Rey Mysterio admits he doesn't believe he had his best promo work during his first run as World Heavyweight Champion.
Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble match. It was the classic underdog story but this one was quite different. Mysterio's close friend, Eddie Guerrero, passed away in Nov. 2005. Mysterio would carry on the legacy of "Latino Heat" by winning the World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match against Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22.
During an appearance on The Kurt Angle Show, Mysterio said he felt his inability to cut a solid promo hurt him during his first run as World Heavyweight Champion.
"I never took the time to work on what I needed to work on in order to back that title up and that was working on my promos or character development. In Lucha, you were never taught that part of this industry. I think that's where I dropped the ball, tremendously, on not being able to back up having the title and being able to cut promos. I've never really been a promo guy. I do most of my talking inside the ring and that's what fans know me for. If I had done my end of the job, the outcome would have been different."
Angle, himself, recently admitted that he pushed to win back the title from Rey. His argument was that he'd be able to elevate a younger talent in the process. WWE stuck with Rey as champion until July 2006 when he was pinned by Booker T.
Today, Rey Mysterio is recognized as a legend in the wrestling business. His 2006 World Heavyweight Title run didn't hurt him in the eyes of WWE management long-term as he eventually recaptured the gold in 2010 and won the WWE Championship.
