10 Most Effective Wrestling Babyfaces Of The 21st Century
9. Rey Mysterio
WWE's handling of Cruiserweight talent has been criticised for aeons; its Light Heavyweight division at the turn of the millennium was very much a halfhearted attempt to do what WCW was doing, very much for the sake of it. The Cruiserweight retread in the mid 2000s was equally insipid. Billy Kidman was at the forefront of both WCW and WWE's divisions, and his physique and style was markedly different. He was bigger, slower - homogenised with his heavyweight peers.
Even in 2017, those criticisms remain valid. The in-ring aspect of 205 Live is as similar to its flagship counterparts as its rote, soap opera-esque storytelling. You're more likely to see a love triangle than a double rotation moonsault on the so-called "most exciting hour on television".
But WWE got it spot on with Rey Mysterio. The key to Rey's success in WWE was in his presentation. He was booked as something entirely exclusive and was permitted, with his high octane, crowd-popping ring style, to live up to his peerless reputation. His selling was as immersive as his offence was spectacular - made all the more unmissable and special because he was the lone flier in a world of lumbering giants. WWE exercised restraint and care with Mysterio. It allowed him to endure as special attraction for years.
That WWE has tried so desperately to replace him - and failed, under the incorrect assumption that a mask alone creates magic - confirms that his bond with the audience was as unique as his style.