SAN DIEGO -- Rey Mysterio wasn't advertised for Friday Night Smackdown in his hometown of San Diego, CA, especially since he is on the Monday Night Raw roster.
Smackdown announce team of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett set up the surprise as they welcomed fans to Pechanga Arena.
"There's no nobody more deserving to open up this show then…" Tessitore said, throwing it at Barrett.
"The hometown Hall of Famer himself," Barrett said.
That is when the famous "Booyaka, Booyaka" hit, and the stadium erupted. Mysterio walked out with a big smile, greeted his daughter, Aalyah, and jumped into the ring to give a big announcement.
He declared his entry for the 2025 Royal Rumble that will take place in Indianapolis on February 1st.
Mysterio is no stranger to winning the Rumble, as he outlasted 29 other superstars in 2006 after coming in at number two. He dedicated his victory to his best friend, Eddie Guerrero, who had passed a couple of months earlier. He went on to Wrestlemania 22 and won the World Heavyweight Championship in a triple-threat match against Kurt Angle and Randy Orton.
When he mentioned that moment, the stadium started chanting "Eddie, Eddie" in memory of the Mexican superstar.
That is when Kevin Owens's music hit, and he told Mysterio he wanted a one-on-one match against him. What set things off is that Owens is claiming he is a champion because he stole the old-school-looking WWE Championship, but he never beat Cody Rhodes for it.
Mysterio reminded him about it after Owens begged him to choose to face him at Wrestlemania 41 if he won the rumble.
"I love competition, but you aren't the champion," Mysterio told Owens.
Owens was set off when Mysterio told him, "You are acting so delusional; you remind me of my son Dominik."
Dominik turned on his father about two years ago, so the comparison enraged Owens, and he attacked Mysterio, who set up a match for later in the night.
Solo Silent
Jimmy Uso faced Carmelo Hayes later in the night, which had a ripple effect. There was solid action and near falls in this match, but the ending was very telling.
Uso speared Hayes toward the end, a move his cousin, Roman Reigns, does to finish matches. He went to the top rope for his Uso Splash finisher, but that is when Jacob Fatu emerged on the other side, staring into his soul.
Fatu's partner in crime, Tama Tonga, threw Uso off the top rope, and the referee called the match a "no contest."
After they beat up Uso and Hayes, their leader's music, Solo Sikoa, would be the first time anyone would hear Sikoa speak since he lost the Tribal Combat match last week on the premiere of Raw on Netflix to Reigns.
San Diego kept booing Sikoa.
That is when an angry Fatu delivered the line of the night.
"We will leave the same way the Chargers left this dusty a** city," Fatu said.
The crowd began booing even louder.
That is when Sikoa dropped the microphone and walked out. Fatu and Tonga were left in the ring puzzled. Late last year, Sikoa did say that if Reigns won the Ula Fala back from him, they would all acknowledge Reigns as their Tribal Chief.
Fatu cut a promo about how no one has seen how dangerous he can be, but soon they will find out. LA Knight's music hit with an eruption of cheers as he tried to sneak attack the two wrestlers.
When they started to beat him down, Braun Strowman came out to his rescue. That is when wrestling fans got even more excited because Strowman and Fatu were suddenly face-to-face—over 670 pounds of humanity in the ring.
Before they could engage, Tonga pulled Fatu out of the ring, and the crowd booed as they wanted to see the equivalent of Godzilla face King Kong.
Owens prevails over Mysterio
The action was high-powered when Mysterio faced off against Owens. This match showed that even though Mysterio, who just turned 50, can still produce a high-level match.
He moves so well and still has his agility. Mysterio has said in numerous interviews in the past that 50 was his cutoff for retirement, but he is still so good that he should be rethinking his stance.
Nevertheless, Owens went for a Swanton from the top rope, which Mysterio countered by putting his knees up. Owens rolled over to the middle room and rested as Mysterio did his famous 619 finisher. He ran up to the top rope as fans cheered for him to get the victory. Owens "bumped" into the referee, who hit the rope and dropped Mysterio.
Owens ran over, threw Mysterio into the ropes, did his Pop-Up Power Bomb finisher, and pinned him for the win. He wasn't done there because Owens tried to cause further damage. He picked Mysterio up, shook his hand while bowing, and then set him up for a package pile driver, which is deemed illegal.
WWE
That is when WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes's music hit, and he came to rescue the veteran wrestler. This further continues their rivalry as they throw hands outside the ring.
This sets up a contract signing between the two at Saturday Night's Main Event next Saturday in San Antonio, Texas, which Hall of Fame Shawn Michaels will moderate. The contract is for both championships' ladder match at the Royal Rumble.
San Diego shows it is Tiffy Time
The night's most significant revelation was undoubtedly that not only San Diego but the WWE Universe knows it is "Tffy Time."
Tiffany Stratton is an NXT product who worked up the system and has been on the main roster for only a year. She has become the youngest Money in the Bank winner and cashed that in on Nia Jax last Friday night in Portland, Oregon.
This Friday night was the first opportunity to see Stratton as the champion and defend her championship against Bayley.
WWE
Bayley is a fan favorite, but halfway through the show, the WWE ran a package of her interview with Byron Saxton, with fans booing the former champion. When she spoke, fans would yell, "Tiffy Time."
Whenever Bayley would go for a pin, and Stratton would kick out, the fans cheered.
It was a good opportunity for Stratton to get in the ring with a seasoned veteran for her first title defense, especially since Bayley is one of the best in the business.
Bayley tried to hit her finisher on Stratton, but she reserved it with her Cartwheel Alabama Slam, then hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to pin Bayley for the victory.
The first title defense is in the books, and as the road to the Rumble begins, it will be interesting to see who the rookie champion faces as her second biggest test.