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Rey Mysterio is someone who needs no introduction to the average professional wrestling fan. Not only has he performed at the top of his game for well over two decades, but truthfully he's also stayed relevant in a prominent position for most of his career.
The male and female roster often wax eloquent about how Rey Mysterio has been an influence to them both as a performer and as an upstanding individual. And yet, I do not think that he should dethrone Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series to become WWE Champion.
And this comes not from a place of hate, but because of the five reasons that I have outlined in this very article for your reading pleasure. I invite you to leave a comment and let me know if you agree or disagree with me.
I would love to hear what you have to say about the topic.
#5 Will kill the mystique of The Beast Incarnate
Brock Lesnar has to be the most protected individual in WWE in the recent past at least, with how seldom the man actually loses. He gets paid a king's ransom, to just show up with a smile on his face and bounce around, while his advocate says a few words about him.
His matches rarely ever go too deep, and the fact that Seth Rollins picked up a clean victory over him made so much buzz because that is not an everyday occurrence at all. If Rey Mysterio, who's hardly been portrayed as someone who fells monsters were to pick up a win over Brock Lesnar, it would just diminish the mystique of The Beast.
Rey Mysterio is a top guy in the roster, but he's no Brock Lesnar. To be fair, nobody is.
#4 Mysterio does not have the same kind of star power as Brock Lesnar
Even the biggest names from today like Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins aren't household names like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were, back during the Attitude Era of WWE. Wrestling is watched by a very select audience in today's day and age and yet one name stands out from the pack, towering over the rest. This man is Brock Lesnar, someone that people know for his accolades across spheres and for his longevity in wrestling.
Brock Lesnar hails from an era when wrestling was a lot more popular, and honestly, so does Rey Mysterio. But Mysterio was a Cruiserweight in WCW, and there was an invisible barrier for these individuals who would be a level below the likes of Sting, Goldberg, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan, among others. Even when he came to WWE, even though he's had a career that few can boast, Rey Mysterio never received the kind of push that Brock Lesnar did.
As a result, while he is hailed as a legend in the business, he will never have the box office appeal that Brock Lesnar has, and may not be the right candidate for the Championship.
#3 Kofi Kingston's loss would have been for nothing
Kofi Kingston used to be just a pancake flinging member of The New Day until the audience decided that he would be the man they would back all the way to WrestleMania 35. Kingston went on to have the match of his career against Daniel Bryan and with the audience egging him on, scored a fantastic victory becoming the reigning WWE Champion.
And then he would lose the Championship in a matter of seconds on the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX. It was a move that not only shocked a lot of fans but also upset them because the cultural significance of Kofi Kingston's reign was dissipated in a matter of seconds.
And for Kofi Kingston to lose the Championship to Brock Lesnar, for him to drop the title immediately after to Rey Mysterio would just result in the audience turning on the decision. Yes, for once, they may actually want Brock Lesnar to retain the Championship so that the win over Kofi Kingston actually means something.
Maybe Kofi Kingston gets yet another shot at the Championship somewhere down the line and actually wins the title back.
#2 Brock Lesnar's reign would be far too short
We often complain that unlike say NJPW, a lot of WWE title reigns are far too short. For a title reign to be meaningful, it needs to be around the waist of a Champion for a long period of time. The fact that the RAW Women's Championship is so respected and revered at this point is because Ronda Rousey carried it for a very long period of time, and so has Becky Lynch.
Brock Lesnar just won the title at the premiere of SmackDown on FOX and for him to lose the title so very soon at Survivor Series would make it just far too meaningless in my opinion. If the match with Rey Mysterio were happening at WrestleMania instead where Rey Mysterio triumphed, it would have been far more meaningful. And the audience may not even be invested in Mysterio to the extent that WWE wants them to.
The art of telling a story long term may be lost in the age of social media and knee-jerk reactions but WWE still makes many old-school decisions. They would not want to water down Brock Lesnar's title reign with an extremely impulsive decision.
#1 RAW's need to elevate babyfaces
During the course of RAW this week, the very real possibility of Seth Rollins becoming the NXT Champion after defeating Adam Cole was brought up and most of us dismissed it almost immediately. And this is because if Seth Rollins were to go to NXT, even for a brief spell, who would take over as the top babyface of the brand?
RAW has a serious lack of babyfaces right now and the best way to build and elevate their faces to the main event is through programs against The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar. Ricochet and Rusev are both on the verge of greatness, but they still need a tussle with The Beast before they reach the main event tier.
RAW already has its share of established heels in Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre and of course, Bobby Lashley beyond Brock Lesnar, who can all slip into the main event picture in a moment's notice, if called upon. Rey Mysterio is also past his prime and the focus should be on building a babyface for the generations to come.
Therefore, making him WWE Champion isn't necessarily the best idea.
Vote for your favorite matches this week on RAW right here. Please leave a comment as well.
