WWE's Rey Mysterio Compares & Contrasts His Upbringing With Son Dominik Mysterio

Things between Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio might be strained right now, but even with all the heat between them, Mysterio can't help but be proud of his son. During an appearance on "What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon," he compared his background and journey into pro wrestling to that of Dominik's.

"He showed no interest in education, and I was the same way," he recalled. "I went to school because I had to go to school." Mysterio stated that he made a deal with his mother to finish high school before fully committing to wrestling, but life had other things in store. "That was a part of my bargain, until I left and never came back." Mysterio admitted that he left high school after 11th grade to sign with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, after the company had lengthy talks with his mother.

"Dom is like a spitting image of how I grew up, in the sense of not liking school that much," Mysterio added. Because of their shared similarities, Mysterio was intrigued to see how he'd approach wrestling, while crediting his son for establishing himself through his own hard work. "I just kind of opened the door, and he did all the work. I can see a different evolution in Dom coming up."

After discussing their similarities, Rey then shifted the conversation to lay out how different his and Dominik's journeys into pro wrestling have been.

The WWE Hall of Famer credited Konnan for opening the door to him, recalling how he met Konnan at 11 years old, when he trained at his uncle's gym before becoming a major name in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. Konnan would then bring Mysterio into the promotion, paving the way for both him and Psicosis. "I had to work my way through. With Dom, I don't know if sometimes because he made it right away — he suffered maybe a year and a half training, travelling, doing this, going to Lance [Storm] in Calgary, but the grind was very different."

While he admits his son's journey was easier, Mysterio quickly clarified that this was exactly what he wanted for him, but expressed that he was actually shocked that Dominik ever became a pro wrestler in the first place. "I saw him lose interest probably about the age of 11, 12 years old," Mysterio recalled. The veteran noted that Dominik was only seven when he did the angle with Eddie Guerrero, expressing how quickly time has passed. "Different upbringing and ... I did want the best for both of my kids, but you still want them to be hungry. ... And I believe that Dom has worked to where he's at now on his own, after me just opening up the doors. Now he needs to take it to the next level."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.