23) Rey v. Eddie Guerrero (Judgment Day, 05/22/05)- 5
This was a kind of setup match designed to prolong this feud. Eddie was at possibly his most sinister here and this was the beginning of the fight for Dominic, which a lot of people really hated, even though it did huge TV numbers. This was more of a methodical beat down which Rey controlled a lot more of the offense than you would think. Eddie seemed to be back peddling looking for cheap ways to take the tide of the match, therefore ending in a DQ. They would have better inside this feud.
24) Rey v. Eddie Guerrero (Smackdown, 06/23/05)- 8
Wow! As Brian said, don't think I've ever seen a Smackdown match this good! The psych was deep here as you had a back and forth battle the whole way. The commercial breaks actually worked here (for once) and split this match into 3 sections, one where Rey was pissed on and on offense, one where Eddie came back and used great heel tactics to ground Rey, and the finale which had both men doing everything they could to win the match. It was fought as if this was the defining battle of the feud and of their careers. Too many highspots to mention but this was every bit as good as their Halloween Havoc match and it was in a completely different style. Kudos guys!
25) Rey v. Shawn Michaels (Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show, 11/14/05)- 4
This was a neat idea, but I don't this this pair works. Michaels always has a way of (over)selling things to make them look especially good and he certainly did that with the 619. There were some miscues on here but the legdrop finish was expertly executed even if it was out of nowhere. This didn't really have time to develop into anything really good, but how could you expect even these two to pull off something great with Eddie passing just over the weekend.
26) Rey v. Kurt Angle v. Randy Orton (Wrestlemania 22)- 5
This was quick and action packed! Nine minutes of sweet action but unlike the Eddie Havoc match earlier, no story was really developed here unless you count Rey getting the opportunity to fight for the belt because of Eddie's passing, but enough using him for storyline purposes! All 3 guys were firing on all cylinders but it's hard to see how anyone is selling anything when they flop outside of the ring after every offensive move, even though I did see Orton holding his jaw after an errant Angle forearm. Rey took a nice stomach bump outside.
27) Rey v. JBL (Judgment Day, 05/21/06)- 5
I'm no fan of JBL, i think I've made that apparent in past reviews, but here he worked the big bully role very well. He was the challenger and this was the time when Rey was champion and they made him job to every big guy they had on the roster. Brilliant. Well, he got split here and you could see the blood coming from under the mask (which was white and is always a good contrast when you have juice) so the drama factor was ratcheted up a bit. But, how can you expect JBL to sell Rey's offense appropriately? He always just falls down like a chopped tree with no thought to what just happened. Rey gets the win and I'm sure he was happy to get the hell out of the ring that night.
28) Rey v. Chavo Guerrero (Falls Count Anywhere, No Mercy, 10/08/07)- See No Mercy 2007 review
29) Rey v. Chavo Guerrero (I Quit Match, Smackdown, 10/20/06)- 6
I missed this match when it originally aired and while really fun, it's not as wild as the falls count anywhere, but it is longer and has more hate filled shit in it. The brawling part pales in comparison to what they did at No Mercy but both guys are laying their shots in and when you have two guys this size, it looks good to fire some off on someone else that size. The finish is pretty hardcore, if you take away the fact that he obviously was missing with several of those chair shots into the metal girder. Rey says the stupidest thing after this match, while standing on a beach, " I may have quit.....but I didn't want to." Who cares? You said it, what does your internal struggle at the time have to do with it? Anyways, another good outing between these two.
Overall, the people they lock away in the tape room that put this DVD package together did a stellar job with what they presented us. There was barely anything under a 5 on this DVD and for nearly 30 matches that says a lot, not only about what you get for the money you paid for this thing, but for Rey's career in general. I would highly recommend this if you're a fan of great ring action.
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