The SmarK DVD Rant for Superstar Collection: Rey Mysterio
Kind of weird that both releases this month cover guys who already have multiple comprehensive DVD sets in the past. In the case of Shawn Michaels, he not only has multiple sets about his singles career, but multiple sets about the D-X reunion.
Intercontinental title v. Mask: Chris Jericho v. Rey Mysterio
This is from The Bash 2009, aka the show formerly named The Great American Bash. Jericho grabs a headlock to start but misses a charge, and Rey puts him on the floor with a headscissors. Jericho blocks a baseball slide and runs Rey into the barricade, however, and the crowd gives him a babyface reaction for it. This must have been during the Rey backlash. Jericho with a delayed suplex for two. They head up and Rey puts him down for the senton, but Jericho gets a backbreaker for two. Jericho runs him into the corner as the early going isn’t terribly exciting stuff. Seated dropkick gets two, but Rey goes to the leg and puts Jericho on the floor, then follows with a CRAZY seated senton from the top to the floor. No wonder his knees are shot. Back in, Rey with a double springboard moonsault for two, as the crowd stars to turn back for him again. Well defying the laws of physics should probably get a babyface reaction, I’d hope.
Jericho blocks a springboard bodypress and slams him for two, but misses a blind charge. Rey with a moonsault press for two. Rey tries a rana and Jericho headfakes him with a powerbomb counter, then drops him into a Walls of Jericho instead. What a great touch. Rey hits him in the leg to break, then suckers Jericho onto the apron and tries the 619. That misses, and Jericho hits a clothesline that has the heel fans cheering for him again. Back up for another rana attempt from Rey, and this time Jericho does powerbomb him for two. Lionsault misses and Rey gets the West Coast Pop for two. 619 is caught by Jericho, but Rey reverses him into a DDT for two. Rey springboards right into a Codebreaker in a great spot, but that only gets two. Jericho wants a top rope rana, but Rey blocks him and hits a missile dropkick. 619 finally hits, but Jericho blocks the rana with the Walls. What a great sequence. Rey fights into a sunset flip and they do a reversal sequence off that, but Jericho unmasks him Rey has another mask underneath, however, and while Jericho is pointing at his head to indicate his intelligence, Rey hits the 619 and drops the dime for the title at 15:51. What a BRILLIANT finish. Played off the previous match, built from Rey’s repeated 619 attempts, made Jericho look like an arrogant jackass who got what he deserved. Absolutely tremendous. ****1/2
Intercontinental title: Rey Mysterio v. Dolph Ziggler
From Night of Champions 2009, back when Ziggler was managed by Maria and had no heat. You know the Vickie relationship is a good one because it’s hard to remember a time when it didn’t exist. Ziggler snaps off a dropkick for two, and he works the count before going to a headlock. Rey takes him down with a headscissors and tries a rana, but Dolph powerbombs him into the turnbuckles for two. And it’s chinlock time, as Ziggler works that in dramatic Orton-like fashion. Rey takes him into the post to break and gets the senton and springboard bodypress for two, however. Dolph powerslams him for two. Rey dumps him and follows with the senton off the apron, as the crowd isn’t buying into any of this. Back in, Rey goes up Dolph brings him down and tries a tiger bomb, but Rey reverses into 619 position. Dolph escapes and tosses Rey again, however. Back in, that gets two. I think that young Dolph is having trouble pacing the offense and giving Rey hope spots. Obviously he’s way better now. Speaking of which, Dolph goes to a full nelson and then powerslams him for two. Elbowdrop gets two. Back to the full nelson to cut off Rey’s comeback, and they trade rollups for two off that. Rey with a low kick for two. Ziggler gets a jawbreaker for two, but Rey takes him into the corner and goes up. Ziggler dropkicks him on the way down and gets two. They fight to the top, where Ziggler gets a gutbuster for two. JR is being fed some really annoying lines from Vince here, mostly about how close the near-falls are. Rey finishes with the 619 and splash at 14:18. Pretty dull stuff. **1/2
Steel cage match: Batista v. Rey Mysterio
From Smackdown, January 2010. I don’t get why they did the awesome heel turn for Batista and then had him lose, like, EVERY MATCH. Rey immediately tries to run away, but Batista catches up and hauls him back in. Grisham calls this “like locking a fox in a cage with a lion”. Is there an alternate commentary option where I can hear monkeys throwing shit at each other instead of having to sit through these two? Neat bit sees Rey trying the 619, realizing that there’s not enough room between the ropes and the cage, and then running up Batista’s back and almost out of the cage instead. Batista hauls him back in again, however, and chokes him out on the cage while laying the bad-mouth on him. And once again Matt Striker switches between heel commentator (“These fans can chant 619 all they want!”) and all-knowing dispenser of wrestling wisdom. I just hate his commentary so much. Batista puts him down with a big boot, but Rey fights back with a clothesline and springboard leg drop for two. Batista goes for the spinebuster, but Rey gets a weak rollup reversal for two. Batista puts him down again and then spears him, and now Striker switches back to cheering for the heel. Batista with the spinebuster and some pushups and WHY THE HELL DIDN’T THEY PUT THE WORLD TITLE ON THIS GUY?!? I guess they did for like a month in 2010, but he really deserved a much longer run with this character. Rey tries to escape, but Batista keeps pulling him in, so Rey kicks the door in his face and escapes at 6:57. And now Striker is neutral again. Good finish, but I really hate the escape rules because it makes the babyface look like a total coward. Batista just ruled it here with his facials, but it was too quick and simplistic to really tell any kind of a story. **1/2
Hair v. Straight Edge Society: CM Punk v. Rey Mysterio
From Over The Limit 2010. Punk is of course in full long-haired greasy Jesus mode at this mode to set up the payoff. This was kind of a weird feud in terms of progression, as we never got the “Rey joining the Society” wackiness you’d think would make for the better storyline, and we never got the mask on the line, and in fact Punk never really got any kind of advantage on him. They slug it out to start and Punk launches him onto the floor with a backdrop. Punk misses a dive and Rey takes him into the barricade with a rana as a result. Back in, Punk blocks the 619 and tosses him into the barber chair, and how the hell do you take THAT bump safely? Meanwhile, Punk is bleeding, so the match grinds to a halt so that everyone can come in and stop the tiny trickle of blood while Punk sits there rolling his eyes at the hard camera. I don’t mind the “no blading” policy, but stopping the match to tend to any little cut is just ridiculous overkill. Sometimes real men hit each other and gush blood all over the mat in the midst of combat sports. Deal with it. A clearly pissed off Punk attacks Rey and suplexes him on the floor, then puts him in a headscissors on the mat while Lawler and Matt Striker have the most annoying discussion possible. Striker was just the WORST by the end of his tenure, and the commentary was almost unlistenable here thanks to the bickering between Striker and Lawler. Punk drops forearms on Rey while pledging Straight Edge, and that gets two. Rey with the sunset bomb for two. Rey makes the comeback with the springboard bodypress for two and throws knees at Punk’s head as now I’m wondering if he’s trying to bust him open again as a rib. Punk alley-oops him into the turnbuckles and sets up the 619, but Punk reverses into a backbreaker for two instead. Rey reverses out of the GTS, but Punk bulldogs him off the middle rope for two. High kick gets two. Rey reverses another GTS attempt into the 619, but the splash misses. Punk goes for an arrogant cover, but Rey rolls him over for the pin at 13:44. The blood stoppage obviously ground things to a halt early, but after the restart it got rolling again pretty well. ***1/4 The SES comes in for the beatdown on Rey, but Kane makes the save and chases them off, leaving Punk handcuffed to the ropes for a PAINFUL haircut. Those dull clippers on greasy hair…OUCH. The crowd chants “shave his chest” afterwards, although thankfully Punk started doing that himself later. I think this was recently released on both the Rey DVD set AND the new Punk set as well.
The Pulse
Again, given the limitations of these Superstar Collections (has to be 2008-2010, they have to win their matches, only 90 minutes long) this was fine, but obviously Rey’s best work was not during this period. Kind of odd that they didn’t feature Rey winning the World title from Jack Swagger as one of the matches, though. Again, it’s a good quick watch, but nothing I’d pay more than the $6 sticker price for.
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