Rey Mysterio has reportedly resigned with WWE, with his debut likely to come on SmackDown Live after SummerSlam. That will undoubtedly lead to speculation he’ll feud with Andrade “Cien” Almas. But that shouldn’t happen immediately.
Earlier this week, Wrestling Standard reported that Rey Mysterio was on his way back to WWE. Per Harry Austen’s report, Mysterio inked a two year deal, and he will likely make his return shortly after SummerSlam. Rumors also have Rey pegged as joining SmackDown Live once he’s back in earnest. While Dave Meltzer has stated the deal isn’t finalized just yet, it’s “very close.”
Of course, there’s another superstar on SmackDown who some would say may be the next Rey Mysterio: Andrade “Cien” Almas. El Idolo made his in-ring debut for the Blue Team in May, though he’s been off television for a few weeks. Almas, led by manager Zelina Vega, has a world of potential ahead of him.
There’s a good likelihood that Almas and Mysterio would be booked in a rivalry once Rey is back. In the past, wrestlers with similar backgrounds and styles entered programs with one another. In Rey Mysterio, you have the greatest cruiserweight in history; in Almas, you have the next great luchador.
There’s even more similarities between Almas and Mysterio. Both are part of wrestling families. Each superstar has experienced success in both Mexico and the United States. And each one made a surprise appearance in the 2018 Royal Rumble match. (Okay, that last one is admittedly a bit of a stretch. But both got a huge reaction from the crowd!)
Similar backgrounds and résumés aside, though tempting, it would be best to keep Mysterio and Almas separate for the time being. While Mysterio is 43 and probably approaching the end of his career, there’s plenty of time down the road for a storyline with El Idolo. And rushing into that feud would be a big mistake.
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For starters, Almas has had precisely one feud on the main roster, and it never ended (on television, at least). Upon his debut, Almas crossed paths with Sin Cara, only to see their matches get bumped to pre-SmackDown dark matches. Despite his NXT run ending on a high note, Almas is a relative unknown to the main roster audience. Throwing him right in there with a legend would not bode well for him.
When Rey Mysterio comes back, he should enter a rivalry with a superstar he can pick up a big win or two over. Not that the WWE Universe doesn’t know who he is, but you want him to come back on a high note to remind everyone just how good he is. If he’s facing Almas, it may not seem like a big win to the majority of fans — though enough would know, Almas is still too much a mystery (no pun intended).
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Instead, Almas should get back on television and better introduce himself to the fans. Once he’s more a familiar face, and Rey Mysterio has picked up a few victories, then we can get to the battle of the lucha royalty.