How Rey Mysterio "Lost An Eye" In WWE, Explained

Highlights

• WWE's COVID-19 era had numerous ridiculous angles and gimmicks that fans had to endure, like Rey Mysterio losing an eye in a match with Seth Rollins.
• The lack of live fans during this time allowed WWE to experiment with ideas that wouldn't sit well with most fans, such as Braun Strowman's train sound move.
• Despite the excitement of the match, Rey Mysterio losing his eye in a goofy and surreal manner disappointed fans, ruining what could've been a great PPV match.

Let's just say that WWE's COVID-19-era of its product was not something fans are going to look back on with reverence, although it did feature Roman Reigns' heel turn. One of the reasons is the countless stupid angles, gimmicks, and storylines that fans had to watch during this unfortunate time. A perfect example is the events that occurred during Rey Mysterio's rivalry with Seth Rollins in 2020, which resulted in Mysterio supposedly losing an eye during a PPV match with Rollins at Extreme Rules.

RELATED: SmackDown Match Stoppage Due To Rey Mysterio Injury Was Not The Planned Finish

WWE's COVID-19 Creative Booking Ideas

Although there was only so much the company could do with everything getting shut down, WWE's COVID-19 era was arguably among the worst periods regarding its creative booking. Having no live fans in attendance for the talent to feed off of, the professional wrestling business had to deal with having little to no fans in attendance for over a year, whether it was WWE, AEW, or any other promotion.

With that said, because WWE no longer had the fans in attendance, the company was more open to doing things that wouldn't sit well with most fans. For instance, fans in attendance most likely wouldn't respond well to Braun Strowman having train sounds during his matches, which many heavily criticized when it was introduced as one of Strowman's signature moves in early 2021. And although WWE deserves some credit for attempting to get creative during the difficult period in 2020 and 2021, many of these ideas didn't deliver in the slightest.

RELATED: How Rey Mysterio Got Injured While Filming The Disastrous WCW Movie 'Ready To Rumble'

Rey Mysterio Battles Seth Rollins In An Eye For An Eye Match

One of the most high-profile feuds during the early months of WWE's COVID-19 era was Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins. Not long after Rollins turned heel and adopted the "Monday Night Messiah" gimmick, he and his recruiters started targeting Mysterio and his family. The angle that really kicked off their rivalry into full gear was when Rollins brutally attacked Mysterio on a May 2020 episode of Monday Night Raw, using the steel steps to injure his eye.

As one might expect, this angle turned into a PPV gimmick match between Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins at the Extreme Rules PPV, better known as The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. However, to make things weird for everyone, Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins got set to battle each other in an Eye for an Eye match, which is arguably among the most ridiculous ideas for a match gimmick in recent years.

The match gimmick stipulates that one is victorious if they can remove an eye from their opponent. However, despite the graphic nature of that match gimmick, considering WWE's PG rating, the execution for Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins in an Eye for an Eye match would most likely not come off as authentic in the grand scheme of things.

Rey Mysterio's Eye Falls Out At Extreme Rules 2020

During their PPV match at Extreme Rules, Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins had an exciting back-and-forth contest, which isn't surprising considering their abilities. However, due to the inherent goofiness that occurred during the final moments of the match, it's understandable why some fans were gravely disappointed.

As Rollins began to brutalize Mysterio in hopes of removing one of his eyes by assaulting him with the steel steps, a barely noticeable eye was seen hanging from Rey Mysterio even though he was covering his face, thus losing the bout. To make things worse, Seth Rollins began to hurl upon seeing Rey Mysterio's eye fall out. This was one of the most surreal yet goofiest moments on WWE TV in recent years.

The Aftermath Of Rey Mysterio Losing An Eye

After their match, the rivalry continued for many months as Mysterio's family got further involved with the drama, resulting in Dominik Mysterio facing Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. However, unfortunately for Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins, the two could've had a perfect PPV match if they didn't get saddled with a ridiculous gimmick to ruin it.

RELATED: Rey Mysterio Teases A Rematch With Dominik For The NXT NA TitleIf there's anything one could learn from the wackiness that occurred during this rivalry, it's that fans in attendance are a crucial part of the professional wrestling business. Thankfully though, since bringing the fans back in attendance in July 2021, things seem to be back to normal for the most part in WWE and the professional wrestling business as a whole.