Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 113: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (Nitro 12/21/98)

This disk keeps getting better and better. There’s no way an Eddie and Rey Jr. match can suck. This might be my third straight 3 ½ – plus rated match. My hopes are high.

We get a heel Eddie on the mic running down Rey as he stands there. Eddie is in his L.W.O. phase, which was pretty lame, but won’t limit his work. A burst of Lucha to start, and Eddie gets the advantage via sending Rey face first into the steel guardrails. Eddie pulls out a side suplex I’ve never seen him do before. Very Jumbo Tsuruta. This is a dome show, by the way, but I’m not sure if it’s the Georgia, Astro, or Super Dome. Nope, it’s the TWA Dome in St. Louis. Eddie keeps beating on Rey, with pacing breaks for heat (something Bret Hart always did well, and so does Eddie G.), and rips the mask. Match story via the announcers is Eddie trying to injure Rey before the next PPV.

Rey makes a small head scissors come back and Eddie does a great chop-block from the floor into the ring, damaging Rey’s knee braced left leg. Eddie goes right to work on the knee with some nifty submissions and strikes. The match at times gets a little dull, but it’s not like Eddie’s work is bad, just a lot of selling by Rey. I guess I’m not as much a fan of the underdog getting worked over without many hope spots. Another problem I have is Rey forgetting to sell the knee halfway through the match. Rey’s comeback is full of fun “movez” and Eddie selling, but this was tough to sell to a domed crowd, and I couldn’t fully invest in it, even as Rey Jr. was kicking out of some good near falls. Then there’s a ref bump, and it becomes completely nonsensical. I won’t go into it, but Kidman accidentally hits Rey, causing Eddie to win. It’s all to set up a three way that was already announced. It was a lame finish. 3 and 6/10.