Rey Mysterio
To the fans, thank you for your patience and concern. They've been on point with my career, especially after my injuries.Collection: Patience
I've never had any prima donna attitude against me. It's always been very respectful.Collection: Attitude
There's definitely no hard feelings with WWE. I'm very thankful to them for the opportunity that was given to me.Collection: Thankful
I've been very close to Konnan for many years now. I thank him for much of my success in this industry. He opened the doors for me in AAA, ECW, and WCW. I'm very thankful.Collection: Thankful
We all have split personalities; we all wear masks at some point in our careers.
No matter how much cardio you do - running or biking or whatever - it's never the same as being in the ring.
I am always on the lookout for new gear. If I walk into a Louis Vuitton store, and they have a belt that I don't have, I want it straightaway.
My uncle was a second father to me. I spent most of my childhood with him.
Instead of being like the other kids going to soccer or football practice, I was wrestling every day.
I am the underdog - the 5-foot, 6-inch wrestler. The kids don't say, 'I can beat Rey.' Instead, they say, 'I can be like Rey.'
WrestleMania is a week of activities and family-oriented fun, and then there is the special night at the end of it where you can see history being made.
That whole 'Giant Killer' era was actually kind of fun for me. That is what elevated my name in WCW.
I'm a big family guy. I want to do more with them.
It was just so cool to put on my uncle's masks and wrestle with him. I knew that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a part of this world.
For me, the people who doubt me only fuel me to prove them wrong. I want to prove to them that I am better than they think I am and that I deserve to be on top and I deserve to be World Heavyweight Champion.
I always think to myself that if I was able to transition from lucha libre style to American style, then I can always go back. You never lose your roots.
It's all about the style and what you can bring to the table - how exciting you can be.
I'll never get my chest tatted up, and I'm not big on tattoos on the legs. I'm running out of space on my body; I'd like to get more but I haven't figured out where I'll put them or what I want to get.
When anyone talks about lucha libre and that style of wrestling, the first person they think of is Mil Mascaras. The other man the true wrestling fan will think of is El Santo. These were the names that came to me when I was growing up.
My elementary school teachers were big on pushing kids to read. If you read a certain amount of books, they would provide you with incentives, sort of like what we are doing with the WrestleMania Reading Challenge.
I actually use Randy Orton as an example to my son because he wants to start training in January. My son is a big kid - he's 6'1", 205 - and I insist that he must watch and learn from Randy's style.
I'm enjoying life at my fullest. Sometimes you realize that money isn't everything.
I made good money at WWE and traveled the world and interacted with my fans, but I missed a lot of family time. That really hits me.
When you're in WWE, it's a part of that contract signing, that grind. You're on-call 24-7. That's why you become the star that you are.
Reading has helped motivate me to become a spokesperson for programs like the WrestleMania Reading Challenge. It has motivated me to become more involved in my community and to keep learning new things.
My favorite place to read is next to the pond in my backyard.
Reading takes me to a different place than my everyday life. I usually get fully involved in what I'm reading about, so it's a great escape.
I always said when Edge and I were tag team partners that we had great chemistry together. Then we ended up parting our own ways and facing each other, and we found that chemistry again as opponents. It doesn't matter how you put Edge and myself in the ring, we're going to make sure that we give you what you pay for.
That's really what drew me into wrestling. To see my own uncle put on the mask every Friday to go into the ring, and me putting on his masks to play wrestle with him. It was a whole different world when it came down to sports.
It just goes to show, if you remain focused and you have a dream and you have a desire to do something, then no matter what gets in your way, you can never lose hope. It's possible.
In Mexico, to become a pro wrestler, you have to have a wrestling license, and to get a license, you have to pass a wrestling test.
When I was 17, I got a call from Konnan. He told me that he was about to start up a new promotion called AAA. A lot of the popular wrestlers were going to come to work for him, and he wanted me to be one of them.
A lot of people have doubted me because of my size. They think someone like me doesn't deserve to be in the main event, but I think if they knew me, and knew what I've been through in my career, they would respect me.
What I have on my left calf is two skeletons; when you put them together, they form a heart, and it says, 'Love till Death.' That represents me and my wife - 'til death do us part.
I've got a Kanji symbol on my shoulder; it's for my son and means 'strength and power.' I have my son and daughter's names, Dominik and Aalyah, written on the inside of the left and right biceps, too.
On my left forearm, I've got a gothic cross with a tombstone in the center with the initials 'E' and 'G' for my friend, the late Eddie Guerrero.
Dark matches are usually off-camera. Sometimes you don't even wrestle in front of the crowd, you wrestle in front of the agents - but my first match with WCW was on a pay-per-view.
'Lucha Underground' is the evolution of wrestling. It's high-style, high-flying, fast-paced hybrid style wrestling, and we're actually paying homage to lucha libre for the first time.
As you get older, your body doesn't hold up as much.
I am excited to join Combate Americas on NBC UNIVERSO, and look forward to building this incredible MMA sports brand and supporting the extremely talented athletes on its growing roster.
I remember when I first walked into an American locker room, and no one had ever seen a 130-pound wrestler before. Those guys thought I was such a joke.
I always kept the fans happy. They always saw a different Rey, whether it was a mask, a design, a color. I never gave them the same thing twice and always kept them on their feet. They were always excited to see what Rey was going to bring to the table.
Competition is always good, but I truly believe that 'Lucha Underground' has nothing to do with WWE or their programming. We are completely different, you know. And, in a way, we have more to offer.
I think titles are important to your career. Whether you reign as champion for a long time or just have it for the time being, to be part of a company and be their champion is always good to have on your resume.
I would hope to end my career here if it came down to it and take other roles with 'Lucha Underground.' I see a lot of the style I was raised on here, and I think I can help out with the young upcoming talent and hope to be around here as long as it lasts.
I do recall at one point being part of WWE and other guys taking the risk of stepping away, and a lot of guys don't do it because of the fear that it's not going to be the same.
Being part of WWE is beautiful. You're on the biggest stage of them all. You're living well; you're making good money, and the only flipside to that is that you're on the grind, and you've got to be committed. You've got to make sure to understand what being on the grind is.
There is a lot of things out here that sometimes you don't realize because you're inside the circle, but once you're out, there's a lot of things that pop up, and you'd be surprised.
I always wanted to return to the company that gave me my first opportunity. Thanks to AAA, Rey Mysterio was born.
For the fans to be able to enjoy a lucha libre match between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, I think, I don't want to be flattering myself, but that's probably some of the best lucha libre matches that I had throughout my career, and we were able to demonstrate it to the fans around the world.