In February, 2015, WWE management made the decision not to renew Rey Mysterio's contract. The masked man had been with the promotion since 2002, and had long been one of the more featured performers on the roster. A former World Champion, Mysterio had managed to rekindle his career following the closure of World Championship Wrestling in 2001. Unfortunately, his in-ring style had been forced to change over the years. Knee problems put restrictions on Rey's ability to fly around the ring like he had before, and WWE made steps to try and introduce a new masked character to replace him. For that very reason, the original Sin Cara was hired in 2011, but he'd never replicate the connection Mysterio enjoyed with the WWE fan base. As far back as 2010, Mysterio had been openly discussing his desire to return to wrestle in his native Mexico. Naturally, this was something that irked Vince McMahon, but the pair were able to mend fences and extend Rey's WWE deal. By 2015, there was a lack of interest from the company to do so again, and Mysterio was ushered out of the organisation. According to him, Rey is still on good terms with some inside WWE, but he seems content taking independent bookings.
