Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio is widely considered the most influential masked wrestler in American wrestling. Trained by his uncle Rey Misterio Sr., he debuted as a teenager in Mexico and brought the fast, aerial lucha libre style to U.S. audiences through ECW in 1995 and then WCW starting in 1996. In WCW, he helped make cruiserweights must-see TV, winning multiple cruiserweight and tag titles and becoming the face of high-flying wrestling for a mainstream crowd.

His WWF run turned him into a global star. After signing in 2002, he restored the mask and popularized the 619, then stacked up championships across divisions, including world, Intercontinental, United States, cruiserweight, and several tag team reigns.

He also won the 2006 Royal Rumble from the number-two spot, setting a then-record for longest time in the ring, and carried that momentum into WrestleMania 22, where he captured the World Heavyweight Championship, cementing his underdog legacy.

Rey’s influence stretches across generations and stories. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023 while still active, reintroduced the Latino World Order (LWO) on TV that same spring, and shared history with his son Dominik as the first father-son SmackDown Tag Team Champions in 2021. Today, he continues to wrestle, mentor younger talent, and serve as the modern bridge between lucha libre tradition and WWE’s global audience.