4 possible finishes for Rey Mysterio vs Santos Escobar on WWE SmackDown - Chaotic brawl, Hall of Famer injured, and more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown is bound to be a big show tonight. Roman Reigns will return after a week away, and he'll go face-to-face with RAW's Cody Rhodes. Additionally, several tag team matches with WrestleMania implications have been announced.

However, perhaps the most interesting bout revealed for the show is a grudge match. The legendary Rey Mysterio will take on Santos Escobar in singles competition. This bout is months in the making.

An interesting twist was added to the match yesterday, however. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis revealed that Santos' Legado del Fantasma and Rey's Latino World Order would both be barred from ringside, thus truly making it a one-on-one match.

Now the big question is how will it end? Could Rey overcome his less experienced rival? Could the savvy and talented Escobar find a way to win? Or could Nick's rules be disregarded completely? This article will look at a handful of ways that the bout could conclude.

Below are four possible finishes for Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar on WWE SmackDown.

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#4. Rey Mysterio may win cleanly

Rey Mysterio is a legend in professional wrestling. He has had a career spanning decades, and despite his stature, he has somehow risen through the ranks to dominate the industry. This includes becoming the WWE Champion despite the promotion having a reputation for being "the land of the giants."

Rey has succeeded because of a combination of veteran wit that went beyond his years even as a young man and his unreal athleticism. Combined, Rey turned doubters into believers, and the WWE Universe adores him.

Given how talented Rey has been for decades now, it shouldn't surprise anyone that he may very well defeat Santos Escobar cleanly on Friday Night SmackDown. If he hits the 619 or a diving splash of some kind, Escobar may be unable to recover.

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#3. Santos Escobar could cheat to win

Santos Escobar has found a little bit of success in WWE. Despite some expecting otherwise by now, he hasn't won the United States Championship like he once hoped. Still, he did hold the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at one point. He can go when called upon.

While Escobar certainly doesn't have the experience of the WWE Hall of Famer, especially at a high level, it would be foolish for fans to discount him. He is still a legend in the game, and there's a reason why Legado del Fantasma follows his lead.

There's a strong chance that Escobar will defeat The Ultimate Underdog when they clash on Friday Night SmackDown, albeit likely by cheating. Escobar may hold the tricks, use a weapon of some kind, or even toy with Rey's mask to gain an advantage before getting a quick pinfall victory.

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#2. The match could be stopped if Santos injures the WWE Hall of Famer

One of the reasons why Santos Escobar vs. Rey Mysterio is a grudge match is because of how their union split. The two were part of the Latino World Order together until Santos turned heel on WWE SmackDown last year.

The turn came as a result of jealousy over Carlito, but it was vicious. Not only did Escobar break his friend's heart, but he used steel steps to brutalize Rey's knee. As a result, the WWE Hall of Famer missed months of action. This includes having to miss the Men's Royal Rumble Match.

Rey may face the same fate come Friday Night SmackDown tonight. If Santos truly wants to get rid of Mysterio, he may aggressively target the legend's bad leg until the referee has to force the bout to be stopped. From there, Escobar will be awarded the win, but Rey may have to step away from the ring again. That, of course, is if the beating is severe enough.

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#1. Chaos could erupt with Legado del Fantasma and Latino World Order

As noted earlier on this list, Nick Aldis made a big declaration ahead of WWE SmackDown tonight. The General Manager of the blue brand revealed that both Legado del Fantasma and Latino World Order are banned from ringside.

This means Legado's Angel, Berto, and Elektra Lopez aren't allowed ringside. Additionally, the LWO's Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Carlito are also not allowed to interfere or even be ringside. In theory, this likely applies to Dragon Lee too.

Despite that, both stables could still end up running out and fighting. If this happens, the referee will throw the match out, resulting in a no-contest. From there, Nick could make some kind of gang warfare-style bout for WrestleMania 40.