10 Times WWE Couldn't Repeat Success

When WWE eventually optioned on ex-WCW man Rey Mysterio, over a full year after buying out the defunct company, they reasoned there'd been enough distance to reverse the abysmal decision of his former employees to de-mask and de-monetise the lucha legend.

Turning the clock back on Mysterio's Lucha de Apuestas record might have been highly non-traditional, but it proved extremely profitable. Rey had stood out from a crowd of similarly-styled cruiserweights in WCW, but their lack of marketing savvy would never see him a star where the big boys played.

Ordinarily, playing with the big boys would have undermined Rey just as much in his new home. Though the question of his size inevitably became part of his arc, he was simply too over to deny.

Unfortunately, the style which made him such a star came with a consequence. Injuries began to mount up on a body bulked up for Stamford success, and it became clear King Mystery would one day need a successor. The first attempt came in the shape of masked man Mistico, rechristened 'Sin Cara'. The man with no face proved to equally have no hope, repeatedly botching moves before failing a Wellness Test.

In fact, such a washout was Mysterio II that he needed his own. The former Hunico took up the mask after Mistico was fired, springboarding into a seven year stint of no consequence. Along the way, he was joined by Kallisto - another clear Mysterio expy - who, talent notwithstanding, simply could not inspire like the original.

Eventually, WWE did happen upon a perfect replacement for Rey Mysterio - and it was a returning Rey Mysterio himself.