Rey Mysterio just can't catch a break. He and his son Dominik moved to RAW after becoming the first father-son pairing in WWE history to win the SmackDown tag team championships, only to have the younger Mysterio catch the eye of Fin Balor and Judgement Day. After fighting off the team at every turn, both with and without Edge by their side, in the end, it just wasn't enough; Dom betrayed Edge and then his own father, and after a string of attacks that consistently saw the second-generation superstar goaded on by his son, Rey was convinced to move to SmackDown to avoid hanging up his mask for good.
Freed of the judgment of the, um Judgement Day, things were going great for Mysterio, as he won a Fatal Fourway to decide on the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship. This, unfortunately, drew the attention of GUNTHER, the “Ring General,” who is not only one of the most imposing presences on the WWE roster but one of the most legendarily lethal choppers in professional wrestling, which is a pretty big statement, but one the man formerly known as WALTER has more than earned.
Asked how it felt to be back on SmackDown with a match booked to wrestle GUNTHER on the go-home show before Crown Jewel, Mysterio attempted to provide an answer, “(I want to) say how excited I am to once again challenge for the Intercontinental title, and how truly grateful I am to be back on SmackDown, my home-”
Before Mysterio could continue, he ate a face full of steel chair from none other than Giovanni Vinci, who, alongside his former NXT tag team partner, Ludwig Kaiser, held down the 12-time WWE Champion so that GUNTHER, in his first WWE championship reign, could hit him with a massive chop ahead of their match on SmackDown.
Will Mysterio be able to overcome a three-on-one battle against one of the badest dudes on SmackDown right now? Or will the odds prove insurmountable for the diminutive luchador? Either way, it's clear Imperium want to let it be known that they aren't going to take Mysterio lightly.
.@reymysterio is going to be feeling that one…@Gunther_AUT #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/cPd7uCgIk2
— WWE (@WWE) October 29, 2022
GUNTHER and Imperium want to make a statement against the WWE legend.
Tracked down by the ever-interested Meghan Morant of the SmackDown LowDown crew, GUNTHER, Kaiser, and Vinci were asked if Imperium was looking to make a statement when they viciously attacked Mysterio in the backstage area – but before she could even get through her question, Kaiser butted in like only he knows how to do.
“Excuse me?” Kaiser asked. “I believe his message was loud and clear, wasn’t it?”
Vinci agreed with his long-time tag team partner.
“Loud and clear indeed,” Vinci concluded. “Next week might now be an easy night, but that’s okay; if it was easy, everybody would do it. Imperium is not everybody. And next week, the Ring General is going to show once again why he is the Intercontinental Champion.”
All things considered, it's clear Imperium's resident tag team isn't going to sit back and allow their fearless leader to lose his belt to a SmackDown newcomer, regardless of how many belts he's won in the promotion or how tenured he is with the company. Those intentions were fully confirmed by GUNTHER, who left little doubt about his intentions.
“Look, you’re right, Rey Mysterio is a legend of this sport.” GUNTHER told Meghan. “But the version I see of him right now? Disgusts me. It’s despicable! I’m glad he’s happy to be over here in SmackDown. And he’s having a good time and wants to prove himself again. But not on my expense! He’s running away from family issues and that’s again the difference. He’s in this for himself, we are in this for the greater good! We are Imperium, and to us, the mat is sacred.”
Is Mysterio a legend? Yes. Is he one of the most dominant forces in professional wrestling history who has taken down performers of all shapes and sizes? Yes. Is he arguably the best luchador to ever perform in America, maybe in North America, period? There is a very good case to be made for that, yes indeed, but GUNTHER is no slouch either and actually has two more five-or-more star matches from Dave Meltzer than his opponent, despite having 17 fewer years of in-ring experience. Factor in the presence of Vinci and Kaiser, who held the NXT Tag Team Championships for much of NXT 2.0, and the prospect of Mysterio rolling into Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and securing his third title reign with the IC Title is far from a guarantee.
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