A dream match in Madison Square Garden.
WWE has officially confirmed that Rey Mysterio will return to the ring next week on Monday Night Raw, live from the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. This will be the lucha legend’s first match on television since starting the angle with his son Dominik, where he teased retiring after questioning whether he could still hold his own in the ring.
His opponent for The Garden? None other than 205 Live Superstar and Lucha House Party founding father Gran Metalik.
While some may not consider Gran Metalik to be among WWE’s most sought-after Superstars on the roster today, prior to signing with the company he had an outstanding 10-year career in Mexico, with more than an occasional stop in Japan.
Prior to Rey Fenix popularizing these kinds of spots, Metalik (then known as Mascara Dorado) was one of the true great innovators of offense by incorporating the ring ropes into his acrobatic combinations.
He is also a four-time CMLL World Welterweight Champion, and while he never quite won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion during his many, many tours with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he has participated in three Best of the Super Juniors tournaments.
Here is a highlight video of his match with Kenny Omega from the 2015 NJPW Invasion Attack event. The full match is of course available on NJPWWorld.com.