Rey's in Boeing Jets, Global Express, Out the Country but the Blueberry Still Connects

Rey Mysterio v Chavo Guerrero (Great American Bash, 6/27/04)

This is the best Cruiserweight Title match in WWE history, right? Going a step further, after having seen it about six times in the last handful of years, at this point I'd probably go to bat for it as a top ten WWE match of the 00s, period. Rey/Chavo is a really great match-up. Their No Way Out match from earlier in '04 was pretty awesome, their exchanges in tags are always really good, and the Greed match might be the best match WCW had in the 00s (not really a high bar, but it still fucking ruled). Chavo is a great opponent for Rey; one of his best, in fact. Rey is a great opponent for Chavo and I can't think of anybody else coming within a million miles of him in that respect. Point is, they match-up exceptionally and they always have cracking matches. This starts out with some neat sequences, and everything looks sharp and crisp. Rey then takes over and starts working over Chavo's arm, which is cool because you don't really get to see Rey working over a body part very often. He's good at it, which should shock nobody. Match hits another gear when Chavo takes over, though. Rey's up top and Chavo dropkicks him off, and Rey takes a nasty looking bump onto the apron where his leg gets bumped. He comes up selling the knee, and from that point on Chavo goes right for it. It's a great workover from Chavo. He stomps the leg when Rey's down, wraps it around the ring post, busts out a stretch muffler (instant hit in my book), and puts on a half crab where Rey's body is contorted in like five places (and Chavo yanks at the mask for leverage, which is right up there with someone busting out a stretch muffler in my estimation). Rey's sell job is off the charts. Really, this might be the best sell job of his career. He crumples in a heap when Chavo whips him into the turnbuckle, never springboards without impunity (as in, he's visibly favouring the leg when jumping off the ropes and always comes up selling afterwards), and does the awesome "limping run" when running the ropes. And he doesn't do the KENTA/CIMA shit where he'll be selling the leg like crazy one second then running around a million miles a minute the next as if nothing ever happened. He strikes a perfect balance with his selling. He sells the leg most of all when Chavo's actively working it over (being unable to put any weight on it), then when he's able to create some breathing room and sneak in some offence of his own he tones it down a bit (being able to stand, but not able to run properly). Towards the end he's tied up in a tree of woe and Chavo charges from across the ring, but Rey moves and Chavo goes shoulder-first into the ringpost. And then Chavo starts with the awesome selling of the shoulder (which is a cool extension of Rey's early arm work). By the end the crowd are losing it for a fucking half crab, and when was the last time a WWE crowd bought a half crab as a legit nearfall (especially a crowd that had been sitting on their hands most of the night)? Finish plays off Chavo's bad shoulder, and I really have nothing bad to say about this match at all.


Rey Project