10 Worst WWE Booking Decisions Of The 2000s (Year-By-Year)

Here’s another topic writers have belaboured for years now. Almost everything about Rey Mysterio’s ascent to the World Heavyweight Championship was botched in some capacity. From overdoing the “Tribute to Eddie” gimmick, to having him lose constantly before the title match, to having him lose constantly after becoming champion, it was clear WWE had no faith whatsoever in Mysterio being a top guy.

As Dave Meltzer has noted, it speaks to a counterproductive mindset Vince McMahon has when it comes to his stubborn beliefs. At the time, almost everyone in the company brass were behind Rey winning the world title, but the only one who thought otherwise was Vinny Mac himself. Confident that nobody could get behind a little guy like Rey as world champ, Vince decided to make that belief a self-fulfilling prophecy. Nothing the company did helped Rey in terms of getting over with the fans, and it doomed him with a ceiling he could never break through afterward.

Sure, Rey’s career recovered, and he remains popular to this day, but considering his high merch sales and connection to a younger audience, it’s clear WWE could have done a lot more with him in the champion’s spotlight. But instead, they chose to throw money down the drain in the name of justifying their pushes of big, sweaty men.

Speaking of which...