9 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown 1000 (Oct 16)

7. First-Time 'Dream Match' Succeeds... But Only Just

Well, this was a letdown.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rey Mysterio was pretty good. It was okay. Fine, Acceptable. A slightly-too-warm pint after a hard day's work. That's why it doesn't finish as a Down, but it fell short of its billing and didn't come close to hitting the highs it should've.

Nobody could have reasonably expected a five-star high-workrate dream match from two guys this old and this beaten up, but it was a first-time bout between two wise veterans who understand their limitations, are over with the crowd, and can still go when the moment calls for it. Sadly, they just couldn't find the chemistry and cohesion needed to craft anything particularly memorable in their ten minutes of airtime, and this solid, unspectacular bout will be forgotten about.

It was good to see the United States Champion doing something close to meaningful on television again, and Mysterio look good throughout. The crowded sounded disengaged at various point, though, proving that name value and intrigue aren't always enough to sustain heat in situations like this, with an early miscommunication on a headscissor spot taking them out of the zone. From there, the two wrestlers faced an uphill battle.

Rey winning on his first night back was the right call, and the bout had enough good points to finish as a net positive. It never came close to anything resembling greatness, though.