The wrestling legend looked to a career that had many challenges, but also many moments to cherish
The wrestling legend looked to a career that had many challenges, but also many moments to cherish
More than 17,000 people entered the Allstate Arena in Rosemount, Illinois. It is the 22nd edition of WrestleMania, an event promoted by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as the grandest stage of them all. Kurt Angle is defending his World Heavyweight Championship title against Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio. With Orton Down, Angle attempts an angle slam on Mysterio, his signature move. The latter counters – he slips off Angle’s shoulder, locks his left elbow off Angle and brings it down. Mysterio, then, quickly recovers to dropkick Orton over the middle rope. He adds his signature move – 619, which is a swinging kick between the ropes. Next, he jumps off the top rope on Orton and pins him.
one two Three.
The crowd erupts. Mysterio collects the championship belt from the referee, hugs it as if it were his lost-and-found child, and displays it to the crowd standing at the middle turnbuckle. His mask barely hides his feelings.
Rey Mysterio has been a fan favorite since making his WWE debut in 2002. photo credit: special arrangement
In a recent video call with Mysterio, Hindu, recalled that night of WrestleMania 16 years ago, when he became one of the youngest wrestlers to win a world title. It was the most defining moment of his 20-year WWE career, he said.
“That was a significant hurdle that I overcame. It opened doors for other wrestlers of my size and style of wrestling,” he said.
WWE has always been a world of giants. Close your eyes and think of five high-profile WWE wrestlers that come to mind. Chances are most (or all) of them are six feet or more tall. Mysterio, at 5’6″ (less than the average American male), stood out in a roster that was mostly full of big, brave men. It wasn’t that WWE hadn’t seen younger wrestlers before Mysterio, but none of them went on to accomplish the things they did inside the ring. He has won all the major titles in WWE, surpassing 29 other wrestlers to win the Royal Rumble in 2006 as No. 2, and has been a fan favorite for over two decades.
Mysterio is particularly proud of popularizing ‘Lucha Libre’ – Mexican freestyle wrestling. “Some people, including me, brought the lucha style to WCW (World Championship Wrestling, a company started by Ted Turner),” he says, “It was suddenly noticed around the world. Fans were like, ‘Wow, what a this. It’s really cool.’ That kind of molded the generation right after us. You can see the change in his wrestling style – you can see the influence of Lucha.”
Mysterio started his career in 1989 when he was just 14 years old. He was already a star when he made his WWE debut. Very few WWE stars have had a career as long as theirs. However, he admits that his journey has not been easy.
“Definitely there was a moment of exhaustion. I was going non-stop since my debut. I was tired, I was at home, I didn’t know if I had the energy to keep going at that level. So, (taking a break from WWE) was the best thing I could have done.”
Mysterio ended his WWE hiatus in 2018. A year later, his son, Dominic, made his debut. Dominic is a third generation wrestler from the Mysterio family. “There is a lot of respect in the name Mysterio has earned over the years. Because of that and the way my son presents himself backstage, many other wrestlers, including his teammates, pull aside to mentor him,” Mysterio says.
The father-son duo will be in action at WrestleMania 38. He will face Logan Paul and The Miz in a tag team match on April 2 or 3. This will be a turning point in the careers of both.
“WrestleMania is one event you don’t want to miss, whether you’re a WWE wrestler or a fan. It’s that time of year we all look forward to. It has seen some amazing moments over the years.”