{"id":121778,"date":"2023-12-10T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=121778"},"modified":"2023-12-10T03:07:41","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T08:07:41","slug":"the-many-successors-of-rey-mysterio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/12\/10\/the-many-successors-of-rey-mysterio\/","title":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Many Successors of Rey Mysterio: Why They Didn\u2019t Pan Out and Why Dragon Lee Will"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you started becoming a fan of the <strong>WWE <\/strong>product at the height of the \u201cRuthless Aggression,\u201d there\u2019s no doubt that one of your favorite superstars includes <strong>Rey Mysterio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Going by many monikers such as the \u2018Ultimate Underdog,\u2019 \u2018Biggest Little Man in WWE History,\u201d and, \u201cThe Giant-Killer,\u201d Mysterio is a legend and a generational talent who provided the WWE Universe with some of the best matches in the promotion\u2019s history, as well as many unforgettable moments.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DZQamxy7q2o?si=-8TfPNA19ng9LHrH\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Feuds with the late-great <strong>Eddie Guerrero<\/strong>, winning the 2006 <strong><em>Royal Rumble<\/em><\/strong> match from the number two spot, and ultimately securing the World Heavyweight Championship at <strong><em>WrestleMania 22<\/em><\/strong>, and many more remains etched in the memories of many diehard WWE fans.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qxFB1IKxoG4?si=9FRIsCHP01ZshgXC\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Hall of Famer\u2019s resume remains unparalleled and was <em>the<\/em> key driver in capturing the Latin market for the WWE, one of the most coveted demographics in the industry.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SmalWq894dk?si=ZzDO6bs-4dqS3LEK\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With that portion of the audience firmly in the promotion\u2019s grasp, they don\u2019t want to let go of it. They already set the wheels in motion over a decade ago to find the \u201cNext Rey Mysterio,\u201d which has ended in futility for one reason or another. That is until <strong>Dragon Lee <\/strong>came around.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s exactly what we will be talking about; the supposed successors of Rey Mysterio, why they didn\u2019t capture the audience quite like the iconic masked Luchador, and why Dragon Lee will. Without further ado, let\u2019s get right into it.<\/p>\n<h3>Sin Cara<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sGJyL1U3lQA?si=389hlU4xdVFUZgnE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Considered the biggest star in <strong>CMLL<\/strong> at one point, the WWE signing of <strong>Mistico<\/strong> made headlines at the start of the 2010s.<\/p>\n<p>Rechristened as <strong>Sin Cara<\/strong>, it was apparent from the jump that the WWE was pushing for him to eventually take over the top Latin star spot in the promotion, with Mysterio \u201cslowing down\u201d at the beginning of the decade, which fans now know wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n<p>The company did try really hard to establish Sin Cara as their next big Luchador. Unfortunately, Cara had a difficult time acclimating to the WWE style, along with reports that he was hard to work with and had a less-than-stellar attitude behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p>Even replacing him with <strong>Hunico<\/strong> as the man behind the mask didn\u2019t pan out, with the new Sin Cara\u2019s top career highlight being his NXT Tag Team Championship win with <strong>Lucha Dragons<\/strong> partner <strong>Kalisto<\/strong>, whom we\u2019ll talk about briefly.<\/p>\n<h3>Alberto Del Rio<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wLBRGW2oETA?si=ezOyge10XcLnp2SQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dos Caras Jr.<\/strong>, more well-known by his WWE moniker <strong>Alberto Del Rio<\/strong>, had no shortage when it comes to the talent department.<\/p>\n<p>Once the Sin Cara experiment failed, WWE moved onto him and pushed him to the moon, winning the 2011 iteration of the <em>Royal Rumble<\/em> match and the <strong><em>Raw<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>Money in the Bank<\/em><\/strong> briefcase, which he would ultimately cash in at that year\u2019s <strong><em>SummerSlam<\/em><\/strong> to end the reign of <strong>CM Punk<\/strong> prematurely.<\/p>\n<p>However, similar to Sin Cara, Del Rio had his fair share of backstage issues and was unable to connect with the audience. Del Rio was then let go by WWE, and rehired again, but he experienced a similar mediocre run during his 2<sup>nd<\/sup> stint, leaving the WWE without their next top Hispanic star.<\/p>\n<h3>Kalisto<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C0obI-3LiKB\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C0obI-3LiKB\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A post shared by Samuray Del Sol \u201dManny\u201d (@samuraydelsol)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The master of \u201cgood Lucha things\u201d is next up on this list. Kalisto is probably the closest to Mysterio, up to this point, when it comes to look and skillset. Unfortunately, the former NXT Tag Team and United States Champion didn\u2019t have the magnetic charisma Mysterio possesses.<\/p>\n<p>WWE positioned him in big-time feuds for the U.S. Title, but Kalisto just wasn\u2019t resonating with the fans. His last notable contribution to the promotion is his lower card act stable the <strong>Lucha House Party<\/strong>, with fellow Luchadors <strong>Gran Metalik<\/strong> and <strong>Lince Dorado <\/strong>before exiting the company.<\/p>\n<h3>Andrade<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CIrXJOAHW7X\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CIrXJOAHW7X\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A post shared by Andrade El Idolo (@andradealmas)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In our personal opinion, <strong>Andrade<\/strong> is probably one of the most talented individuals that WWE failed to push. He has the look of a top star and an exciting and brutal in-ring style that will both amaze and have the WWE Universe wincing in horror.<\/p>\n<p>Andrade had an excellent run as NXT Champion. Unfortunately, once he hit the main roster, he was just kind of there. His matches were still great, but WWE did not build him enough to make his bouts matter to fans.<\/p>\n<p>The former <strong>La Sombra<\/strong> deserved more, and his failure boils down to WWE dropping the ball, He is now in <strong>AEW<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>But, if rumors turn out to be true, he may find his way back to the WWE once his contract expires, giving the company a shot to, maybe not position him to be the next Rey Mysterio, but build his stock as a main event-level talent.<\/p>\n<h3>Honorable Mentions: Santos Escobar, Angel Garza, Humberto Carrillo<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wz0DRieCNZI?si=l2dTYkrIfz8AaE5F\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>We wanted to briefly mention <strong>Los Lotharios<\/strong> and <strong>Santos Escobar<\/strong>. Let\u2019s start with the former. Escobar was never necessarily positioned as the next big Hispanic star, but he does have the look and ability to do so. That said, a dastardly heel is much better suited for him than a babyface fans could get behind.<\/p>\n<p>As for <strong>Angel Garza<\/strong> and <strong>Humberto Carrillo<\/strong>, Garza was also in the conversation for the coveted spot, albeit at a lower scale, but Angel is more similar to Eddie Guerrero than Rey Mysterio.<\/p>\n<p>This is backed up by his lady\u2019s man gimmick from a few years ago, which is akin to the height of the \u2018Latino Heat\u2019 persona of Eddie in his program with the \u20189<sup>th<\/sup> Wonder of the World\u2019 <strong>Chyna<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For Carrillo, WWE also pulled the trigger with him for a little bit. Unfortunately, like Kalisto, Humberto didn\u2019t have the charm and ability to connect with the WWE like Rey Mysterio.<\/p>\n<h3>Dragon Lee: The Worthy Successor<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C0p_Iq3suS3\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C0p_Iq3suS3\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A post shared by Rey Mysterio (@619iamlucha)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After more than a decade, the search is over. <strong>Dragon Lee<\/strong> came into the WWE firing on all cylinders. He has all the tools that make Rey Mysterio special.<\/p>\n<p>Lee has the charisma that encourages the fanbase to get behind him, and his own unique flavor when it comes to his aerial offense, something most would want from a top Luchador. You may be saying, \u2018So, he\u2019s just an exact carbon copy of Rey Mysterio?\u201d That\u2019s not the case, and it shouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n<p>The reason most of these candidates failed is WWE was trying to make them exactly like Rey Mysterio, which fans could see right through. Fortunately, that\u2019s not what they\u2019re doing with Dragon Lee.<\/p>\n<p>While every masked wrestler or Hispanic star will <em>always<\/em> be compared to Rey Mysterio and be viewed by the WWE Universe as the \u2018next in line to take over Mysterio\u2019s spot,\u2019 Dragon Lee\u2019s ascent is more organic compared to the other individuals on this list.<\/p>\n<p>As such, it\u2019s no surprise that the <strong>Triple H<\/strong>-ran WWE is already giving him all the opportunities available to become this generation\u2019s Rey Mysterio and to be the first Dragon Lee, evidenced by his NXT North American Championship win at <strong><em>NXT Deadline<\/em><\/strong> this year over \u2018Dirty\u2019 <strong>Dominik Mysterio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If everything goes according to plan, this new batch of WWE fans will experience a similar excitement most fans felt in the Ruthless Aggression period whenever they saw Rey Mysterio with Dragon Lee.<\/p>\n<p>The NXT North American Champion has some mighty big shoes to fill. That said, he&#8217;s more than capable of taking the reins on his way to becoming the next big Latin megastar.<\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you started becoming a fan of the WWE product at the height of the \u201cRuthless Aggression,\u201d there\u2019s no doubt that one of your favorite superstars includes Rey Mysterio. Going by many monikers such as the \u2018Ultimate Underdog,\u2019 \u2018Biggest Little Man in WWE History,\u201d and, \u201cThe Giant-Killer,\u201d Mysterio is a legend and a generational talent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3735,"featured_media":121783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2192,26,4,5,3],"tags":[4658,86,886,6523],"class_list":["post-121778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-andrade","tag-dragon-lee","tag-rey-mysterio","tag-santos-escobar"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3735"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}