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WWE: Rey Mysterio, Andrade should end rivalry at WrestleMania

By Anthony Mahon

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 23: Rey Mysterio attends the press room for "Lucha Underground" during C2E2 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo at McCormick Place on April 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 23: Rey Mysterio attends the press room for "Lucha Underground" during C2E2 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo at McCormick Place on April 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images) /
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The card for this year’s WrestleMania is beginning to take shape with Shane McMahon vs. The Miz confirmed and AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton hinted at on SmackDown. However, there are two very talented performers in Andrade and Rey that don’t yet have a spot on the card and their rivalry is built for a WrestleMania blowoff.

Despite a rocky start in WWE NXT, Andrade evolved into one of the best performers on the brand by the time he defeated Drew McIntyre for the brand’s top prize at NXT TakeOver: War Games in 2017. While his win was considered a shock at the time, Andrade proved his worth as NXT Champion by having an instant classic title defense against Johnny Gargano the following month.

After debuting on SmackDown last April, Andrade’s fortunes dissipated and he gradually slid into a  less featured role as months passed. While Almas was relied on to have quality matches with the likes of Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles, he came out on the losing end more often than not and didn’t appear to have any real sense of direction.

A clear path started to take form as Andrade did battle with wrestling legend Rey Mysterio for the first time that November. Rey came out on top and earned a spot on Team SmackDown for Survivor Series in the process but that match marked only the beginning of this rivalry.

After pinning Mysterio in tag team action, Andrade scored his first singles victory over “The Master of the 619” a week later thanks to a distraction from his manager, Zelina Vega. The match was spectacular enough to earn main event honors the following week in a 2-out-of-3 Falls rematch.

Both men tore the house down and scored one fall apiece. Unfortunately, with the buildup to the Royal Rumble intertwined in their feud, Samoa Joe interfered to make a statement and prevented a decisive conclusion to an amazing match and an equally stellar rivalry.

Following the Royal Rumble, Joe would remain involved with the two and R-Truth eventually joined the fray as United States Champion. All four men had their sights set on the title, leading to a Fatal Four Way on SmackDown and a rematch at Fastlane, both of which Joe won.

As both Andrade and Rey have been repeatedly unsuccessful in their quests to become United States Champion, it would make sense for them to fade out of the title picture for the time being. This would allow them to have their rubber match at WrestleMania.

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In Mysterio’s time away from WWE, he got into incredible shape and has been performing at a high level ever since he made his WWE return last October. Andrade’s feud with Rey has helped re-elevate the former’s status, as proven by a final four appearance in the Royal Rumble. Both men have worked hard to stand out on a loaded SmackDown roster and every time they have stepped in the ring together, it has yielded breathtaking results. Letting their rivalry culminate at the biggest pay-per-view of the year is a WrestleMania moment waiting to happen.