This is Eddie Guerrero's last match which aired three days before his death on my birthday, November 13th, 2005. Unknowingly to anyone, Guerrero would wrestle his swan song against Mr. Ken Kennedy where the Latino Heat pulled off his classic "lie, cheat, and steal" diversions to pick up his last win.
I'm not going to dwell on the whole Rey Myserio main event push because of Eddie dying storyline that transpired sometime after the news got out, but I will say that I am mighty glad that they dropped that terrible "I'm Dominick's real father, Rey" storyline and turned Eddie back into a crowd favorite before it was too late and things ended on a sour note. It is a shame that Eddie's life had to come to an abrupt end so soon after recovering from his real-life demons none-the-less.
Cruiserweight Open featuring: Ultimo Dragon, Jamie Noble, Shannon Moore, Rey Mysterio, Funaki, Nunzio, Chavo Guerrero, Billy Kidman, Tajiri, and Akio* - Cruiserweight title match - Wrestlemania XX (2004)
Before introducing the WrestleMania match mentioned above, I would first like to introduce Ultimo Dragon to anyone who may not now of him.
This is Ultimo Dragon:
Yep, that's him, and yes, that's ten titles. Do I need to say more?
So, when WWE picked up Ultimo Dragon in 2003, it seemed like a no-brainer that Dragon would make a huge impact on the Smackdown! brand and have great success in their cruiserweight division, a division that Ultimo Dragon revolutionized in the 90's (those ten titles above are all middleweight/lightweight/cruiserweight championships). It also makes sense that Ultimo Dragon would get his chance to shine at pro-wrestling's version of the Super Bowl, WrestleMania!
So, WWE booked Ultimo Dragon in a match for the Cruiserweight title at Wrestlemania XX, right? Ehh, sort of. Rather than just having Ultimo Dragon take on the Cruiserweight champion of that time - which wasn't Rey Mysterio for some reason - we were given a ten man elimination-type match featuring the who's-who of the undercard.
Unfortunately for Ultimo Dragon, it just gets worse from there.
Take a look:
Yep, that's the same guy from above holding ten titles, eight from winning the prodigious J-Crown tournament, the NWA Middlewight title and the WCW World Cruiserwight title, Sin Cara-botching his WrestleMania debut.
Ultimo Dragon trips on his way out to the ring and then slips on the ropes as he poses to the crowd at Madison Square Garden, all before the match starts.
The Match:
As it seems that Ultimo Dragon's (who has to start the open) luck is turned around after defeating Shannon Moore with the Asai DDT, Ultimo Dragon takes on Jamie Noble (a former dragon himself) only to get choked out and sent to the back, ending Dragon's chances at becoming champion at 'Mania, just like that.
Other "highlights": Rey Mysterio dressed as Flash, Funaki gets pinned in record time if this was a real match, Nunzio gets counted out, Billy Kidman's cringe-worthy springboard shooting star press, *Akio gets Tajiri mist sprayed in his face so he never actually wrestled in this match, Chavo Classic catches Rey Rey before splatting on the floor via senton over the top rope, and, after eleven minutes of plugging all the cruiserweights Smackdown! had for this match, Chavo Guerrero retains his title.
All in all, if it wasn't for Ultimo Dragon's failed WrestleMania debut, this match would be forgotten forever. Thank you based dragon!
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Ric Flair - World Heavyweight title match - WCW Nitro Spring Break-Out (1999)
What better way to kick off my Spring Break then with a little blast from the past featuring Ric Flair taking on the unmasked Rey Mysterio Jr. in Rey Rey's first World Heavyweight title shot (according to Michael Buffer) at WCW's coverage of Monday Night Nitro at Panama City Beach, Florida for their annual Spring Break-Out special. AKA the WCW with the swimming pool around the ring!
This match isn't so much a blast from the past as much as it just reminds me of how much MTV and other teenager-friendly channels on TV used to broadcast Spring Break related events like this one at Club La Vela.
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Psicosis - Super J Cup (1995)
Today's match is probably the best example of a Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Psicosis match out of the hundreds, maybe thousands, that have taken place. It comes from the second Super J Cup hosted by Wrestle Association R as an exhibition match to show the Japanese crowd just what these two young athletes were capable of.
I definitely believe it's the best example of both the technical and high-flying wrestling skills these two could easily bring to the table when they faced each other as well as the fact that Rey and Psicosis brought their show to a very quiet and respectable crowd which put pressure on every single move and hold they would make.
As the match picks up and Rey and Psicosis start to really pull out some high risk maneuvers such as Psicosis's scary-looking suicide dive to the outside or Rey Mysterio's super-high top-rope asai moonsault, the crowd starts to show some true excitement towards this little match before the Super J Cup tournament (won by Jushin Liger). You can tell that the audience had not seen such lucha libre, fast-paced style wrestling before and were really eating it up.
After watching multiple Rey Myserio Jr./Psicosis duels they soon begin to look like a choreographer dance by two long time opponents. I'm not saying this good or bad but you can tell just by watching these two masked stars from Mexico go at it that they have had a lot of matches together and complement each other's styles like no one else. It probably also helps that both Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psicosis were trained by the same person... Rey's uncle and original bearer of the Rey Misterio name, Rey Misterio Sr.
