Rey Mysterio looks back on his WCW debut.
Long before Mysterio was a WWE Hall of Famer and a living legend, he was a young star who was still making a name for himself. He had established himself as a buzzworthy competitor in Mexico, but his career reached a new level when he made his WCW debut at The Great American Bash 1996, where he faced WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Mysterio reflected on his debut and noted that he felt uncomfortable because no one knew who he was, and he felt like he wasn't supposed to be there.
“I remember walking into the building in Baltimore, and I felt so uncomfortable. I was walking into a locker room full of giants. The Steiners, Big Show, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. It felt really awkward. I kept on hearing voices say, ‘Who’s that kid? What the hell is he doing in here?’ No one knew who I was. It felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there," Mysterio said.
Before the bout, Rey's close friend Konnan, who also wrestled on the card, spoke with him. Mysterio described how Konnan's message was full of words of encouragement, but it also made him even more nervous. He explained that Konnan told him that he was representing lucha libre and Mexico itself in the match.
“Right before my match, Konnan spoke with me. I still remember him saying, ‘No pressure, but you’re representing Mexico and you’re representing lucha libre. You’re representing all the little guys. Now go out there and kick some ass.’ I was already nervous facing Dean, but that took it to a whole new level," Mysterio said.
Rey continued by noting that he and Malenko clicked right away when they stepped into the ring. He recalled how, as far as he knows, Eddie Guerrero spoke to Malenko before the bout and told him about Rey, and this step made an apparent difference. Rey then looked back on the way he and Malenko got a standing ovation from the other wrestlers after the match, and he called it one of the greatest moments of his life.
“I’d been trying to study Dean, watching his matches. In the ring, we connected right away. It was immediate. From my understanding, Eddie spoke with Dean and told him a little bit about me. That was extremely important. Dean could have easily buried me, but no. He took me under his wing and made me look like a million bucks I remember coming back after that opening match. Everyone had been glued to the monitor, and we got a standing ovation from the boys. It’s still one of the greatest moments of my life. That was the moment I felt I’d made it," he said.
The WWE Hall of Famer also noted that, when he was a kid, he was inspired by uncle, the legendary luchador Rey Misterio, as seeing the latter compete made Rey fall in love with wrestling. He noted that the passion and love he felt then remains with him to this day.
“The moment I saw my uncle wrestle, I fell in love with it. That’s what I wanted for the rest of my life. I always expected, one day, to be the son of Rey Misterio because he didn’t have kids at the time, or Rey Misterio Jr. That passion, that love, stuck with me, and I still have it today," Mysterio said.
Over 20 years later, Mysterio has established himself as an all-time great, as he has become a Grand Slam Champion in WWE.
Konnan inducted Rey Mysterio into the WWE Hall of Famer, and he recently stated that he might have another conversation with Triple H. Check out his comments here.
Dominik Mysterio reflected on his match against Rey Mysterio at WWE WrestleMania 39. Click here to see what he had to say.
