WWE has yet to reach a new deal with one of its most popular stars, but he isn’t going anywhere—at least not yet.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t SEScoops), Rey Mysterio lost the “Eye for an Eye” match against Seth Rollins—and had his eye “removed”—at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules because he still hasn’t inked a new WWE contract: “That finish was because he had not signed. As I mentioned, if he doesn’t sign, the obvious finish is he has to lose. If he does sign, the obvious finish is that he has to win. The reason they gave that open-ended thing that we may save his eye is in case he does sign, that’s their out.”
It was recently reported that Mysterio has been working without a WWE contract after his contract expired “months ago” and his request for a raise was denied by Vince McMahon, who cited the company’s recent widespread talent cuts stemming from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic as a reason not to increase Mysterio’s pay. Despite technically being a free agent who could walk out of WWE and into AEW, ROH, Impact, New Japan Pro-Wrestling or any other top promotion at any given moment, Mysterio has reportedly been wrestling for WWE under the same terms of his contract that has already lapsed.
PWInsider.com is now reporting that Mysterio discussed a new deal with WWE last week and is expected to remain on TV: “Rey Mysterio…is scheduled to appear on TV going forward. As we discussed in the Elite section of PWInsider.com last week, Mysterio traveled to Stamford, CT to work towards a new contract. WWE will absolutely be playing up the aftermath of Rey ‘nearly losing an eye’…against Seth Rollins.”
Mysterio, of course, has been heavily featured during his marquee rivalry with Rollins and has reestablished himself as one of WWE’s most beloved babyfaces in the process. WWE has reportedly even included Mysterio’s son, who’s training to be a pro wrestler, in this TV feud as a means of convincing Mysterio to re-sign, an interesting tactic but a necessary one given that Mysterio would be a hot commodity if he were to truly test the waters of free agency. As was demonstrated at Impact’s Slammiversary pay-per-view, where a slew of former WWE stars like Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Eric Young and Heath Slater joined the company, the market is obviously there for ex-WWE stars who are fresh out of the company.
It goes without saying that Mysterio is a far bigger star than any of those aforementioned names, and as such, WWE would seemingly be more willing to meet his contract demands, especially given that Mysterio has a long history of working with several top AEW stars, including Chris Jericho. But as was demonstrated earlier this year when SmackDown’s Drew Gulak briefly parted ways with WWE (and then returned) after contract talks reached a standstill when he also asked for a raise, WWE isn’t going to go out of its way to break the bank to bring back any star—no matter how big of a star we’re talking—given the current circumstances.
A detailed data analysis conducted by Wrestlenomics demonstrated that WWE has the financial means to sign Mysterio to a lucrative deal, but with Raw’s viewership tanking to historic lows even with the presence of Mysterio and other established legends like Randy Orton, Big Show and Ric Flair, Mysterio cannot really argue during contract negotiations that he has been some sort of massive draw for the red brand. So, even though Mysterio’s sheer name power would seemingly make him a shoo-in to re-sign with WWE, the company is playing it safe.
Mysterio lost to Rollins at Extreme Rules and had his eye “removed” in the process, but it was done in a way that keeps the door open for his potential return, which was hinted at on this week’s Raw when the show’s announcers revealed that Mysterio’s sight might be “saved.” After Extreme Rules, WWE.com also issued the following update regarding Mysterio’s status: “Mysterio was rushed to a local medical facility to be treated for a potential globe luxation. Medical experts were optimistic that if the optic nerve is not severed and there is not too much strain on the blood vessels and nerves that connect the eye to the rest of the head, there’s a chance Mysterio can maintain his vision.”
In other words, Mysterio won’t simply be forgotten about as WWE attempts to sort out his contract situation, and the company has made every effort to ensure that—if and when he inks a new deal—he will be able to return with two good eyes and resume his role as one of Raw’s top babyfaces as well as his feud with Rollins.
I’m a contributor for the SportsMoney team at Forbes, where I’ll examine the interesting effect that sports have on business…and vice versa. I graduated from Louisiana
I’m a contributor for the SportsMoney team at Forbes, where I’ll examine the interesting effect that sports have on business…and vice versa. I graduated from Louisiana State University in 2010 with a degree in journalism and a minor in English, and during my time in Baton Rouge, I worked for Tiger Weekly, a newspaper focusing on LSU athletics. Upon graduation, I spent more than three years as a columnist for a well-known national sports Web site. Name a sport, and I’ve probably written about it at some point in my life. My goal at Forbes is to analyze the shrinking space between sports and business, and of course, to stir up the discussion. After all, what fun would sports be if no one ever talked about them?