4 Possible reasons why Rey Mysterio won his first championship after 2 years
Instead of facing Santos Escobar in his title defense, Austin Theory battled Rey Mysterio on the latest episode of SmackDown.
Theory attacked Escobar twice before their scheduled match. He's probably regretting that action as Mysterio quickly defeated the brash young star to become the new United States Champion.
Many recent and current champions like Roman Reigns, Gunther, and Bianca Belair all had year-long reigns. Theory was working on one of his own, but he operated his demise on SmackDown.
So why did Rey Mysterio win his first championship in over two years? Here are four possible reasons why.
#4 The win could lead to dissension in the Latino World Order
One easy possibility could be a potential war within the LWO. The group formed and rallied around Rey Mysterio in the lead-up to WrestleMania 39. It was also a massive part of the Backlash event in Puerto Rico.
A few weeks ago, Escobar and Rey battled for the right-to-face Theory for the US Title. Rey Mysterio suffered an unfortunate injury during the match, awarding the shot to Escobar.
This could have been the plan all along, with the endgame of Escobar or parts of the LWO turning on Rey. It would be too soon since the group just formed this spring. Regardless, it would be a personal feud between the past, present, and future of the LWO in WWE.
#3 Rey Mysterio's current WWE contract expires next month
While this isn't related to an on-screen angle, something backstage could be behind the title swap.
According to some reports, Rey's current WWE deal expires in September 2023. That's next month, and it would technically be completed after the Payback premium live event.
Putting the United States Title on Mysterio could be a way to keep him with the WWE. He'd probably still stay with the company since Dominik is a member of the roster. Rey also likely wants to keep mentoring the upcoming crop of stars. It could be a way to get him to ink a new contract.
#2 Continuing the feud with "Dirty Dom"
Over the last month, Dominik Mysterio won the NXT North American Title, and Rey Mysterio captured the US Championship. While unifying another set of titles wouldn't be a great idea, the belts could add a new layer to the family drama.
Dragon Lee recently challenged Dominik for his North American Championship, and Rey appeared in Lee's corner for the match. Earlier in the night, Rey gave words of encouragement to Roxanne Perez and Thea Hail on NXT.
Clearly, the family drama isn't over, and it could even lead to a potential retirement match at WrestleMania 40. For now, however, the father and son could battle each other as champions and with backup. Lee and Lyra Valkyria joined Rey during the dust-up in NXT.
#1 It was time for Austin Theory to drop the title
Of all the long title reigns over the last two years, Austin Theory's was the least eventful. He did pick up wins over Edge and John Cena, but they were both cheap victories. The two-time US Champ didn't dominate or hang step for step with the legends.
While Gunther dominated most of his opponents and Belair was wowing in her title matches, Theory was scraping by in his wins. By comparison, he wasn't as strong a Champion as those two stars.
Some prestige was restored to his character last year after his botched Money in the Bank cash-in attempt. After nearly a year, however, it was just time for someone else to carry the belt. It could have been a newer star like Escobar or LA Knight, but for now, it's Rey Mysterio's time.