WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio recently admitted that his first reaction to being told he was entering the WWE Hall of Fame was alarm, not gratitude. When Triple H delivered the news in 2023, Mysterio feared it was a polite way of telling him his in-ring career was over.
Speaking with The Undertaker and Michelle McCool on the Six Feet Under Podcast, Mysterio recalled pushing back on Hunter in the moment, worried the honor doubled as a retirement notice.
I would love to ask that person the same question because when it was brought up, the opportunity to enter the Hall of Fame, I was like ‘Wait a minute,'” Mysterio said.
It was Hunter I believe told me, I said, ‘Hunter bro, I’m not ready to retire, I wanna keep going.’ He went, ‘No no no, we’re not asking you to retire we just think it’s probably the best time to put you in the Hall of Fame.'
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H framed the timing around Mysterio’s high-profile program with his son. The induction landed as Mysterio prepared to face Dominik Mysterio in Los Angeles at WrestleMania, which the company viewed as the perfect window.
This was right when I faced Dom in LA at WrestleMania, so for them it felt like the perfect timing,” Mysterio recalled. “So I said ‘Yeah, lets do it, if you feel it’s the right timing lets go.’ And little did I know I would be the only active Hall of Famer on the roster that’s still going.
Mysterio Reflects On His AAA Beginnings
Mysterio also used the conversation to revisit where it all started for him in Mexico. He described his return to AAA as a full-circle moment, having helped launch the promotion as a teenager.
I wrestled from 14 until about 17, and aged 17 AAA was gonna start, and I remember Konnan giving me a call and he goes ‘Bro, here’s your opportunity. You wanna come wrestle in Mexico? Now’s your chance,'” Mysterio said. “I was like ‘What’s going on?’ He goes ‘We’re getting ready to start this promotion, AAA and this is where you wanna be.'
Crazy enough to be able to say that I was at the first ever AAA show on live television, and to see the full-circle now. It’s insane.
Mysterio remains an active competitor in WWE. He recently challenged Penta for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Raw.
For more on his recent run, see a WWE legend’s reaction to Mysterio’s AAA move and the news that his daughter Aaliyah is headed to the WWE Performance Center.
