WWE announced Friday that the first member of its 2023 Hall of Fame class will be Rey Mysterio.
WWE announces “Friday Night SmackDown”. Mysterio came out to thank the crowd for their support as he received a standing ovation when it was revealed that he was the first member of the class.
“A standing ovation for the greatest luchador of all time,” broadcaster Michael Cole as Mysterio came out.
Rey Mysterio Jr. looks on in the ring before the 6-man tag match during New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax 28 at Nippon Budokan on August 12, 2018 in Tokyo. (New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images)
Mysterio, whose real name is Oscar Gutierrez, is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time and is credited with popularizing the Lucha Libre style of wrestling.
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Mysterio was about 8 years old when he started training to become a professional wrestler with his uncle known as Rey Mysterio in Mexican professional wrestling and made his debut when he was only 14 years old. He told Fox News Digital last year that while living in Tijuana, he would have to cross the border at 7:45 a.m. to go to school, then go to his part-time job and then return home to get ready for training. Have to cross the border again.
By 1995, Mysterio had made his way to Extreme Championship Wrestling and had some of the most creative and electric matches in the promotion at the time. He will feud with the likes of Psicosis and Juventud Guerrera.
WWE legend Rey Mysterio on becoming a wrestling juggernaut, famous Eddie Guerrero angle and performing with son
Above, Rey Mysterio Jr. is in action during his match against Chris Jericho at Cox Arena at WCW’s “Bash at the Beach.” (Image by Robert Beck/Sports Getty Images)
Mysterio would join World Championship Wrestling in 1996 and help develop the cruiserweight division. However, at the end of his run with the company, Mysterio would be forced to remove his mask after losing a storyline match to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. In Lucha Libre, forcing a wrestler to remove his mask is the ultimate slight against the wrestler. While Mysterio was publicly against the storyline, he would eventually remove his mask and begin performing without it.
One of the biggest career arcs for him came in the late 1990s. He became known as The Giant Slayer after defeating Nash and showing that a performer could stand toe-to-toe with performers 6-foot, 10-inches or similar height.
He called it a “special time” that helped become an integral part of his WWE career – winning main event matches and eventually the World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio would have great feuds with some of the best in the business at the time, including John Bradshaw Layfield, Kane, Booker T and the late Eddie Guerrero.
Rey Mysterio greets the crowd during the WWE World Cup quarterfinal match as part of the World Wrestling Entertainment Crown Jewel pay-per-view at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (Getty Images via FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP)
He would soon become one of the most popular wrestlers in the industry and would begin to solidify his legacy when his children joined the company.
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Currently, she is in the middle of a conflict with her son Dominic.
