10 Expectations Vs. Reality For WWE WrestleMania 35

9. Samoa Joe Vs. Rey Mysterio

Expectations Reality
WWE.com

Expectation:

A total, guaranteed ripper, right? This is Samoa Joe Vs. Rey Mysterio.

Samoa Joe isn't as explosive as he once was, but, like the very best masters, he has adapted. He is exponentially more terrifying now than he ever was, having made the transition from MMA-influenced tough nut to actual, gleeful sociopath. Rey Mysterio is ageless, somehow, and on a WrestleMania stage that has treated him as far too much of an afterthought over the years, he will use this night as a platform for atonement. He will also use it as a platform on which to jump, from massive heights, into Joe's vicious gullet. The prospect of Rey taking the horrific brunt of Joe's thudding power game, on a big, all-out occasion, is as sickening as it is ghoulishly entertaining. The grotesque angles at which Joe will bend Rey may haunt poor Dominic forever.

Or, alternatively...

Reality:

The match descends into damaging soap opera farce, as Dominic is booked to lay into Joe with punches as a thank you to Rey for binning off NJPW last year.

That, or it goes six-seven minutes deep into the show, and we treat it like the impromptu SmackDown match it sort of is.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!