Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk (w/ the Straight Edge Society)
We finally have come to the 26th edition of WrestleMania and for the first time in his career, CM Punk is not competing in a Money in the Bank match as he was in one of the better feuds going on at the time. He and Mysterio had gone at it in the Elimination Chamber back in February with Mysterio pinning Punk to eliminate him from the match, so because of that you knew that they were on a collision course heading into WM. You knew that these two would have some good chemistry as it was a fresh matchup for both guys, and obviously Punk was still pretty hot as a heel with the SES gaining steam while Mysterio was still pretty hot as well. Given how stacked the card, it was going to be interesting to see how much time they would be given as it was almost a guarantee that this feud was going to continue following this show especially with the stipulation that was in place for the show.
On the 2/26 Smackdown, Mysterio would cost Punk his Money in the Bank qualifying match to Shelton Benjamin and on the 3/5 Smackdown, Punk cut a promo on Mysterio calling him a neglectful father and he wasn’t a superhero as Mysterio would defeat Luke Gallows in a match and Punk tried to give him the Go 2 Sleep though Mysterio would escape. On the 3/12 Smackdown, Mysterio brought his family out to celebrate his daughter Alyia’s birthday only for the SES to interrupt, and Punk would challenge Mysterio to a match at WM and called him a coward as he slapped him in the face and Mysterio would take his family backstage as Punk sang “Happy Birthday” to Alyia. Later that night, Mysterio would attack Punk after Gallows’ match with Kane until officials held him back, and on the 3/19 Smackdown Mysterio accepted Punk’s challenge and demanded a Street Fight as the SES interrupted. Punk would give Mysterio a new challenge as he said if Mysterio could beat Gallows, he would get the Street Fight though if Gallows won, their match at WM would have the stipulation that Mysterio would join the SES if he lost, and Mysterio would accept though Gallows would defeat Mysterio thanks to a distraction from Punk. The build has been really good especially when Punk did the mocking “Happy Birthday” to Alyia to really build more heat, and you wondered if the SES would do something to screw Mysterio and force him to join.
The SES were pretty hot as heels as Punk cuts a great promo saying he was not a monster, but a savoir as he could save everyone in the stadium, and Mysterio gets a big pop from the crowd as he comes out in an Avatar-style outfit. The two men square off to start with Gallows distracting Mysterio from the floor and Punk gets a shot in, and he stomps on Mysterio repeatedly in the corner and pounds on him as he whips him into the other corner. Mysterio hits a drop toehold that sends Punk into the middle buckle and he leaps up top only for Punk to crotch him on the top rope with Mysterio falling into the tree of woe, and Punk stomps on Mysterio repeatedly and Serena chokes him from the floor only for Mysterio to avoid a baseball slide from Punk who crotches the post. Punk rolls outside to regroup and Mysterio comes off the apron though Punk catches him in a wheelbarrow and slams him face first into the steps, and Punk rolls back into the ring though Mysterio barely beats the count as Punk drops an elbow on him and pounds on him on the mat for a two count. He hooks a submission on Mysterio who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he kicks at Punk’s leg and pounds on him in the corner, and Punk reverses a whip into the other corner and catches Mysterio on a leap as he sends him over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron. Mysterio gets a shoulder in and nails Punk as he hits a springboard seated senton on Punk and he ducks a shot, and he attempts a springboard crossbody only for Punk to catch him in a powerslam for a two count. Mysterio catches him ducking with a kick only for Punk to get a kick in and he attempts a sunset flip, but Mysterio rolls through and Punk avoids a kick as he hooks a rollup for a two count and Mysterio flips onto his shoulders. Punk flips him off with Mysterio landing on his feet and Punk kicks Mysterio in the head for a pair of two counts, and he tries to force Mysterio’s shoulders to the mat until Mysterio kicks him away and leaps to the top rope as he does a springboard moonsault into a sloppy DDT for a two count. Mysterio dropkicks Punk in the back and sends him into the ropes though Punk blocks the 619 as he hoists Mysterio onto his shoulders, but Mysterio pounds on Punk and slides off as he slides under Punk and catches him with a boot to the face. He attempts a springboard moonsault though Punk catches him on his shoulders and Mysterio grabs the top rope, and Punk sends him over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron as he avoids the shoulder and kicks Punk in the head. He goes up top only to miss the Frog Splash as Punk gets a two count and he hits the running knee in the corner, but Mysterio escapes the bulldog as Punk gets a kick in only for Mysterio to counter a powerbomb with an armdrag that sends Punk into the ropes. He looks for the 619 only for Serena to shield Punk as Gallows gets on the apron and distracts Mysterio, and Punk hoists Mysterio onto his shoulders only for Punk to counter the Go 2 Sleep with a hurricanrana which sends Punk into Gallows who gets knocked off the apron. Punk falls into the ropes and Mysterio hits the 619 before hitting the springboard splash which gets the three and he wins the match.
The match itself was pretty good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Both men were hitting their strides in the ring by this point and they showed that they had really good chemistry, and as I mentioned this was probably the hottest feud going into this show in the midcard and they really went at a break neck pace. The only thing that really hurts the match is that they only got 6 and a half minutes which makes the match feel criminally short, but there was no question that the feud was going to continue and given how loaded this show was, this match was an unfortunate victim. Punk in essence dominated the majority of the match with Mysterio getting his comebacks in, and in the end Mysterio is able to overcome the numbers game and get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and were pretty split between both men, but they did pop big for Mysterio when he won. Mysterio gets the win over Punk, but it is clear this issue isn’t over yet.
Final Grade: ***1/4
