Did Rey Mysterio make a mistake on SmackDown? Legend reacts to WWE possibly changing the finish mid-match (Exclusive)
Fans were treated to a fresh matchup this week on SmackDown as Rey Mysterio and LA Knight shared the ring for only the second time in WWE in singles competition. However, the ending seemed sloppy, with speculation suggesting that WWE might have even changed the match's finish, a notion that Dutch Mantell has denied.
Working with Rey Mysterio is a dream come true for every wrestler, and LA Knight, one of the most popular names on the roster currently, fulfilled his wish on the Blue brand.
Mysterio proved why he's amongst the most selfless talents in the business by losing to LA Knight after a fairly entertaining bout. However, the outcome and the final sequences gave rise to the possibility of WWE altering the finish midway through the match.
As noted earlier, Dutch Mantell claimed that Vince McMahon once changed the booking of a match involving the Usos.
Dutch praised Rey Mysterio as being near-perfect with his in-ring work and admitted that mistakes could happen in professional wrestling. The former manager also felt that LA Knight was always set to win, which he believed was the right decision.
"Well, Mysterio was so good. He is almost perfect in his work, and sometimes things like that happen. I think this might have been the first time they (Rey Mysterio and LA Knight) worked, right? I don't think the finish was changed mid-match. I think they just kind of got off-focus, and it got kind of messed up. But I think the right guy won." [42:16 - 42:40]
See, wrestling doesn't have to be perfect all the time: WWE veteran Dutch Mantell
The legendary manager seemingly spoke in Rey Mysterio's defense, explaining that things often go wrong during matches. It's an unavoidable phenomenon.
Mantell highlighted that fans are accustomed to seeing Mysterio nail all his spots, and a rare misstep should not tarnish the Hall of Famer's reputation for being a flawless worker.
Dutch reiterated that LA Knight vs. Mysterio went ahead as planned on SmackDown while revealing an interesting tidbit about how the show was perceived internally within WWE back in the day.
"See, wrestling doesn't have to be perfect all the time because it already looks like routines that are practiced anyway. So, sometimes, when you get a little misstep in there, we're so used to Mysterio not missing anything. I don't think it was changed. I think it was that way in the beginning because even though our finish was changed on TV, it was changed on SmackDown because back in those days, SmackDown was a bastard show." [42:41 - 43:20]
Did you like Mysterio and Knight's SmackDown showdown? Sound off in the comments section below.
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