WWE News: Backstage Officials Once Again Furious With Rey Mysterio
In what’s becoming a reoccurring situation, WWE officials are once again furious with WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and legendary Cruiserweight was backstage at the recent Lucha Underground TV taping. According to eWrestlingNews, Mysterio was the special guest of John Fogleman, and the two went to dinner afterwards.
Fogleman is one of the El Rey Network’s founders, which is the TV home of the Lucha Underground promotion. As can be expected, WWE was not at all pleased when news got out that one of their most recognizable Superstars was backstage at another promotion’s television tapings.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, rumors are burning that Mysterio is looking to leave WWE for Mexico, assuming he can get out of his contract. The former WWE Champion has had a virtually non-existent role with WWE for several years now, following a litany of injuries and disputes regarding contract negotiations. His appearance backstage at Lucha Underground’s TV tapings could be seen as provocative, given the delicate nature of Mysterio’s ongoing contract issues with WWE.
It was reported back in July that Mysterio had actually stopped cashing his WWE paychecks, another sign that the Lucha legend is actively trying to end his relationship with WWE. While Mysterio’s contract with WWE technically expired months ago, WWE made the controversial decision to automatically renew the contract for one year, under the grounds that Mysterio’s repeated injuries and time off of TV had prevented him from fulfilling his contractual obligations to the company.
While Mysterio is a surefire WWE Hall of Fame candidate, breaking down barriers and bringing WWE some of their most prominent success with the Hispanic demographic, leaving the company in this fashion will definitely tarnish his legacy a bit, and leave a bitter taste in the mouths of WWE fans who still haven’t gotten over the inglorious way they lost CM Punk.
Unfortunately, Rey-Rey’s best wrestling days are lightyears in the past. Several decades of high flying maneuvers and a high impact ring style have decimated his knees, and he’s spent nearly the entirety of the last three or four years on the WWE main roster on the injured reserve list or appearing in sporadic TV feuds. While WWE is definitely not in a hurry to lose such a high-profile representative for the Hispanic market, the company is not completely without a contingency plan.
NXT Star Kalisto, better known to indie wrestling fans as Samuray Del Sol, is currently being viewed as the possible replacement for Mysterio. He’s young, charismatic, exceptionally over with Hispanic and American wrestling fans alike, and is able to do all of the things Mysterio is best known for.
While it would definitely be a bitter pill to swallow to lose Mysterio like this, keeping him on the roster against his will when he has little left to give to a business he’s already given years of his life and health to isn’t a good alternative.
[IMG Credit: WWE.com, WrestleEnigma.com]
