5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (30 Dec - Results & Review)

2. They’re Going To Do It, Aren’t They?

Rey Mysterio’s burgeoning feud with the New Day has a lot of potential. As newly minted heels, New Day needs a universally loved babyface to play off to ensure maximum negativity, and who better than the Hall-of-Famer?

Monday, Rey tangled with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods backstage, with Mysterio saying that as a locker room leader, he needs to step up and put big egos in their place. He challenged New Day to a tag match next week.

And that’s where things veered into icky territory.

Woods asked which of the other “Rey Mysterio cosplaying cronies” in the LWO would team with Rey, but no confirmation was given. That leaves the door wide open to have Penta debut next week as a mystery partner. If that’s the case, this “down” is justified, even if his debut is overall successful in fans’ eyes.

First, bringing Penta in and immediately sticking him with the LWO is lazy booking at its finest. “Hey, we’re bringing in a masked luchador, let’s stick him with the stable full of luchadores!” Secondly, the LWO has three other, able-bodied members who could team with Rey, all of whom would make solid partners. Even in storyline, why sideline them for a new guy? If you’re Dragon Lee, wouldn’t you be resentful of Mysterio bringing in someone new for a high-profile match rather than enlisting your help?

If WWE doesn’t pull the trigger during the match and goes with Dragon Lee (and perhaps Penta is backup afterward), then this is less of a negative. But it still would be a bit of typecasting to bring Penta in and immediately insert him into the LWO, a stable that seemingly can’t find screentime for its existing members.