Over 17,000 people thronged the Allstate Arena at Rosemount, Illinois. It is the 22nd edition of Wrestlemania, an event the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) hypes up 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 Angle Slam, one of his signature moves, on Mysterio. The latter counters – he slips from Angle’s shoulder, locks his left elbow with Angle’s and brings him down. Mysterio, then, quickly recovers to dropkick Orton onto the middle rope. He connects his signature move – the 619, which is a swinging kick between the ropes. Next, he jumps from the top rope on Orton and pins him.
One, two, three.
The crowd erupts. Mysterio collects the championship belt from the referee, hugs it like it is his lost-and-found baby, and displays it to the crowd standing on the middle turnbuckle. His mask barely hides his emotions.
Rey Mysterio has been a fan-favourite since he made his WWE debut in 2002 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Mysterio, in a recent video call with The Hindu, fondly recalled that Wrestlemania night, 16 years ago, when he became one of the shortest wrestlers ever to win the world title. It, he said, was the most defining moment of his 20-year WWE career.
“That was an important obstacle I crossed. That opened up doors for other wrestlers of my size and style of wrestling,” he said.
WWE has always been a giants’ world. Close your eyes and think of five high-profile WWE wrestlers that come to mind. Chances are that most (or even all) of them are six feet tall or more. Mysterio, at 5’6’ (shorter than an average American male), stood out in a roster mostly filled with big, brawny men. It was not that WWE did not see short wrestlers before Mysterio but none of them went to accomplish things that he did inside the ring. He has won all the major titles in WWE, outlasted 29 other wrestlers to win the Royal Rumble in 2006 as the No. 2 entrant, and has been a fan favourite for two decades.
Mysterio is especially proud of popularising the ‘Lucha Libre’ – Mexican freestyle wrestling. “A few people, including me, brought the Lucha style to WCW (World Championship Wrestling, the company started by Ted Turner),” he says, “It was suddenly seen worldwide. The fans were like, ‘Wow, what is this? This is really cool.’ That kind of moulded the generation that came right after us. You can see a change in their style of wrestling – you can see the influence of Lucha.”
Mysterio started his career in 1989 when he was just 14. He was already a star when he made his WWE debut. Very few WWE stars have had careers as long as his. He admits, however, that his journey has not been easy.
“There was definitely a moment of exhaustion. I had been going non-stop since my debut. I was tired, I was homesick, 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, Dominik, made his debut. Dominik is a third-generation wrestler from the Mysterio family. “There’s a lot of respect the name Mysterio has earned over the years. Because of that and the way my son conducts himself backstage, a lot of other wrestlers, including his peers, pull him aside to advise him,” adds Mysterio.
The father-son duo will be in action at WrestleMania 38. On April 2 or 3, they will face Logan Paul and The Miz in a tag team match. It will be a significant moment in both their careers.
“WrestleMania is one event you don’t want to miss, whether you are a WWE wrestler or fan. It is that time of the year we all wait for. It has witnessed some amazing moments over the years.”
(Watch the live coverage of WWE WrestleMania 38 on SONY TEN 1 (English) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) channels on 3rd and 4th April 2022 from 5:30 am (IST))
