WWE: Rey Mysterio should’ve beaten Brock Lesnar, not AJ Styles

Rey Mysterio captured the United States Championship on WWE Raw, but he should’ve just beaten Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series.

On paper, you’d think it’s exciting that WWE legend Rey Mysterio captured the United States Championship on WWE Raw. Your mind might go to the potential rivalries that could stem from it, but you’d be forgiven if you forgot that Rey Mysterio held the US Title six months ago for a grand total of 15 days.

However, you might be confused. You might be wondering how Raw saw Rey Mysterio walk out as the United States Champion, especially since Mysterio was pursuing WWE Champion Brock Lesnar just 24 hours earlier. These are all valid thoughts and considerations, but Mysterio’s victory actually represents the exact reason Raw will struggle to grow in the coming months.

As a result of his championship win, Rey Mysterio is now the only present singles men’s champion on the entire brand. Yes, technically Brock Lesnar is still the reigning (defending, undisputed, etc.) WWE Champion, but don’t expect to see him on Raw for at least a month.

It’s all but guaranteed that the current WWE Champion won’t show up on Raw again until the build to Royal Rumble in January. Therefore, by default, Rey Mysterio is now the leader of Raw and the highest-ranking men’s champion the brand will see until then.

Which really begs the question: why didn’t Rey Mysterio just beat Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series?

Even if WWE has plans for Brock Lesnar heading into WrestleMania 36, it would’ve made more sense to put the title on Rey Mysterio for the time being. Mysterio wouldn’t have even had a clean victory, with weapons and his own son Dominick assisting during the match.

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This would’ve easily set the stage for a rematch between Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio when the time was right, probably Royal Rumble based on Brock Lesnar’s usual schedule, at which point Brock Lesnar could’ve recaptured the championship in a match that didn’t allow the weapons and assistance that Rey Mysterio needed to become WWE Champion.

In the meantime, Rey Mysterio would’ve been free to lead Raw as WWE Champion through the TLC pay-per-view in December and during the road to Royal Rumble. All of the logic was there, but there was also a huge missed opportunity.

WWE is often framed as a company that’s in the business of creating moments, and not necessarily matches. There’s nothing wrong with that viewpoint, as it’s created so many unforgettable moments throughout their history.

The company had the opportunity to create another one of those unforgettable moments at Survivor Series. Take a moment to transport yourself ten years into the future. Try to ignore all the ways the world probably worsened, and think about telling the story of Rey Mysterio defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.

Someone night initially believe it to be an outlandish tale. “No way Rey Mysterio can beat Brock Lesnar,” they’d say. Then you’d tell the tale. You’d talk about Brock Lesnar going after Rey Mysterio and attacking his son Dominick.

You’d bring up the debut of Cain Velasquez, and how Cain couldn’t get the job done against Brock Lesnar at the Saudi Arabia Blood Money show. You’d try to skip over explaining that for the time being and move on with the story, since taking that conscious detour might derail things for hours.

Finally, you’d explain the build to Survivor Series 2019 and Rey Mysterio hitting a whole new gear at the twilight of his career. You’d talk about how Mysterio’s love for his son and his family drove him all the way to the top. You’d talk about Dominick Mysterio helping his father capture the WWE Championship for (probably) the final time in Rey’s career.

It sounds so perfect, doesn’t it? Sorry, you don’t get to tell that story. If you’re a big fan with a good memory, you might remember Survivor Series 2019 falling flat. You might recall Mysterio winning the United States Championship the next night on Raw, or the weird part where Randy Orton helped him, but chances are that’s a moment few of us will remember even a year from now, much less a decade from now.

Instead of creating something truly special, WWE defaulted to “keep Brock strong” in a situation where he wouldn’t have been damaged in the slightest by losing. For seemingly no reason at all, the WWE Championship will now be held hostage out of sight as the Road to WrestleMania starts heating up.

So yeah, good for Rey Mysterio. I’m happy for him. I’m glad his son was able to be involved. I’m happy he’s now the top men’s champion on Raw, but it feels ultimately forgettable considering the moment that would’ve been so easy for WWE to create just 24 hours ago.