A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler , mixed martial artist , or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting the wrong image. Since the advent of the Internet , it is relatively easy to discover a fighter's real name.
123-460: Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio , is an American professional wrestler . He is signed to WWE , where he performs on the Raw brand . Widely regarded as one of the greatest cruiserweight wrestlers of all time, Mysterio is an inductee of the AAA Hall of Fame , Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame , and WWE Hall of Fame . The nephew of Rey Misterio , Mysterio began wrestling on
246-519: A Cruiserweight Open for the title, where Guerrero retained the title. On the June 17 episode of SmackDown! , he defeated Chavo Classic to win the title for a third time. He lost it to Spike Dudley on the July 29 episode of SmackDown! then failed to regain the title on a September episode of SmackDown! and in a fatal four-way match at Survivor Series on November 14. During this time, Mysterio formed
369-550: A Falls Count Anywhere match at No Mercy . Subsequently, Guerrero challenged Mysterio to an "I quit" match for the October 20 episode of SmackDown! , which Mysterio lost. During the match, Guerrero injured Mysterio's knee, which was used to write Mysterio out of the storyline for a while to get knee surgery. Mysterio made his in-ring return at SummerSlam on August 26, 2007, defeating Guerrero, after he obsessed over Mysterio's return as well as wanting to injure Mysterio again. On
492-430: A Lucha de Apuestas . In early February 2016, AAA announced that Mysterio had left AAA due to financial issues between Mysterio and AAA. Despite not working directly for AAA, Mysterio Jr. participated in the 2016 Lucha Libre World Cup alongside Dr. Wagner Jr. and Dragon Azteca Jr. , known as "Team Mexico International"; the trio finished in third place. Rey Mysterio has appeared on a number of independent shows, facing
615-702: A ladder match for the custody of Dominik. On the September 9 episode of SmackDown! , Mysterio lost to Guerrero in a steel cage match, ending their feud. On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota . That same day, at a WWE "Super Show" where SmackDown! and Raw were both taped, Mysterio gave an emotional speech about Guerrero, and in a show of respect, removed his mask (though he put his head down, so his face could not be seen). Mysterio went on to defeat Shawn Michaels in an interbrand match later that night. After
738-495: A "no contest". On May 21, Mysterio retained his title against JBL at Judgment Day. The feud intensified when JBL lost the United States Championship to Bobby Lashley five days later on SmackDown! after being tricked by Mysterio to take on all comers like Mysterio himself had. JBL vowed that if he did not win his rematch against Mysterio, he would quit SmackDown!. In their main event match, Mysterio retained
861-569: A #1 contender's match to earn another opportunity at the Cruiserweight Championship, which he won for the first time by defeating Malenko the next night on WCW Monday Nitro . He successfully defended the title against Ultimate Dragon at Hog Wild on August 10, Malenko at Clash of the Champions XXXIII five days later, and Super Caló at Fall Brawl on September 15. On October 27, at Halloween Havoc , he lost
984-564: A 10-man elimination tag team match at Survivor Series on November 24, in which Mysterio's team lost after he was eliminated by sole survivor Roman Reigns . At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 15, Mysterio and Big Show unsuccessfully challenged Cody Rhodes and Goldust for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way match also involving RybAxel ( Ryback and Curtis Axel ) and The Real Americans. At WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014, Mysterio competed in
1107-574: A Cell on October 28, as well as O'Neil and Young's team at Survivor Series on November 18. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, they lost to Rhodes and Damien Sandow in a tables match. On the following episode of SmackDown , Mysterio and Cara were written off television after being attacked by The Shield and Mysterio suffered an injury, dissolving the team. This was done for Mysterio to take time off and Sin Cara underwent knee surgery. In March, Mysterio took another leave of absence due to
1230-621: A WrestleMania rematch on SmackDown! against Angle three weeks later. Mysterio quickly moved into a feud with the United States Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), who stated he deserved the World Heavyweight title. This feud saw him face off against three opponents chosen by JBL in the three weeks leading up to their title match at Judgment Day . Mysterio was defeated by Mark Henry and The Great Khali in separate non-title matches before wrestling Kane to
1353-713: A brief run with the CMLL World Trios Championship as they won the title by defeating Black Warrior , Mr. Niebla and Antifaz del Norte and held them for 91 days before losing the belts to Atlantis , Black Warrior and Mr. Niebla. Following his year long stint in CMLL Fuerza Guerrera returned to AAA. At Triplemanía XIII teamed with Los Hell Brothers ( Chessman and Cibernético ) in main event, losing to Latin Lover, La Parka and Fuerza's career long rival Octagón. In 2007 became involved in
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#17328025804531476-818: A cruiserweight tag team tournament for the newly created WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship and advanced to the final round, where they lost to Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo at Greed on March 18. On the final episode of Nitro on March 26, they defeated Skipper and Romeo in a rematch to win the Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles before WCW was sold to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). After WCW closed down, Mysterio started wrestling independently in Mexico. He made his first ever Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre appearance, debuting in an eight-man tag team match. Mysterio wrestled
1599-559: A fatal four-way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Edge. His feud with Del Rio culminated on the January 7, 2011, episode of SmackDown in a two out of three falls match, which Del Rio won by countout. On the January 21 episode of SmackDown , Mysterio accidentally broke the nose of Cody Rhodes when he hit him with a 619. WWE used this accident to start
1722-517: A feud and, as part of the storyline, Rhodes began to wear a mask and they wrestled at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, where Mysterio lost to Rhodes. Mysterio defeated Rhodes on the April 22 episode of SmackDown and at Extreme Rules on May 1 in a Falls Count Anywhere match, ending their feud. In the 2011 WWE Draft , Mysterio was drafted to the Raw brand. Mysterio then reignited his feud with CM Punk, with
1845-554: A feud with the New World Order (nWo), culminating when he lost a Mexican Death match to nWo member Konnan at Road Wild on August 9. Mysterio was then involved in a feud with his real-life friend and Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero , whom he defeated in a Title vs. Mask match at Halloween Havoc on October 26 to win the Cruiserweight Championship for the second time. On the November 10 episode of Nitro , he lost
1968-465: A few others, their real name. One notable exception was made for David Otunga because of his real marriage to singer Jennifer Hudson at the time, which gave WWE some mainstream exposure. Low Ki used the alias "Senshi" during his second TNA stint to reserve his primary ring name for other use. A similar example is the team known as The Dudley Boyz in ECW and WWE and Team 3D elsewhere. WWE trademarked
2091-638: A five-on-five elimination match. Mysterio then competed in a number one contender's tournament for the Intercontinental Championship , losing to CM Punk in the finals at Armageddon on December 14. At No Way Out on February 15, 2009, Mysterio competed in the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was the last man eliminated by Edge. At WrestleMania 25 on April 5, Mysterio defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in 21 seconds to capture
2214-545: A four-on-four elimination tag team match against them. After Master P's departure from WCW, Mysterio formed a stable with Eddie Guerrero and Billy Kidman known as the Filthy Animals, turning heel for the first and only time in his career. The Filthy Animals defeated Dead Pool in six-man tag team matches at Road Wild on August 14 and Fall Brawl on September 12. On the August 19 episode of Thunder , Mysterio lost
2337-449: A handicap match. At Starrcade on December 17, The Filthy Animals lost to The Harris Brothers and Jeff Jarrett in a Bunkhouse Brawl . After this, the Filthy Animals starting feuding with Team Canada , to whom they lost in a Penalty Box match at Sin on January 14, 2001. At SuperBrawl Revenge on February 18, Mysterio unsuccessfully challenged Chavo Guerrero Jr. for the Cruiserweight Championship. Kidman and Mysterio participated in
2460-589: A knee operation that kept him out of the ring for six months. At Bash at the Beach on July 12, Mysterio returned and defeated Jericho for his fourth Cruiserweight championship. The next night, however, the result was overturned and the belt returned to Jericho due to Dean Malenko interfering. Later that year, Eddie Guerrero formed a Mexican stable known as the Latino World Order (LWO) (a spin off of New World Order ) that included nearly every luchador in
2583-525: A legitimate knee injury, explained in storyline as an attack by Mark Henry. After eight months, Mysterio returned at a WWE live event on October 17, 2013, and returned to television as part of the Spanish commentary team at Hell in a Cell on October 27. On the November 18 episode of Raw , Mysterio saved CM Punk and Daniel Bryan from an attack by The Wyatt Family and The Real Americans ( Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro ), which led to Mysterio being part of
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#17328025804532706-425: A long running storyline feud that quickly drew big crowds as the two talented young wrestlers worked a series of very highly thought off matches. On December 14, 1990, Fuerza Guerrera and Octagón were involved in a three-way Luchas de Apuesta ("bet match"), round robin tournament along with Huracán Ramírez where their masks were on the line. In the end Guerrera managed to defeat both Octagón and Ramírez, forcing
2829-481: A mask that quickly became his trademark. He made his in-ring debut as Fuerza Guerrera on December 19, 1979, in Arena Naucalpan . Since his debut Guerrera has almost always worked as a Rudo , a "bad guy" or " Heel " character, a choice he took early on as it fit with both his personality and his wrestling style. The combination of Guerrera's in-ring skills, natural charisma and unique mask quickly landed him
2952-416: A match at No Way Out . Over the following weeks, Orton made disparaging remarks about Eddie Guerrero, which many people, including Orton, felt the comments were unwarranted and distasteful in the wake of Guerrero's death. Orton won at No Way Out on February 19, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22 . However, General Manager Theodore Long re-added Mysterio to
3075-453: A match at SummerSlam on August 25, which Angle won after forcing Mysterio to submit to the ankle lock . He later formed a tag team with Edge , participating in a tournament for the newly created and SmackDown!-exclusive WWE Tag Team Championship . They lost to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the finals of the tournament at No Mercy on October 20; the match was voted Match of the Year by
3198-516: A match billed as " David vs. Goliath " in a SmackDown! special show on November 29, which ended as a "no contest" after interference from Show's tag team partner, Kane. Mysterio continued to feud with Raw's World Tag Team Champions , and found a tag team partner in World Heavyweight Champion Batista. They were booked to face Raw's Kane and Big Show in a tag team match at Armageddon on December 18. Two days before
3321-526: A match that also involved El Elegido , KENTA and Taiji Ishimori . In 2007 Fuerza Guerrera worked his final match for AAA and began working on the independent circuit and making regularly appearances for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). One of Guerrera's early IWRG appearances was at the 2008 Rey del Ring (Spanish for "King of the Ring") tournament, which was won by Scorpio, Jr. On May 5, 2008, Fuerza Guerrera defeated Multifacético to win
3444-534: A match with a stipulation that if Guerrero lost, he would not tell the secret. Despite this, Guerrero revealed the secret on the following episode of SmackDown! , that he was Dominik's biological father. Guerrero said he knew Mysterio was having trouble starting his own family, so Guerrero left Dominik as a baby with Mysterio and his wife Angie to raise. He threatened to take custody of Dominik, drawing up custody papers and having his lawyer present them to Mysterio. At SummerSlam on August 21, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in
3567-528: A new wrestling promotion called "Gran Prix Championship Wrestling Super-X" (GPCW). Despite not working for the same promotion both Octagón and Fuerza Guerrera have expressed a desire for a one on one Luchas de Apuesta between the two before either of them retire from wrestling. On May 23, 2010, Guerrera lost the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight championship to Dr. Cerebro after holding the title for 553 days. Fuerza Guerrera
3690-498: A part of the group. Mysterio faced Kidman for the Cruiserweight Championship at Starrcade on December 27, but was unsuccessful in a triangle match also involving Juventud. On January 17, 1999, at Souled Out , Mysterio failed to win the title from Kidman in a four-way match that also included Psicosis and Juventud. After the two factions of nWo reformed, they demanded that the LWO disband. Mysterio refused to take off his LWO colors and
3813-437: A piece of plywood. He was pronounced dead by the doctors later that night. His official cause of death was ruled as cardiac arrest , due to a cervical stroke caused by three fractured vertebrae. On May 24, 2015, Mysterio came together with Myzteziz and El Patrón Alberto to form the "Dream Team" for AAA's Lucha Libre World Cup . The trio eventually won the tournament, defeating Johnny Mundo , Matt Hardy and Mr. Anderson in
Rey Mysterio - Misplaced Pages Continue
3936-513: A promotional tour. Later that month, Mysterio returned and was revealed as Batista 's partner in a match against Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at Hell in a Cell on October 4, which they lost. At Bragging Rights on October 25, they participated in a Fatal 4 Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Mysterio prevented Batista of winning
4059-531: A regular basis. On November 6, 1994, Fuerza Guerrera teamed with Madonna's Boyfriend , and Psicosis to defeat Rey Mysterio, Jr. , Heavy Metal, and Latin Lover on the undercard of AAA's first ever Pay-Per-View AAA When Worlds Collide . On December 2, 1994, Fuerza and Juventud Guerrera defeated Heavy Metal and Latin Lover to win the Mexican National Tag Team Championship , a title the team held for 181 days before losing
4182-410: A regular job working for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mexico's largest wrestling promotion. On September 25, 1981, Fuerza Guerrera made his first appearance at a major EMLL show as he wrestled and defeated Negro Casas on EMLL's 48th Anniversary show. On November 6, 1983, Guerrera defeated Aguila Venezolana in a tournament final to win the vacant Mexican National Lightweight Championship ,
4305-565: A series of matches with ECW newcomer Juventud Guerrera during early 1996. He wrestled his final bout for ECW at Big Ass Extreme Bash in March 1996, defeating Guerrera. Mysterio made his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) debut on June 16, 1996, at The Great American Bash , challenging Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in a losing effort. At Bash at the Beach on July 7, he defeated Psicosis in
4428-407: A steel chair. On June 12, in the midst of their feud, Mysterio faced and defeated long-time rival Psicosis for the first time in nearly five years at ECW One Night Stand . Guerrero then threatened to reveal a secret he and Mysterio shared involving Mysterio's real life son Dominik , unless Mysterio deferred to Guerrero's authority. At The Great American Bash on July 24, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in
4551-517: A storyline where he would actually wrestle his own son, Juventud Guerrera for the first time in his career. The two met in a Street Fight at Triplemanía XV which saw Juventud defeat his father. Fuerza wrestled his last major match for AAA when he took part in a joint AAA/ Pro Wrestling NOAH show, TripleSEM on September 3, 2007. Fuerza teamed with Antifaz and Histeria , losing to the Mexican Powers (Juventud, Joe Líder and Crazy Boy ) in
4674-478: A tag match: Misterio Sr. and Mysterio Jr. faced Guerrera and his father Fuerza Guerrera . Mysterio signed with Paul Heyman 's Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1995. He debuted on September 16, 1995, at Gangstas Paradise , defeating Psicosis , who was also making his ECW debut. A feud between the two began, which included a two out of three falls match at South Philly Jam and a Mexican Death match at November to Remember 1995 . Mysterio went on to have
4797-559: A tag team with Rob Van Dam and feuded with Kenzo Suzuki and René Duprée . At No Mercy on October 3, they failed to win the titles from Suzuki and Duprée, but won them in a rematch on the December 9 episode of SmackDown! . They successfully defended the titles against Suzuki and Duprée at Armageddon on December 12, before losing the titles to the Basham Brothers on the January 13, 2005, episode of SmackDown! after Van Dam
4920-609: A title shot in May, he defeated Hardy on the June 5 episode of SmackDown! to win the Cruiserweight Championship. After losing the championship to Tajiri on the September 25 episode of SmackDown! , he regained it from Tajiri on the January 1 episode of SmackDown! . At the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2004, Mysterio successfully defended the title against Jamie Noble . He lost the title to Chavo Guerrero at No Way Out on February 15. At WrestleMania XX on March 14, Mysterio took part in
5043-999: A total of 10 matches in CMLL before returning to the United States. Upon his return to the US, he worked in IWA Mid-South , the Xcitement Wrestling Federation and the Heartland Wrestling Association , with the likes of Eddie Guerrero and CM Punk . Mysterio traveled to Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council and defeated Eddie Colon for the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship on January 6, 2002, holding
Rey Mysterio - Misplaced Pages Continue
5166-754: A variation of it, sometimes modifying the spelling to better fit their gimmick , such as Dave Bautista becoming Batista (later reverting to his real name for his Hollywood acting career), Patricia Stratigeas becoming Trish Stratus , Jonathan Good becoming Jon Moxley , Bryan Danielson becoming Daniel Bryan (when he wrestled in WWE), Richard Fliehr becoming Ric Flair and Randall Poffo becoming Randy Savage . Others simply use part of their name, such as Bill Goldberg using Goldberg , Nicole Garcia-Colace using Nikki Bella , Mike Mizanin using The Miz , Cody Runnels using Cody Rhodes , and Michael Wardlow using Wardlow . Many female wrestlers go solely by their first name such as. It
5289-513: A video message at AAA's Triplemanía XXII and also visited Lucha Underground . On February 26, 2015, WWE officially announced that Mysterio's WWE contract had expired, ending his nearly 13-year tenure with the company. Five days after being released from WWE, it was announced that Mysterio had agreed to work for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. He made his in-ring return as part of AAA's 2015 pay-per-view Rey de Reyes ("King of Kings") on March 18, where he and Myzteziz (formerly Sin Cara in WWE) defeated
5412-520: A year González wanted to adopt an enmascarado character by the name of "Star Wars", but the local promoter, Señor Barradas, did not want wrestlers with English names. Instead he adopted the name "Fuerza Guerrera", a name he came up with inspired by the Aztec warriors of Latin America. Fuerza Guerrera also adopted a black mask with red and blue markings – red representing passion and blue representing peace,
5535-631: A year split up and Juventud Guerrera left AAA for Promo Azteca. Following his departure Los Guerreras were stripped of the National tag Team titles On September 6, 1996, Fuerza, Blue Panther and El Signo won the Mexican National Trios Championship , a title that would soon after become inactive as the three began working for different promotions. In 1997 Fuerza Guerrera teamed with Jerry Estrada and Heavy Metal, losing to Héctor Garza , Perro Aguayo and El Canek at
5658-678: Is Spanish for "Warrior Strength", not to be mistaken for the surname Guerrero . The wrestler who would become known as Fuerza Guerrera trained for his professional wrestling career under Dick Angelo, he would later receive further training from Gallo Tapado, Raul Reyes , El Solar , El Espectro and Ángel Blanco . He made his professional wrestling debut in 1977 under the ring name Cachorro González (Spanish for "Cub González"). in his debut match he faced, and lost to, Rokambole (later Villano V ) and Leopardo Negro ( Villano IV ) in San Pedro, Puebla. After wrestling as Chachorro González for over
5781-487: Is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado (or masked professional wrestler ) who made his debut in 1978. In his career Guerrera has worked for every major wrestling organization in Mexico including Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), AAA , Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), World Wrestling Association (WWA) and International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). Throughout his career Fuerza Guerrera has held many titles for CMLL, AAA and IWRG. Fuerza Guerrera's real name
5904-646: Is a highly respected tradition in Mexican lucha libre for performers to hide their true identities, usually wrestling under masks, and revealing a luchador's identity without their permission is considered a serious offence with real-life consequences. Professional wrestlers are often referred to by their contemporaries by their ring name. In interviews, Bret Hart regularly referred to Mark Calaway, Curt Hennig, and Kevin Nash by their ring names ( The Undertaker , Mr. Perfect , and Diesel ). Ring names are often trademarked by
6027-448: Is also common for wrestlers of all genders to use a nickname in addition to their real name for marketability and other reasons. Ricky Steamboat is an atypical instance of a wrestler adopting a ring name to sound less intimidating, as his legal name of Richard Blood was considered unfitting for his babyface persona. Some (mostly independent ) wrestlers still go to great lengths to ensure that their real names are not publicly known. It
6150-419: Is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans. Only his paternal surname is known, as his son Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández ' name is a matter of public record making Fuerza Guerrera's paternal surname "González" as well. Eduardo González is better known as luchador Juventud Guerrera. Fuerza Guerrera
6273-500: Is the father of professional wrestler Juventud Guerrera . He and his son have had personal problems since the 90's, when Juventud went to wrestle in the USA. On October 9, 2018, Guerrera presented his other children as professional wrestlers, his son Fuerza Guerrera Jr/El Hijo de Fuerza Guerrera (45 years) and his daughter Fuerza Guerrera/Hija de Fuerza Guerrera (35 years). He is the uncle of professional wrestler Furia Guerrera, who after
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#17328025804536396-555: The Los Perros del Mal team of El Hijo del Perro Aguayo and Pentagón Jr. , with Mysterio scoring the winning pin. On March 20, during another tag team match, a dropkick from Mysterio resulted in Perro Aguayo Jr.'s death in the ring. Mysterio delivered the dropkick to Perro's back, causing him to fall to the second rope, setting him up for Mysterio's signature "619" wrestling move, which involves Mysterio running towards
6519-514: The Lucha Libre high flying style that has been his trademark. He had ring names such as "La Lagartija Verde (The Green Lizard)" and "Colibrí (Hummingbird)" before his uncle gave him the name of Rey Misterio Jr. In 1991, while wrestling in Mexico as Colibrí, Mysterio was named "Most Improved Wrestler". In Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), Mysterio feuded with Juventud Guerrera . Mysterio's uncle Misterio Sr. also took on Guerrera in
6642-624: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter . They won the titles when they defeated Angle and Benoit in a two out of three falls match on the November 7 episode of SmackDown! , but lost them to Los Guerreros in a Triple Threat Elimination match at Survivor Series on November 17. On March 30, 2003, at WrestleMania XIX , he faced the Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy for the title, but lost after interference from Shannon Moore . After earning
6765-561: The 2006 Royal Rumble . Mysterio departed WWE in 2015, going on to appear in promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling , Lucha Underground , and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. He returned to WWE in 2018, where he was joined by his son Dominik . Óscar Gutiérrez was born on December 11, 1974, in Chula Vista, California , a suburb of San Diego . His parents are Mexican nationals Maria del Rosario and Roberto Gutierrez (1948–2024), both from very poor, uneducated backgrounds; Maria
6888-579: The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal , but was eliminated by Cesaro . On the April 7 episode of Raw , Mysterio made an appearance and lost to a returning Bad News Barrett . He subsequently decided to take time off to heal a wrist injury. During his hiatus, it was reported that Mysterio wanted to leave WWE, but the promotion had extended his contract without his approval. He did not return to WWE programming, and instead appeared in
7011-642: The IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship . Besides working for IWRG Fuerza Guerrera also worked on Blue Demon, Jr. 's NWA Mexico debut show, teaming with El Dandy and Hijo del Siltario in a main event loss to Blue Demon, Jr., El Hijo del Santo and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. On June 7, 2008, Guerrera lost the IWRG Welterweight title to Black Terry only to regain it on November 16, 2008. Guerrera still works for IWRG as well as helping his son build
7134-584: The WCW Cruiserweight Championship five times; the WCW World Tag Team Championship three times; and the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship once. He lost his mask in a Lucha de Apuestas against Kevin Nash , working unmasked until 2002. Following the closure of WCW in 2001, Mysterio wrestled for promotions including Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , the World Wrestling Council , and
7257-509: The WCW World Tag Team Championship , making Mysterio a double champion. Mysterio successfully defended his Cruiserweight Championship against his tag team partner Kidman at Spring Stampede on April 11 before losing the title on the April 19 episode of Nitro to Psicosis in a fatal four-way match that also involved Juventud Guerrera and Blitzkrieg . On the following episode of Nitro , he defeated Psicosis to win his fifth Cruiserweight Championship. At Slamboree on May 9, Mysterio and Kidman lost
7380-659: The World Wrestling Federations (WWF) 1997 Royal Rumble event, a match that came about due to the AAA/WWF working relationship at the time. This was Guerrera's only WWF appearance. On May 15, 1997, Fuerza Guerrera teamed with Mosco de la Merced to win the Mexican National Tag Team title for a third time. A couple of months later the original Mosco de la Merced left AAA and was quietly replaced by Mosco de la Merced II who took both
7503-933: The X Wrestling Federation before joining World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002, where he resumed wearing a mask. He stayed with WWE until 2015, winning the World Heavyweight Championship twice; the WWE Championship once; the WWE Cruiserweight Championship three times; the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice; the WWE United States Championship three times, and the WWE Tag Team Championship four times, as well as winning
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#17328025804537626-526: The independent circuit in 1989 at the age of 14 before signing with Asistencia Asesoría y Administración in 1992. After brief stints with Extreme Championship Wrestling , the World Wrestling Association , and Wrestle Association R , Mysterio signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1996. In WCW, Mysterio helped popularize lucha libre in the United States, which led to the rise of cruiserweight wrestling divisions, winning
7749-502: The namesake event on February 21, Mysterio eliminated Punk. Mysterio continued to feud with Punk and had a match at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28 with the stipulation that if Mysterio were to lose at WrestleMania, he would be forced to join the SES. After Mysterio defeated Punk at WrestleMania, they faced again at Extreme Rules on April 25, with Mysterio losing to Punk in a match where Punk should have had his head shaved if he lost. At Over
7872-485: The promotion that creates a character or gimmick for a performer. It is common to see one performer use a variety of ring names throughout their career, even if their overall persona remains similar. This is especially true in WWE , which has largely forced most wrestlers that have debuted since 2006 to use a WWE-owned ring name instead of a ring name that they used on the independent circuit or, such as with Daniel Bryan and
7995-737: The "Dudley Boyz" name, leading them to have to change their name when they went to TNA. The members' individual names were also trademarked by WWE, forcing them to have to change their names. WWE partially repealed the policy in 2015, allowing wrestlers who were well known in other promotions such as Samoa Joe , A.J. Styles , Shinsuke Nakamura , Austin Aries , Bobby Roode , and Eric Young to use their long-standing ring names (or, in Nakamura's and Roode's cases, their real names) as well as wrestlers who sign "Tier 2" NXT brand contracts such as Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa , who wrestle both on NXT and
8118-462: The August 20 episode of SmackDown , Mysterio lost to Del Rio by submission. They both participated at Bragging Rights on October 24 as part of the victorious Team SmackDown, but during the match, Del Rio attacked Mysterio. At Survivor Series on November 21, Mysterio and Del Rio led two opposing teams as part of the traditional Survivor Series match, where Team Mysterio won. They also participated at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 19 in
8241-450: The August 31 episode of SmackDown! , Mysterio defeated Batista and Finlay in a "Championship Competition" to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven , held by The Great Khali . On the following episode of SmackDown! , Mysterio defeated Guerrero in an "I Quit" match after hitting Guerrero's knee with a steel chair repeatedly in a similar manner to which Mysterio had been put out of action, ending
8364-682: The Intercontinental Championship. His win made Mysterio the twenty-first Triple Crown Champion in WWE history. Mysterio was drafted back to the SmackDown brand during the 2009 WWE Draft on the April 13 episode of Raw , making the Intercontinental Championship exclusive to SmackDown for the first time since August 2002. He then entered into an extensive feud with Chris Jericho , retaining his title against him at Judgment Day on May 17. At Extreme Rules on June 7, Mysterio lost
8487-473: The January 15, 2010 episode of SmackDown , they faced off again in a number one contender's steel cage match, where Mysterio won. However, Mysterio lost the title match to The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble on January 31. In February, Mysterio began a feud with Punk that also involved Punk's Straight Edge Society . During the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at
8610-558: The Limit on May 23, Mysterio faced CM Punk again with both previous stipulations in place (Mysterio's allegiance to the SES and Punk's hair); Mysterio defeated Punk, resulting in Punk's head being shaved. At Fatal 4-Way on June 20, Mysterio defeated Jack Swagger , Big Show, and CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. On July 18, at Money in the Bank , he retained
8733-702: The March 22 episode of Nitro , Mysterio got his first shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against champion Ric Flair when the names of (allegedly) nearly everyone in the company were put into a hat and a lottery was held. El Dandy was the lottery winner, but he was injured, and Mysterio took the shot instead. The match ended with a disqualification win for Flair, even though Arn Anderson 's interference on Flair's behalf should have theoretically disqualified Flair. The following week, Mysterio and Kidman defeated Flair's Four Horsemen stablemates Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko to win
8856-632: The Mexico Leg with Penta El Zero M , defeating Alberto El Patron in the semi-finals, and longtime rival Juventud Guerrera in the finals. Ring name Ring names are much more common in professional wrestling than any other sport; famous examples include Terry Bollea becoming Hulk Hogan , Michael Shawn Hickenbottom becoming Shawn Michaels , Roderick Toombs becoming Roddy Piper , Dwayne Johnson becoming The Rock , Christopher Irvine becoming Chris Jericho , and Phillip Jack Brooks becoming CM Punk . A number of wrestlers adopted their real name or
8979-566: The WWE Tag Team Championship to MNM ( Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro ). The following week, Guerrero abandoned Mysterio, whom he had considered "his family" earlier in the show, during their rematch for the titles, costing them the match. After a street fight against Chavo on the May 5 episode of SmackDown! , Eddie came out and suplexed Mysterio on the steel steps, displaying Eddie's increasing frustration with being unable to defeat Mysterio. At Judgment Day on May 22, Mysterio defeated Guerrero by disqualification after Guerrero attacked him with
9102-407: The WWE Tag Team Championship. The following week, Mysterio and Batista lost their rematch for the titles in a steel cage match after interference by Henry. On January 29, 2006, Mysterio was the second entrant in the Royal Rumble match, setting a record by lasting 62 minutes, winning the match, and earning a world title shot by last eliminating Orton. Orton urged him to put the title shot at stake in
9225-417: The World Heavyweight Championship scramble match, which was won by Chris Jericho . Mysterio put his mask on the line in a match at No Mercy on October 5, which he won by disqualification after Kane attacked him with a steel chair . He defeated Kane again at Cyber Sunday on October 26, this time in a No Holds Barred match, and again at Survivor Series on November 23, when the pair were on opposing sides in
9348-489: The World Heavyweight Championship, causing JBL to leave SmackDown!, until ECW One Night Stand on June 11, when he announced his return as a color commentator . Mysterio was booked to defend against ECW wrestler Sabu at ECW One Night Stand. In the weeks leading up to his title defense, Mysterio defeated Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms in a Champion vs. Champion match, and lost to Rob Van Dam at WWE vs. ECW Head-to-Head on June 7. At ECW One Night Stand, Mysterio retained
9471-463: The World Tag Team titles to Raven and Perry Saturn in a triangle match, also involving former champions Benoit and Malenko. In mid-1999, Mysterio and Konnan joined Master P 's No Limit Soldiers and feuded with The West Texas Rednecks . At The Great American Bash on June 13, they defeated Rednecks members Curt Hennig and Bobby Duncum Jr. , and at Bash at the Beach on July 11, won
9594-480: The WrestleMania title match, making it a triple threat match between Orton, Mysterio, and then-champion, Kurt Angle . At WrestleMania on April 2, Mysterio pinned Orton to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. On the following episode of SmackDown! , Mysterio – billed as an " underdog champion", made his first successful World Heavyweight title defense against Orton. Mysterio retained the title again during
9717-435: The belt until losing it back to Colon on April 6. In June 2002, Mysterio signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and promos that hyped his debut began airing. The "Jr." was dropped from his name and was billed simply as Rey Mysterio. Mysterio, with his mask, made his WWE debut on the July 25, 2002, episode of SmackDown! as a face , defeating Chavo Guerrero. His first feud was with Kurt Angle , culminating in
9840-675: The belts to Latin Lover and Panterita del Ring . The father son team would also win the WWA Tag Team Championship Los Guerreras also teamed with Psicosos to win the WWA Trios Championship from El Hijo del Santo, Octagón and Rey Misterio, Jr. Fuerza Guerrera would also briefly hold the IWC World Middleweight Championship. In late 1995 AAA and Promo Azteca who had been co-promoting shows for about
9963-479: The company's Talent Wellness Program policy and that his suspension would expire on June 25. After his return in July, Mysterio faced The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam on August 19 and in a fatal-four way match at Night of Champions on September 16, but lost both times. In September, he was paired with Sin Cara as a tag team. They entered into a feud with The Prime Time Players ( Titus O'Neil and Darren Young ), defeating them at Hell in
10086-446: The company's Wellness Policy. Before the suspension, he lost the title on the September 1 (aired September 4) episode of SmackDown against John Morrison . In an interview with Mexican newspaper Record , Mysterio stated that he was suspended for a drug he was using for his knee and arm. Mysterio stated that he had a prescription for the drug, but was unable to produce it in time to prevent his suspension due to being on vacation and doing
10209-562: The cruiserweight title to Lenny Lane . On the October 18 episode of Nitro , Mysterio and Konnan defeated Harlem Heat to win the World Tag Team Championship, however, Mysterio was injured during the match and was sidelined. Kidman substituted for Mysterio and teamed with Konnan during their title defense against Harlem Heat and the First Family at Halloween Havoc six days later, where the Filthy Animals lost
10332-412: The event, Batista and Mysterio defeated MNM on SmackDown! to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a match they both dedicated to Guerrero. Mysterio and Batista's match with Big Show and Kane was then billed as "Champions vs. Champions," which they lost. On the December 30 episode of SmackDown! , MNM invoked their rematch clause, defeating Batista and Mysterio after interference from Mark Henry to regain
10455-464: The fans understand that I was in a position where I had no option. I either had to lose my mask or lose my job. Following SuperBrawl, Mysterio became a "giant killer" by defeating large opponents such as Kevin Nash, Bam Bam Bigelow , and Scott Norton . At Uncensored on March 14, he lost to Nash after interference from Lex Luger . The next night, on the March 15 episode of Nitro , he defeated Billy Kidman to win his fourth Cruiserweight Championship. On
10578-414: The feud. After the match, Batista saved Mysterio from an attack by Khali, making the match at Unforgiven a triple threat match. At the event on September 16, Mysterio failed to win the title, which was won by Batista. Mysterio then began a feud with Finlay, an opponent chosen by JBL. The rivalry was marked as "Fight vs. Flight", contrasting the fighting styles of both wrestlers – Finlay's physicality, versus
10701-440: The finals with Mysterio pinning Mundo for the win. For Triplemanía XXIII , AAA's biggest show of the year, a "dream match" between Mysterio and Myzteziz took place. Both wrestlers teamed during their time in WWE and AAA but had never competed against each other. Mysterio was victorious, forcing Myzteziz to submit to a Fujiwara armbar . After the match, Myzteziz turned rudo and sprayed mist at Mysterio's face, challenging him to
10824-623: The first professional wrestling championships of his career. In May, 1984 Guerrera vacated the title when he moved from the lightweight weight class (between 63 kg (139 lb) and 70 kg (150 lb)) and into the Welterweight weight class (between 70 kg (150 lb) and 78 kg (172 lb)). On December 3, 1985, Fuerza Guerrera captured the Mexican National Welterweight Championship when he defeated Javier Cruz. Guerrera held
10947-406: The high-flying Mysterio. After fighting to a "no contest" at No Mercy on October 7, followed by a double-disqualification in a number one contender's match for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship on the next SmackDown! , he defeated Finlay in a Stretcher match at Cyber Sunday on October 28. During this feud, he lost a match to Finlay on the November 9 episode of SmackDown! and was part of
11070-482: The independent circuit to keep their ring names (or, in Gargano's case, his real name). Gargano and Ciampa have since signed exclusive WWE contracts. "In-house" WWE wrestlers still use WWE-owned ring names. In rare cases, the rights to a wrestler's ring name may be owned by a company with little or no connection to professional wrestling, such as Marvel Comics ' ownership of the name Hulk Hogan until early 2003, which
11193-775: The likes of Alberto El Patron in Qatar Pro Wrestling, Amazing Red in House of Glory, AJ Styles at a 5 Star Wrestling show in the UK, and Ricochet in Xtreme Wrestling Alliance (XWA). Mysterio faced fellow WWE alumnus Kurt Angle on March 20, 2016, for the upstart URFight promotion, defeating Angle in a two-falls match with assistance from rapper Riff Raff . On April 30, 2017, at the WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup, Mysterio won
11316-403: The losing team is forced to wrestle each other with their mask on the line. Fuerza Guerrera pinned El Hijo del Santo to keep both his and Octagón's mask safe, while Hijo del Santo would go on to unmask Black Shadow, Jr. On February 15, 1992, Fuerza Guerrera became the first ever CMLL World Welterweight Champion when he defeated El Khalifa in the finals of a 4-man tournament . Guerrera only held
11439-408: The mask meant to me, to my fans and to my family. It was a very bad move on their behalf. The fans wanted Rey Mysterio with the mask and losing it hurt me a lot. It was also frustrating that it didn't come as the climax to a feud with another masked wrestler, but in a throwaway match. The same thing happened to Juventud and Psicosis and psychologically wise it was a bad move by Eric Bischoff . I think
11562-480: The match and turned on Mysterio, hitting him with a steel chair. Guerrero would also cost Mysterio his rematch the following week. At SummerSlam on August 20, Mysterio lost to Guerrero after Vickie Guerrero tried to stop both men from fighting, but accidentally knocked Mysterio off the top turnbuckle. Vickie then turned on Mysterio by hitting him in the back with a steel chair and gave him an injury, thus, siding with Guerrero. On October 8, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in
11685-473: The match, Michaels and Mysterio hugged in the ring and Mysterio pointed up to the sky, crying, in memory of Guerrero. Mysterio participated in the main event of Survivor Series on November 27, as part of Team SmackDown! along with Randy Orton , Bobby Lashley , Batista , and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), defeating Team Raw ( Shawn Michaels , Kane , Big Show , Carlito , and Chris Masters ). Mysterio faced Big Show, who he eliminated at Survivor Series, in
11808-401: The number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. King Booker attacked Mysterio from behind backstage with the help of King Booker's wife Queen Sharmell . The next week on SmackDown! , Mysterio gained revenge by attacking King Booker and his " court ". On July 23, at The Great American Bash , Mysterio lost the World Heavyweight Championship to King Booker after Chavo interfered in
11931-551: The original wrestlers bookings and his half of the Mexican tag team title. The team held the tag team titles until losing to the father/son team of Perro Aguayo and Perro Aguayo, Jr. on June 7, 1998. In 2001 Fuerza Guerrera made his return to CMLL, initially to team with Blue Panther and El Signo to lose the Mexican National Trios title to Mr. Niebla , Olímpico and Safari , handing the titles over to CMLL. In 2002 Guerrera, Blue Panther and Dr. Wagner, Jr. had
12054-702: The pair exchanging victories on consecutive episodes of Raw . The feud culminated in a match at Capitol Punishment on June 19, where Punk emerged victorious. On July 25, Mysterio won a tournament for the vacant WWE Championship to win his first WWE Championship, but he lost the title to John Cena later that night. On the August 15 episode of Raw , Mysterio received a rematch for the WWE Championship against new champion Alberto Del Rio, but lost to him via submission. Mysterio suffered an injury in late August. On April 26, 2012, WWE reported that Mysterio had been suspended for 60 days due to his second violation of
12177-591: The prefix "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Numerous boxers have used ring names or nicknames as their mode of identification during their professional boxing careers, particularly during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The ring name "Kid" was particularly popular, indicating the boxer's comparative youth. Since the mid 20th century, ring names for boxers have typically been less common, although nicknames have become more popular in recent years. Famous examples of boxers who used ring names include: Fuerza Guerrera Fuerza Guerrera (born December 13, 1953)
12300-423: The promotion. Mysterio continually refused to join and feuded with Guerrero and the LWO members, including winning a match against longtime rival and LWO member Psicosis in a match at Road Wild on August 8. He was forced to join the group after losing a match to Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio's on-and-off tag team partner Billy Kidman joined him during the feud with LWO, wrestling against the LWO despite Mysterio being
12423-431: The rope, grabbing it, and spinning around 180°, hitting the person on the face with his legs. Mysterio, seeing that something was wrong due to Perro becoming limp, purposely missed. The other wrestlers continued performing while each coming up and checking on Perro. They quickly finished the match after realizing that something serious had happened. The referee, wrestlers, and locker room crew came out and took Perro out using
12546-840: The space of a month. Mysterio returned on the June 23 episode of Raw , as the first wrestler to be drafted in the 2008 WWE Draft from the SmackDown brand to the Raw brand. Mysterio made his Raw in-ring debut on July 7, pinning Santino Marella after a 619. General Manager Mike Adamle announced that John Cena was injured and that Mysterio would replace him in the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven . The next week, Mysterio made his return to Raw after an extended absence by attacking Kane, turning back numerous claims that Kane had "ended his career". Mysterio then made his in-ring return at Unforgiven on September 7, competing in
12669-601: The title after being unmasked and pinned by Jericho. Mysterio and Jericho were booked in a Title vs. Mask match that was scheduled for The Bash on June 28, which Mysterio won, regaining the title. Mysterio retained the title once more against Jericho on the July 10 episode of SmackDown to end their feud, before he was attacked by Dolph Ziggler after the match. He successfully defended the title against Ziggler at both Night of Champions on July 26 and SummerSlam on August 23. On August 2, WWE announced that Mysterio would be suspended for 30 days, effective September 2, for violating
12792-495: The title against Swagger before Kane, who had won the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match earlier that night, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, ending Mysterio's reign at 28 days. He had a rematch for the title at SummerSlam on August 15, but he was defeated. Mysterio then entered a feud with the debuting Alberto Del Rio , a Mexican wrestler who portrayed a high-class aristocrat. During Del Rio's debut on
12915-427: The title and, after the match was attacked by Batista. On November 22, Mysterio lost to Batista at Survivor Series by technical knockout . Their feud moved around the World Heavyweight Championship, when Mysterio defeated Batista on the December 18 episode of SmackDown to gain a title shot against The Undertaker on the following episode of SmackDown , but the match ended in a no contest after Batista interfered. On
13038-416: The title back to Guerrero, as well as in a rematch at World War 3 on November 23. On the January 15, 1998, episode of WCW Thunder , Mysterio defeated Juventud to win his third Cruiserweight Championship, but lost it nine days later to Chris Jericho at Souled Out . After the match, Jericho continued the beating by using a toolbox he found at ringside. This storyline was used to cover Mysterio's need for
13161-563: The title back to Malenko. Mysterio challenged Ultimate Dragon for the J-Crown Championship in a losing effort at World War 3 on November 24. On February 23, 1997, he faced Prince Iaukea for the WCW World Television Championship at SuperBrawl VII , but lost after being attacked by Lord Steven Regal . Mysterio also lost a title rematch at Uncensored on March 16. Soon after, Mysterio began
13284-404: The title for 22 days before losing it to America . In mid 1992 CMLL head booker Antonio Peña decided to break away from the promotion and start on his own, founding a company called Asistencia Asesoría y Administración , later known simply as AAA. When Peña left CMLL a lot of wrestlers, especially younger wrestlers and lower weight division wrestlers, left with him to AAA, among those to leave
13407-636: The title for approximately 240 days before vacating the title as he left EMLL to work for other wrestling promotions in Mexico. By late 1988 Guerrera had returned to EMLL and captured the NWA World Welterweight Championship on October 4, 1988, when he defeated Solar II and won the highest ranking title in the Welterweight division at the time. Guerrera would go on to make several successful title defenses until he lost to Águila Solitaria on June 2, 1980. Guerrera regained
13530-577: The title three days later and went on to have an 808-day reign that included successful title defenses against Pantera II , Americo Rocca , his trainer Gallo Tapado, Misterioso and Octagón . In 1989 Guerrera also began working part-time in the Tijuana , Baja California based World Wrestling Association promotion, winning the WWA Welterweight Championship twice in 1989 and 1990. During his title reign Fuerza Guerrera began
13653-406: The title, after he and Sabu were ruled unable to continue following a triple jump DDT through a table by Sabu. Mysterio then retained his title in a match against Mark Henry, winning by disqualification after Chavo Guerrero handed Henry a chair and Mysterio acted as if he was hit, a tactic for which Eddie Guerrero was known. Mysterio began a feud with King Booker , who won a battle royal to become
13776-553: The title. At Fall Brawl on September 17, the Filthy Animals fought The Natural Born Thrillers to a no contest in an elimination tag team match. Mysterio reformed his tag team with Kidman and challenged for the World Tag Team Championship in a triangle match at Halloween Havoc on October 29, facing the champions Natural Born Thrillers and The Boogie Knights in a losing effort. At Millennium Final on November 16, Mysterio and Kidman lost to KroniK , but avenged their loss at Mayhem ten days later against KroniK and Alex Wright in
13899-595: The titles back to Harlem Heat. Mysterio returned in early 2000 and remained a steady performer, eventually joining the New Blood faction, opposing the Millionaire's Club . On the August 14 episode of Nitro , Mysterio and Juventud defeated The Great Muta and Vampiro to win the World Tag Team Championship. They were stripped of the title after Ernest Miller pinned Disco Inferno with the stipulation that if he pinned Disco, Mysterio and Guerrera would be stripped of
14022-417: The two to face off with their mask on the line. Guerrera sat on the sideline and watched Octagón defeat Ramírez and unmask him after the match per Lucha Libre traditions. On December 15, 1991, Guerrera and Octagón were once again involved in an Apuesta match where each could potentially lose their mask. The two teamed up to take on El Hijo del Santo and Black Shadow, Jr. in a Relevos suicida match , where
14145-552: The winning team at Survivor Series on November 18, which consisted of both wrestlers on opposing sides (although Mysterio was second to be eliminated). He re-entered the World Heavyweight Championship picture on the January 4, 2008, episode of SmackDown! when he won a Beat the Clock challenge for a chance to face the World Heavyweight Champion Edge at the Royal Rumble . At the event on January 27, he
14268-409: The wrestler's gimmick changes, either subtly or dramatically. After debuting in WWE as the " Connecticut Blueblood " Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Paul Levesque's character later morphed into Triple H . A more drastic change sometimes occurs when a wrestler turns heroic or villainous , such as when Hulk Hogan joined the villainous nWo (New World Order) and became "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. His new attitude
14391-516: Was Fuerza Guerrera and his rival Octagón who moved to AAA to continue their feud. One of Peña's creations was the annual Triplemanía event, starting with Triplemanía I on March 30, 1993, where Fuerza Guerrera teamed with Heavy Metal and Rambo in a loss to Octagón, El Hijo del Santo and Villano III . In the months following Triplemanía I Fuerza's son, working under the name Juventud Guerrera , made his debut in AAA and began teaming with his father on
14514-413: Was a house cleaner and Roberto was a factory worker. Gutiérrez spent his childhood crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego each day for school. Gutiérrez dropped out of high school with his parents' approval. He has three brothers. Gutiérrez made his debut in Mexico on April 30, 1989, when he was 14 years old. He was trained by his uncle Rey Misterio and wrestled early on in Mexico, where he learned
14637-428: Was attacked by the nWo as a result. This led to a match at SuperBrawl IX on February 21, where Mysterio and tag partner Konnan lost a "Hair vs. Mask match" against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall , forcing Mysterio to remove his mask. After the match, he phoned his uncle to tell him the news. Mysterio has publicly expressed his disappointment over being unmasked: I was strongly against it! I don't think WCW understood what
14760-596: Was due to Hogan being advertised as " The Incredible Hulk Hogan" early in his career, while Marvel owned the trademark for their comic book character. Sometimes, a wrestler will buy the rights to their own ring name; for example, Steve Borden owns the rights to the name Sting and licenses it to the musician of the same name . The wrestler formerly known as Test took this one step further and legally changed his name to "Andrew Test Martin". Jim Hellwig, known as The Ultimate Warrior , had his name legally changed to simply "Warrior". In many cases, ring names evolve over time as
14883-604: Was enhanced by changing his costume color scheme from his famous red and yellow to nWo's black and white. Steve Williams adopted the ring name Steve Austin to avoid confusion with the then-more established performer "Dr. Death" Steve Williams . Austin would wrestle under that name for several years before signing with the WWF and being given the name "the Ringmaster". This gimmick failed to catch on, and Austin reverted to his established name, reaching his greatest level of success with
15006-480: Was injured. On February 20, Mysterio teamed up with Eddie Guerrero , winning the WWE Tag Team Championship back from the Basham Brothers at No Way Out . In a departure from traditional booking , Mysterio and Guerrero did not defend their titles at WrestleMania 21 on April 3, but instead had a match against each other, which Mysterio won. On the April 21 episode of SmackDown! , Mysterio and Guerrero lost
15129-510: Was unsuccessful in winning the championship. WWE's official website announced on February 14 that Mysterio suffered a biceps injury during an overseas tour. Despite the injury, Mysterio faced Edge for the title in a rematch at No Way Out on February 17, which he lost. On the February 22 episode of SmackDown , Mysterio announced that his injury would keep him out of action for at least six months, and he eventually underwent three surgeries within
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