Joseph and Colette Discuss Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena

At last, we're revisiting the upper echelon of the BIG EGG MASTERLIST

When I suggested this one for Cena Month, I had a hunch that it’d at least hold up to the nostalgia I had for it. I was not expecting to go as hard for it as I ultimately did, coming just shy of giving it five stars for reasons that elude me but feel right — it’s a fantastic match, one that transcends its circumstances and stands apart from many of the great matches Joseph and I have covered over the course of BIG EGG, but, you know, not five stars. Still, something of a hidden gem — check it out if you haven’t, and bemoan the fact that we only have two Cena/Mysterio singles matches, as they’re both fucking great.

Up Next: For our last Cena match in this stretch, we pit him against a fellow genetic freak of nature whose power matches Cena's own. It's another in the "Cena vs. internet fave" dynamic as we see John Cena take on the CESARO on Monday Night Raw, baby!

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Joseph Montecillo
It is something of a miracle that this match is only something of a cult classic among a particular circle of the internet instead of being widely lauded as the crazy good bout that it is. Really speaks to the WWE's uncanny ability to pull defeat from the jaws of even the most assured victory. Do you recall watching this match when it came out and what was your initial reaction to it?

John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and Unexpected Greatness

Colette Arrand
Oh yeah. Outside of my time editing Fanfyte and when I was a literal child, this match took place at a point in time in which I was most actively engaged with WWE. I watched every show. I think I wrote about them, too, though the oldest bit of wrestling writing I can find is a review of Bound For Glory 2011. I watched every wrestling show on TV and was a couple years away from my one day at wrestling school, in which I got a concussion, which is probably why I, uh, don’t remember having the strong TNA opinions I was espousing at the time. I mention this in the piece, but my initial frustration that Rey was getting screwed over was basically immediately purged by the confirmation that there’d be more Punk/Cena in the offing. I think the magnitude of that moment (though it’s greeted by silence as it’s the first time Punk uses “Cult of Personality” and nobody knows what’s going on) has been dulled a bit by everything that came after, so it’s unsurprising that this match has kind of been waiting for its moment despite how big Cena and Rey figure into most conversations about the legacy of WWE. I wish my blog went back further so I could tell you exactly what I thought, but also I don’t because I’m reading a piece right now where I call Alberto Del Rio “awesome” and compare his match against Big Show to Sara Del Rey vs. Claudio Castagnoli, which is insane.

John Cena and Rey Mysterio Make Magic When They Don't Need To