Eddie Guerrero v Rey Mysterio (Smackdown!, 3/18/04) - EPIC
One of the most consistent match-ups in wrestling history delivering again, is it? I don't think I'll ever get as much joy out of watching two wrestlers match up as I do when watching Eddie and Rey. Not even Tenryu and Hashimoto, not Ishikawa and Ikeda, not Roddy Piper and the Tonga Kid. Five minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, give me all of it. I've always loved this and I think it might be their third best match together (including WCW). Really the perfect TV world title match. It's not EXACTLY the same as the Bret/Kid match from '94, but there are definitely similarities with the face v face dynamic, the smaller-sized underdog being a high-risk machine, the babyface champion showing frustration while maintaining respect for the opponent, etc. I thought Eddie was tremendous here. He started with a handshake and the first couple minutes had some great exchanges, really quick and full of snap with Rey even hitting the gorgeous El Hijo del Santo sunset flip. Rey sends Eddie to the floor with a headscissors and Eddie is clearly annoyed, gets back in with temper flared, shoves Rey and Rey responds by slapping him and immediately going on the attack. As the match goes on Eddie gets more frustrated, but as Cole and Taz point out on commentary this is a new Latino Heat, one whose frustration can be channelled better and it won't send him off the rails. With increased frustration comes increased viciousness and the work on Rey's arm is sensational. The way it started was really cool, with Rey going for a wheelbarrow bulldog just to get flung into the buckles, and as he comes out holding the arm Eddie goes right after it. This is some of the nastiest hammerlock work you'll see, just wrenching the holy hell out of Rey's arm and rotator cuff and I would imagine some of Rey's vocal selling wasn't merely selling. The hangman's neckbreaker while the arm is hammerlocked is an amazing spot and one I still don't remember seeing Eddie do any other time. Later he grounds Rey to halt a comeback, WRENCHES the arm into that hammerlock again, then does a headstand bridge to just about rip the thing out the socket as Rey screams in agony. Eddie getting in the ref's face after it shouting "HE WAS TAPPING!" is a cool show of frustration and I love how he quickly composed himself, doing a little shuffle before putting the boots to Mysterio. Rey does the backflip DDT from Halloween Havoc '97 to start his proper comeback, and it's half botched because I don't think they ever managed to nail that clean after they did it that first time, but it still looked nasty as he landed with his entire weight on Eddie's head and neck, almost like a weird kind of piledriver. The finish even involves the arm for some bonus points. If we're making a direct comparison between this and Bret v Kid I'd put the latter slightly higher, but being a very marginally less awesome Bret Hart v 123 Kid is hardly an insult.
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