In a shocking bit of news, WWE has announced that popular masked superstar Rey Mysterio has been suspended for violating the company's drug policy.
Rey Mysterio Suspended
At Summerslam this past weekend, Rey Mysterio defended the WWE Intercontinental Championship against up and coming star Dolph Ziggler.
Many were interested in the match to see what the company would decide to do. On one side, they have a young guy that needs that title belt to be elevated. On the other side, they have a high popular veteran that wanted a long title reign to remain happy.
Something had to give, and whatever choice the company made would have been quite telling.
At the end of a well performed 12 minute match between the two, it was obvious that the company decided to side with Rey Mysterio and keep the title on the former World Heavyweight Champion.
Well, the armchair bookers that form the internet wrestling community are now pointing out that it was a bad business decision to have chosen Rey Mysterio to go over in that match.
The 34 year old star from San Diego has been suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE Wellness Program.
Not Marijuana
Per the company's policy, WWE did not reveal which drug it was that Rey Mysterio was caught with. However, everyone can rule out marijuana as the possible drug of choice.
The company does not suspend its wrestlers if they're caught with marijuana in their system. That particular type of violation only results in a small fine.
There's still no word yet on whether the drug was recreational or a performance enhancer.
Loss of Leverage
This strike is going to end up costing Rey Mysterio a lot more than what most fans will realize. Sure, he's going to lose out on the money that he was supposed to make on the road. He might even lose some young fans over this bit of news.
However, the biggest loss for Rey Mysterio is going to come in the negotiations room at the WWE Headquarter.
For months now, the 2006 Royal Rumble winner has been upset about the amount of money that he's being paid by WWE. The belief was that the company might have caved in a bit to ensure that he remains with the company.
With this well publicized drug suspension, Rey Mysterio will have less leverage with the company.
What About The Title?
Rey Mysterio is being allowed the opportunity to work until next Wednesday (that's when the suspension is expected to officially start).
The most logical thing for the company to do is to have him drop the WWE Intercontinental Championship to Dolph Ziggler on next week's episode of Smackdown.
However, the company could choose to think outside the box by having him drop the belt and have Dolph Ziggler win a tournament to crown a new champion. Doing that would make it seem less obvious that he only won the belt because Rey Mysterio was suspended.
Closing Thoughts
Awful and shocking news. With so many kids worshipping Rey Mysterio, this suspension is going to hurt the company just as much when Jeff Hardy was suspended. |
