Why The Internet Hates Him: Mysterio was an internet darling before the internet was really a thing. When he was revolutionising junior heavyweight wrestling in the early-to-mid nineties the magazines and so-called 'dirtsheets' raved about him. That love intensified when he began tearing it up on a weekly basis in WCW. Then Rey finally arrived in WWE in 2002 and things were still good for a few years, despite a few comments that he had lost a step or two since his leaner WCW days. Fans really started to turn on Rey following the death of his close friend Eddie Guerrero in 2005. Rey was the recipient of a major push in a storyline that included some uncomfortable moments referencing the late Guerrero. Since fans couldn't vent their frustrations at Vince McMahon or the creative team, poor Rey became the target of their vitriol. As well as the Eddiesploitation, fans had grown tired with Rey's babyface act and kid-friendly style. He was broken down and past-his-prime they said. Mysterio received some decidedly Cena-esque reactions during the final year of his WWE career. Post-WWE, Mysterio has incurred more wrath for his involvement in the in-ring accident that caused the death of Perro Aguayo Jr in Mexico. Why They're Wrong: Come on, this is Rey Mysterio we're talking about here. This is a guy who has put on countless classic matches and entertained fans for over twenty years, despite numerous major surgeries. The master of the 619 has fought through the pain to put on a show more so than any other. Should Rey be ashamed for his involvement in the Eddie Guerrero exploitation angles of 2006? Possibly, but it's not like Rey, who up to his feud with Eddie had been viewed as a midcarder only, had anywhere near the kind of clout to reject it. If Rey had said no, odds are they would have found somebody else to do it. Rey definitely didn't want to purposefully insult the memory of his dead friend. Had Rey become a little stale and repetitive by the end of his WWE tenure? Maybe. But he was still one of the most consistently entertaining guys on the roster and you knew you'd get a good match out of him. As for the Perro Aguayo Jr stuff, if anyone thinks that Rey is in any way responsible for that, they couldn't be more wrong.
