Early Wrestling Career
The man now known as Rey Mysterio was born on December 11, 1974, in Chula Vista, California. He was trained to be a luchador by his uncle, Rey Mistero. In his early matches, Mysterio wrestled under names such as “La Lagartija Verde” and “Colibrí until his uncle gifted him the name Rey Misterio Jr. in 1991.
Mysterio first made a name for himself in Mexican promotions such as AAA, where he feuded with another up-and-coming luchador, Juventud Guerrera. In 1995, Mysterio broke into the American wrestling scene by signing with Paul Heyman’s ECW. Mysterio wowed audiences with his athleticism and high-flying stunts, immediately raising his stock in the wrestling business.
World Championship Wrestling
On June 16, 1996, Rey Mysterio Jr. made his WCW debut at the Great American Bash. He became a part of WCW’s notorious cruiserweight division alongside other iconic stars such as Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, and Eddie Guerrero.
In 1998, Rey Mysterio entered a feud with Eddie Guerrero’s faction, the Latino World Order. Mysterio continuously refused to join the faction, irritating Guerrero to the point where he forced Mysterio to join the faction against his will.
The following year, Mysterio joined forces with fellow luchador and former nWo member Konnan. They, along with Billy Kidman, formed a heelish faction dubbed the Filthy Animals.
After WCW shut down in 2001, Mysterio wrestled across the independent circuit in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Rey Mysterio Comes To WWE
In June 2002, Mysterio signed with WWE. He made his debut the following month on July 25 by defeating Chavo Guerrero. Mysterio’s talent quickly made him a fan favorite in WWE, which helped propel him to the top of the card.
On June 5, 2003, Mysterio defeated Matt Hardy to become the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Later that same year, Rey Mysterio teamed with Rob Van Dam and won the WWE Tag Team Championship.
The defining rivalry of Mysterio’s WWE career was undoubtedly the one he had with Eddie Guerrero. The two of them started out as friends (as they were actually close friends in real life), but their onscreen relationship turned sour. The ensuing feud got very personal, with Guerrero going so far as to try and take custody of Mysterio’s son Dominik.
At WrestleMania 22, Mysterio defeated Randy Orton to become the World Heavyweight Champion. This would arguably be the greatest accolade he collected in his first WWE run before he departed from the company in 2015.
Independent Run
Following his release from WWE, Mysterio returned to the independent circuit and AAA in Mexico. He also appeared in the second and third seasons of Lucha Underground, where he competed against stars like Prince Puma (Ricochet) and Matanza Cueto (Jeff Cobb).
Mysterio also fought in a trios match at the independent super show All In, where he teamed with Fenix and Bandido against Kota Ibushi and the Young Bucks.
WWE Return
In September 2018, Rey Mysterio rejoined WWE. A few months later, he entered a feud with the United States Champion, Samoa Joe. He defeated Joe for the title at Money in the Bank 2019 and consequently became a WWE Grand Slam Champion.
In 2020, Mysterio’s son Dominik began his career as an in-ring competitor in WWE. The Mysterios competed together as a tag team for the next two years and even became the Smackdown Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania Backlash 2021. Unfortunately for Rey, Dominik would be seduced to the dark side by Judgment Day and turned heel on his father at Clash at the Castle 2022.
In 2023, Rey Mysterio was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his old friend and tag partner, Konnan.
