In the final match on this week’s episode of Raw, Rey Mysterio and Chad Gable gave us a really good television match.
For nearly 15 minutes, the current WWE Intercontinental champion and the 51-year-old lucha legend went pretty much full tilt, and eventually convinced me that Rey could defy age and story logic to end the former El Grande Americano’s reign less than a month after winning the workhorse belt at SummerSlam.
Mysterio’s continued ability to sell himself as an underdog threat, even as a Hall
of Famer, made the win that much more meaningful for Gable’s character. Getting to share a spotlight with Rey in a big spot on Raw meant a lot to the man who performs as Gable.
At least, that’s my read on this post:
Last night I had the honor of defending the Intercontinental Championship against one of the greatest Professional Wrestlers of all time.
But what’s more astonishing to me than Rey’s continued ability to perform at the level he did last night at this point in his career — is the fact that a guy with his list of accomplishments in this business can be as genuinely humble, gracious, and grounded as he is.
Rey Mysterio is truly a human being like no other I’ve ever met. All class.
Our encounter was, and is, everything I love about Pro Wrestling.
I felt alive.
Thank you, @619iamlucha
My read on Rey’s emoji response is that their Aug. 17 match in Buffalo, NY meant just as much to him as it did Gable, and that the respect is mutual:
To steal a line from the current WWE Men’s Intercontinental champion, that’s everything I love about Pro Wrestling.
