Reviews

WWE Untold: Rey, Eddie & The Rumble Review

By John Canton • Published 25th December 2021
wwe untold rey eddie rumble

This episode of WWE Untold focused on Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and the 2006 Royal Rumble match. That Royal Rumble match took place about two months after Eddie’s shocking death in November 2005.

This show focused on Rey and Eddie’s friendship as well as Rey dedicating that Royal Rumble win to his best friend Eddie.

Here’s the synopsis from WWE Network:

Rey Mysterio remembers his best friend, the late Eddie Guerrero, looks back at their mythic matches against each other in WCW and WWE and relives dedicating his 2006 Royal Rumble Match win to Guerrero.

Please Note: This was originally written in January 2020.

You can find this episode of WWE Untold in the “Originals” section on WWE Network. Here’s a recap.

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THE BOND BETWEEN EDDIE AND REY

The show began with Rey Mysterio sitting down on a chair after taking off a Halloween Havoc 1997 jacket. It’s a great jacket because Rey vs. Eddie Guerrero that night was one of WCW’s best matches ever. Mysterio said that God had plans for them to conquer the wrestling world together.

They showed an interview with the late, great Eddie Guerrero from April 2, 2003. Eddie spoke about how he respected Rey for his positive attitude about the business, he said Rey fights through everything, you can’t help but like him and he doesn’t have any enemies because they (the wrestlers) all like him.

There were highlights shown of Rey Mysterio in his ECW and WCW days. Mysterio said he’d love to use the name “King Mystery” more with the English translation. Mysterio said it was very normal for him to see boots, mask and tights growing up because he would see his uncle’s matches (Rey Mysterio Sr.). Rey said his favorite times were spending time at his uncle’s house and he talked about how they would do moves together. Rey said he would go with his parents, his brothers and support his uncle Rey Mysterio Sr. in Tijuana. They showed a clip of Rey Sr. wrestling for WCW. There were also clips shown from Rey Sr. in action with Rey saying he loved seeing his uncle as a good guy.

Rey talked about how Eddie was great as a technico (face) or a rudo (heel). Rey said being able to dominate both worlds, that’s a gift and that’s a talent. Rey said he didn’t think he could do that because he doesn’t think he could play a bad guy, but Eddie could do it when he needed to.

TJR THOUGHTS: I strongly agree with Rey there. I always say that the best wrestlers are able to have success as a heel and a face. Eddie was one of those guys that could perform in both roles very well. There were times when Eddie was the most popular guy on the show and other times where he was the most hated. It truly was a gift as Rey said.

Jonathon Coachman talked about what Eddie meant to this business as a superstar that was addicted to the business. They showed highlights of Eddie walking backstage with the WWE Title. Coachman said a lot of people connected with Eddie and nobody had a problem working with him. Coachman said that sometimes the business can get the better of you.

They showed a clip of Eddie talking about how he was a recovering drug addict and alcoholic that works every day to stay sober, to stay in the path of God. Eddie said he was proud of who he is and he loved wrestling.

Rey spoke about how Eddie was teaming up with his uncle in Tijuana when Rey was maybe 13 years old. Rey wanted to work with Eddie back then, but if you would have asked him if they would have a match of the year, Rey would have said you were joking and that’s what happened at WCW Halloween Havoc 1997.

THE CLASSIC AT WCW HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1997

They focused on the WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 event with Rey defending his mask against Eddie’s Cruiserweight Title. Rey said that WCW was trying to take the masks off all the luchadores and Rey said he wouldn’t do it while adding he was going to no-show the event. Rey said that Eric Bischoff told him he’ll do what he is told, but if he doesn’t do it then he’ll be in breach of contract, so Rey had to be there. They inserted a clip of Eddie saying there was a lot of politicking backstage and talked to him about it.

Rey said that a match or two before their match, they told them Rey was winning and Eddie was losing, which surprised Rey. That led to highlights of the match with Rey saying that Eddie told Rey to listen to him with Rey noting he was wearing a Phantom mask that covered his ears, so he thought this was going to be hard. Mysterio said that he went based off Eddie’s lead and he said that Eddie was the best talent ever because he knew what to give the fans at the right time. Rey talked about one of the biggest moves that he created, a springboard reverse backflip DDT was a move they did that night. That was so impressive. They showed the memorable finish with Eddie going for a Powerbomb out of the turnbuckle, but Rey countered into a hurricanrana for the pin. They inserted a clip of Eddie saying he looks back on that match and he knows they didn’t have to change anything. Rey said he gets chills thinking about that match and said that’s how great Eddie was.

TJR THOUGHTS: I think Rey/Eddie at Halloween Havoc 1997 was a five-star match. It’s also my favorite WCW match ever. I don’t know if it’s the match of the year 1997 because we also got Bret Hart/Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 in WWE and Shawn Michaels/Undertaker at Badd Blood 1997 in the first Hell in a Cell match. I’d probably put Hart/Austin on top of the others, but all three matches are amazing. I have not written a review of Rey/Eddie at Halloween Havoc 1997, but I think it’s definitely one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. One of our writers, Alex Podgorsky, reviewed it, so check that out if you want some more opinions on it. He did a great job in his review.

There was a clip of Eddie saying that people will remember Rey as the giant killer because when the odds are stacked against him, he beats them with a smile on his face. Eddie said he looks up to Rey for that, he respects Rey and Rey is an inspiration to him.

REY VS. EDDIE IN WWE 2005

It was noted that Rey joined WWE in 2002, joining Eddie on the largest stage in the world where both men made their mark. Eddie joined WWE two years earlier. In 2005, it was a turning point in both of their lives.

Rey said that Eddie would call him “WeeWeeto” (I saw the spelling on a Rey Instagram post) and he said it was a name out of love as well as how spiritual he was. Rey said he called Eddie that too. Rey said that they wrestled so many times, but never teamed up and it was great to kick off 2005 by winning the Tag Team Titles in 2005.

Rey said that Eddie wanted to be the bad guy and he knew what he was doing. Rey said his understanding is that the Custody of Dominik (Rey’s son) storyline was put together by Bruce Prichard and Eddie. Rey said when Eddie approached him with the story, Rey thought it was really good and then they had to convince Dominik.

Dominik Mysterio said that Rey came up to him and asked if he thought about doing some stuff on the show. Dominik said he didn’t like being in front of cameras, then Rey said there would be money for him and as an 8-year-old kid he thought that that was fine because that meant more toys.

They showed a clip of Eddie on the playground with Dominik where Eddie told him he would tell him a bedtime story and Dominik called him “Uncle Eddie” followed by a hug. Dominik recalled that they did five or six takes, then Eddie would hand him a Twizzler licorice every time. Dominik said that people would ask him who really is his dad, even to this day, and he would always say Rey.

TJR THOUGHTS: If you weren’t watching WWE at the time, it was just a storyline by WWE saying that Eddie was Dominik’s biological father. Rey is really Dominik’s biological father. Dominik was 8 years old at the time of this storyline. He is 22 years old now – born in 1997 – even though when he was getting beat up by Brock Lesnar on Raw in 2019, they said he was a teenager. WWE can be ridiculous sometimes.

They skipped a lot of the feud, but then they showed August 11, 2005 on Smackdown when Rey suggested a match for the Custody of Dominik and it became a Ladder Match. Rey said when Eddie was motivated, nobody could stop him and when Eddie was on, he was fully focused. Rey added that the fans were listening to everything he had to say. They showed a clip of Eddie doing a heel promo saying Dominik would be the best Guerrero of them all.

Rey spoke about how SummerSlam would be the closing of that chapter and he was sad that it was the end of working with Eddie because they would have a different direction after that.

SUMMERSLAM 2005: REY VS. EDDIE IN A LADDER MATCH

Rey said that they were focused and determined to give the fans a great payoff after four months of that rivalry. Coachman said that the wrestlers realized this was moment in time that they can attack their careers to.

There were highlights of the match shown including a spot where Rey hit Eddie with a dropkick off a ladder. Dominik said that it was pretty scary because he knew how crazy those matches could be, so he wanted everything to come out okay and both guys to come out safe.

Dominik said that he had this one cue, but he wasn’t told what it was and he would just be nudged when it was time. Dominik got the cue (you can see him getting nudged in the crowd), then he climbed into the ring and tried to shake the ladder when Eddie was on it. It was not a hard shake since Dominik was so small.

Rey talked about a crazy spot when he landed on the ladder after it fell down where Rey landed right on the ladder. At the end of the match, Guerrero lost because his wife Vickie shoved the ladder over and then Rey managed to climb up the ladder to win the match while Vickie pulled Eddie away. Rey celebrated the win with Dominik to end it.

TJR THOUGHTS: They did not show the part of the match where Eddie freaked out because Vickie missed her cue. Eddie was yelling “where the f**k is Vickie?” because she was too late going out to the ring to stop him from getting the briefcase. You can read my full review of SummerSlam 2005 right here.

DEATH OF EDDIE GUERRERO

Rey spoke about how he found out Eddie died on November 13, 2005. If you don’t know, Eddie died due to a heart attack at a hotel in Minneapolis. It was very sudden. They were at a Smackdown taping, prior to a big tour that they were getting ready to do. Rey was getting ready to leave the arena, Eddie was living in Phoenix and Rey was going to connect on the same flight in Minneapolis, so Rey told him he’ll see him on the flight. Rey ended up changing his flight, he took a redeye and one of the truck drivers from the crew was helping him with his bags. The guy asked if Rey heard about Eddie, Rey said no and the guy said: “He just passed.” Rey said “no” and then he left his bags so he can go over to the hotel. Rey said that he made his way up to the hotel, their doctor, Dr. Rios, was there and they were in shock. Rey said he wanted to see Eddie one more time, so then they let Rey see Eddie and Rey saw him laid out on the floor, then Rey was bawling and crying because he didn’t want to believe it. Rey said that Chavo (Guerrero Jr.) was broken, they had lost a fine soul and one of the best friends you can ever have.

They showed a clip from November 18, 2005 on Smackdown when Rey talked about how they were going to miss Eddie and he loved him.

It was noted on the screen that the Raw and Smackdown rosters left on a European tour just days after Eddie’s funeral and they were still trying to process the fact that Eddie was gone.

They showed a clip from a Smackdown house show in Milan, Italy where they rang the bell ten times in honor of Eddie. It was Smackdown GM Teddy Long who called for it.

Rey noted that it was not easy to deal with, but the one thing that always picked their spirit up is what would Eddie do and what would Eddie have liked? Rey said that Eddie would think that the show goes on, no matter what, the show goes on. They showed Rey in Helsinki, Finland on November 20, 2005 and how the fans saw Eddie through him. Rey said that the fans connected Eddie with him. Rey said that fans would give him condolences for the loss of Eddie and in some way or form, they would feel peace knowing Rey was keeping Eddie’s name alive. They showed a promo from Rey where he led the crowd in “Eddie” chants.

REY MYSTERIO WINS THE 2006 ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH

It was noted on the screen that two months after Eddie’s death, WWE superstars arrived in Miami, Florida to prepare for the Royal Rumble.

There were highlights shown from a Royal Rumble 2006 press conference. The fans were chanting “Eddie” and Rey said he dedicated the Royal Rumble to Eddie because he knows he is watching. Rey said that being part of the Rumble is a way to kick off the year inside the wrestling year. Dominik said the coolest thing is when all the wrestlers are going at it and people going over the top, plus the surprises because you never know who is going to come out.

Rey said it was such an incredible vibe and he said he would change nothing about that day. Rey was #2 that night while Triple H was #1. Rey talked about how cool it was to enter with a Low Rider car like Eddie did so many times. Coachman said it was like time stood still to see Rey enter in the low rider. Dominik said that the family came over to watch, which doesn’t always happen, but they were excited to see Rey was #2 in the Rumble.

Rey said that he was a guy that the fans wanted to see win, but he was not a favorite while noting there were 28 guys following him. They showed Rey eliminating Psychosis with a hurricanrana over the top to the floor. Coachman said when you know you’re next, he was thinking 60 minutes plus, but then Big Show eliminated Coach quickly. Coach joked that he felt good about being in the ring for double digit seconds. They showed the spot when Shane McMahon eliminated Shawn Michaels after a distraction from Vince McMahon.

There were more clips of the Rumble shown with Coach saying that he had never experienced a night where people in the arena wanted one person to win the match more than the fans wanting Rey to win that night. There were a lot of “Eddie” chants during the match. Coach said sometimes you don’t get what you want, so would the fans leave the arena disappointed?

The Royal Rumble highlights focused on the final three with Mysterio joined by Triple H and Randy Orton. Hunter and Orton were two of the top heels at the time. Rey talked about hitting a double 619 on both guys and the fans were going crazy. Triple H followed up with a clothesline. Mysterio said he took out Triple H with one of his signature moves (The Jeras – I don’t know the Spanish spelling of that). Mysterio hooked his legs under the arms of Triple H and used the momentum to send Hunter over the top to the floor. It was a great bump by Hunter too. The fans popped huge for it. Rey said the rudo (heel) Triple H was out and the technico (face) Rey stays in. Coach put over Triple H for that by saying Hunter was a genius that knew what was needed at a particular moment. Hunter pulled Rey out of the ring and whipped Rey into the steps, followed by Hunter tossing Rey back in the ring.

TJR THOUGHTS: What wasn’t mentioned here is that even though Triple H lost this match, he still got to wrestle in the main event of WrestleMania 22 in 2006 (read my review here) against John Cena. Meanwhile, Rey wrestled in an undercard match that was too short.

Rey talked about how another person that he loved to create magic with is Randy Orton. Orton put Mysterio on his shoulders to eliminate him, but then Mysterio hit a headscissors takeover to send Orton over the top to the floor. Rey put over Orton for his reaction because his expression, mannerisms and the way he moved told you the story of how important it was to win. Dominik said that the whole house exploded when Rey won. They didn’t put it over enough in the video, but Rey set the endurance record for the Royal Rumble at 62:12 that night. (Read my review of the 2006 Royal Rumble here.)

Rey commented that it was such a big moment that he had to let Eddie know, which meant pointing up to heaven and saluting his late friend. Mysterio said it wasn’t just one person in that match, it was two because he felt like Eddie was right there with him.

They showed an image of Rey winning the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 22 two months later. That was a great match that also involved Kurt Angle and Randy Orton. There were loud “Eddie” chants that night too as Rey dedicated the title win to his friend Eddie.

Mysterio talked about how in 2019, he visited Eddie’s grave for the first time. Mysterio didn’t think he would get that emotional, but a lot of memories came through his brain and that’s when he started crying. It hits you again where you realize you won’t see him again and it feels like day one again. Mysterio said they cried a lot that day.

Mysterio spoke to the camera one final time, as if he was talking to Eddie: “Man, Eddie, I miss you bro. Love you.” And that was the end.

This edition of WWE Untold had a runtime of 36:02 on WWE Network.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was really well done like everything they have produced in the WWE Untold series of shows so far. There was a special bond between Rey and Eddie from the time they feuded in WCW to their WWE friendship as well as a rivalry. They had amazing chemistry together. When Rey talked about how easy it was to work with Eddie, I believe him. The 2006 Royal Rumble match was very good, it was probably the best performance of Rey’s career and I like the way it was booked with top heels like Triple H and Orton in the final three with Rey. Most of us assumed that Rey was going to win, but in WWE, you never really know until it happens.

They focused on Rey a lot, which was fine and certainly understandable. Dominik Mysterio had some interesting stories to share from his perspective as a kid that was eight years old at the time. I would have liked to hear from others as well. A few comments from Randy Orton and/or Triple H talking about that Rumble match would have been cool. Jonathon Coachman didn’t add that much to the presentation of the documentary. Perhaps we could have heard from Bruce Prichard, who played a major part in the Eddie/Rey storyline and they have used Bruce on these shows before, plus if you listen to his podcast you know he’s a great storyteller. I guess from WWE’s perspective, they don’t want to have too many people talking because they want to keep the show at a reasonable length. That makes sense to me at least.

This show did a great job of capturing the Rey/Eddie friendship while giving us more insight into the 2006 Royal Rumble as well. They are two of my favorite wrestlers ever, so I really enjoyed watching it and writing about it.

Thanks for reading.

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My contact info is below.

John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter @johnreport