Rey Mysterio belongs to that rare list of professional wrestlers that went on to break certain stereotypes that had existed in the wrestling business. In a time period where the business and most of the promoters had too much love for ‘big men’, a name like Mysterio came in and revolutionised the business in the United States.
After spending his time in various promotions across the globe, Rey also went on to become a huge star in the WWE and scaled heights that no one expected he’d scale. And still, years after his prime, the fan base and star power of Mysterio is something that not many superstars out there have.
In this list, we are going to take a look at some of the things that you might’ve not known about the Master of 619.
#10 He was once linked with Jennifer Aniston
Rumours are the favourite pastime of professional wrestling fans. We love to indulge in rumours and speculate about them and once, Rey Mysterio was featured in a very interesting rumour. He was linked with Jennifer Aniston, who is known for her iconic role in ‘Friends’.
The rumours poked up back in 1997 and apparently, there were no truths in the story. Fortunately, Mysterio found the funny side of things and mentioned that he even showed the rumour to his wife.
Mysterio had become a talking point in the locker room due to this but who would mind being linked with Jennifer Aniston, right?
#9 The story behind 619
While Rey Mysterio is known as the Master of 619, he was not the one that invented the move. It’s a fact that he made the move popular but he borrowed the spot from Tiger Mask, also known as Satoru Sayama. Sayama used to pull off the move which he named ‘The Tiger Feint’. But unlike Mysterio, Sayama did not have his opponents on the ropes.
Despite 619 being an inspired move, most of the other moves that Rey has been using over his career came from his innovative head. It was this set of moves that made Mysterio stand out and still, he continues to give the fans something special every time he steps into the ring.
#8 The Tattoos on his body
The tattoos on the body of Rey Mysterio are fascinating. It would’ve made everyone wonder at one point or the other why he has inked himself so much. Well, just like every other tattoo out there, the ones on his body also have stories.
The tattoos on his biceps are the ones dedicated to his family. He has his children’s names inked and also, he has the initials EG on his arm to show is love for the late Eddie Guerrero. Rey has tattooed the word ‘Mexican’ to show that he is proud of his country and heritage. As he is a devout Roman Catholic, he also has a cross on his chest.
#7 A Paul Heyman guy
Paul Heyman has had a huge say in how the wrestling business in the United States evolved.
One of his major contributions were the Luchadors from Mexico. While running ECW, Heyman brought in the Luchadors from Mexico and gave the United States fans a taste of their fast-paced action. One of the luchadors that he introduced was Mysterio.
Mysterio’s first gig in the United States came thanks to Heyman and from then, he went on to get offers from WCW and WWE. The matches that Mysterio had with Psicosis and Juventud Guerrera are still classics that hold huge historical significance.
#6 The Cruiserweight domination
WWE brought back the Cruiserweight division recently and one thing the fans missed the most is the presence of Rey Mysterio.
And there is a good reason for this. Mysterio is one of the pioneers of the Cruiserweight division throughout its existence from WCW to WWE. He has the most number of championship reigns in the division than any other wrestler with eight.
Mysterio first won the title back in 1996 in WCW where he defeated Dean Malenko. His last reign came in 2004. Mysterio would then later go on to enjoy a stint in the main event scene where he’d win the WWE World Heavyweight championship.
#5 He made his debut at the age of 14
Rey Mysterio is a veteran when it comes to the business. He has been wrestling for almost three decades now and his career started at a very early age of 14. Rey was born into a wrestling family and this helped him to get training under his uncle, Rey Mysterio Sr.
He adopted the Lucha Libre style in no time and before being given the ring name Rey Mysterio Jr, he wrestled under numerous names like La Lagartija Verde and Colibrí. The first big break for Mysterio came thanks to AAA where he made a name for himself.
Then, he wrestled for Paul Heyman as mentioned earlier and he broke into the United States scene as well.
#4 The Wellness policy problems
While Rey Mysterio has been clean for the most part of his life, towards his later years in the WWE, Mysterio was caught up in some Wellness policy drama. It started when his name was featured in an investigation by Sports Illustrated where they tried to find steroid usage among professional athletes.
The incident happened in 2007 and two years later, Mysterio was suspended for violating the wellness policy. Mysterio claimed that he was innocent and that he had a prescription for the drug that he used. However, he would be suspended again in 2012 for 60 days on charges of him violating the wellness policy again.
#3 He used to wrestle without the Mask
A major portion of Rey Mysterio’s career saw him wrestle with the mask. However, there was a spell where he wrestled without it. During his time in WCW, Rey was told to lose his mask by Eric Bischoff. Bischoff incorporated the whole thing into the storyline. Mysterio publically said that he was unhappy with the whole process.
He would go on to have a solid run in WCW without the mask where he’d defeat some heavyweight wrestlers.
Later, when Rey joined WWE, Vince McMahon insisted him to have the mask back. This turned out to be a controversy back then as the fans were not happy with Rey for doing so. However, Rey went forward with the mask.
#2 He once refused to put over Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler has managed to make a name for himself in the business now. But back in 2009, he was relatively unknown. WWE, however, wanted Ziggler to be over with the fans and one of the plans that they had for him was for him to win the Intercontinental championship from Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio was not ready to do this saying that he was promised a longer run with the gold. The Ziggler – Rey feuded ended without Ziggler winning the title. But Rey would soon drop the championship after he was suspended for the wellness policy violation. But rather than Ziggler, it was John Morrison that got the gold from Mysterio.
#1 The musician Mysterio
We are all familiar with Rey Mysterio, the professional wrestler but the talent that Mysterio has when it comes to music is certainly less talked about. Mysterio collaborated with rapper Madd One for the song “Booyaka 619” which was used as his entrance theme. The song went on to become a popular one in the wrestling circle as well.
Apart from this, Mysterio has also performed a song called ‘Crossing Borders’. This appeared on the WWE Originals album and it was also used as the theme song for the 2004 edition of No Way Out. In case you were curious, the WWE Original album also has songs from a string of other superstars as well.
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