AJ Styles believes Omos should have spent some time studying old Rey Mysterio matches before stepping into the ring with the WWE Hall of Famer at TripleMania 34.
Styles brought up the matchup during the latest episode of The AJ Styles Show, focusing on the enormous size difference between the two wrestlers.
“One of the biggest professional wrestlers in the world, if not the biggest, is going against the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio,” Styles said. “Smaller. Not a mini. He’s not a mini, but he is one of the smaller wrestlers in professional wrestling. Holy crap.”
Rather than viewing that difference as a reason to worry about Mysterio’s chances, Styles pointed to the veteran’s decades of experience working against significantly larger opponents.
“You know what the crazy thing is? I’m expecting something awesome, because Rey has done this before. He’s been in these matches his whole life,” Styles said. “So the one thing that Omos should be watching is old tapes of Rey Mysterio and what he could do to him.”
Styles then offered a particularly strong assessment of Mysterio’s place in professional wrestling history.
“Rey Mysterio, GOAT of lucha libre,” he said.
The match ultimately took place in the main event of TripleMania 34 Night One on Friday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada, with Omos defeating Mysterio.
Styles’ point was rooted in one of the defining elements of Mysterio’s career. Despite being considerably smaller than many of his opponents, Mysterio has spent close to three decades facing heavyweight wrestlers across WCW, WWE and AAA. At a billed seven-foot-three, however, Omos represented one of the most extreme size disadvantages of Mysterio’s career.
The rivalry developed through Mysterio’s current role as AAA General Manager.
Mysterio indefinitely suspended Omos following the August 22 episode of Lucha Libre AAA on Fox after Omos continued attacking Galeno following their match and then chokeslammed Mysterio when he attempted to intervene.
Omos subsequently appeared at ringside during Ola de Calor in Edinburg, Texas, on August 30 after purchasing his own ticket. Another confrontation followed, ultimately setting up their TripleMania showdown.
TripleMania 34 continues with Night Two at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on September 13, where Mysterio’s son Dominik will defend the AAA Mega Championship against El Grande Americano.
This year’s event is the second TripleMania under WWE’s ownership of AAA and marks the first time a TripleMania event has been held in the United States since 1996.
