Rey Mysterio on taking his mask off during his time in WCW
Rey Mysterio did an interview with Bill Apter and talked about his infamous “lawn dart” angle with Kevin Nash, the impact All In has had on the wrestling business, and taking his mask off during his time in WCW.
The Lawn Dart Angle With Kevin Nash: “I’ll tell you, that moment was one of those moments that will be talked about for a very long time. Still to this day, after 20 years, it’s something that you take with you. How impactful it was because of Nash, how big he was, and how small I was at the time. Just the comparison in size and him just catching me and throwing me. It’s just moments that you cherish. Those are game changers. Those are life changers in this business.”
The Impact All In Has Had On The Wreatling Business: That was definitely a game changer for this business. I think that wrestling will never be the same after All In, meaning in a good way. All that does is emphasize on the opportunity given to every independent wrestler out there. The doors have opened up for a bigger and wider scene for you to be displayed on. I know they talk about WWE being the only company out there where you can pretty much present yourself and be on the big stage.
“But I am going to have to say, after ALL IN there might be bigger opportunities for others that have not been given an opportunity to be a part of the WWE, that are looking for a place to perform and I think this is definitely one of those places. Without a doubt.”
Why He Gave In To Losing His Mask In WCW: “It all started as a rumor for me to wrestle without the mask and, if I’m not mistaken, Scott Hall was the one that kept on saying ‘you gotta baby face’, ‘you’re a pretty mf’. He goes ‘you don’t need the mask, look at that face sells’, so that began to get bigger and bigger and escalated up until Halloween Havoc in 1997 where Eric [Bischoff] had me thinking that I was going to lose the mask that night. I was paranoid because the mask is everything to me. It’s my legacy. It’s my heritage. It’s something that I wear with honor and respect for my uncle. It’s what wanted me to become a luchador. Being able to grow up as a fan and see my uncle wrestle in Tijuana. Witnessing him losing his mask at one point in his career. He broke down crying thinking that it’s not going to be the same. For this rumor to become reality. Then later the night came of the orders of me having to lose the mask on that pay-per-view against Scott and Kevin [Nash]. At the time I said there’s nothing I can do at this point. I fought and I tried and there’s just no sense of pursuing something that’s not going to happen. So I gave in. I had a contract. I had the obligations. So I gave into it and made the best out of it.”
(The Spotlight)
