Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Rey Mysterio, is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. He is signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

, where he performs on the Raw

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luchadors'' and cruiserweight wrestlers of all time, Mysterio is an inductee of the

AAA Hall of Fame The AAA Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities, established and maintained by the Mexico based national wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Inductees Individuals See als ...

, ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' Hall of Fame, and

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...

. The nephew and trainee of Rey Misterio, Mysterio began wrestling on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

in 1989 at the age of 14 before signing with

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

in 1992. After brief stints with

Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

, the

World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...

, and

Wrestle Association R Wrestle Association R (formerly known as Wrestle and Romance and abbreviated as WAR) was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000 ...

, Mysterio signed with

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

(WCW) in 1996. In WCW, Mysterio helped popularize ''lucha libre'' in the United States, which led to the rise of cruiserweight wrestling divisions, winning the

WCW Cruiserweight Championship World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

five times; the

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship, originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'', was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling ...

three times; and the

WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship The WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship was a title created in 2001 just prior to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) being sold to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). History The WCW Cruiserweight Championship and the matches cont ...

once. He lost his mask in a ''

Lucha de Apuestas ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

'' against

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Ac ...

, working unmasked until 2002. Following the closure of WCW in 2001, Mysterio wrestled for promotions including

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...

, the

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...

, and the

X Wrestling Federation The X Wrestling Federation (XWF) (later referred to as the Xcitement Wrestling Federation) was an American professional wrestling promotion that operated from 2001 to 2002. The previous number two and three American promotions, World Champions ...

before joining World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002, where he resumed wearing a mask. He stayed with WWE until 2015, winning the World Heavyweight Championship twice; the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...

once; the WWE Cruiserweight Championship three times; the

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, alo ...

twice; the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defend ...

three times, and the

WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE ...

four times, as well as winning the 2006 Royal Rumble. Mysterio departed WWE in 2015, going on to appear in promotions including

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists, United Artists Media Group. ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured List of former Lucha Underground p ...

, and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. He returned to WWE in 2018, where he was joined by his son

Dominik Dominic, Dominik or Dominick is a male given name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". The most promi ...

Early life

Óscar Gutiérrez was born on December 11, 1974, in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh-most populous city in Southern California ...

, a suburb of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. His parents are Mexican nationals Maria del Rosario and Roberto Gutierrez (1948–2024), both from very poor, uneducated backgrounds; Maria was a house cleaner and Roberto was a factory worker. Gutiérrez spent his childhood crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego each day for school. Gutiérrez dropped out of high school with his parents' approval. He has three brothers.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1989–1992)

Gutiérrez made his debut in Mexico on April 30, 1989, when he was 14 years old. He was trained by his uncle Rey Misterio and wrestled early on in Mexico, where he learned the ''

Lucha Libre ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

'' high flying style that has been his trademark. He had ring names such as "La Lagartija Verde (The Green Lizard)" and "Colibrí (Hummingbird)" before his uncle gave him the name of Rey Misterio Jr. In 1991, while wrestling in Mexico as Colibrí, Mysterio was named "Most Improved Wrestler".

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (1992–1996)

(AAA), Mysterio feuded with

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974), better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera, is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler performing on the independent circuit. Guerrera is best known for ...

. Mysterio's uncle Misterio Sr. also took on Guerrera in a tag match: Misterio Sr. and Mysterio Jr. faced Guerrera and his father

Fuerza Guerrera Fuerza Guerrera (born December 13, 1953) is a Mexican ''Luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler) who made his debut in 1978. In his career Guerrera has worked for every major wrestling organization in Mexico including Consejo Mund ...

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995–1996)

Mysterio signed with

Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...

(ECW) in 1995. He debuted on September 16, 1995, at Gangstas Paradise, defeating

Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicisation, Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for ...

, who was also making his ECW debut. A feud between the two began, which included a

two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

South Philly Jam South Philly Jam was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on October 7, 1995. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Excerpts from South Philly Jam a ...

and a Mexican Death match at November to Remember 1995. Mysterio went on to have a series of matches with ECW newcomer

during early 1996. He wrestled his final bout for ECW at Big Ass Extreme Bash in March 1996, defeating Guerrera.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–2001)

Cruiserweight division (1996–1998)

Mysterio made his

(WCW) debut on June 16, 1996, at

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event held during the summer and has been produced by the American promotion WWE since 2004; since 2020, it has been held as an annual event for WWE's developmental brand, NXT. Created by Dus ...

, challenging

Dean Malenko Dean Shelly Simon (born August 4, 1960), better known by the ring name Dean Malenko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a senior producer. He is best known for his time in the World Wres ...

for the

in a losing effort. At

Bash at the Beach Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994–2000. As the title implied, the show centered on a b ...

on July 7, he defeated Psicosis in a #1 contender's match to earn another opportunity at the Cruiserweight Championship, which he won for the first time by defeating Malenko the next night on ''

WCW Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT (American TV ...

''. He successfully defended the title against Ultimate Dragon at Hog Wild on August 10, Malenko at Clash of the Champions XXXIII five days later, and Super Caló at

Fall Brawl Fall Brawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was held in September from 1993 through 2000. The name wa ...

on September 15. On October 27, at

Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event currently produced by WWE. Since 2020, it has been held annually for the company's WWE brand extension, developmental brand, NXT (WWE ...

, he lost the title back to Malenko. Mysterio challenged Ultimate Dragon for the

J-Crown The J-Crown, also known as the , was a unified, multi-promotional professional wrestling championship initially created by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It was formed via the unification of eight (later seven) junior heavyweight and other lowe ...

Championship in a losing effort at World War 3 on November 24. On February 23, 1997, he faced

Prince Iaukea Michael Laauli Hayner (born August 1, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1995 to 2000 under the ring name Prince Iaukea and later The Artist Former ...

for the

WCW World Television Championship The WCW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship owned by the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion. The title was introduced on February 27, 1974 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrest ...

SuperBrawl VII SuperBrawl VII was the seventh SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on February 23, 1997 from the Cow Palace in Lord Steven Regal. Mysterio also lost a title rematch at Uncensored on March 16. Soon after, Mysterio began a feud with the New World Order (nWo), culminating when he lost a Mexican Death match to nWo member

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. On ...

Road Wild Road Wild (originally known as Hog Wild) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that was held in the month of August from 1996 to 1999. It was a free event held in Sturgis, South Dako ...

on August 9. Mysterio was then involved in a feud with his real-life friend and Cruiserweight Champion

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...

, whom he defeated in a Title vs. Mask match at

on October 26 to win the Cruiserweight Championship for the second time. On the November 10 episode of ''Nitro'', he lost the title back to Guerrero, as well as in a rematch at World War 3 on November 23. On the January 15, 1998, episode of ''

WCW Thunder ''WCW Thunder'', or simply ''Thunder'', is an American professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001. The popularity of WCW in 1996 and 1997 allowed for t ...

'', Mysterio defeated Juventud to win his third Cruiserweight Championship, but lost it nine days later to

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

Souled Out Souled Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January from 1997 through 2000. The 1997 and 1998 WCW Souled Out PPV events were held on Saturdays due to the Super Bowl being pl ...

. After the match, Jericho continued the beating by using a toolbox he found at ringside. This storyline was used to cover Mysterio's need for a knee operation that kept him out of the ring for six months. At

on July 12, Mysterio returned and defeated Jericho for his fourth Cruiserweight championship. The next night, however, the result was overturned and the belt returned to Jericho due to Dean Malenko interfering. Later that year, Eddie Guerrero formed a Mexican

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

known as the

Latino World Order The Latino World Order (abbreviated lWo or LWO) is a professional wrestling stable primarily consisting of wrestlers with Latin American backgrounds performing in WWE on the Raw brand. The stable consists of Rey Mysterio, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin ...

(LWO) (a spin off of New World Order) that included nearly every luchador in the promotion. Mysterio continually refused to join and feuded with Guerrero and the LWO members, including winning a match against longtime rival and LWO member Psicosis in a match at

on August 8. He was forced to join the group after losing a match to Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio's on-and-off

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

partner

Billy Kidman Peter Alan Gruner Jr.(born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He works for WWE, where he is a producer. As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Championsh ...

joined him during the feud with LWO, wrestling against the LWO despite Mysterio being a part of the group. Mysterio faced Kidman for the Cruiserweight Championship at

Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from ...

on December 27, but was unsuccessful in a triangle match also involving Juventud. On January 17, 1999, at

, Mysterio failed to win the title from Kidman in a

four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

that also included Psicosis and Juventud.

Giant Killer; unmasking (1998–1999)

After the two factions of nWo reformed, they demanded that the LWO disband. Mysterio refused to take off his LWO colors and was attacked by the nWo as a result. This led to a match at SuperBrawl IX on February 21, where Mysterio and tag partner Konnan lost a "Hair vs. Mask match" against

and

Scott Hall Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ...

, forcing Mysterio to remove his mask. After the match, he phoned his uncle to tell him the news. Mysterio has publicly expressed his disappointment over being unmasked: Following SuperBrawl, Mysterio became a "giant killer" by defeating large opponents such as Kevin Nash,

Bam Bam Bigelow Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close-to-400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mo ...

, and

Scott Norton Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and author. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order and n ...

. At Uncensored on March 14, he lost to Nash after interference from

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and gridiron football player. He is best known for his work with Jim Crocke ...

. The next night, on the March 15 episode of ''Nitro'', he defeated Billy Kidman to win his fourth Cruiserweight Championship. On the March 22 episode of ''Nitro'', Mysterio got his first shot at the

WCW World Heavyweight Championship The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the original world title of ...

against champion

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...

when the names of (allegedly) nearly everyone in the company were put into a hat and a lottery was held. El Dandy was the lottery winner, but he was injured, and Mysterio took the shot instead. The match ended with a disqualification win for Flair, even though

Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Agent, road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. Although he ...

's interference on Flair's behalf should have theoretically disqualified Flair. The following week, Mysterio and Kidman defeated Flair's Four Horsemen stablemates Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko to win the

, making Mysterio a double champion. Mysterio successfully defended his Cruiserweight Championship against his tag team partner Kidman at

Spring Stampede Spring Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held in the month of April in 1994 and then from 1997 to 2000. As it wa ...

on April 11 before losing the title on the April 19 episode of ''Nitro'' to Psicosis in a fatal four-way match that also involved Juventud Guerrera and

Blitzkrieg ''Blitzkrieg'(Lightning/Flash Warfare)'' is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with ...

. On the following episode of ''Nitro'', he defeated Psicosis to win his fifth Cruiserweight Championship. At

Slamboree Slamboree was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held from 1993 through 2000. It was originally billed as "A Legends' Reunion" b ...

on May 9, Mysterio and Kidman lost the World Tag Team titles to

Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

and

Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for Professional wrestling promotion, promotions inclu ...

in a triangle match, also involving former champions Benoit and Malenko.

No Limit Soldiers; Filthy Animals (1999–2001)

In mid-1999, Mysterio and Konnan joined

Master P Percy Robert Miller (born April 29, 1967), better known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, dancer, actor and entrepreneur. He founded the record label No Limit Records in 1991, which was relau ...

No Limit Soldiers The No Limit Soldiers were a stable in World Championship Wrestling that was formed after rapper Master P signed with the company. The Soldiers notably feuded with The West Texas Rednecks from June to July 1999. History The relationship between W ...

and feuded with the

West Texas Rednecks The West Texas Rednecks were a short-lived professional wrestling stable and country music band in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1999 and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in the early 2000s. They are famous for the recording of two songs, " ...

. At

on June 13, they defeated Rednecks members

Curt Hennig Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003), better known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler. Considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time by peers, critics, and fans, he per ...

and Bobby Duncum Jr., and at

on July 11, won a four-on-four elimination tag team match against them. After Master P's departure from WCW, Mysterio formed a

with Eddie Guerrero and Billy Kidman known as the Filthy Animals, turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

for the first and only time in his career. The Filthy Animals defeated

Dead Pool A dead pool, also known as a deadpool or death pool, is a game of prediction which involves guessing when someone will die. Sometimes it is a bet where money is involved. Modern application In the early 20th century, dead pools were popular i ...

in six-man tag team matches at

on August 14 and

on September 12. On the August 19 episode of ''Thunder'', Mysterio lost the cruiserweight title to Lenny Lane. On the October 18 episode of ''Nitro'', Mysterio and Konnan defeated

Harlem Heat Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team composed of two brothers, Booker and Lash Huffman (better known as Booker T and Stevie Ray). The team achieved their greatest success in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where they won the WCW ...

to win the World Tag Team Championship, however, Mysterio was injured during the match and was sidelined. Kidman substituted for Mysterio and teamed with Konnan during their title defense against Harlem Heat and the First Family at

six days later, where the Filthy Animals lost the titles back to Harlem Heat. Mysterio returned in early 2000 and remained a steady performer, eventually joining the New Blood faction, opposing the Millionaire's Club. On the August 14 episode of ''Nitro'', Mysterio and Juventud defeated

The Great Muta is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...

and Vampiro to win the World Tag Team Championship. They were stripped of the title after

Ernest Miller Ernest Clifford Miller (born January 14, 1964) is an American actor and former professional wrestler who worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) better known by his ring name, Ernest "The Cat" Miller ...

pinned

Disco Inferno "Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 studio album of same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limited mainstream ...

with the stipulation that if he pinned Disco, Mysterio and Guerrera would be stripped of the title. At

on September 17, the Filthy Animals fought

The Natural Born Thrillers The Natural Born Thrillers were a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling from 2000 to 2001. The name is a play on the 1994 film ''Natural Born Killers''. History The Natural Born Thrillers were made up of seven young wrestl ...

to a

no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...

in an elimination tag team match. Mysterio reformed his tag team with Kidman and challenged for the World Tag Team Championship in a triangle match at

on October 29, facing the champions Natural Born Thrillers and The Boogie Knights in a losing effort. At Millennium Final on November 16, Mysterio and Kidman lost to

KroniK KroniK (also stylized as Kroniꓘ) was an American professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), composed of Brian Adams and Bryan Clark in the ...

, but avenged their loss at

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dr ...

ten days later against KroniK and

Alex Wright Alexander Wright (born May 17, 1975) is a German former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promoter. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World ...

in a handicap match. At

on December 17, The Filthy Animals lost to

The Harris Brothers Donald Harris and Ronald Harris (born October 23, 1960) are American twin brothers best known for their professional wrestling careers with promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the W ...

and

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

in a

Bunkhouse Brawl Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. After this, the Filthy Animals starting feuding with

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

, to whom they lost in a Penalty Box match at

Sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

on January 14, 2001. At

SuperBrawl Revenge SuperBrawl Revenge was the eleventh and final SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and the penultimate pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It took place on February 18, 2001, from the Nashvill ...

on February 18, Mysterio unsuccessfully challenged Chavo Guerrero Jr. for the Cruiserweight Championship. Kidman and Mysterio participated in a cruiserweight tag team tournament for the newly created

and advanced to the final round, where they lost to Elix Skipper and

Kid Romeo Samuel Román (born 1975) is a United States, Puerto Rican-American former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling in 2001 under the ring name Kid Romeo, where he was one half ...

Greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...

on March 18. On the final episode of ''Nitro'' on March 26, they defeated Skipper and Romeo in a rematch to win the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship before WCW was sold to the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWF).

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2001)

After WCW closed down, Mysterio started wrestling independently in Mexico. He made his first ever

appearance, debuting in an eight-man tag team match. Mysterio wrestled a total of 10 matches in CMLL before returning to the United States.

Independent circuit and Puerto Rico (2002)

Upon his return to the US, he worked in

IWA Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...

, the

Xcitement Wrestling Federation The X Wrestling Federation (XWF) (later referred to as the Xcitement Wrestling Federation) was an American professional wrestling promotion that operated from 2001 to 2002. The previous number two and three American promotions, World Champions ...

and the

Heartland Wrestling Association The Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) was a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Entertainment, World Wres ...

, with the likes of

and

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...

. Mysterio traveled to Puerto Rico for the

and defeated

Eddie Colon Eddie may refer to: *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linux and Mac OS X *Eddie (crater), a crater on Mars *Eddie (given name) *The Eddie, a surfing tournament Arts and entertainment *Eddie (film), ''Eddie' ...

for the

WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship The WWC Junior Heavyweight Championship is a championship contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. While weight classes are generally not strictly adhered to in professional wrestling today ...

on January 6, 2002, holding the belt until losing it back to Colon on April 6.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2002–2015)

Championship reigns (2002–2004)

In June 2002, Mysterio signed with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWE), and promos that hyped his debut began airing. The "Jr." was dropped from his name and he was billed simply as Rey Mysterio. Mysterio, with his mask, made his WWE debut on the July 25, 2002, episode of ''

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

'' as a

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

, defeating Chavo Guerrero. His first feud was with

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...

, culminating in a match at

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...

on August 25, which Angle won after forcing Mysterio to submit to the ankle lock. He later formed a tag team with

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

, participating in a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

for the newly created and SmackDown!-exclusive

. They lost to Kurt Angle and

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...

in the finals of the tournament at No Mercy on October 20; the match was voted Match of the Year by the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

''. They won the titles when they defeated Angle and Benoit in a

on the November 7 episode of ''SmackDown!'', but lost them to Los Guerreros in a Triple Threat Elimination match at

Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...

on November 17. On March 30, 2003, at

WrestleMania XIX WrestleMania XIX was a 2003 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 19th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 30, 2003, at T-Mobile Park, ...

, he faced the Cruiserweight Champion

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...

for the title, but lost after interference from

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for ...

. After earning a title shot in May, he defeated Hardy on the June 5 episode of ''SmackDown!'' to win the Cruiserweight Championship. After losing the championship to Tajiri on the September 25 episode of ''SmackDown!'', he regained it from Tajiri on the January 1 episode of ''SmackDown!''. At the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

on January 25, 2004, Mysterio successfully defended the title against

Jamie Noble James Gibson (born December 23, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Jamie Noble. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. In addition to his work with WWE, Noble is known for his tenures in ...

. He lost the title to Chavo Guerrero at No Way Out on February 15. At

WrestleMania XX WrestleMania XX was a 2004 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 20th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 14, 2004, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New Yor ...

on March 14, Mysterio took part in a Cruiserweight Open for the title, where Guerrero retained the title. On the June 17 episode of ''SmackDown!'', he defeated Chavo Classic to win the title for a third time. He lost it to

Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing ...

on the July 29 episode of ''SmackDown!'' then failed to regain the title on a September episode of ''SmackDown!'' and in a fatal four-way match at

on November 14.

Teaming and feuding with Eddie Guerrero (2004–2005)

During this time, Mysterio formed a tag team with

Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...

and feuded with

Kenzo Suzuki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), in Mexico with Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and in the United States with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE ...

and

René Duprée René Goguen (born December 15, 1983), better known by his ring name René Duprée (; ) is a Canadian professional wrestler and podcaster. He is currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah where he is a former two-time GHC Tag Team Champion. Goguen ...

. At No Mercy on October 3, they failed to win the titles from Suzuki and Duprée, but won them in a rematch on the December 9 episode of ''SmackDown!''. They successfully defended the titles against Suzuki and Duprée at

Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...

on December 12, before losing the titles to the

Basham Brothers The Basham Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team, composed of Doug Basham and Danny Basham. The team is best known for their tenures in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). History Ohio Valle ...

on the January 13, 2005, episode of ''SmackDown!'' after Van Dam was injured. On February 20, Mysterio teamed up with

, winning the WWE Tag Team Championship back from the Basham Brothers at No Way Out. In a departure from traditional

booking Booking may refer to: * Making an appointment for a meeting or gathering, as part of event planning/ scheduling * The intake or admission process into a prison or psychiatric facility. * ''Booking'' (manhwa), a Korean comics anthology magazine ...

, Mysterio and Guerrero did not defend their titles at

WrestleMania 21 WrestleMania 21, also promoted as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, was a 2005 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 21st annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2005, at ...

on April 3, but instead had a match against each other, which Mysterio won. On the April 21 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio and Guerrero lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to MNM (

Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring name Joey Mercury, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Ring of Honor. Birch was trained by fellow wrestler Jimmy Cicero and made his wrestl ...

and Johnny Nitro). The following week, Guerrero abandoned Mysterio, whom he had considered "his family" earlier in the show, during their rematch for the titles, costing them the match. After a street fight against Chavo on the May 5 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Eddie came out and suplexed Mysterio on the steel steps, displaying Eddie's increasing frustration with being unable to defeat Mysterio. At

Judgment Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

on May 22, Mysterio defeated Guerrero by disqualification after Guerrero attacked him with a steel chair. On June 12, in the midst of their feud, Mysterio faced and defeated long-time rival Psicosis for the first time in nearly five years at ECW One Night Stand. Guerrero then threatened to reveal a secret he and Mysterio shared involving Mysterio's real life son

, unless Mysterio deferred to Guerrero's authority. At

on July 24, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in a match with a stipulation that if Guerrero lost, he would not tell the secret. Despite this, Guerrero revealed the secret on the following episode of ''SmackDown!'', that he was Dominik's biological father. Guerrero said he knew Mysterio was having trouble starting his own family, so Guerrero left Dominik as a baby with Mysterio and his wife Angie to raise. He threatened to take custody of Dominik, drawing up custody papers and having his lawyer present them to Mysterio. At

on August 21, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

for the custody of Dominik. On the September 9 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio lost to Guerrero in a steel cage match, ending their feud. On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. That same day, at a WWE "Super Show" where ''SmackDown!'' and ''Raw'' were both taped, Mysterio gave an emotional speech about Guerrero, and in a show of respect, removed his mask (though he put his head down, so his face could not be seen). Mysterio went on to defeat

Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...

in an interbrand match later that night. After the match, Michaels and Mysterio hugged in the ring and Mysterio pointed up to the sky, crying, in memory of Guerrero.

World Heavyweight Champion (2005–2007)

Mysterio participated in the main event of

on November 27, as part of Team SmackDown! along with

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...

, and

John "Bradshaw" Layfield John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield, is an American professional wrestling color commentator, retired professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is s ...

(JBL), defeating Team Raw (

, Kane,

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...

, Carlito, and

Chris Masters Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently wrestling under the ring name Chris Adonis. He is a former two-time National Champion in NWA. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ri ...

). Mysterio faced Big Show, who he eliminated at Survivor Series, in a match billed as "

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

vs.

Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...

" in a ''SmackDown!'' special show on November 29, which ended as a "no contest" after interference from Show's tag team partner, Kane. Mysterio continued to feud with Raw's World Tag Team Champions, and found a tag team partner in

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

Batista. They were booked to face Raw's Kane and Big Show in a tag team match at

on December 18. Two days before the event, Batista and Mysterio defeated MNM on ''SmackDown!'' to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a match they both dedicated to Guerrero. Mysterio and Batista's match with Big Show and Kane was then billed as "Champions vs. Champions", which they lost. On the December 30 episode of ''SmackDown!'', MNM invoked their rematch clause, defeating Batista and Mysterio after interference from

Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Henry is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 19 ...

to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship. The following week, Mysterio and Batista lost their rematch for the titles in a steel cage match after interference by Henry. On January 29, 2006, Mysterio was the second entrant in the

match, setting a record by lasting 62 minutes, winning the match, and earning a world title shot by last eliminating Orton. Orton urged him to put the title shot at stake in a match at No Way Out. Over the following weeks, Orton made disparaging remarks about Eddie Guerrero, which many people, including Orton, felt the comments were unwarranted and distasteful in the wake of Guerrero's death. Orton won at No Way Out on February 19, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at

WrestleMania 22 WrestleMania 22 was a 2006 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 22nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rose ...

. However, General Manager

Theodore Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional wrestling Referee (professional wrestling), referee, Manager (professional wrestling), manager and Authority figure (professional wrestling), authority figur ...

re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania title match, making it a triple threat match between Orton, Mysterio, and then-champion,

. At WrestleMania on April 2, Mysterio pinned Orton to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. On the following episode of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio – billed as an "

underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

champion", made his first successful World Heavyweight title defense against Orton. Mysterio retained the title again during a WrestleMania rematch on ''SmackDown!'' against Angle three weeks later. Mysterio quickly moved into a feud with the United States Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), who stated he deserved the World Heavyweight title. This feud saw him face off against three opponents chosen by JBL in the three weeks leading up to their title match at

. Mysterio was defeated by Mark Henry and

The Great Khali Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972), better known by his ring name The Great Khali, is an Indian-born American former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, promoter, and actor. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he be ...

in separate non-title matches before wrestling Kane to a "no contest". On May 21, Mysterio retained his title against JBL at Judgment Day. The feud intensified when JBL lost the United States Championship to

five days later on ''SmackDown!'' after being tricked by Mysterio to take on all comers like Mysterio himself had. JBL vowed that if he did not win his rematch against Mysterio, he would quit SmackDown!. In their main event match, Mysterio retained the World Heavyweight Championship, causing JBL to leave SmackDown!, until ECW One Night Stand on June 11, when he announced his return as a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

. Mysterio was booked to defend against ECW wrestler Sabu at ECW One Night Stand. In the weeks leading up to his title defense, Mysterio defeated Cruiserweight Champion

Gregory Helms Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract, and currently works for the company as a backstage Producer (professional wrestling), producer. In ...

in a Champion vs. Champion match, and lost to Rob Van Dam at WWE vs. ECW Head-to-Head on June 7. At ECW One Night Stand, Mysterio retained the title, after he and Sabu were ruled unable to continue following a triple jump DDT through a table by Sabu. Mysterio then retained his title in a match against Mark Henry, winning by disqualification after Chavo Guerrero handed Henry a chair and Mysterio acted as if he was hit, a tactic for which Eddie Guerrero was known. Mysterio began a feud with King Booker, who won a

battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...

to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. King Booker attacked Mysterio from behind backstage with the help of King Booker's wife

Queen Sharmell Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman (born November 2, 1970) is an American former professional wrestler, beauty queen, dancer and Manager (professional wrestling), professional wrestling valet. She is best known for her time with WWE, World Wrestling Enter ...

. The next week on ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio gained revenge by attacking King Booker and his "

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

". On July 23, at

, Mysterio lost the World Heavyweight Championship to King Booker after Chavo interfered in the match and turned on Mysterio, hitting him with a steel chair. Guerrero would also cost Mysterio his rematch the following week. At

on August 20, Mysterio lost to Guerrero after

Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...

tried to stop both men from fighting, but accidentally knocked Mysterio off the top turnbuckle. Vickie then turned on Mysterio by hitting him in the back with a steel chair and gave him an injury, thus, siding with Guerrero. On October 8, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in a

Falls Count Anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

at No Mercy. Subsequently, Guerrero challenged Mysterio to an "I quit" match for the October 20 episode of ''SmackDown!'', which Mysterio lost. During the match, Guerrero injured Mysterio's knee, which was used to write Mysterio out of the storyline for a while to get knee surgery. Mysterio made his in-ring return at

on August 26, 2007, defeating Guerrero, after he obsessed over Mysterio's return as well as wanting to injure Mysterio again. On the August 31 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio defeated Batista and

Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay *Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player * Finlay Christie (comedian), British comedian * Finlay Christie, Scottis ...

in a "Championship Competition" to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...

, held by

. On the following episode of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio defeated Guerrero in an "I Quit" match after hitting Guerrero's knee with a steel chair repeatedly in a similar manner to which Mysterio had been put out of action, ending the feud. After the match, Batista saved Mysterio from an attack by Khali, making the match at Unforgiven a triple threat match. At the event on September 16, Mysterio failed to win the title, which was won by Batista.

Various storylines (2007–2009)

Mysterio then began a feud with Finlay, an opponent chosen by JBL. The rivalry was marked as "Fight vs. Flight", contrasting the fighting styles of both wrestlers – Finlay's physicality, versus the high-flying Mysterio. After fighting to a "no contest" at No Mercy on October 7, followed by a double-disqualification in a number one contender's match for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship on the next ''SmackDown!'', he defeated Finlay in a Stretcher match at Cyber Sunday on October 28. During this feud, he lost a match to Finlay on the November 9 episode of ''SmackDown!'' and was part of the winning team at

on November 18, which consisted of both wrestlers on opposing sides (although Mysterio was second to be eliminated). He re-entered the World Heavyweight Championship picture on the January 4, 2008, episode of ''SmackDown!'' when he won a

Beat the Clock ''Beat the Clock'' is an American television game show. Contestants attempted to complete challenges such as physical stunts within a time limit in order to win prizes. The show was a creation of Mark Goodson- Bill Todman Productions. The sho ...

challenge for a chance to face the World Heavyweight Champion Edge at the

. At the event on January 27, he was unsuccessful in winning the championship. WWE's official website announced on February 14 that Mysterio suffered a biceps injury during an overseas tour. Despite the injury, Mysterio faced Edge for the title in a rematch at No Way Out on February 17, which he lost. On the February 22 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio announced that his injury would keep him out of action for at least six months, and he eventually underwent three surgeries within the space of a month. Mysterio returned on the June 23 episode of ''Raw'', as the first wrestler to be drafted in the

2008 WWE Draft The 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) draft, the sixth WWE draft, took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 23. The draft took place live for three hours on '' Raw.'' Every WWE wrestler, announcer, commentator, and ...

from the SmackDown

to the Raw brand. Mysterio made his ''Raw'' in-ring debut on July 7, pinning

Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974), better known by the ring name Santino Marella, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he works as the on-screen director of authority. He is best kn ...

after a 619.

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Mike Adamle Michael David Adamle (born October 4, 1949) is an American former professional football player and sports broadcaster. He played professionally as a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Adamle was a sports anchor at other Chicago ...

announced that

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...

was injured and that Mysterio would replace him in the

Championship Scramble Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. The next week, Mysterio made his return to ''Raw'' after an extended absence by attacking Kane, turning back numerous claims that Kane had "ended his career". Mysterio then made his in-ring return at Unforgiven on September 7, competing in the World Heavyweight Championship scramble match, which was won by

. Mysterio put his mask on the line in a match at No Mercy on October 5, which he won by disqualification after Kane attacked him with a steel chair. He defeated Kane again at Cyber Sunday on October 26, this time in a No Holds Barred match, and again at

on November 23, when the pair were on opposing sides in a five-on-five elimination match. Mysterio then competed in a number one contender's tournament for the Intercontinental Championship, losing to

in the finals at

on December 14. At No Way Out on February 15, 2009, Mysterio competed in the

Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...

match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was the last man eliminated by Edge.

Intercontinental Champion (2009–2010)

At WrestleMania 25 on April 5, Mysterio defeated

(JBL) in 21 seconds to capture the Intercontinental Championship. His win made Mysterio the twenty-first Triple Crown Champion in WWE history. Mysterio was drafted back to the SmackDown brand during the 2009 WWE Draft on the April 13 episode of ''Raw'', making the Intercontinental Championship exclusive to SmackDown for the first time since August 2002. He then entered into an extensive feud with

, retaining his title against him at

on May 17. At Extreme Rules on June 7, Mysterio lost the title after being unmasked and pinned by Jericho. Mysterio and Jericho were booked in a Title vs. Mask match that was scheduled for The Bash on June 28, which Mysterio won, regaining the title. Mysterio retained the title once more against Jericho on the July 10 episode of ''SmackDown'' to end their feud, before he was attacked by

Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the TNA World Tag ...

after the match. He successfully defended the title against Ziggler at both

Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...

on July 26 and

on August 23. On August 2, WWE announced that Mysterio would be suspended for 30 days, effective September 2, for violating the company's Wellness Policy. Before the suspension, he lost the title on the September 1 (aired September 4) episode of ''SmackDown'' against John Morrison. In an interview with Mexican newspaper ''Record'', Mysterio stated that he was suspended for a drug he was using for his knee and arm. Mysterio stated that he had a prescription for the drug, but was unable to produce it in time to prevent his suspension due to being on vacation and doing a promotional tour. Later that month, Mysterio returned and was revealed as

's partner in a match against Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) for the

Unified WWE Tag Team Championship The American professional wrestling promotion WWE has maintained several men's and women's tag team championships (except for a two-year interim between 1967 and 1969) since Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) seceded from the National Wrestling ...

Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...

on October 4, which they lost. At

Bragging Rights Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting tends to be an attempt to prove one's superiority by recounting accomplishments so that others will feel adm ...

on October 25, they participated in a Fatal 4 Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Mysterio prevented Batista of winning the title and, after the match was attacked by Batista. On November 22, Mysterio lost to Batista at

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

. Their feud moved around the World Heavyweight Championship, when Mysterio defeated Batista on the December 18 episode of ''SmackDown'' to gain a title shot against

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...

on the following episode of ''SmackDown'', but the match ended in a no contest after Batista interfered. On the January 15, 2010 episode of ''SmackDown'', they faced off again in a number one contender's steel cage match, where Mysterio won. However, Mysterio lost the title match to The Undertaker at the

on January 31. In February, Mysterio began a feud with Punk that also involved Punk's

Straight Edge Society The Straight Edge Society was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that appeared on its SmackDown brand. The concept behind the group was the straight edge lifestyle, which promotes and abides to d ...

. During the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at the namesake event on February 21, Mysterio eliminated Punk. Mysterio continued to feud with Punk and had a match at

WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI was a 2010 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 26th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 28, ...

on March 28 with the stipulation that if Mysterio were to lose at WrestleMania, he would be forced to join the SES. After Mysterio defeated Punk at WrestleMania, they faced again at Extreme Rules on April 25, with Mysterio losing to Punk in a match where Punk should have had his head shaved if he lost. At Over the Limit on May 23, Mysterio faced CM Punk again with both previous stipulations in place (Mysterio's allegiance to the SES and Punk's hair); Mysterio defeated Punk, resulting in Punk's head being shaved.

World championship reigns (2010–2011)

Fatal 4-Way Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

on June 20, Mysterio defeated

Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...

, Big Show, and CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. On July 18, at Money in the Bank, he retained the title against Swagger before Kane, who had won the SmackDown

Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...

earlier that night, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, ending Mysterio's reign at 28 days. He had a rematch for the title at

on August 15, but he was defeated. Mysterio then entered a feud with the debuting

Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where h ...

, a Mexican wrestler who portrayed a high-class aristocrat. During Del Rio's debut on the August 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio lost to Del Rio by submission. They both participated at

on October 24 as part of the victorious Team SmackDown, but during the match, Del Rio attacked Mysterio. At

on November 21, Mysterio and Del Rio led two opposing teams as part of the traditional Survivor Series match, where Team Mysterio won. They also participated at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 19 in a fatal four-way

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to c ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Edge. His feud with Del Rio culminated on the January 7, 2011, episode of ''SmackDown'' in a two out of three falls match, which Del Rio won by countout. On the January 21 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio accidentally broke the nose of

Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...

when he hit him with a 619. WWE used this accident to start a feud and, as part of the storyline, Rhodes began to wear a mask and they wrestled at

WrestleMania XXVII WrestleMania XXVII was a 2011 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 27th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 20 ...

on April 3, where Mysterio lost to Rhodes. Mysterio defeated Rhodes on the April 22 episode of ''SmackDown'' and at Extreme Rules on May 1 in a Falls Count Anywhere match, ending their feud. In the 2011 WWE Draft, Mysterio was drafted to the Raw brand. Mysterio then reignited his feud with CM Punk, with the pair exchanging victories on consecutive episodes of ''Raw''. The feud culminated in a match at Capitol Punishment on June 19, where Punk emerged victorious. On July 25, Mysterio won a tournament for the vacant WWE Championship to win his first WWE Championship, but he lost the title to

later that night. On the August 15 episode of ''Raw'', Mysterio received a rematch for the WWE Championship against new champion Alberto Del Rio, but lost to him via submission. Mysterio suffered an injury in late August.

Teaming with Sin Cara (2012–2013)

On April 26, 2012, WWE reported that Mysterio had been suspended for 60 days due to his second violation of the company's Talent Wellness Program policy and that his suspension would expire on June 25. After his return in July, Mysterio faced The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at

on August 19 and in a fatal-four-way match at

on September 16, but lost both times. In September, he was paired with Sin Cara as a tag team. They entered into a feud with

The Prime Time Players The Prime Time Players were an American professional wrestling tag team performing in the WWE, composed of Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. The two initially competed on ''WWE NXT'', debuting as a team in January 2012 and were later promoted to the ...

(

Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is signed to WWE as a Global Ambassador. Described by the company as "one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE hist ...

and

Darren Young Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a trainer at the NJPW Academy and a former Strong Openweight Champion. He is bes ...

), defeating them at

on October 28, as well as O'Neil and Young's team at

on November 18. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, they lost to Rhodes and

Damien Sandow Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American retired professional wrestler working as a manager in the National Wrestling Alliance under the name Aron Stevens. He is best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow ...

in a tables match. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio and Cara were written off television after being attacked by

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

and Mysterio suffered an injury, dissolving the team. This was done for Mysterio to take time off and Sin Cara underwent knee surgery. In March, Mysterio took another leave of absence due to a legitimate knee injury, explained in storyline as an attack by Mark Henry.

Final storylines and departure (2013–2015)

After eight months, Mysterio returned at a WWE live event on October 17, 2013, and returned to television as part of the Spanish commentary team at

on October 27. On the November 18 episode of ''Raw'', Mysterio saved CM Punk and Daniel Bryan from an attack by The Wyatt Family and The Real Americans (

and

Antonio Cesaro Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...

), which led to Mysterio being part of a 10-man elimination tag team match at

on November 24, in which Mysterio's team lost after he was eliminated by sole survivor

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...

. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 15, Mysterio and

unsuccessfully challenged

Cody Rhodes and Goldust Cody and Dustin Rhodes (also known as Cody Rhodes and Goldust, The Brotherhood, The Rhodes Brothers, and Gold and Stardust) were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes. They are best known for te ...

for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way match also involving RybAxel (

Ryback Ryback Allen Reeves (born Ryan Allen Reeves; November 10, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Ryback. One of the eight finalists on ' ...

and

Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...

) and The Real Americans. At

WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was a 2014 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 30th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This ...

on April 6, 2014, Mysterio competed in the

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...

Memorial

Battle Royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...

, but was eliminated by Cesaro. On the April 7 episode of ''Raw'', Mysterio made an appearance and lost to a returning Bad News Barrett. He subsequently decided to take time off to heal a wrist injury. During his hiatus, it was reported that Mysterio wanted to leave WWE, but WWE had extended his contract without his approval. He did not return to WWE programming, and instead appeared in a video message at AAA's Triplemanía XXII and also visited

. On February 26, 2015, WWE officially announced that Mysterio's WWE contract had expired, ending his nearly 13-year tenure with the company.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2015–2016)

Five days after being released from WWE, it was announced that Mysterio had agreed to work for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. He made his in-ring return as part of AAA's 2015 pay-per-view

Rey de Reyes The Rey de Reyes (English: "King of Kings") is an annual tournament held by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) comparable to WWE’s King of the Ring tournament. For the first six tournaments the format consisted of four-way elimination matches with f ...

("King of Kings") on March 18, where he and Myzteziz (formerly Sin Cara in WWE) defeated the ''

Los Perros del Mal Los Perros del Mal (''English: The Dogs of Evil'') was a Mexican ''lucha libre'' wrestling group stable, originally competed in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and in Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA). The name (meaning "The Dogs of Evil") is a pla ...

'' team of El Hijo del Perro Aguayo and Pentagón Jr., with Mysterio scoring the winning pin. On March 20, during another tag team match, a dropkick from Mysterio resulted in Perro Aguayo Jr.'s death in the ring. Mysterio delivered the dropkick to Perro's back, causing him to fall to the second rope, setting him up for Mysterio's signature "619" wrestling move, which involves Mysterio running towards the rope, grabbing it, and spinning around 180°, hitting the person on the face with his legs. Mysterio, seeing that something was wrong due to Perro becoming limp, purposely missed. The other wrestlers continued performing while each coming up and checking on Perro. They quickly finished the match after realizing that something serious had happened. The referee, wrestlers, and locker room crew came out and took Perro out using a piece of plywood. He was pronounced dead by the doctors later that night. His official cause of death was ruled as

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

, due to a cervical

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

caused by three fractured vertebrae. On May 24, 2015, Mysterio came together with Myzteziz and El Patrón Alberto to form the "Dream Team" for AAA's Lucha Libre World Cup. The trio eventually won the tournament, defeating Johnny Mundo, Matt Hardy and Mr. Anderson in the finals with Mysterio pinning Mundo for the win. For ''

Triplemanía XXIII Triplemanía XXIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) produced by the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) promotion. It took place on August 9, 2015, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. The event was the twenty-third ye ...

'', AAA's biggest show of the year, a "dream match" between Mysterio and Myzteziz took place. Both wrestlers teamed during their time in WWE and AAA but had never competed against each other. Mysterio was victorious, forcing Myzteziz to submit to a '' Fujiwara armbar''. After the match, Myzteziz turned ''rudo'' and sprayed mist at Mysterio's face, challenging him to a ''Lucha de Apuestas''. In early February 2016, AAA announced that Mysterio had left AAA due to financial issues between Mysterio and AAA. Despite not working directly for AAA, Mysterio Jr. participated in the 2016 Lucha Libre World Cup alongside

Dr. Wagner Jr. Juan Manuel González Barrón (born August 12, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador'' (Spanish for "professional wrestler") who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner Jr., having used that name since 1987. He is the son of Manuel González Rivera ...

and Dragon Azteca Jr., known as "Team Mexico International"; the trio finished in third place.

Return to the independent circuit (2015–2018)

Rey Mysterio has appeared on a number of independent shows, facing the likes of Alberto El Patron in Qatar Pro Wrestling,

Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...

in House of Glory,

AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...

at a 5 Star Wrestling show in the UK, and Ricochet in Xtreme Wrestling Alliance (XWA). Mysterio faced fellow

alumnus

on March 20, 2016, for the upstart URFight promotion, defeating Angle in a two-falls match with assistance from rapper Riff Raff. On April 30, 2017, at the WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup, Mysterio won the Mexico Leg with Penta El Zero M, defeating Alberto El Patron in the semi-finals, and longtime rival

in the finals. Mysterio teamed up with Mexican luchadors Fenix and Bandido for the main event of the indy super show All In on September 1, 2018, losing to The Golden Elite team of

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenure with New Japan-Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and WWE. His career began with the Dramatic Dre ...

and

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...

(Nick and Matt Jackson).

Lucha Underground (2015–2016)

Mysterio signed with

on December 12, 2015, and appeared on the second season. On January 10, 2016, Mysterio, Dragon Azteca Jr. and Prince Puma defeated Ivelisse, Johnny Mundo and Son of Havoc and Fénix, Jack Evans, and

P. J. Black Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black ...

and Cortez Castro, Joey Ryan and Mr. Cisco in a four-way trio tag team elimination Match for the Lucha Underground Trios Championship. At Ultima Lucha Dos on January 31, Mysterio defeated Puma. In March, he was the second competitor to enter the second

Aztec Warfare Aztec warfare concerns the aspects associated with the military conventions, forces, weaponry and strategic expansions conducted by the Mesoamerican chronology, Late Postclassic Aztec civilizations of Mesoamerica, including particularly the milit ...

match and was the final elimination by the eventual winner, Matanza. On April 9, Mysterio competed in the third Aztec Warfare match, which was aired in November, eliminating

Matanza Cueto is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. As of May 2025, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name JC Mateo and is a member of The Blood ...

and ending his undefeated streak, before he was eliminated by Johnny Mundo. At the end of Season 3, Mysterio lost a match to Cueto, who then brutally attacked Mysterio, implying that he had been killed off and would not be returning for Season 4. It was confirmed that Mysterio would not return for Season 4 as he had chosen not to renew his contract with Lucha Underground.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2018)

Rey Mysterio made his

(NJPW) debut on June 9, 2018, as part of NJPW's Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall show. Mysterio teamed up with

Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having work ...

and

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler. Widel ...

, losing to the

Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...

team of Cody,

Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH). Scurll began his career in 2005, working on the British independent circuit. In 2012, he competed on the TNA's show TNA Wres ...

and

Adam Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW ...

Second return to AAA (2018)

On June 3, 2018, Mysterio returned to

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

(AAA) at ''Verano de Escándalo'', competing in a three-way match for the

AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship (often referred to as the AAA World Heavyweight Championship in English and known as the Mega Campeonato AAA in Spanish) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Mexican promotion Luc ...

against Rey Wegner and

, with Jarrett winning.

Return to WWE (2018–present)

United States Champion (2018–2020)

In 2018, Mysterio made two surprise appearances at

on January 28 and Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27, but lost both matches. On September 19, it was confirmed he had signed a two-year contract with WWE. Mysterio participated in the

WWE World Cup The 2018 Crown Jewel was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was the inaugural Crown Jewel and took place on November 2, 2018, at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh ...

at Crown Jewel on November 2, defeating

in the first round but lost to The Miz in the semi-finals. After weeks of attacks by Orton, Mysterio faced Orton on the November 20 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', but lost. At

on November 18, Mysterio competed as part of Team SmackDown in the

Survivor Series match The Survivor Series match is a professional wrestling tag team elimination match held in WWE. The match typically sees two teams pitted against each other and members of the teams are eliminated one-by-one until one entire team is eliminated. Memb ...

, but was eliminated by

Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. As a wrestler, he is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2013 to 2025, where he performed un ...

, and his team lost to Team Raw. On December 16, at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Mysterio defeated Orton in a chairs match, ending their feud. At the

on January 27, 2019, Mysterio entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 25, but was eliminated by Orton. In February, Mysterio began challenging for the United States Championship. He failed to win the title from

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...

at Fastlane on March 10 and

WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was a 2019 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 35th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2019, at MetLife ...

on April 7, where he was squashed by Joe in 58 seconds. After being drafted to Raw as part of the Superstar Shake-up, Mysterio won the title from Joe at Money in the Bank on May 19, becoming the twenty-first WWE Grand Slam Champion in the process. However, on the June 3 episode of ''Raw'', Mysterio announced that he would return the title to Joe due to suffering an injury. Mysterio returned from injury one month later. On the September 23 episode of ''Raw'', Mysterio won a fatal five-way elimination match, earning him a Universal Championship opportunity against

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...

. However, the following week on ''Raw'', Mysterio and his son, Dominik, were brutally attacked by

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

, resulting in a storyline injury for the latter. On the October 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio assisted the debut of

Cain Velasquez Cain Ramírez Velásquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American former professional wrestler and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he competed in the Heavyweight ( ...

to attack Lesnar after the latter's WWE Championship win. At Crown Jewel on October 31, Lesnar defeated Velasquez by submission and continued to apply the Kimura Lock after the match had concluded until Mysterio attacked Lesnar with a chair. The following week, Lesnar quit SmackDown to move to Raw in order to seek revenge against Mysterio, who had been drafted to Raw. At

on November 24, Mysterio lost to Lesnar despite interference from Dominik. Mysterio won a fatal-four-way match on the November 25 episode of ''Raw'' to earn a match for the United States Championship, regaining the title by defeating A.J. Styles. On the December 9 episode of ''Raw'', he successfully defended the title against Styles, before losing it to

Andrade Andrade (/ɐ̃ˈdɾa.d͡ʒi/ (Brazil), �̃ˈdɾa.ðɨ(Portugal), or �n̪ˈd̪ɾa.ð̞e(Spanish)) is a surname of Kingdom of Galicia, Galician origin, which emerged in the 12th century as the family name of the knights and lords of the sma ...

during a

house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

on December 26. He attempted to win the title back from Andrade on the January 6 and 20 episodes of ''Raw'', in a losing effort.

Teaming with Dominik Mysterio (2020–2022)

In May 2020, Mysterio began feuding with

, who used the corner of steel steps to pierce Mysterio's eye and take him out of action. At

The Horror Show at Extreme Rules The Horror Show at Extreme Rules was a 2020 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 12th annual Extreme Rules and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisi ...

on July 19, Mysterio lost to Rollins in an Eye for an Eye match. On August 30, Mysterio and his son,

Dominik Mysterio Dominik Óscar Gutiérrez (born April 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Dominik Mysterio, and he is a member of The Judgment Day stable. He is the current ...

, defeated Rollins and

Murphy Murphy is an Irish surname meaning "Sea Warrior". Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac Murchaidh"/" Mac Murchadh" (son of "Murchadh") derived ...

at Payback. As part of the 2020 Draft, Mysterio was drafted to the SmackDown brand. Mysterio and Rollins faced each other in a No Holds Barred Final Chapter match on the November 13 episode of ''SmackDown'', which Mysterio won after assistance from Murphy, who turned on Rollins, ending their feud. At

on January 31, 2021, Mysterio entered at No. 26, but was eliminated by

Omos Tolulope "Jordan" Omogbehin (born May 16, 1992) is a Nigerian professional wrestler and former college basketball player. He is currently signed to WWE as a free agent, where he performs under the ring name Omos. He is a former one-time Raw T ...

. Following the Royal Rumble, Mysterio began teaming with Dominik. At WrestleMania Backlash on May 16, they defeated

and

Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...

to win the

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's ...

, becoming the first ever father-son tag team champions in WWE history. On the June 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', the Mysterios retained their titles against

The Usos The Usos were a Samoan-American professional wrestling tag team which consisted of twin brothers Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are signed to WWE, where Jey performs on the WWE Raw, Raw brand while Jimmy performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), Sma ...

, albeit with controversy as the referee failed to notice Jimmy's shoulder was lifted. After

Adam Pearce Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler and executive employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, producer, trainer, and on-screen general manager of the Raw brand. Pearce is a former five-time NW ...

and Sonya Deville granted a rematch later that night, the Mysterios again retained their titles after

interfered and attacked them, causing a disqualification. On the June 18 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio lost to Reigns in a

match. At the Money in the Bank pre-show on July 18, the Mysterios lost the titles to the Usos, ending their reign at 63 days. They failed to regain the titles at

on August 21. As part of the 2021 Draft, both Rey and Dominik were drafted to the Raw brand. Rey, along with Dominik, were then involved in a feud with

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

, whom Rey defeated at the

pre-show on February 19. The feud grew to involve social media star

Logan Paul Logan Alexander Paul (born April 1, 1995) is an American influencer, professional wrestler, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, boxing, boxer, and actor. He has over 23 million subscribers on his YouTube channel ''Logan Paul Vlogs'' and has ranked ...

, culminating in a tag team match between the Mysterios and Miz and Paul on Night 1 of

WrestleMania 38 WrestleMania 38 was a 2022 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 38th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturda ...

on April 2, which the Mysterios lost. Over the following weeks, The Mysterios began a feud with

The Judgment Day The Judgment Day is a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling Stable (professional wrestling), stable performing in WWE on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. The group is composed of Finn Bálor, Domini ...

(

Finn Balor The word Finn (''pl.'' Finns) usually refers to Finnish people, a Finnic ethnic group. Finn or Finns may also refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Finnic peoples, various ethnic groups who speak Finnic languages * Baltic Finnic peoples, va ...

Damian Priest Luis Martínez (born September 26, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Damian Priest and is a former one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is also know ...

, and

Rhea Ripley Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. As of July 2017, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. She is a List of Women ...

), who repeatedly attempted to have Dominik join the stable. At

on July 30, the Mysterios defeated Bálor and Priest after interference from a returning

. At Clash at the Castle on September 3, Rey and Edge defeated Bálor and Priest. After the match, Dominik hit Edge with a low blow and hit a clothesline on Rey, thus disbanding the Mysterios. On the October 14 episode of ''SmackDown'', he was transferred to the SmackDown brand, refusing to fight his son. Later that night, he won a fatal four-way match for an Intercontinental Championship match against

Gunther Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther () or Gunnar (), was a historical King of the Burgundians in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they crossed the Rhine ...

, which he lost on the November 4 episode of ''SmackDown''.

Latino World Order (2023–present)

At the

on January 28, 2023, Rey was scheduled to enter the Royal Rumble match at No. 17, but was unable to compete due to presumably being attacked either solely by Dominik, who entered the match at No. 18 or the entire The Judgment Day. On March 10, WWE announced that Mysterio would be inducted into the

as a part of the Class of 2023. After weeks of continuous torment by Dominik, on the March 24 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rey attacked Dominik after he disrespected his mother and sister, accepting his challenge for a match at

WrestleMania 39 WrestleMania 39, also promoted as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, was a 2023 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 39th annual WrestleM ...

. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Rey would reform the

by gifting LWO shirts to Legado Del Fantasma ( Santos Escobar,

Zelina Vega Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Zelina Vega and is the current Women's United States Champion in he ...

Joaquin Wilde Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, under the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He is a member of the Latino World Order. He was a former founding member o ...

, and Cruz Del Toro), as the group had aided Mysterio against The Judgment Day for several weeks prior. At Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 on April 1, Rey defeated Dominik with help from

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...

. In July, Mysterio competed in the United States Title Invitational Tournament, where he was defeated by LWO stablemate Escobar in the finals via referee stoppage, after suffering from whiplash. On the August 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', after Escobar was rendered unable to compete in his title match due to an attack from the champion,

Austin Theory Austin Tyler White (born August 2, 1997) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Bodybuilding, bodybuilder. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring nam ...

, Mysterio took Escobar's place and defeated Theory to capture his third United States Championship. At Payback on September 2, he defeated Theory in a rematch to retain the title. On the September 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio successfully defended the title against Escobar. After the match, they were attacked by

The Street Profits The Street Profits are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand, and are the current WWE ...

(Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). At Fastlane on October 7, Mysterio, Escobar and the returning Carlito defeated

and The Street Profits in a six-man tag team match. On November 4, at Crown Jewel, Mysterio lost the United States Championship to

after Escobar placed brass knuckles in the ring, which Paul used on Mysterio, ending his reign at 85 days. Rey Mysterio RR25

After a three-month hiatus, Mysterio returned on the March 1 episode of ''SmackDown'', assisting Carlito in winning a street fight against Escobar. Three weeks later, Mysterio lost to Escobar after interference from Dominik. On the March 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio introduced Dragon Lee as the newest member of the LWO, and Rey and Lee challenged Escobar and Dominik to a tag team match at

WrestleMania XL WrestleMania XL was a 2024 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 40th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturd ...

. However, Lee was found attacked backstage the following week, rendering him unable to compete at WrestleMania. Rey was assisted by

to fend off Escobar and Dominik. At Night 1 of WrestleMania XL on April 6, Mysterio and Andrade defeated Escobar and Dominik after interference from

Lane Johnson David Lane Johnson (born May 8, 1990) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Eagles fourth overall in the 2013 NFL draft. He played college ...

and

Jason Kelce Jason Daniel Kelce ( ; born November 5, 1987) is an American former professional football center who spent his entire 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Kelce played college football for the Cinci ...

. On the April 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', after Rey and Lee defeated Los Lotharios (

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

and Berto), Escobar revealed that Carlito had attacked Lee. Carlito then proceeded to attack both Lee and Mysterio after Escobar's revelation. As part of the 2024 WWE Draft, Mysterio and the rest of the LWO were drafted to the Raw brand. On June 7, 2025, he opened AAA X WWE Worlds Collide 2025.

Other media

Mysterio has been a subject of several DVDs during his wrestling career, including ''Rey Mysterio: 619'', a 2003 documentary of Mysterio's career and personal life. WWE also produced ''Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man'', a three disc set featuring Mysterio's best matches that was released on October 23, 2007. He was also featured on the DVD ''Before They Were Wrestling Stars: Rey Mysterio Jr.'' in 2007 which featured matches from his time in Mexico. ''Rey Mysterio: The Life of a Masked Man'' was issued on July 12, 2011. In the UK, Silver Vision released a Mysterio DVD as part of their Best of WWE collection. This featured his matches from SummerSlam 2005,

No Mercy 2006 The 2006 No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the ninth No Mercy and took place on October 8, 2006, from the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, held exclusivel ...

, and SummerSlam 2007.

Movies

Mysterio appeared in the 2000 film ''

Ready to Rumble ''Ready to Rumble'' is a 2000 American buddy comedy wrestling film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Steven Brill, which is based on Turner Broadcasting System's now defunct professional wrestling promotion, World Championship Wrestlin ...

'' along with several other wrestlers.

Books

Music

Mysterio, along with rapper Mad One, performed the original version of "Booyaka 619", which Mysterio used as his WWE entrance theme around September 2005. Mysterio also performed a rap song, called "Crossing Borders", which appears on the 2004 album '' WWE Originals'' and was also used as the official theme song for the 2004 No Way Out pay-per-view.

Filmography

Video games

Personal life

Gutiérrez is of Mexican descent. He and his wife, Angie, have two children: a son,

, and a daughter, Aalyah. He has tattoos of his children's names on his right and left biceps, tattoos dedicated to his wife, and a tattoo with the initials "EG" for his best friend and fellow wrestler,

, who died in 2005. Gutiérrez is part of an extended family of wrestlers, including his son Dominik, uncle Rey Misterio, and his cousins El Hijo de Rey Misterio and Metalika. On March 19, 2007, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' published an article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. That article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Gutierrez who was alleged to have obtained

nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an endogenous androgen. It is also an anabolic steroid (AAS) which is medically used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate ...

and

stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American ph ...

. WWE subsequently stated that the allegations preceded the Talent Wellness program WWE launched in February 2006. On August 27, 2009, WWE announced that Gutierrez would receive a 30-day suspension due to a violation of the wellness program. Days later, Gutierrez defended himself in a newspaper interview by explaining the drugs as being on a prescription for his knee and arm. While the Wellness Policy allows for prescribed drugs, Gutierrez further contested he had been on a family holiday and subsequently in Europe promoting

, giving him only a day to provide the prescription after being notified. On April 26, 2012, WWE suspended Gutierrez for 60 days due to a second violation of their wellness program. In 2019, Gutiérrez criticized President Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, saying Trump is "definitely not helping" and "a wall is definitely not the solution"; he spent his childhood crossing the border from Mexico to the United States each day for school. He is a fervent

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, frequently crossing himself before his matches and bearing numerous religious tattoos on his body, most notably a cross on his chest attached to

rosaries The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

, crosses on his mask, as well as other crosses and allusions to God.

Championships and accomplishments

* Asistencia Asesoría y Administración / Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide **

Mexican National Trios Championship The Mexican National Trios Championship (''Campeonato Nacional de Tríos'' in Spanish) is a three-man tag team professional wrestling championship, sanctioned by the "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (''Mexico City Boxing and Wrestl ...

( 1 time) – with

Octagón Octagón (born March 27, 1961) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado (masked professional wrestler). He is best known for working for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), having worked for the company since it was founded in 1992. In 2011 ...

and

Super Muñeco Super Muñeco (''Super Doll'') (10 April 1962 – 9 February 2022) was a Mexican '' Luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. Super Muñeco is Spanish for "Super Doll", a comedic ring character based on a clown. Super Muñeco is ...

Mexican National Welterweight Championship The Mexican National Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Nacional Peso Welter'' in Spanish) is a Mexican professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. (the Mexico City Boxing and Wres ...

( 1 time) ** Lucha Libre World Cup (

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

) – with Myzteziz and Alberto El Patrón **

(Class of 2007) ** ''Técnico'' of the Year (2015) * Catch Wrestling Europe ** CWE World Grand Prix (2017) *

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...

**Lucha Libre Award (2020) * The Crash ** The Crash Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name is an initialism of Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's original name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the p ...

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended "24/7", as in ...

( 1 time) * Destiny World Wrestling ** DWW Championship (1 time) * Hollywood Heavyweight Wrestling ** HHW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * International Wrestling All-Stars ** IWAS Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Lucha Underground Trios Championship } The Lucha Underground Trios Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship promoted by Lucha Underground. In contrast to usual tag team championships for two wrestlers, it is exclusively for three-man tag teams, also know ...

( 1 time) – with Dragon Azteca Jr. and Prince Puma * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Ranked No. 4 of the top 500 best singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 1999 ** Ranked No. 56 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 *

( 5 times) **

( 1 time) – with

( 3 times) – with Billy Kidman (1), Konnan (1), and

(1) *

** WWA Lightweight Championship ( 3 times) ** WWA Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Rey Misterio Sr. ** WWA Welterweight Championship ( 3 times) *

( 1 time) *

( 1 time) ** World Heavyweight Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) **

(

) **

( 3 times) ** WWE Cruiserweight Championship ( 3 times) **

( 4 times) – with

(1),

(1), and

(1) **

( 1 time) – with

(

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

) **

( Class of 2023) ** Championship Competition Tournament (2007) ** Bragging Rights Trophy (2010) – with

Team SmackDown SmackDown is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. ...

(

Tyler Reks Gabbi Alon Tuft (born November 1, 1978) is an American TikToker and former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Tuft is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Tyler Reks. Tuft also competed in WWE's Farm team#Professiona ...

and

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...

) ** WWE Championship Tournament (2011) ** 21st Triple Crown Champion ** 21st Grand Slam Champion ** Bumpy Award (1 time) *** Tag Team of the Half-Year (2021) - with Dominik Mysterio * ''

'' ** Best Flying Wrestler (1995–1997, 2002–2004) ** Best Wrestling Maneuver (1995) Flip dive into a frankensteiner on the floor ** Match of the Year (2002) with Edge vs.

and

, for the

WWE No Mercy WWE No Mercy, also known as NXT No Mercy from 2023 to 2024, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The first No Mercy was held on May 16, 1999, in Manchester, England, and was ...

, October 20 **

Most Outstanding Wrestler This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll betwee ...

(1996) ** Rookie of the Year (1992) ** Worst Feud of the Year (2008) with Kane **

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

( Class of 2010)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mysterio, Rey 1974 births 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent Catholics from California

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...

Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions Latino World Order members Living people Lucha Underground Trios Champions Masked wrestlers Mexican National Trios Champions NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions People from Chula Vista, California Professional wrestlers from California The Crash Heavyweight Champions World Heavyweight Champions (WWE) WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWE Champions WWE Grand Slam champions WWE Hall of Fame inductees WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Champions WCW World Tag Team Champions Royal Rumble match winners World Tag Team Champions (WWE) WWE Tag Team Champions WWC World Junior Heavyweight Champions