Rey Mysterio on WCW, WrestleMania 33 and Lucha Underground

Rey Mysterio is without a doubt one of, if not the greatest high flyer of all time. Loved by all demographics, Mysterio has captivated the wrestling world in WCW, WWE and now throughout the independents in promotions like Lucha Underground and WCPW.

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated sat down with Rey Mysterio to talk about his time in WCW, his thoughts on ‘WrestleMania 33’ and his time in Lucha Underground.

Mysterio first spoke about the difference between Lucha Underground and the athletes competing for the WWE brand ‘205 Live’ which he attributes is mainly due to the presentation between both companies.

“Lucha Underground is the pioneer in the cruiserweight division. Years ago, Konnan mentioned to me, ‘Wrestling has to change. Wrestling cannot always be a world for the giants,’ and he was right. Wrestling has changed. That change is because of Lucha Underground.”

Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling have a working talent-exchange agreement. When Barrasso referenced this, Mysterio had some interesting words on potentially appearing on Impact, explaining that he wouldn’t mind, but it isn’t in his plan.

“I was actually in conversations a while back with Impact about doing some shows. To be honest with you, it’s not that I don’t want to go work for them, it’s just like I didn’t have it in my game plan. I also didn’t have Lucha Underground in my game plan before it was created.

“If the circumstances were right, I wouldn’t mind going. I’m not interested in signing a contractual deal, but I would love to do some shows. People want to see diversity in their opponents and fans want to see their dream matches. If people want to see a match-up, let’s make it happen.”

At just 21, Mysterio worked his tryout match for WCW against Dean Malenko for the Cruiserweight Championship at ‘The Great American Bash’ in June of 1996. Security refused to allow Mysterio into the building and even when he did, wrestlers thought he was just a fan.

“That’s all true. Actually, I had to leave the building and security wouldn’t let me back in. People still tell me I have a babyface, and I was 21 at the time, so I looked like a 12-year-old back then. I recall explaining to the security guards, ‘No, no, it’s OK, I wrestle,’ and they looked at me and laughed. So I continued to say that I was a wrestler, and they finally asked me for a credential. I didn’t have any credentials, this was a tryout. Finally, security was cool enough to find out who I was and let me back in the building, but that happened several times after that, too. I learned my lesson after the fourth time, and I started carrying a WCW badge everywhere with me.”

Finally, Mysterio talks about what he knows of ‘WrestleMania 33.’

“I saw bits and pieces of WrestleMania 33. My son, Dominic, and I were actually flying home from Orlando, and I still haven’t caught the whole show. I am looking forward to seeing the Hardys’ match–I only saw their entrance. Once I start watching, I’ll restart right when the Hardys come in.”

You can watch Rey Mysterio weekly on Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network and UniMas for viewers who want to watch in Spanish.

Dean Malenko vs. Rey Mysterio: WCW World Cruiserweight Title Match: The Great American Bash 1996

Editor’s Note:

I never knew the WCW story about Mysterio. As for Impact, I wouldn’t mind seeing him there. I think he could do lot for a brand trying to re-establish itself, just as he has done a lot for Lucha Underground. He really needs to finish ‘WrestleMania 33,’ though.

What do you think of what Rey had to say about Lucha Underground and ‘205 Live?’ Did you know of the WCW story he explained? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page or Twitter account. You can also follow me at @SOSNH1995 on Twitter for more content.