Why WWE Has FAILED To Replace This Legend

by Scott Carlson

What The Future Holds

Rey Mysterio
WWE.com

If the past 20 years have taught us anything, it’s that Rey Mysterio is a truly unique individual in wrestling lore. Nearly 30 years after debuting in WCW, he still is beloved by fans and timeless as a performer. The fact that he could win a title next week and no one would blink says a lot about the enduring credibility he has accumulated.

WWE’s efforts to find his successor is understandable, but they’ve failed at every turn. They’ve tried wrestlers with the pedigree, masked luchadors, and ridiculously talented superstars, but none have had the staying power. And yet, Rey is still here in 2023 himself, more than a decade after the company started trying to find the next Mexican/Latino sensation.

The LWO is a recent success, and it remains to be seen if Santos Escobar and the rest of the crew can break through without Mysterio’s coattails. But for now, the recipe seems to be working. Rey won’t be around forever, and WWE very likely will never replace him, but if they can cement and tap into his legacy, that might be the closest they come to replicating his unparalleled success.

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Contributor
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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.