Rey Mysterio Reacts To Santos Escobar Turning On Him
Rey Mysterio appeared on WWE SmackDown to talk about getting turned on Santos Escobar while also reflecting on his past.
At WWE Crown Jewel on November 4th, Rey Mysterio lost the United States Title to Logan Paul because Paul used brass knuckles to punch Rey in the face when the referee wasn’t looking. Those brass knuckles were introduced by a Logan Paul friend, but Rey’s friend Santos Escobar got the knuckles and left them on the ring apron for Paul to use.
On the November 10th Smackdown that followed, Escobar turned on his LWO ally Rey Mysterio, whom Escobar called an idol to him while they were aligned together for most of 2023. Escobar dropkicked the steel steps into Rey’s right knee, which has led to Rey missing time due to the injury.
During WWE’s Absolute Best Of 2023 Smackdown episode, Rey Mysterio appeared for an interview at home. When asked what his most memorable moment of the year was, Rey cited Escobar’s attack on him.
“That’s a very easy question to answer. Unfortunately, what Santos did to me, at the same time, you know, it’s something that has occurred to me on several occasions throughout my longevity of being in the WWE. For some reason, I keep on picking the wrong partners, but things will be told when the time is right.”
“That alignment, I kinda saw it coming once Santos stabbed me in the back. I don’t sweat it, I got my people, I have my crew, I have people that I really trust. Things will be taken care of sooner than later.”
Concerning the comment about picking the wrong partners, longtime WWE fans can recall legendary tag team partners like Eddie Guerrero and Batista, among others, turning on Rey in the past just like Escobar did.
Rey Mysterio Provides Timeline For Return To The Ring
The angle between Escobar and Mysterio was done because Rey needed to have surgery on his right knee. The good thing for WWE is that Rey isn’t expected to be out for that long and could be back in the ring in January 2024.
During an appearance on the K100 show with his close friend Konnan and Disco Inferno, Rey Mysterio spoke about how the right knee surgery will keep him out of the ring for about two months.
“Just wear and tear. This time, it was my right knee. I’ve never had any injuries on my right knee since 97 when I had my first surgery in WCW. The left knee kept on breaking down every other year, sometimes a little bit longer. Numerous ACL tears. The last big surgery I had on my left knee was in 2011.”
“This time, you put in all the years, I’ve been favoring the right knee for the left one and finally, I tore the meniscus on my right knee. It’s six to eight weeks. I’m in week four. I’m getting a personal trainer at the beginning of the year that’s going to work with me just so I can work on my lower body and strengthen up my hips, my quads, my legs in general so I can resist.”
With the Royal Rumble set to take place on January 27th, perhaps Rey will return in the Rumble match or maybe even face Escobar at that show unless they feel another event is a better choice.
Also, it was reported recently that the 49-year-old Rey Mysterio recently re-signed with WWE for three more years. His son Dominik, who is an on-screen rival, also signed a new WWE deal as well.