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While fans were rightfully excited when WWE first revealed the plans for a Rey Mysterio showcase mode in WWE 2K22, it's been a major disappointment.
WWE's ultimate underdog has had a storied career, and gamers were looking forward to the notion of playing through the greatest moments of his long tenure in the wrestling business, but the mode is a shell of what it could have potentially been and is missing some major matches and stories from Rey's past.
The concept has worked in the past, with former showcases highlighting the greatest hits of former WWE legends working well and satisfying fans, but the developers have really dropped the ball with their most recent iteration and Mysterio's legacy deserves better.
Some Of His Best Moments Are Missing
The issue with highlighting a superstar's greatest moments in wrestling through the WWE video games, is just how many different wrestlers that will need to be included to ensure they capture the very best matches of that wrestler's career, but they haven't done that with Rey.
Undoubtedly his greatest moments in wrestling were the Royal Rumble victory he achieved in 2006, followed by his subsequent WrestleMania world title win at WrestleMania 22, but neither moment is included in the game. It's understandable that the rumble match would be missing, after all, there are so many different names involved in the match that was once among the WWE roster that it was unrealistic to expect the company to include them all in this year's game, but it's still a disappointing move that let the fans down.
What's more perplexing and surprising is the company's decision to not include Rey's world title victory at WrestleMania 22. Having overcome so many obstacles, the Luchador bested two industry legends in Randy Orton and Kurt Angle in a triple-threat match to win the gold, and it is undeniably his greatest ever achievement in the business, but it is also missing due to Kurt not being involved in the game.
Sure it may be down to the Olympic gold medalist's own choice, but the decision to create a showcase for Mysterio, yet fail to secure the rights to include the man he would beat for the world title feels so short-sighted, and it's really harmed the mode.
There's Only One Match From His WCW Run
While he was still a young prospect during his time in WCW, Mysterio was arguably at his best back then. He was a breath of fresh air and hypnotized fans with his incredible offense the likes of which they had previously never seen.
Rey had incredible matches throughout his time in WCW, facing off against the likes of Dean Malenko, Psychosis, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, and Ultimo Dragon. He had some really important matches while working for the promotion including his Cruiserweight title clash with the Man of a Thousand Holds at the Great American Bash '96, but none of to be found in the game.
The only match from Mysterio's run with WCW included in the showcase is his bout with Eddie Guerrero at Halloween Havoc '97 and while it is a worthy inclusion, and one of the best matches of his career, it's disappointing that WWE didn't include more from such a pivotal run in his career.
Some Matches Included Are Disappointing Choices
While Rey's matches with Kane at Cyber Sunday 2008, Gran Metalik on Raw in 2019, and Samoa Joe on Raw weren't bad matches, the decision to include them over some of his incredible matches throughout his career is a disappointing one.
His bouts with Chavo Guerrero and Angle were some of the best in his WWE run, and it's a shame that the company chose to omit them rather than secure the rights to include the characters in the game.