Friday, July 26, 2002
Fortunately, live on the phone is Rey Mysterio who has come to put all of us out of our misery.
Kelly congratulates Rey on
his debut on Smackdown.
Rey thanks him, saying that he was surprised about how great his entrance
was. Rey says that he's going to tone down the pacing on his wrestling; he
will still make the hot moves, but only do two or three, instead of six or
seven.
Rey gives his history, beginning his wrestling training at the age of eight in Tijuana, and seven years later, (age 15!) doing his first show. "The promoters all said I was too young and would get hurt," says Rey, "so my parents had to sign a waiver saying I was allowed to wrestle with their blessing."
Kelly tries to bring up the sore subject of Dr. Tom's about a little dog named Toto who froze. Dr. Tom quickly changes the subject to Rey's putting on the mask last night, and asks if he's ever wrestled Jamie Noble? Rey says yes, he and Noble last wrestled when they were in WCW. He thinks it was in Cincinnati.
Kelly asks Rey about the luchadores and the significance
of the mask?
"The mask gives you a private life," says Rey, "you could go out with
your family and no one would bug you. Additionallly, in Mexican wrestling,
the mask is part of the art; the mystique. It all started with El Santo,
and the movies he did. He never took off his maskm, not even when he died.
"'Mask vs. Mask' matches are big events in Mexico, because you could finally
get to see a wrestler whose face you never saw before."
Kelly compares Rey favorably to Mil Mascaras.
Rey thanks him for the honor comparing him to Mascaras.
Rey then puts over several of the legendary luchadores. "But Mascaras
never took off his mask, either. Even when he showered, he walked in with
one mask, took it off, and put on another one and walk out of the shower
wearing a new one."
Caller John asks if Rey will bring his WCW "Giant Killer" angle to WWE, like the one he did with Kevin Nash? "Sure, why not? There's nowhere else I can go," says Rey, "I want to do everything they ask of me."
Caller Russell from North Carolina wants to know if the Filthy Animals will be getting back together, and if Rey will be tag partners with Billy Kidman? Rey says that he's done just that at some house shows already, and for Russell to watch the TV shows.
In answer to a Chatroom question, Rey says that his new "180 degree swing through the ropes" move is called a "6-1-9" after his area code in San Diego. "It means I'm going home," says Rey with a laugh.
Next caller wants to know how things have changed for Rey working first for WCW and now for WWE? "WCW didn't know how to create stars," says Rey, "so a lot of their talent just plain never got the chance to make it big. WWE gives you three chances. Once, twice, three times. If you don't get the hint by then, they put you aside, but at least you got the opportunity to try and do your best, and to show the fans and the creative guys what you can do out there. That's better than no chance at all!"
Kelly asks how Rey felt coming out on Smackdown?
"I never felt something that intense before," says Rey, "it was like I
wanted to make sure everything was done just right. I knew it was going to
be great, because The Man Upstairs has been behind me and my career all along,
helping me live my dream. It's just great."
Kelly asks if Rey was worried during the year he spent waiting out his old WCW contract; if he was afraid of being left behind? "Yes, I was worried," say Rey, "I was talking with WWE all through that, and they were telling me, 'Wait, it's not time yet." I was thinking 'Will I get the job? Will they hold a spot for me after this is over?' You hear all these rumors about how Vince doesn't push small people, and 'you are too small for WWE.' All that feedback worried me, but I always had a positive attitude, and when the time came, it was my chance to prove I could go out and rock it big, and be the same Rey Mysterio Jr. that I was."
Dr. Tom scoffs at the stature issue, saying if that was the truth, then explain Spike Dudley? Explain X-Pac?
Kelly and Rey laugh about Rey's old boss Eric Bischoff
being the new GM of Raw.
Kelly wants to know if Rey's "thinking of moving?"
"I worked for that guy for four years in WCW," laughs Rey, "I got maybe
one or two pushes, real pushes, and that was it. I think I could have done
better if they, if HE had only let me. "Times change; that's in the past.
For now, I'm gonna tie on my boots, suit up, put on my mask and go out there
and put on a great show. I'm gonna give it my all, and not miss a step. I
like where I'm at right now."
Kelly asks if Rey was happy with his debut match
with Chavo Guerrero last night?
"Yes, I was, " say Rey, "but Chavo was worried that he'd messed up. He
was asking, 'What could I do to make it better?' Nothing at all. It was a
great first match for me, and Chavo did a great job."
Kelly says the weeks of buildup before Rey showed
up may have had something to do with it.
Rey says yes, it put a LOT of pressure on him to succeed in his first match.
"But it didn't hit me until just before I was ready to go out there,"
laughs Rey, "At that moment, I realized just how much of a buildup they
had invested in me."
Kelly says that Matt Duda is interested in Rey's tattoos and artwork, and suggests that maybe Duda should get a tattoo like Rey's got on his back.
Rey laughs and says Duda better wait; the tattoo isn't finished yet.
Chatroom wants to know how Rey got so bulked up,
and if he did that to protect himself from getting seriously injured in the
ring?
"I started doing it to stay in shape when I was off that year," says Rey,
"I was working out five days a week just to keep the pizza and beer off.
Then too, there's my kid, so I gotta do all that kid stuff with him."
Kelly laughs, saying that he's had thirty-five years of that kind of "kid stuff."
A Chatroom comment says that Rey's new entrance
where they shoot him up through the stage was originally going to be Kevin
Kelly's...
...but Kelly kept getting stuck in the hole!
This cracks everybody up.
"Fire in the hole!" laughs Rey.
"More like 'Fatass in the hole!'" says Big Country, which gets a dirty
look from Kelly.
Noah from Michigan wants to know about why Rey took
so long getting to WWE?
"It was a contract thing," says Rey, "I was still owed a year of pay on
my WCW contract, and that kind of held me back. I liked it at first, but then
I got worried if I would still be able to get a job with WWE. I was thinking
'Are they still gonna remember me?'"
Kelly thanks Rey for being on the show.
Rey says much love to everybody and leaves.