REY MYSTERIO JR is perhaps the greatest luchador of all-ime. Nothing hyperbolic about that; his place among the very best in professional wrestling has long been cemented.
But now, heading towards his 52nd birthday in December, Mysterio finds himself in a unique spot where he is still able to work at a high level, but is also able to contribute creatively to AAA, the promotion where he started his journey as a wrestler when he was 17-years-old.
Rey Mysterio is in everyone’s GOAT conversations, especially for luchadors Credit: Getty
Look at the sheer size difference between Omos and Rey Mysterio
It wasn’t long ago that the idea of being able to work for WWE and AAA at the same time was inconceivable, but since WWE purchased the promotion 18 months ago, the Mexican promotion has done nothing but surge upwards.
And Mysterio is the perfect man to act as general manager on screen, liaise with the powers that be backstage and still entertain inside the ring.
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Ahead of AAA TripleMania 34 this weekend, where the 5ft3in Mysterio will take on the 7ft3in Omos, JattvibeSport was lucky enough to speak to the WWE Hall of Famer.
How has it been working with Triple H and Undertaker on making AAA what it is right now?
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Oh, very, very delighted, it’s, it’s kind of a crazy. It was a crazy way of looking at it at first, with the acquisition, and then kind of knowing who was put in that place. But never any doubts, just, OK, how is, how is this gonna work?
I’m intrigued to see how this is gonna end up with Undertaker being in charge, you know, I think Taker said it best. When he first came down to AAA, he said ‘I don’t wanna change what you guys have already built here – I just wanna add.’
So, it was perfect. Now the fans around Mexico who are not accustomed to maybe seeing long storylines or sequences of matches, or sequences of of stories that lead into a particular or special match – that is now all happening.
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The Mysterio family before Dominik (left) turned into a ‘bad guy’ with Aalyah middle left.
It’s like the perfect formula for the Mexican fan base. And for the rest of the world, it’s something that they’ve been watching for years in WWE.
So, I think Undertaker is doing incredible there and I’m just enjoying every moment, you know, every time I step into AAA. It just brings back so many good memories. This is where I kicked off.
This is where the company that first opened up the doors for me, that believed in me. In 1992, I was part of the very first show that AAA had on TV, and to see this come full circle, and to see where I’m at now is incredible.
When you do finally retire – and I’m not hoping it’s soon! – do you see yourself with a backstage type role?
I would love to, in some way or form, stay active in the business somehow. We all know eventually my day is gonna come where, where I’m gonna tap out. It is scary when you think about it.
I try not to think about it as much, but I do. What I am doing now is I’m trying to enjoy more of the moment.
But yeah, I most definitely would see myself sticking around and helping. Whether it’s helping young talent in any way or form, or as a creative person.
You’ve been quoted before as wishing that your son Dominik would retire you, but that was before his character evolution and your WrestleMania match together. How do you feel about that prospect now after you have already had such a phenomenal rivalry?
I think going back with Dom, you know, you’ve seen Rocky, Rocky 2, Rocky 3, and you know, maybe you thought that was the ending? And then all of a sudden you get another Rocky.
Or the Terminator, whatever it is. Those movies that are legendary and are classics, still to this day you can enjoy. I think that can always happen with with Dom and myself.
Maybe we thought that was a finale or an ending, but the story is always there. It’s very accessible to knock back on that door and reopen that.
So, I mean, yeah, that was my original thought [Dom retiring him] from the moment my son stepped in. It just it happened so fast.
The Mysterios were the first-ever father and son tag team champions
But now they are rivals who have faced off at WrestleMania
His growth happened so fast that I didn’t think it was gonna come within 2-3 years after him breaking into the business. It’s crazy.
But now that I have my daughter training, I mean, that’s, that’s like a different thing for me. I would really love to be able to try and share the ring with both. Why not?
I don’t think it’s ever been done in history, so to be able to share the ring with my daughter and my son, it would be something. It’s a personal hope or dream of mine.
How is Aalyah’s training going?
She’s doing good. She’s about a month and a weekend of training in, and she picks up very fast.
But she also gets very frustrated very easy, but it’s normal. She wasn’t around as much like Dom [was as a kid], backstage playing and hanging out with the boys and the wrestlers and the staff and crew.
So, she, she struggles a little bit. She’s completely new to the industry in the sense that training, knowing wrestlers, knowing wrestling names, moves, all these little things that if you try to combine everything at once, you’re gonna go crazy cause there’s so much, so much to learn here!
But, she’s enjoying it very, very much.
Aalyah already has 443k followers on IG
Aalyah has already appeared a few times in WWE during Rey’s angle with her brother, Dom
Dom has been doing great work in AAA, but many fans online seem to think he could be better utilised on WWE TV. What’s your take on that?
I think he’s doing incredible. I think he definitely broke out of his shell once we separated and found his niche.
He kind of knew what direction he was headed or he wanted to go, and he owned it. He owned it.
I, as a father, I feel very proud of his growth. I still think that I’m better than him [smirks], even though he says the opposite.
So, I really can’t wait to be able to share the ring with him more times, you know, so I can keep learning from him, and he can keep learning from me, whether it’s on the good or the bad.
But, he’s a person that is very dedicated, very dedicated and continues his path. He slips maybe here and there, but he gets back up and he tries to make things right. So, he just gotta kick it into gear and go full speed.
Go full throttle, man, and continue to make his way to the top.
Finally, your original theme in WWE ‘619’ is one of my all-time favourites. You only had it for four years before Booyakah became your staple – can you remember why that change was made?
We had been very close with Matt One, who is, the original creator of Booyaka 619, and we were just trying to make something local.
I did love, very much, that ‘who’s that jumping out of the sky‘ but I do think that because of that time, which was a very special time in wrestling, that song became very nostalgic, and, it stuck with a lot of the fans.
You’re not the first person that tells me this, so now, after you said it, you kind of confirmed because I had it in the back of my mind, man, I should bring that song out at least, you know, maybe for a period before I hang up the mask.
So, I think the confirmation now came when you asked, and you said that’s your favorite song, so I might bring it back, man, just for a run. With the pop-up entrance too!
You can watch AAA TripleMania 36 on YouTube all around the world on September 11 and 13.
