Vince McMahon's one-word reason for not making Rey Mysterio WWE's top guy

Former WWE executive Jim Ross believes Rey Mysterio’s size prevented him from having more WWE World Championship reigns.

Ross, who now works for AEW, played a vital role in assembling the WWE roster in the 1990s and 2000s. Rey Mysterio joined WWE in 2002 and went on to become a three-time WWE World Champion. At 168 cm and 175 lbs, Mysterio is among the smallest male Superstars in WWE history.

This week’s Grilling JR podcast revolved around the No Way Out 2006 pay-per-view, which saw Randy Orton defeat Rey Mysterio. Ross revealed that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon felt that Mysterio’s lack of size was a problem.

"I think Vince’s issue with Rey was one word: size. Nowhere had the top guy in WWE been of Rey’s size, at least in my tenure there, which began in ‘93, as I mentioned. Rey would be the smallest World Champion in the history of the company. I think that was Vince’s unsettling decision.

"But was Rey over? Hell yeah, he was really over. His merch sales showed that. What you hear from the audience when he came out, you can tell that people loved him. They cheer for the underdog."

Rey Mysterio has performed as a babyface throughout his WWE career. He won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2006 and 2010, while he briefly held the WWE Championship in 2011.

How long did Rey Mysterio’s WWE World Championship reigns last?

Rey Mysterio's first WWE World Heavyweight Championship victory

After winning the 2006 Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22 to claim his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He held the title for 112 days before losing to King Booker at The Great American Bash.

In 2010, Rey Mysterio won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Jack Swagger at the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view. He held the title for just 28 days before he was defeated by Kane at Money in the Bank.

One year later, Rey Mysterio held the WWE Championship for one night on RAW after winning a tournament to determine a new Champion. John Cena defeated the former WCW star later in the show to bring his reign to an abrupt end.

Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.