Rey Mysterio is from San Diego, California. If you haven’t heard, you’re in the minority. The fans at the San Diego Sports Arena at Tuesday’s SmackDown! taping certainly knew, as the high-flying Superstar received a deafening ovation as he went to the ring, and an even louder one when he defeated Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the Triple Threat main event. And promoters were extremely happy with the “walk-up,” as 1,100 people bought tickets at the Sports Arena Box Office on the day of the show. They attributed that largely to Mysterio, who was profiled by several media outlets in the days preceding SmackDown!
Moments after Mysterio’s match, he spoke to WWE.com as the Superstars came by to congratulate him on his night. Mysterio was clearly ecstatic.
WWE.com: How are you feeling right now?
Mysterio: It feels awesome to walk out there and get a great reaction like I did tonight. I was expecting a lot of fans, but, man, it was incredible.
WWE.com: Is beating Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit one of the biggest wins of your career?
Mysterio: I would have to say it is, especially being in San Diego. I’ve wrestled here before, with WCW, but that was nothing compared to the reaction I got today.
WWE.com: How many times have you performed in San Diego?
Mysterio: I’ve probably performed four times with WCW. And my first very show was actually here at the Sports Arena with AAA.
WWE.com: Were you even introduced as being from San Diego when you were in WCW?
Mysterio: They did, but they didn’t make a big scene about it. When I’d walk out to the ring, it would just be like [unenthusiastic voice], “From San Diego, California, Rey Mysterio.” Nothing like it is now.
WWE.com: What have these last few days been like for you? You were in the San Diego Union-Tribune; you were in the Spanish-language paper down here.
Mysterio: That’s where we get back to the question that you asked before – about announcing me from San Diego, California. Knowing that I’m from here, I never did promotion for WCW like I did for WWE. This is part of my job. I love going out to radio interviews, TV, etc., etc. Just to let the people know that I’m from here, I’m representing my hometown. Not many people can do that.
WWE.com: They had a huge walk up crowd today. That must be because of you.
Mysterio: If it is, that’s a great feeling inside. It just goes to show that I’m in the biggest company that could ever be. They know how to utilize the image of Rey Mysterio, who is from San Diego, California.
WWE.com: So who’s here tonight? You must have a lot of friends and family.
Mysterio. Yes. I’ve got a lot of friends. I’ve got a lot of family. I probably have a lot of friends who I haven’t seen in years from high school who have probably seen me on TV, and I haven’t been in touch with them because I’ve been doing my thing. And they probably saw me here tonight. If I went to school with them, that’s real cool that they took the time to come out here tonight to show some respect for who I am.
WWE.com: Beyond just tonight, what do you have to say about your first few months in WWE?
Mysterio: They’ve been amazing. Even before I started, just the way they blew up the image of Rey Mysterio coming for four weeks – throwing promotions on TV. People didn’t really know who it was until like the second week of promotion. It’s been wonderful – a lot of respect, one big family. I could keep on going and going. It’s great.
WWE.com: We’ve just announced that WrestleMania XIX is coming to Seattle. What are you thoughts as we head in to your first WrestleMania?
Mysterio: It’s going to be wonderful. I would love to know who I’m going to face. We’ve got so much time ahead of us to find out. But God, that’s one big step in my career.
WWE.com: Do you want to be WWE Champion?
Mysterio: Yes I do. That’s probably one of my focuses. I guess right now, my main focus is to let the people know who I am. I haven’t been on TV for about a year and a half, until I started here. I want the people to get used to who I was in WCW, and now that I’m with WWE, I’ve got a lot more to give – a lot more for me, a lot more for the fans. I’ve got a lot to give to them. So, yes, without a doubt, I want to climb that ladder so high, until I can’t go no more.
WWE.com: Anything you want to add?
Mysterio: I do want to say thank you to all my fans who have been following me ever since I started my career. I actually had fans who walked up to me that are like, “You know what Rey? I’ve been following you since AAA.” And that’s 13 years back, which is real cool. For 13 years they’ve been following me. And now they’re so happy that I’m in the biggest company in the world, and that I’m representing the luchadores, Mexican wrestling, my hometown, small people. They see there’s a lot of future for Rey Mysterio, and especially here. I guess a lot of fans were expecting me to come here. Some people didn’t think I’d be here this soon. Now I’m here, and now they’re so happy. Same as me.