Only in the world of profressional wrestling could getting treated like literal garbage be the best thing that could ever happen to someone’s career. Last week when newly acquired Raw star, Kalisto was unceremoniously thrown into a dumpster by Braun Strowman, he seemed to be just another victim in The Monster’s path of destruction. WWE could have simply let the story end there just as they did with Golddust and R-Truth or any of Strowman’s other casualties. Thankfully for Kalisto, WWE went another route.
Sure, that route happened to include Kalisto getting locked in another dumpster and shoved off a stage in front of millions of people, but it will go a long way towards cementing the former Lucha Dragon as the Rey Mysterio of the New Era. WWE followed up on the ridiculous dumpster angle by having Kalisto challenge Strowman to Raw’s first ever Dumpster Match. Having Kalisto make the challenge finally gave WWE fans something other than Kalisto’s colorful mask and energetic ring styleto latch onto. The challenge instantly gave the 5’6″ superstar the aura of a brave warrior unafraid of facing even the biggest monster on his own turf.
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While the challenge alone did wonders for Kalisto’s character, the match itself cemented him as a major player on the Raw roster. Many clever fans expected to see Roman Reigns enter the fray and knock Strowman into the dumpster to help Kalisto pick up the unexpected victory. This would have still been an effective way to build up Kalisto while refocusing fans on Sunday’s match between Roman and Braun at WWE Payback. Yet, to have Kalisto pick up the victory on his own merit shows just how much faith the WWE has in pushing Kalisto to a prominent position on the card.
Kalisto didn’t need the big bad Big Dog to help save him. He slayed the Giant with his own lucha slingshot. Dropkicking Strowman into the dumpster may have sealed Kalisto’s fate for a horrendously glorious post-match beatdown, but it also gave him the biggest win of his career.
Is it possible WWE had this moment in mind for Kalisto when he was traded to Raw three weeks ago? Considering how WWE shows are booked on the fly, it’s possible the angle was only considered after the internet went crazy over seeing Kalisto getting thrown in the trash.
Don’t expect to see Kalisto picking wins over the WWE’s giants on the regular, but if and when he recovers from getting tossed around like a toddler in a hurricane, you can bet he will be taken more seriously by the WWE Universe when he challenges any Raw superstar not named Braun Strowman.
Since his main roster debut, Kalisto’s 2 year run has been somewhat underwhelming, but 5 years from now we will look back on the moment he landed inside a dumpster as the one that turned him into a superstar.
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