Rey Mysterio is considered to be the greatest luchador to ever step into the professional wrestling world. The kind of impact he has made in the industry is exceptional, and his WWE tenure is arguably the biggest reason behind it. Even at 49 years of age, he’s still highly popular among the fans, and his image with the mask is stamped in their minds.
While the WWE Universe and even fans beyond it majorly remember Rey due to his masked character, his legacy isn’t limited to this persona alone. In fact, there’s a whole other side to Rey Mysterio that many fans don’t know of, and it is related to his first ever tenure in the Stamford-based promotion.
Before getting popular for his masked character, the 5-foot-6 in-ring star was a performer for ECW, and in 1996 he signed with WCW. After working there for two years, he unmasked his face and then joined Filthy Animals in the mid-1999s. The work he did under this group was way different from what his usual persona has been in the professional wrestling world.
https://x.com/90sWWE/status/1797790154540683539?t=Pnei2lK8Q867GZTCnLQRHA&s=19
The things that he used to do during that time of his career were pretty entertaining for the viewers. In addition to the way he carried himself in the ring, his mic skills were also extremely different from how they were in the later stages of his WWE career. All in all, it’s safe to say that even though not many fans remember the cruiserweight’s run with Filthy Animals, it was one of the most interesting parts of his journey in the Stamford-based promotion.
Rey Mysterio left WCW after the takeover by WWF
Mysterio was a part of WCW when he used to perform under Filthy Animals, but he left the company after the takeover by the WWF. It happened back in early 2001, as his last match with the group was on the March 26 episode of Nitro, as the group won the Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles, after which WCW was officially sold to the World Wrestling Federation.
After WCW’s shutdown, Rey went back to the independent circuit and competed across promotions. From Mexico to Puerto Rico, the veteran established himself as a professional wrestling sensation across the world. Due to his great athleticism and in-ring skills, he finally made his way back to the WWE, by making a return to the company in 2002.
Rey Mysterio achieved greatness through his second WWE run
After returning to WWE for his second run, Rey Mysterio never looked back and achieved greatness in the organization. This tenure was the thing that made him one of the greatest ever to enter the pro wrestling industry, as he won numerous titles and accolades during this period. Not just as a singles star, but Rey also accomplished a lot as a tag team.
From his association with Eddie Guerrero to the extraordinary World Title win, Rey’s second run had a lot of memorable moments, but this tenure came to an end in 2015. After this, the in-ring star joined Lucha Libre AAA and also performed across the Independent Circuit, Lucha Underground, and NJPW. But, after this, he eventually made a return to the Triple H-led promotion in 2018.
Since that return, he has been working in the WWE and has been a part of some special storylines, especially his feud with Dominik Mysterio. Even though Rey is in the last phase of his career, he’s still extremely good inside the ring, and it seems that he can continue performing for years to come. But it’ll be interesting to see what his plans are for his career in the professional wrestling industry.