WWE's Rey Mysterio Credits This WCW Vet As The 'Vision' Behind His Initial Success

WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio has acknowledged the key role that former WCW star Konnan played in his pro wrestling career, stating that he was the reason he got key opportunities in the business.

Mysterio got his big break in the American wrestling scene when he appeared in ECW, which was then run by Paul Heyman. The WWE legend credited Konnan for the role he played in helping him break down barriers in the business, as Konnan helped both Mysterio and Psicosis get their foot in the door in ECW.

"Right after Worlds Collide is when Eddie [Guerrero], Dean [Malenko], Jericho, they were all in ECW. Konnan was there at the time. Now, I got to give respect and mad love to Konnan because he was the vision behind Rey Mysterio," said the WWE legend on the "No-Contest Wrestling" podcast. "Nobody believed in me because of my size, because I was skinny, I was too short, I didn't look like a wrestler. So, Konnan opened up the doors in AAA. I made a household name in Mexico City, nationally, and then after that, anywhere that he would go, he would always say, 'You got to bring Rey and Psicosis.' That was like the dynamite team right there."

Following the departure of a few stars to WCW, Heyman requested that Konnan provide some names of stars who could replace them, with Konnan suggesting Mysterio and Psicosis as perfect replacements.

"And when Konnan was in ECW, Eddie, Dean, Jericho, they were leaving and going to WCW. And Paul E asked Konnan, 'Do you have anybody to replace my guys that are leaving?' He said, 'I know exactly who.' So, he brought Psicosis and myself to ECW, and after that, the rest is history."

Mysterio had a short stint in ECW, but it gave him the exposure to eventually be signed by WCW, and later by WWE, where he had a legendary career.