Rey Mysterio attempts to put Randy Orton away with the 619, but The Viper is ready with a unique counter in the opening WWE World Cup Tournament Match at WWE Crown Jewel 2018: Courtesy of WWE Network.
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If you’re looking for an answer to which WWE Superstar is “best in the world,” you could certainly do worse than Rey Mysterio. In addition to being a Royal Rumble Match winner, two-time World Heavyweight Champion and former WWE Champion, The Ultimate Underdog shocked Randy Orton at WWE Crown Jewel with a signature come-from-behind victory to advance in the WWE World Cup, much to the chagrin of the Grand Slam Champion who had assumed his victory was all but guaranteed.
Orton, who came into the tournament expecting a waltz to the finals, the trophy and the title of “best in the world,” was in emphatic control of the entire match from the moment he executed a pitch-perfect standing dropkick to knock Mysterio out of the sky. Mysterio tried to fight back, but The Apex Predator took the wind out of his sails at every turn and didn’t skimp on the mockery, laying hands on Mysterio’s prized mask in an act of disrespect to his opponent’s lucha libre culture. After Orton countered Mysterio’s attempted 619 into a hanging DDT, the RKO seemed all but assured.
On this night, however, Orton ultimately suffered defeat the same way he typically earns a victory: Out of nowhere.
Mysterio reversed Orton’s attempt at his fearsome finishing maneuver into a roll-up pin that earned him the three, though the victory came with an immediate, emphatic cost. An incensed Orton struck with a bitter RKO and battered Mysterio on the outside, concluding his assault with a slam on top of the announce table before stalking back up the ramp.
With all of his accolades, Randy Orton, like Rey Mysterio, is certainly in the conversation for being “best in the world.” Few would argue otherwise. But after the events of WWE Crown Jewel, The Apex Predator has to settle for a qualifier for his current status: “Uncrowned.”