Signed in the Summer of 2002, Rey Mysterio was supposed to be the head of the new WWE Cruiserweight Title division. The general idea was that the masked man would be a leading light for the new scene, and help establish it as something special. That was the plan, but things didn't work out that way. Incredibly, WWE clearly weren't expecting Mysterio to be as good as he was. Right from the off, fans were in awe of what Rey could do inside a wrestling ring. WCW had used him so poorly towards the end of his run there that it was almost like people forgot how much of a tremendous worker he was. WWE helped change that, putting his mask back on him and letting Mysterio run riot and work matches however he liked. Crucially, Rey also paid attention to what management wanted from top stars, and quickly adapted his arsenal to fit. Just a month after arriving, Mysterio faced Kurt Angle in a red-hot opener at SummerSlam. The writing was on the wall, the promotion couldn't ignore the idea of elevating Rey higher up the card. For years, they tried, but his enduring popularity was too great. Finally in 2006, WWE pulled the trigger. Rey won the Royal Rumble, then the World Title at WrestleMania 22.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
