EDDIE GUERRERO VS. REY MYSTERIO (LADDER MATCH)

   Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio would be co-holders of Smackdown's tag team championships as WrestleMania 21 rolled around. They had a respectful exhibition match between friends at the event and everyone was happy. Well, not everyone. Eddie Guerrero had never been able to beat Rey Mysterio one-on-one and it started to annoy him. He started to work tighter, and show more aggression towards his long-time friend and the fans, including an amazing ECW One Night Stand 2005 performance with Chris Benoit. Eddie Guerrero became more cunning, getting inside Rey Mysterio's head and promising to reveal a secret when he beat Rey at The Great American Bash. Eddie didn't get the victory, but that didn't stop his big revelation. He was Rey Mysterio's son's biological father. That lead to a legal storyline involving Dominik's custody papers hanging above the ring for this match.

  (It was reported recently that Rey Mysterio had to talk to Dominik’s teachers over the storyline, which does add a new wrinkle in my opinion).

  The video package goes through the uncomfortably emotional storyline. Michael Cole puts on his “heavy emotional voice” for this match. He says that even Eddie's wife Vicki Guerrero doesn't think Eddie cares about winning custody of Dominik, he just wants to beat Rey as Eddie enters first. I forgot about Eddie's change in music at this point. We see Dominik at ringside looking on concerned as Tazz is pulling for Rey Mysterio and he can't imagine being in Rey's position in this match. Rey Mysterio makes his entrance and he looks the most focused he ever has in his career. He walks over to Dominik to reassure him before the match. Eddie rolls out of the ring as Rey's still making his entrance to go talk to Dominik too, and he shakes the Social Worker's hand. Michael Cole tells us Eddie is addicted to manipulation, and this is my favorite run of Eddie Guerrero's in WWE.

 Michael Cole and Tazz are on commentary for this match.

EDDIE GUERRERO VS. REY MYSTERIO
(Ladder Match for the Custody of Dominik)
WWE Summerslam (25^th August 2005)

  The bell rings and Eddie Guerrero looks up at the custody papers, as does Rey. They look over towards Dominik and Eddie talks trash before we begin. Eddie Guerrero starts us off with a cheap knee to the gut and right hands to send Rey Mysterio into the corner.

  Eddie Guerrero brings Rey across the ring to send his head into the top turnbuckle before a back suplex plants Rey. Rey Mysterio reverses an irish whip and leapfrogs Eddie, Rey sends Eddie over with his feet causing Eddie to regroup outside. Rey tries to follow but Eddie grabs him, Rey drops to the arena floor before Eddie sends him into the ring steps. Rey is sent into a ladder on the entranceway and Eddie brings the ladder back into the ring. Eddie starts climbing the ladder but Rey Mysterio hits a springboard dropkick, knocking Eddie off the ladder! Eddie looks like he might have damaged his knee and he tries to walk it off at ringside. Eddie grabs another ladder and after a struggle with Mysterio, he gets it in the ring. Eddie hits Rey with a right hand, sending him into the ropes. Rey starts fighting back and dumps Eddie out of the ring to buy time.

  They fight over the second ladder again, Rey trying to get it out of the ring and Eddie keeping it in. Rey hits some right hands to his old friend but they don't have much effect so he dropkicks the ladder into Eddie! There's enough time for a replay before Rey follows up with a springboard seated senton! Rey begins climbing the ladder but Eddie's on his tail. They exchange rights below the custody papers and Eddie gets the advantage. Eddie reaches for the papers, but Rey cuts him off with right hands. Eddie bounces Rey's head off the top of the ladder before they fuck up a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder. Ouch.. That did not look great. We see that Eddie hit his head on the way down in the replay as Eddie drives the ladder into Rey's midsection. Rey slumps into the corner and Eddie runs into Rey, crushing him with the ladder. Eddie grabs another ladder from ringside and dropkicks the first one into Rey. Resourceful, yet painful for Rey.

  Eddie slams Rey Mysterio onto the ladder and places the second on top of him. Eddie hits the Tope Con Hilo, sacrificing his own back to hurt Rey Mysterio. Rey crawls to the corner and Eddie bounces the ladder off his head. Eddie sets up a ladder under the papers but his back is slowing him down. Rey leans the ladder he has against Eddie's setup one and climbs to meet Eddie at the top. Rey hits Eddie with right hands at the top of the ladders, Eddie tries to fight Rey back but gets sent over with a back body drop! The ladders collapse and both Eddie and Rey land on the mat in a heap! Rey Mysterio's the first to move, and he sets up the ladder in the middle of the ring. The effects of this match are showing on Rey Rey now as he slowly tries to climb the ladder. Eddie cuts him off with a standing dropkick! Eddie Guerrero lays a ladder over the top rope in one of the corners, but that gives Rey a chance to rally back with some kicks, but Eddie sends him into the ladder using his own momentum against him.

  Eddie Guerrero sets up the ladder again as Cole and Tazz talk about how they don't want Dominik going home with Eddie, well... You take him then? Eddie climbs the ladder but Dominik's entered the ring! Dominik holds the ladder for Eddie (he's trying to tip it over, but it's terrible) so Eddie gives him a telling off, intimidating him into the corner and telling him he'll learn what it's like to be a Guerrero. Eddie goes to strike Dominik but Rey is there to save him with right hands! Eddie is sent across the ring into a back body drop. Rey sets up the ladder against the ring ropes but Eddie fires back with right hands, but Rey stops himself from going into the ladder. Eddie is sent into the ladder and he's in position for 619, Rey hits it! Rey hurt his knee because you know, the steel ladder got in the way and his knee collided with it.

  Rey Mysterio hits a springboard leg drop onto the ladder and slowly sets it up in the middle of the ring. Rey Mysterio is having to use the ladder and get to his feet as we see a replay of the 619 and he sets it up over Eddie Guerrero. Rey climbs the ladder and gets his fingertips to the briefcase, but Eddie cuts him off, climbing up behind him. Eddie hits right hands, keeping Rey on his shoulders, but Rey uses the top of the ladder to swing around and hit a sunset flip powerbomb of his own. Rey Mysterio has to muster all of his energy and gets back to the ladder, he climbs it and touches the briefcase. Eddie kicks at the ladder from the mat, leaving Rey hanging with the briefcase in midair! Eddie stands under Rey, and powerbombs him down to the mat when he drops!

  Eddie sets up the ladder over Rey, with Michael Cole and Tazz making a big deal out of him wanting Rey to see his victory. Eddie gets to the top and there's the now-famous awkward moment where his wife Vicki missed her queue, leaving Rey to bring the ladder over and drag Eddie back down to the ground by his ankle. Eddie pounds the mat out of frustration at his wife. Eddie Guerrero gets the better of Rey as they get to their feet, hitting the Three Amigos vertical suplexes. The last one made Rey land right on the ladder for maximum damage. Eddie sets the ladder up again, climbing to the top. In the surprise of the century, his wife Vicki's here! He asks her what she's doing and tells her she should be at home in the kitchen. (OK, I may have added those last three words) and she shoves the ladder over.

  Rey Mysterio recovers and climbs the ladder as Vicki holds back Eddie Guerrero. Rey Mysterio is able to unhook the papers and take back custody of his son.

WINNER: REY MYSTERIO

These two men have had amazing matches everywhere they've been. No matter how high or low the stakes are, they bring the effort needed and try their best to steal the show. This match went on third (after Chris Benoit vs. Orlando Jordan & Edge vs. Matt Hardy) and was really the first real match of Summerslam because of the way it worked out. They did some great work here, with Eddie using his strength against Rey whilst sticking to his Lucha roots to play Rey at his own game too. Rey was willing to put his body on the line and fight with no end in sight for his son and it showed. Eddie was content with hurting Rey Mysterio and only seemed to go for the briefcase when it would effect Rey more. That's another subtle point, Eddie psychologically in this match was sadistic and cunning. The irony of him asking where Vicki is as she messes up, then asking what she's doing there gave me a chuckle, and Eddie's sunset flip powerbomb just looked crushing. Vicki helping Rey win the match just added the fuel to Eddie Guerrero as a heel. You're a pretty bad guy if even your own wife doesn't want you to win. – WORKRATE: 4.5/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT /4.75/5 OVERALL 9.25/10

Dominik jumps over the barrier and celebrates with Rey Mysterio, and Michael Cole and Tazz are creaming themselves over Dominik going home with Rey Mysterio and his wife, Angie. The reunited family celebrates as Eddie Guerrero throws a ladder out of frustration back in the ring. Rey puts an exclamation point on the feud braining Eddie with the briefcase before he continues celebrating to the back as we see more replays.