WWE Hall Of Famer’s Uncle Rey Misterio Sr. Passes Away
The legendary Mexican wrestler and trainer Rey Misterio Sr. has passed away while his nephew Rey Mysterio continues to carry on his legacy.
Mexican wrestling legend Rey Misterio Sr. has passed away at the age of 66 years old. His real name was Miguel Ángel López Días.
It’s the second tragic loss for WWE’s Rey Mysterio because his father passed away in November as well.
When WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio Jr. became a household name in pro wrestling in the mid-1990s, he had the “Jr.” as part of his name because his uncle, Rey Misterio Sr., trained him.
During his WCW run that lasted from 1996 until early 2001, Rey Mysterio still had the “Jr.” as part of his name. However, when Rey Mysterio signed with WWE in the summer of 2002, the “Jr.” part of his name was removed and he has been known as just Rey Mysterio to the WWE Universe for the past 22 years.
Rey Sr. started wrestling in 1976. He retired officially in 2009 but returned for one final tag team match in 2023 at a global Lucha Libre Event.
While Rey Sr. was very successful as a wrestler, he also had a lot of success as a trainer since he trained the likes of his superstar nephew Rey Jr., plus Psicosis, Konnan, Halloween, Damien 666, Cassandro, Extreme Tiger, Venum Black, and others.
Rey Misterio Sr. Was A Tijuana Wrestling Legend
The Wrestling Observer‘s Dave Meltzer wrote about the legacy of Rey Misterio Sr. as well.
Rey Sr. was a fixture on the Tijuana wrestling scene and while not a major national star, he was a promoter, wrestler and trainer.
One of the reasons Tijuana has been such a major wrestling hotbed for decades is Rey. He had been wheelchair bound due to an out of the ring accident but also had many injuries from wrestling in that cement-like ring that I can recall from the early 90s.
He was like the local territory star like a Jerry Lawler or Dusty Rhodes or Verne Gagne , but really closer to a Johnny Weaver in the late 60s and early 70s Carolinas, or Dutch Savage in Oregon than a Dusty. He’d headline as as a babyface against all the top rudos from around the country and sometimes the U.S. as well.
He trained Rey Misterio Jr., Hayabusa, Konnan, Halloween, Damian, the original Psicosis and countless others.
On a national basis in Mexico, the Rey Misterio & Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Fuerza & Juventud Guerrera feud in AAA had incredible matches. He was a very good tecnico style worker, could do the Lucha basics and strong at brawling.
The video below is a tag team match between Rey Sr. and Jr. against Fuerza and Juventud Guerrera from AAA wrestling in 1995.
TJRWrestling sends our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of the great Rey Misterio Sr.