Report: Mistico Signs with WWE

[EmpireWF]

He's billed as 5'7, 170 pounds, he's 28-years old, he debuted 13 years ago.

Reports say he and WWE had been talking since 2007 but his commitments to Mexico and other issues always prevented him from coming over. He was the biggest star in the world in 2006 in terms of drawing power. It hasn't been so great over the past couple years though. Well, it appears he's sick of CMLL and is finally set on coming to WWE. He'll almost definitely be sent down to FCW to learn the WWE style and that stuff but it's possible he could take Mysterio's role in the promotion (Mysterio's knees are shot and he continues working).

Here's Cubsfan (he runs luchablog) on the story:

http://www.thecubsfan.com/cmll/

Mistico has signed a deal with WWE. There’s been a background talk about Mistico leaving CMLL of late, especially the last week, but nothing anyone was able to definitively confirm until now. I had heard multiple rumors about his destination, but WWE had always seemed the most likely. He’s expected to head to Florida Championship Wrestling, where he’ll join Alex Koslov (and Hijo de Medico Asesino!) as luchadors training for WWE.

Mistico’s last Arena Mexico match was January 18th, the two fall loss in the main event where Porky got mad at Mistico. Mistico worked the two show NJPW tour and has not been in a CMLL ring since. It’s possible he may work a final show or two in CMLL if his Florida commitment doesn’t start right away, but he’s obviously out of the Dos Leyendas plans. Friday’s Averno/Dorada feuding was intended to create a replacement match (or relevos tag partners.)

CMLL almost certainly owns the Mistico gimmick, though WWE would likely given him their own anyway. CMLL probably won’t put someone new in the suit, because they’ve been building Sombra up as the replacement lead tecnico for about 10 months already. Astro Boy, Mistico’s brother, probably won’t be affected only because they barely use him as is.

Mistico likely told CMLL he was leaving in late December, or maybe around when the CMLL/NJPW cards first came out, because it would explain why NJPW announced Mistico as working those cards while CMLL didn’t have him listed. Even though CMLL probably knew he was on his way out, Mistico did beat Negro Casas and Ultimo Guerrero (by DQ) in singles matches during the last month.

Alberto Del Rio’s success was the catalyst for Mistico jumping to WWE. Dos Caras Jr. was never great in CMLL, but has gotten over great in WWE. The line of thinking – and not just for Mistico – is if a guy who never really got over much in Mexico got over that easily in the US, it should be easy for bigger stars to succeed. I’m not sure that’s true – a lot of Alberto’s success is due to WWE deciding he was going to be be a big star, real quick – but it definitely gives Mexican wrestlers more faith in the company compared to how guys like the Mexicools were used.

 

Below is from Meltzer..http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/19265/

Mistico of CMLL, who led Arena Mexico to one of its biggest boom periods in history, was reported by Super Luchas magazine today as signing with WWE.

Mistico is one of the bigger drawing cards in pro wrestling history. Based on headlining the most shows that drew more than 10,000 fans, Mistico was the biggest drawing card in wrestling overall three different years, and in the last six years, he was always either first or tied for first among non-WWE performers, and is the only Luchador in history to win the Wrestling Observer's Wrestler of the Year Award, winning in 2006.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sqoY0hCOTU[/ame]

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Cant wait to see him buried on the roster in no time.

 

[SHOGUN]

Cant wait to see him buried on the roster in no time.

Can't wait to see him lose 90% of the moves from that HL and replace them with various rest holds.

 

[JayDizzle]

Mistico vs. Mysterio, Mask vs. Retirement/Mask Match.

Mistico wins, Rey can finally retire with some ability to walk in his 50s.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I can't wait for someone in the WWE to claim that he hasnt drawn anywhere, when he was a bigger draw at his peak than anybody in the company.

They will unmask him, stripping him of his charisma, beat him down by telling him he can't work, eliminate half of his moveset, and by the time he hits the main roster he will lack confidence and be a shell of his former self.

Alberto Del Rio was a bum under his mask, so that change had no risk, and he happened to be a good looking guy with good facials. Plus he wasnt a good lucha worker, and his skills better translate to the slower WWE pace. Mistico is the complete opposite in every way (although I have no idea what he looks like under the hood).

sidenote - La Sombra getting the monster push in CMLL now is awesome. He was always better than Mistico anyway. La Sombra is the future of Mexico, but if you are a reader of my Top 100, to quote Alberto Del Rio, "but..you already knew that".

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I can't wait for someone in the WWE to claim that he hasnt drawn anywhere, when he was a bigger draw at his peak than anybody in the company.

They will unmask him, stripping him of his charisma, beat him down by telling him he can't work, eliminate half of his moveset, and by the time he hits the main roster he will lack confidence and be a shell of his former self.

Alberto Del Rio was a bum under his mask, so that change had no risk, and he happened to be a good looking guy with good facials. Plus he wasnt a good lucha worker, and his skills better translate to the slower WWE pace. Mistico is the complete opposite in every way (although I have no idea what he looks like under the hood).

sidenote - La Sombra getting the monster push in CMLL now is awesome. He was always better than Mistico anyway. La Sombra is the future of Mexico, but if you are a reader of my Top 100, to quote Alberto Del Rio, "but..you already knew that".

Rey Mysterio is winding down...he's been done for a long time, but he is still one of their better draws and a top merch seller.

Obviously, they are going to try and re-create Rey Rey with Mistico at some point.

Problem is this...Rey Rey is once in a blue moon type talent...sure, he sucks now, but there aren't many guys that Vince and Co. would have strapped the rocket ship to other than Mysterio at a whopping 5'6", 140 soaking wet...no way they can re-create the hype around Mysterio with Mistico...the WWE audience, despite Mistico's drawing power down south, is ignorant of who he is.

My prediction...future endeavored sooner rather than later...they just aren't going to put in the work to get Mistico over with the wrestling GenPop. They'll give it a try, sure...but it won't work. You can't capture lightening in a bottle on the WWE's stage like they did with Mysterio. That takes a predisposition to the American audience that ECW and WCW allowed Mysterio so he could get a mainstream following that Mistico won't get.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I can't wait for someone in the WWE to claim that he hasnt drawn anywhere, when he was a bigger draw at his peak than anybody in the company.

They will unmask him, stripping him of his charisma, beat him down by telling him he can't work, eliminate half of his moveset, and by the time he hits the main roster he will lack confidence and be a shell of his former self.

Alberto Del Rio was a bum under his mask, so that change had no risk, and he happened to be a good looking guy with good facials. Plus he wasnt a good lucha worker, and his skills better translate to the slower WWE pace. Mistico is the complete opposite in every way (although I have no idea what he looks like under the hood).

sidenote - La Sombra getting the monster push in CMLL now is awesome. He was always better than Mistico anyway. La Sombra is the future of Mexico, but if you are a reader of my Top 100, to quote Alberto Del Rio, "but..you already knew that".

Rey Mysterio is winding down...he's been done for a long time, but he is still one of their better draws and a top merch seller.

Obviously, they are going to try and re-create Rey Rey with Mistico at some point.

Problem is this...Rey Rey is once in a blue moon type talent...sure, he sucks now, but there aren't many guys that Vince and Co. would have strapped the rocket ship to other than Mysterio at a whopping 5'6", 140 soaking wet...no way they can re-create the hype around Mysterio with Mistico...the WWE audience, despite Mistico's drawing power down south, is ignorant of who he is.

My prediction...future endeavored sooner rather than later...they just aren't going to put in the work to get Mistico over with the wrestling GenPop. They'll give it a try, sure...but it won't work. You can't capture lightening in a bottle on the WWE's stage like they did with Mysterio.

Plus, once they turn Del Rio face, the WWE won't need that luchador to attract the hispanic audience. Sure, odds are Del Rio won't draw like Mysterio early on, but they have a better chance of Del Rio drawing for them than Mistico.

 

[FedEx227]

He'll be out of there in months anyway.

The guy is a superstar, he's not going to want to go to FCW, unmask and be called Juan Rodriquez or something.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Plus he's vastly overated.

And if you position him as a replacement for Rey, people will see through that and shit on him.

In short, I see this as a complete disaster that can't possibly work out, which means he will probably headline WM in two years.

 

[FedEx227]

No, there's no way.

Rey came in with a built-in fan base and was used extremely well on a well-booked Smackdown for the new fans.

Mistico is going to be treated like an indy jobber when he's use to being the star. Whether it's right or wrong whatever, but there's just no way it works out in anyones favor.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

I can see him main eventing Superstars a few times. (Do they still have that show?)

Maybe he'll be on the next NXT.

 

[FedEx227]

Mistico on Tough Enough is lots of buys.

 

[SHOGUN]

So his ceiling is Evan Bourne status?

 

[EmpireWF]

So his ceiling is Evan Bourne status?

If everything goes well, he can be a #2, #3 caliber babyface on Smackdown

If it goes according to expectations/history, he'll flounder, get little serious TV time, and between his attitude/WWE ignorance, he'll be back in Mexico by 2013.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I can see him main eventing Superstars a few times. (Do they still have that show?)

Maybe he'll be on the next NXT.

Superstars is probably their best show. It's in HD now, and you always get a couple of well worked matches without the usual bullshit.

 

[Bigpapa42]

Superstars is probably their best show. It's in HD now, and you always get a couple of well worked matches without the usual bullshit.

Don't get to watch Superstars, but I keep hearing great things. It probably means they'll get rid of it soon enough. Just like they got rid of WWECW when it was the best part of the WWE (though had it had nothing to do with real ECW by that point) and watered down SD as much as possible.