Rey Mysterio did not appear in the men’s Royal Rumble match, despite WWE having creative plans for him in the match.
Mysterio was scheduled to enter the Royal Rumble at #17. His music hit, but the lucha libre legend was nowhere to be found. The following entrant was his son, Dominik, who came out wearing his father’s signature mask. He removed the mask and tore it up as he made his way to the ring to officially enter the match.
What unfolded on television was not what WWE had planned for the Mysterios at the Rumble, but the company was forced to call a last-minute audible due to Rey sustaining an injury the previous night.
Rey Mysterio Update After the Royal Rumble
Rey Mysterio was injured during his match against Karrion Kross on Friday’s SmackDown, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Mysterio defeated Kross on SmackDown, which was taped from the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas.
“[Rey Mysterio] was going to be in the Rumble, that spot was changed,” said Meltzer. “I think they were actually supposed to do some teases with him to set up a WrestleMania match [against Dominik].”
Rey Mysterio won the 2006 WWE Royal Rumble, so he would have been a formidable contender, even at this late stage in his career.
With Rey unable to compete, WWE’s creative team instead came up with what we saw on television, and the idea that the Judgment Day attacked Rey Mysterio and prevented him from participating.
We’ll be looking into the nature of Rey Mysterio’s latest injury and will provide an update when we get more information. The extent of his condition may dictate whether or not he’s healthy enough to face his son Dominik at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.