On the January 21 episode of "SmackDown", Mysterio defeated Cody Rhodes. During the match, he broke Rhodes' nose when he hit Rhodes with a 619 with his exposed knee brace, thus sparking a feud. Mysterio participated in the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble, though he was eliminated by Wade Barrett. Five days later on "SmackDown", Mysterio qualified for a spot in the Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view for the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jack Swagger. At Elimination Chamber, he made it to the final two but was eliminated by Edge. On the February 25 episode of "SmackDown", Mysterio was tricked and attacked by Cody Rhodes and his father, Dusty Rhodes, resulting in Mysterio being unmasked by Rhodes. At WrestleMania XXVII, Mysterio was defeated by Rhodes in a singles match. Mysterio defeated Rhodes in a rematch on the April 23 episode of "SmackDown" and at Extreme Rules in a Falls Count Anywhere match to end the feud.