10 Biggest Breakout Stars Of WWE's Original Brand Extension

8. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio made a name for himself in North America during his days with ECW and WCW, garnering the reputation of one of wrestling's best high-flyers. Never before, though, had his full marketability been capitalised on. That changed with his arrival in WWE, where Vince McMahon took one look at his mask and the connection he had with fans and saw dollar signs.

Mysterio exploded into the company in July 2002, winning the hearts of fans while battling the likes of Los Guerreros, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle. His role as one of the SmackDown Six (the final member being Edge), helped revolutionise the SmackDown brand and elevate it past Raw for the first time in the show's history.

The master of the 619 became one of the faces of WWE and one of its most merchandised performers. One could not go to a show without seeing dozens of his iconic mask in the audience. Kids sported the reds, yellows, blues and greens of their favourite wrestler, a tribute to their hero. It was his connection with that portion of the fan base, in particular, that allowed him to become a two-time World Champion during the brand extension era.

The smallest heavyweight titleholder in the history of WWE, he transcended size and weight class. He was a superstar in every sense of the word.

Had it not been for WWE's brand extension in 2002 and the company's need for new talent, we may remember him as one of the best wrestlers of his generation but not the mega-star that he ultimately became.