The Dream Match: Mysterio vs. Myzteziz

There's not many matches that Vince McMahon wants that he doesn't get. In fact, you can pretty much count them on one finger. Some of these matches potential matches could've been massive, like Rock vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania, Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair and (depending on how much you're willing to believe) John Cena vs. The Undertaker. And then, there's Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Mistico (known to WWE fans as the original Sin Cara), a match so far away from those others in light years that Christopher Nolan made a film about it called Interstellar. Yes, back when Mysterio and the Mistico roamed the WWE halls, Vince McMahon had the idea to put these two together in a major mid card Wrestlemania match. The goal, supposedly, was to get the record for most people wearing a masks in one arena, believable as both Mistico and Mysterio were high merch sellers. It was, in theory, a perfect idea; that is until it became apparent that an older, banged up Mysterio wanted out of WWE and that Mistico never was comfortable outside of Mexico. Before you knew it, both were gone from WWE, and Vince McMahon's dream of this match happening was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Or so he thought.

As it turns out, that Mysterio-Mistico match Vince always wanted will happen. He'll just have to pay for it like the rest of us. Last week, in a move that stunned the lucha libre world, top Mexican promotion AAA announced Mysterio vs. Mistico (now known as Myzteziz. Great name) as the main event for Triplemania, AAA's version of Wrestlemania. To say that I fell out of my chair upon hearing this news would be an understatement; I pretty much did two barrel rolls upon hitting the floor. There's the obvious reasons to be shocked, such as the fact that both Mysterio and Myzteziz are technicos, little indication that a feud was starting between them and potential high profile matches with Averno (Myzteziz's famous rival from their CMLL days) and Johnny Mundo were being speculated. But what made it most surprising is the history between the two. The Mysterio-Myzteziz match was something I had long given up on seeing, and frankly, was a match I didn't really care for when it was rumored to happen in WWE. And yet, here we are, a little less than a month away from these two squaring off, and I find myself as intrigued as ever for this massive match.

Now, if you're someone who has watched WWE all your life, you are probably like my buddy Pen right now. Which is to say that you're laughing your ass off at the thought of Mysterio vs. Myzteziz being a "big money" match. And look, I can't say I entirely blame you. The history of both guys in North America, at least at the end, isn't good. No one will ever question how big a superstar Rey Mysterio Jr. has been over his twenty year career, and you could make the case he's one of the greatest lucha libre stars of all time and the biggest crossover star in lucha history. That said, his drawing power and popularity was waning before his WWE departure, and that doesn't even take into consideration his injury issues. Myzteziz didn't have those same problems as Mysterio did, mostly because he never rose high enough to be in that position. So yes, it's completely understandable why you should look at this match and ask, "Why the hell should I consider getting a PPV where the headlining match is a WWE midcard bout between a has been and a never was?" (whoa, did Pen just like take over my brain there?). But there's a reason AAA decided to do this match, and there's a reason why, if you're a diehard wrestling fan, you should be intrigued. Well actually, there's several reasons. Glad you asked!

1) These are two of the biggest drawing lucha libre stars of all time. I shit you not; outside of Konnan, El Hijo del Santo and the legendary El Santo himself, not many other guys have raked in the big bucks like these two have. Mysterio was an outstanding draw in Mexico before coming to the states in the mid 90s, and he was a huge draw for both WWE and WCW during his runs there. Many don't know this, but Myzteziz is considered to be perhaps the biggest box office draw in wrestling PERIOD during the mid 00's, when he strapped CMLL on his back and became one of the best wrestlers in the world. Oh, and he also was a solid merch mover in WWE, despite how uneventful his run was. Put that all together, and there's no question why AAA thought this was the right main event for Triplemania. This is a bout that should have no trouble drawing in PPV buys, not to mention selling out the Arena Ciudad de Mexico.

2) These two have never, and I mean never, wrestled each other before. That's right, not once in either Mysterio or Myzteziz's career have these two tangled one on one in the ring; not at a PPV, a TV taping or even a house show. They couldn't throughout the mid 00s when both men were becoming major stars in their respective promotions. They never came together in WWE, despite Vince's best efforts and the two interacting with each other often as a tag team. And they've only thus far teamed together in AAA since Mysterio rejoined the promotion in early 2015. In short, not only is this a dream match that people have wanted to see for years and not only are they two of the biggest draws in lucha libre history, this will be the first time they've ever wrestled. This match is fresher than the cheese pizza I made for dinner last night. Have I mentioned how good a decision it was for AAA to do this match yet?

3) AAA will allow this match to be wrestled the way it should be wrestled. If it seems like I'm going to be critical of WWE here, you're mistaken. I have many issues with how they are running their show right now, but I certainly can't sit here and say that Vince McMahon has gotten to where he is by not knowing what he was doing. I also can't sit here and say that the idea of Mysterio-Myzteziz at Wrestlemania to break the mask record was a terrible idea; it was a great one, especially if the rumor of it being a mask vs. mask match was true. Here's the issue though; that match would've been wrestled under the WWE style, which if we're being honest, isn't the style best suited for this match. That's not just because Myzteziz had trouble adapting to the WWE style either. When you've got two lucha legends like these two, you don't want to see them try to wrestle a match John Cena and Kevin Owens would have. You want to see them go balls to the wall, flying around everywhere, pulling moves out of their asses the likes you can't believe. I could be wrong, but that wouldn't have happened if these two tangled at Wrestlemania, especially when you consider how little time they'd have gotten. Come next month at Triplemania however, these two will both get the time and get to do the match the way they want. Which only strengthens the chance for this to be a lucha classic.

There are some concerns of course. This match will not be what it would've been if these two had tangled some 5-10 years ago. We don't know if Mysterio's iffy health will be able to hold up. We don't know if there will be a good enough storyline for this match to lead into the bout, if any. But at the same time, and this is a testament to how huge this match is for lucha libre, Mysterio vs. Myzteziz is so big, the rest doesn't matter. The match, even if it's not what it would've been in 2006, still has a ton of potential to be excellent. Mysterio's health will be protected at all cost heading into the match, never mind the fact that everyone seems to suddenly get healthier when they go south of the border. As for the story, why create a false one when the real one is so good? Do you remember how big Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock felt to you when it happened thirteen years ago? Or how about Rock vs. Austin? Or Hogan vs. Andre? Come Triplemania next month, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Myzteziz will be on that level to the people in Arena Ciudad de Mexico and many more watching at home. Young lucha libre fans will strap on the masks of their favorite and run around like it's Christmas morning. Older fans will think back to the great dream matches of yesteryear, perhaps even recalling some of the memorable clashes El Santo once had during his titanic career. It will be a spectacle. It may be a masterpiece. And it will be something that you won't be able to take your eyes off.

So yes, in the end, Vince McMahon will end up getting the Sin Cara-Rey Mysterio match he always wanted. It just won't be at Wrestlemania, and it won't be for his company. I hope he still tunes in any way to see an awesome moment in lucha libre history. I will be. And you should too.

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