10 Most Overshadowed WWE Rivalries

3. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk – 2010 & 2011

I told you Rey Mysterio would come up again. It should come as no surprise that Mysterio would work quite well with someone like CM Punk. Their styles mesh very well and in 2010 they had one of the best rivalries of the year. Punk was desperate to bring Mysterio into his Straightedge Society with Mysterio fighting for his freedom. On the flipside, Punk was willing to put his hair on the line to win the feud, a move that would change his look forever.

The issue here is this rivalry was stuck right in the mid-card on SmackDown. Considering Mysterio would win the World Heavyweight Championship immediately after their match at Over The Limit, this could easily have morphed into the main event program on the blue brand. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. This absolutely could have gone on for months had Mysterio been forced to join the group and it may have been the best rivalry of 2010 if given the chance.

---

2. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio – 2009

There he is again. Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho did not have the kind of history you might expect before 2009. They had wrestled here and there in WCW but this was the first time they had a rivalry of any meaning. It was fantastic. Jericho was firing on all cylinders at this time and his rivalry with Mysterio over the Intercontinental Championship was something to behold.

They had five matches during their rivalry with the best coming at The Bash in June. The first problem is that The Bash was one of the most forgettable pay per views ever. However, Jericho and Mysterio had one of the best matches of the entire year. Fighting over the Intercontinental Championship usually means you will be further down the card than likely deserved, but this rivalry just does not get the love it deserves a decade later.

---

1. Randy Orton vs. Christian – 2011

Finally, you have arguably Randy Orton’s greatest rivalry. That statement is currently being challenged by his rivalry with Edge but Orton had an incredible showing against Christian in 2011. The two worked so well together across their five matches with the best ones coming at Over The Limit and SummerSlam.

If it was so great why was it overshadowed? Well, it had the unfortunate responsibility of playing second fiddle to the John Cena vs. CM Punk rivalry. Yeah. The Summer of Punk. While Orton and Christian were consistently having really good matches, the only thing people were talking about in WWE at the time was CM Punk.

This rivalry doesn’t get the recognition it deserves and if you want to see a classic rivalry, go back and watch their matches.

What is an overshadowed WWE rivalry that we forgot? Let us know on Twitter!

• rey mysterio
• overshadowed
• rivalries
• wwe

Share this article with friends