In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Rey Mysterio commented on a variety of topics including how close he was to joining IMPACT Wrestling, how Lucha Underground is a pioneer for Cruiserweights and more.
Highlights of the interview are below:
On Lucha Underground being a pioneer for the Cruiserweights: “Lucha Underground is the pioneer in the cruiserweight division. Years ago, Konnan mentioned to me, ‘Wrestling has to change. Wrestling cannot always be a world for the giants,’ and he was right. Wrestling has changed. That change is because of Lucha Underground. That is not boxing anyone in. Cruiserweight is a form of giving life to those that still want to break into this business. There have been more opportunities given to that cruiserweight division, and that’s been helped by a lot of companies, including Ring of Honor and TNA.”
On almost joining IMPACT Wrestling: “I was actually in conversations a while back with Impact about doing some shows. To be honest with you, it’s not that I don’t want to go work for them, it’s just like I didn’t have it in my game plan. I also didn’t have Lucha Underground in my game plan before it was created. If the circumstances were right, I wouldn’t mind going. I’m not interested in signing a contractual deal, but I would love to do some shows. People want to see diversity in their opponents and fans want to see their dream matches. If people want to see a match-up, let’s make it happen.”
On a funny story during his WCW days: “People still tell me I have a babyface, and I was 21 at the time, so I looked like a 12-year-old back then. I recall explaining to the security guards, ‘No, no, it’s OK, I wrestle,’ and they looked at me and laughed. So I continued to say that I was a wrestler, and they finally asked me for a credential. I didn’t have any credentials, this was a tryout. Finally, security was cool enough to find out who I was and let me back in the building, but that happened several times after that, too. I learned my lesson after the fourth time, and I started carrying a WCW badge everywhere with me.”
The interview is available in full at this link.
