysterio challenge Styles for the title? No, simply because Mysterio doesn't need to be world champion. So, if I were WWE, I'd only book this match after AJ loses the title, because the WWE Title being on the line would probably spoil the result of the match ahead of time.

#1 Daniel Bryan

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Both Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio have expressed a great deal of interest in working with one another recently, which would probably be a fantastic idea, especially when you consider the fact that it'd get Bryan out of feuds with mid-level opponents, and into a feud with one of the most spectacular in-ring performers of all-time.

Prior to returning to active competition, Daniel Bryan talked about potentially going to Mexico to do a series of mask vs. hair matches, which is something that he could do pretty effectively with someone like Mysterio.

Of course, it's probably pretty safe to assume that Mysterio will win the mask vs. hair match against Bryan if it were booked, simply because removing Rey's mask wouldn't be the best idea in the world, but even though the ending would be spoiled by the stipulation, it'd still be pretty great to watch.