Wow, what a great question,
what's the best advice Rey Mysterio has ever given me?
Rey was instrumental in working with me very early on in my career.
Performers like Rey really molded the way that I perform today which is extremely
improvisational and a lot based on how you feel.
>> I think one of the most important things that he's told me was after
my first match against Seth at SummerSlam, I remember he hugged me and I asked him,
I said, how was it?
How did I do?
And he was just like you killed it, you did great and
then afterwards he just said, it only matters what you think.
If you think you did good or the people around you think, he goes,
whatever feedback it is that you're getting is that's what matters.
>> Some veterans or some guys who've been around as long as he has,
feel the need to take on this sort of mentor role, sometimes even unsolicited.
And just offer advice left and right but with Rey, I don't know, I feel like he's
always treated me like a peer which I take that as a huge compliment.
He never talked down to me or never offered advice and he just talks to
you like you're on his level and I don't think anybody's on his level, really.
There's only one Rey Mysterio, there only ever will be one Rey Mysterio.
>> There's never been anybody in our industry that has worn a mask that can
express emotion as well as Rey Mysterio.
There was a match that he had,
this is actually great cuz it's not ever talked about.
So Rey was competing against TJ in 2010 on Superstars,
literally a week before he was set to have a huge WrestleMania singles match in 2010.
I can't even begin to tell you how excited Rey was about the opportunity to work
with TJ and TJ was like a kid in a candy shop, he was on cloud nine.
Anybody who was anybody of influence watched the match and
because of what Rey did for TJ and how much he let TJ shine, he literally gave TJ
this WrestleMania moment when TJ wasn't even a part of that WrestleMania.
It makes me emotional talking about it because that's the kind of person that Rey
is, he wants to have everybody that he's in there with shining.
To this day, TJ will still pull up that match and watch it back and
he just thinks of that match as his WrestleMania moment.
And it was because of Rey, Rey giving that match to TJ and
TJ having somebody that believed in him enough for him to rise to that occasion.
>> We're not gonna have another Rey Mysterio, he's Rey Mysterio and that's it.
And I just feel that his legacy is gonna be untouchable,
it's gonna be there forever and
I think he's still an inspiration to everyone and he will be forever.
Cuz now we have the internet and everyone can search for Rey Mysterio and
he's gonna find everything of him.
Everyone is gonna get motivated for the rest of the years from now.
>> At the time when I was training to become a wrestler, I was met with kind of
this dilemma where I wanted to hide my background, if that made sense.
I wasn't very open to the fact that I'm a Muslim and then my name is Mustafa Ali.
So to hide that,
the idea with who I was training with that time was to put a mask on.
Rey Mysterio is the luchador so when I designed my first mask, I tribute to him,
I actually had was Rey's infamous freckles wings coming over his mouth.
And I have the same wings on my first luchador mask and
I just remember when I got into the ring, I said that I wanna be like Rey Mysterio.
>> I can tell you that every time I'm around him is like a special thing for me.
And I mean, I speak as myself, I think I can speak for the entire locker room,
I don't think there's anybody in our locker room that's as respected as Rey is.
And obviously, a lot of our longtime guys are very well respected but
Rey is on another level.
He's been around for so long so everybody that's watched wrestling at any point,
is likely to have seen Rey Mysterio.
But the thing about him that's special is even though he's been doing this for
that long, you can watch a Rey Mysterio match now, you can watch Rey Mysterio
match from 1997, it's the same stuff, the guy hasn't aged at all.
>> So it's funny cuz whenever people ask me about my favorite wrestler growing up,
it always rotates between three guys.
Shawn Michaels, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat and Rey Mysterio.
And for me, Rey is the one who actually made me believe that I could do
this because there were so many people who told me that I was too small.
They told me that I wasn't tall enough, I wasn't big enough and
I'd feel bad about it.
And then I'd go home and I'd look at the TV and I'd see Rey Mysterio doing
all these incredible things and winning championships.
I'm like man, I can do that.
If he can do that, I can do it.
I just saw a lot of what I wanted to be in Rey,
in the way that he told his stories in the ring.
He was always the underdog, I remember the Biggest Little Man DVD and
it's one of my favorites because literally every single match,
the way that he is presented, you don't even have to say anything.
You just put Rey Mysterio next to somebody and you already know by the way he's
looking up at his opponent, that it's gonna be an uphill battle to climb.
And usually, he does it and it just makes you feel like you can also do it too.
>> I think all of his teachings kinda came full circle in the Summer
of Cena when I got to work about 20 live events with Rey and his son.
They kinda let me from the apron, kinda coach and improvise.
And Rey, certainly having the seniority of the group really just kinda listened and
I remember talking to his son about options he's to choose in the ring and
what he should do and how he should act.
And Rey is right across from me on the corner, and he's like man,
why didn't you teach me any of this stuff?
And without a second of hesitation, I said Rey, cuz you taught me this.
He taught that to me and was so grateful that I was teaching it to his son.
It was really cool to be able to not only digest his advice but
apply it to another generation of WWE superstars beyond myself.
>> It's so impressive how you see this big legend being so humble.
Nobody, nobody in the world and I can sign you right here,
right now that nobody hates Rey Mysterio.
You will never hear something bad about Rey Mysterio.
If you ask 100 people hey, what do you think of Rey Mysterio?
All of them are gonna have good opinions,
I can sign you that you wouldn't hear anything bad from him.
>> And I'm sure you can ask anybody who's ever met him.
He just in general is cool, down to earth, nice, kind, gentle, compassionate.
They say don't meet your heroes but meeting my heroes and meeting someone like
Rey, and seeing how he is as a person and how you make people feel is everything.
And the way he makes people feel, it's just amazing and so
that's something that I wanna continue to do for
not just people who look up to me of anything, but just anybody in general.
>> He just nitpicks to where he wants me to be better than he was but that's so
hard man, that's so hard to fill those shoes and
even just to be able to attempt it.
But I think overall, just the best advice was be yourself out there and give
the people 110% you have cuz that's all you can do, give them the best you can do.
>> We got to team in Europe a few years ago and that was really special to me.
And actually after the match, this picture was taken and to this day,
it's in my favorites on my phone.
I just love that picture and when my career is done and I actually take
the time to maybe put some stuff of my career up on my walls at home or
something, that picture is gonna be there for sure.
I remember feeling like it was so surreal that I got the team with him.
Just getting to travel with him, I guess it was probably our first tour.
I think we were in Europe, it's probably our first tour together and
just hearing that I was gonna get the team with him just filled me with so much joy.
And then having that moment after the match was really special.
>> I've seen the same barber for the last 15 years and
he's a man with a Hispanic background.
And the way he talks about Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio,
the light that is in his eyes, the smile that comes to his face and the way
his kids who didn't get to watch them perform years ago still know who they are.
I can't explain to you how awesome, I can only imagine how Rey Mysterio feels but
that's what I strive for, that's what I want.
And to see not just a cultural but a generational impact that he's had, he's
synonymous with not only his culture and his people but in the world of wrestling.
>> I mean, he's the definition of the greatest to ever do it.
In my opinion, he opened so many doors, he revolutionized the sport,
he brought Lucha libre to the United States and
changed the world of wrestling, simple as that.
And I don't wanna get too deep into it but
he's definitely one of the best little men to ever do it and
definitely opened the doors for tons of people and he's a genuine GOAT.
>> Rey's legacy in a few words.
Impossible is nothing.
By lineup standards, Rey Mysterio shouldn't exist and
he's one of the most decorated superstars in WWE history.
Someone would look at Rey Mysterio and they're like impossible,
damn it's just the work.