Rey Mysterio - childhood inspiration

When i was a kid, Rey Mysterio became one of my favorite wrestlers. I loved his entertaining high flying moves. Rey Mysterio despite being short proved that you didn't need to be tough or strong to compete. I also was inspired by his heart and passion for wrestling. He played such a great face even during his feud with Eddie Guerrero and Batista. Even after Eddie's death, Rey Mysterio continued his legacy. I loved Rey Mysterio for his agility, quickness, and cleverness but it was also because of his Mexican heritage. It's not everyday for a hispanic to accurately represent the Mexican culture in front of a wide American audience. He's helped inspire appreciation from Americans of Mexico. Rey Mysterio has competed well against American wrestlers and fits well with WWE. Being a Mexican myself and coming from a Mexican family, he was a folk hero. My father and i took a strong liking to him because of that.

Lucha Libre, the Mexican traditional of wrestling, is characterized by high flying maneuvers and agility as opposed to brute power. Luchadores rely on complex submissions and other acrobatic combinations of attacks usually done out of the ring. The masks worn date back to the ancient Aztecs and are symbolic. They bear the reputation of the Luchador and represent archetypes (gods, heroes, animals, nationality, etc.) When a wrestler is defeated, he must remove his mask and suffer humiliation.


Rey Mysterio reflects Lucha Libre very well in WWE while still having a good understanding of how American pro-wrestling works. Rey Mysterio also deeply loved his fans and built great fan interaction.

Rey Mysterio left WWE a legend and now continues to compete in Mexican wrestling promotions.