Did SmackDown 1000 live up to the hype?

#6. The return of Rey Mysterio

This might have been the most anticipated moment of SmackDown 1000, and Rey delivered all that the fans hoped for.

The LEGENDARY @reymysterio is BACK on #SDLive, and he battles @ShinsukeN for a spot in the #WWEWorldCup tournament to determine the best in the world at #WWECrownJewel...NEXT on #SD1000! pic.twitter.com/V0lvckhAoY

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2018

The stakes were high because the winner got to represent SmackDown at the WWE World Cup and both superstars craved the opportunity. The fight was the first time in the WWE that the Japanese Strong Style has faced off against Mexican Lucha Libre and what made it more entertaining was the fact that the masters of the style were the ones competing.

☎️ DIAL IT UP!@reymysterio just 619'd his way to VICTORY and the #WWEWorldCup tournament at #WWECrownJewel! #SD1000 pic.twitter.com/PUm4YHwgqK

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2018

Shinsuke held his own throughout the match, but it wasn't enough because Rey managed to dial up the 619 for the win. Will Rey emerge victorious at the WWE World Cup?

Arctic's verdict: The match was everything we had hoped for and more. Shinsuke hasn't had a legitimate challenger since Jeff Hardy, and it felt good to see him pushed to his limits by WWE's David.

The Undertaker closed the show with the Three Words of Doom, "Rest In Peace" directed to DX.

The #Undertaker has three words for #DX at #WWECrownJewel.Can you guess what they are? #SD1000 pic.twitter.com/uiSMjeTlxH

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2018

Final thoughts: SmackDown 1000 did live up to the hype. Now the WWE needs to make sure that they continue with that momentum for the rest of the year. I will talk about Big Show turning heel in a future article.