Known for his exploits in the World Wrestling Entertainment, Oscar Guiterrez, born on December 11, 1974, is a professional Mexican wrestler. He is also popularly known by his ring name Rey Mysterio. Recognized by his trademark mask and aerial maneuvers, he has established himself as a wrestler of repute and stature.
With the ‘lucha libre’ style of fighting, Rey Mysterio came into prominence in the US in the late 1990s. Although he is much shorter than most of his counterparts, he has used his quick reflexes and agility to overcome this shortcoming. He has achieved phenomenal success in the cruiserweight category, tag team matches, and heavyweight divisions.
Early Years
Born in Chula Vista, California, Rey took up wrestling at a young age. His uncle, a wrestler with the same name, trained him for professional wrestling. Under his guidance, Rey learned the tricks of the trade, and made his debut as a wrestler on April 30, 1989. He wrestled in a church in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. In the (ECW) Extreme Championship Wrestling, in 1995, Mysterio defeated Psicosis, another Mexican wrestler with whom he had a long feud. This victory kick-started his career in the world of professional American wrestling. His popularity grew with the audiences of ECW.
Popularity
In 1996, Mysterio’s reputation skyrocketed in the (WCW) World Championship Wrestling in the cruiserweight category. His image as the ‘mystery man’, which was used as a marketing gimmick, was very popular with the audiences. At The Great American Bash in the WCW, he challenged Dean Malenko in the cruiserweight division. Although he put up stiff resistance against his opponent, he lost to Malenko, who cheated in the match to retain the title. At the Bash at The Beach, he wrestled and won against his old foe Psicosis, to earn a shot at the cruiserweight title. He defeated Dean Malenko to win his first cruiserweight Championship. He defended his title for three months, before losing it to Malenko in a keenly contested fight.
In 1997, he defeated his longtime friend Eddy Guerrero at the Halloween Havoc to win his second Cruiserweight Championship, but lost the title back to Guerrero on November 10 at Nitro. On January 15, 1998, Mysterio tasted success for the third time, when he defeated Juventud for his third Cruiserweight Crown, although nine days later, he lost the title to Chris Jericho. Over the years, Rey Mysterio fought several epic battles which led to innumerable victories. In 2002, Mysterio joined (WWE) World Wrestling Entertainment, making his debut on SmackDown on July 25, 2002, against Chavo Guerrero, whom he managed to defeat. He formed a tag team partnership with Edge, and stunned everyone by defeating Tajiri and Brock Lesnar in the quarterfinals. They lost to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in a hard contested final.
In a triple-threat match on March 6, 2003, Mysterio put up stiff resistance against Jamie Noble and Tajiri, and defeated them with his unique fighting style. In the 2006 Royal Rumble match, he defeated Randy Orton and earned a shot at the World Heavyweight title in a triple-threat match. At WrestleMania 22, he defeated his opponents Randy Orton and Kurt Angle, and won his first World Heavyweight title. Although he was labeled as an underdog, he didn’t let the criticism deter his spirit. In 2008, he became the Intercontinental Champion by defeating John ‘Bredshaw’ Laysfield.
Marriage
Rey Mysterio is married to Angelica, with whom he has two children – Dominik and Alayah. He has tattooed the names of his children on both his arms. In January 2009, he announced that his wife was expecting their third child.
Apart from his wrestling career, Rey Mysterio loves to spend time with his friends and family, and is truly instrumental in influencing the young generation of wrestlers. Even today, Rey Mysterio continues to amuse audiences the world over with his signature maneuvers.
