Why was Rey Mysterio present at Joey Chestnut's Unfinished Beef? Explained

Rey Mysterio’s unexpected appearance at Joey Chestnut’s Unfinished Beef hot dog eating contest sparked curiosity among fans of both professional wrestling and competitive eating. The highly publicized event which took place on September 2, 2024, at the Hyper X Arena in the Luxor, Las Vegas was live-streamed on Netflix that drew a considerable amount of audience.

The event featured the legendary face-off between Joey Chestnut and his long-time rival Takeru Kobayashi and celebrated Chestnut's new world record of consuming 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Netflix is aiming to have sports entertainment with its expanding live event coverage and enlisted WWE icon Rey Mysterio to present the custom WWE Championship belt to Chestnut showing the theatrical flair that both wrestling and competitive eating share.

The collaboration was part of a broader strategy by Netflix to integrate more live sports and entertainment content into its service, including an upcoming Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match and NFL games which signals a major shift in how the streaming giant is approaching live broadcasts.

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Rey Mysterio spotlighted WWE and Netflix collaboration at Joey Chestnut's victory celebration

Known for his high-flying moves and charismatic persona Mysterio has a broad fan base that spans multiple generations of wrestling enthusiasts. By involving a wrestling superstar Netflix aimed to draw his fans to the event, boosting viewership and creating a buzz on social media platforms.

His role was to present Joey Chestnut, who is the winner and new record holder for eating 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes, with a custom WWE Championship belt.

The presentation was about handing over a prize and was a symbolic gesture that linked the discipline and showmanship of competitive eating with the theatrical and athletic elements of professional wrestling.

Additionally, Mysterio's involvement showed WWE's ongoing collaboration with Netflix. As part of this partnership, Netflix plans to host more live events that include wrestling matches and other sports events which were spotlighted by the promotion of upcoming attractions like a Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match and NFL Christmas games.

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What happened in Unfinished Beef?

Unfinished Beef was a head-to-head hot dog eating contest between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi which unfolded on September 2, 2024, at the Hyper X Arena in Las Vegas. Broadcast live on Netflix, the event marked a monumental showdown in competitive eating history.

Joey Chestnut set a new world record by consuming 83 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes eclipsing his previous best of 76. Takeru Kobayashi on the other hand managed to eat 66 hot dogs surpassing his prior record of 64.5 set back in 2009.

The competition was fierce from the start with Chestnut taking an early lead. By the halfway point he was ahead of Kobayashi by seven hot dogs, a gap that only widened as the contest progressed. The event dubbed Unfinished Beef was their first face-off in 15 years, reigniting a storied rivalry that dates back to 2007 when Chestnut first defeated Kobayashi at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The rules of Unfinished Beef were notably strict. Contestants were not allowed to dunk their hot dogs in water or separate the hot dogs from the buns which are techniques commonly used by competitive eaters to ease swallowing. They also had 30 seconds post-competition to finish any hot dogs remaining in their mouths to make sure all food eaten within the time frame was counted.

As the final buzzer sounded the atmosphere was electric with the audience witnessing a major moment in competitive eating. Joey Chestnut was declared the winner receiving a golden hot dog statuette a $100,000 prize and a custom WWE Championship belt which was presented by professional wrestler Rey Mysterio.

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You can watch Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi's Unfinished Beef hot dog eating contest on Netflix.