San Diego resident and longtime professional wrestler Rey Mysterio will be inducted into his industry’s Hall of Fame.
World Wrestling Entertainment announced Friday night that the fan favorite wrestler is the first inductee into its Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The induction ceremony will be March 31 in Los Angeles as part of the WWE’s annual Wrestlemania weekend.
The announcement was made during the WWE’s “Smackdown” show and instantly became a plot line in an ongoing feud between Mysterio and his son, Dominik, which is expected to culminate in a match at Wrestlemania.
Mysterio’s career has included not only working in WWE but also with wrestling companies ECW, AAA, CMLL, NJPW, and WCW. He has won WWE’s 2006 Royal Rumble, the World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWE Championship once.
Standing only five feet, six inches and weighing about 175 pounds, Mysterio is popular with fans for his style and for being an underdog wrestler who has beaten bigger wrestlers.
He was one of the first wrestlers to popularize the lucha libre style of wrestling with American audiences, a high-flying style that is extremely popular in Mexico and in San Diego’s binational region.
Mysterio, whose real name is Óscar Gutiérrez, was born and still lives in Chula Vista. His wrestling finishing maneuver is nicknamed the “619” after one of San Diego’s area codes. He has appeared at Comic-Con and received local recognition.
In 2018, then San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez presented Mysterio a proclamation declaring “Rey Mysterio Day.” The proclamation cited his work in the community where he organized and participated in “various charity events, educational campaigns and wrestling matches at schools and community centers.”
Tickets are being sold on WWE.com for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will air on the Peacock streaming service.