The mask was in Japan which would make his style that of a jr heavy, so you're wrong. Eddie didn't really wrestle the lucha libre style much in the US and was far more Americanized.
Junior Heavyweight is a weight class not a wrestling style. While I will agree that his moves aren't as stylized as someone like Mysterio, it was definitely not Americanized.
Lucha libre is not merely acrobatic and aerial maneuvers, it is a rhythm of chaining moves together that makes up the lucha libre style
You need to re-watch his WCW matches against Ultimo Dragon, Rey Mysterio, Jr. and many of the others he faced in the Cruiserweight Division. He was chaining moves together in quick succession.
if it were simply aerial moves then that would make AJ Styles stuff lucha libre and it's not, sure he incorporates the odd lucha dive as did HBK and a number of other lighter heavyweights
AJ Styles heavily incorporates the lucha style into his arsenal. Not just an odd lucha dive, but a Springboard 450 Splash, Spiral Tap, Springboard Moonsault Inverted DDT, Pele Kick, Shooting Star Planchas, Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreakers, etc. That's just an example of moves, but it's not jut about the moves, so it's the rhythm of chaining moves together, which is what he does a lot.
Let's just agree to disagree. Like I said, now, there all styles are blended together, and it's harder to really classify specific wrestlers that mix everything together.
Rey is the only one to have won a World heavyweight title in North America still wrestling the lucha libre style and presenting himself as a classic masked luchador.
Rey Mysterio, Jr. wrestles a very watered down version of the lucha style. While yes, he's presented as what people perceive a luchador to be (mask, fast paced high flying style), he is still not the only luchador (
which is what the original argument was about) to win the WWE Title and will never be the only one. He is also not the only masked luchador to win a World Heavyweight title. Blue Demon, Jr. held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Now before you say that the NWA title doesn't really mean anything anymore, it holds as much value as the WWE title, which hardly means anything anymore either.
It's unfair to blame Rey, other guys that have lost the mask and not put it back on have never worked for a billion dollar promotion, it's a lot easier to play the high moral ground when you work for AAA than it is when your family depends on that fat WWE contract and all the merch money that comes with it, I reckon any other masked Mexican wrestler would have done the same, family over everything.
Again, for a man who seems to preach about the legacy and tradition of what the mask represents, I do blame Mysterio fully. Wrestlers either adopt a new persona with a new mask, or wrestle without one. What he's done is very disrespectful. This is coming from someone who is a huge fan of Mysterio, which says a lot.
Personally I always felt Eddie would usually change his style more depending on the opponent. If he was wrestling Mysterio or Psychosis he would shift it to fit the lucha libre style more. If he was fighting Malenko he would become a little more mat based. If he was wrestling a Lesnar it would become more traditionally American based. Jericho would do the same thing. I never really thought you could peg either down to a specific style wheras Rey Mysterios style has stayed a little more consistent over the years. He still has to change it because of his American opponents but its still more lucha inspired than someone like Jerichos.
Eddie Guerrero really was a total package because of how he could tap into any style, plus he was excellent on the mic. Mysterio really couldn't change styles due to his size, plus the amount of injuries he's suffered, and how he's stuck with the five moves of doom that WWE loves to limit their wrestlers too. He still sucks on the mic too.
The thing that makes Rey special (and I'm not saying he belongs in the top ten) is that he was chosen as the first masked wrestler to become a world champion in WWE if I'm not mistaken.
Don't forget about Kane and his first World title win.
He is also the smallest world champion in WWE history, succeeding in what is traditionally a bigger mans game. Its basically WWE pushing him as a man with incredible heart and the ultimate underdog.
Exactly. The only time they really get into the heritage of the mask is when it's being threatened.
For the idiots in WCW lucha libre = high flyer, this is a waste of time. Those matches with Benoit were not lucha libre they were simply jr heavy, take a look at his matches with Rey and compare, nothing alike at all.
Again, Junior Heavyweight is a weight class, not a style. Also, in WCW, Cruiserweight=high flier.
Glad you are back on track now.
