WWE Classic of the Week: Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes from WrestleMania 27

WrestleMania has been labeled the Showcase of the Immortals for decades, the platform on which the biggest stars of all time are given the opportunity to steal the show and etch their names in the history books.

If you are a main event talent, the likelihood that your match is going to be treated with better build and increased hype is very high.

But that does not mean the top-billed matches are the best.

Several times over the last three decades, WrestleMania has been stolen by an undercard match featuring two Superstars determined and hell-bent on stealing the show.

That was the case at the 27th edition of the event as SmackDown's Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes did battle in a match with tremendous build and even better storytelling.

The Background

The January 21 episode of SmackDown pitted Rey Mysterio against "Dashing" Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes had been portraying a character completely obsessed with his own looks, to the point that he filmed vignettes teaching men how to properly groom themselves. It was a gimmick that had no business working as well as it did, a testament to the man filling the role.

It was during the match with Mysterio that Rhodes found himself on the receiving end of a 619, not only costing him the win, but causing a broken nose.

The disfigurement that would result from the injury caused Rhodes to spiral out of control, suffering a mental breakdown.

When he returned, he did so sporting a plastic mask, claiming that he was grotesque and no longer the dashing young man he once was.

He logically targeted Mysterio, avenging the injury and making the masked phenomenon's life a living hell. 

In one instance, Rhodes even convinced his father, the Hall of Famer "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, to assist him in setting Mysterio up.

The story culminated in a match between the two Superstars for the biggest show of the year.

The biggest question was what depths Rhodes would sink to in order to avenge his "broken face" and whether Mysterio would be able to overcome the methods of his deranged opponent.

The Match

Analysis

The Rey Mysterio-Cody Rhodes match is proof positive of what two guys, in the crowded mess that is WWE's midcard, can do when provided with a story fans care about and enough time to ply their craft.

They wrestled a tremendous match, with some strong near-falls late. In the end, though, Rhodes used Mysterio's own knee brace against him, a plot device that had been set up early in the story, when the former heavyweight champion used that very same brace to break Rhodes' nose.

It was a smart, old-school-style wrestling match featuring two professional wrestlers with outstanding minds for the business.

When taking into account story and psychology, Mysterio vs. Rhodes was, arguably, the best match on the entire WrestleMania card.

Unfortunately, it would become overshadowed by the epic Undertaker-Triple H bout later in the night, even if that match was not a typical, classic wrestling match by any means.

Aftermath

Mysterio and Rhodes would clash once again at April's Extreme Rules, this time in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Unfortunately, the phenomenal story that had built to their WrestleMania clash was watered down in the wake of the big event. Extreme Rules, as is the case most years, was just another attempt by the company to cash in on the same matches that made WrestleMania a success, adding stipulations to the mix so as not to rob the paying audience with a show of exact rematches.

Mysterio would win that match, and the two Superstars would go their separate ways.