Rey Mysterio Reveals Why He Left WWE In 2015
Rey Mysterio made a surprise return to the WWE earlier this year and is now working full-time as a superstar on SmackDown Live. Mysterio was recently a guest on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia and opened up about his return to the company.
When Mysterio left the WWE in 2015, he hoped to eventually return at some point down the line. He said he was exhausted and needed a break, and he also wanted to spend more time with his family. He worked the independent circuit, which gave him the chance to make his own schedule so he could have as much time with his children as possible.
"The opportunity was definitely on the table, and from the moment that I had left I left not giving detailed explanation to media or to whoever had any doubts or questions as to why I left. It was between WWE and myself; this was a part-time farewell. I needed to take a break. I needed to rest. I needed to be around my family to pick up on a lot of things that I had missed out on over the years with being on the road so much and traveling and dedicating so much of my time to the sport that I kind of pushed my family aside; don't get me wrong, my wife has always been supportive of what I do as well as my kids, but when my kids were young they don't understand why Dad has to leave every week," Mysterio explained. "They don't understand why Dad is not there for their birthdays or special events at school. They just know that Dad is working and is on the road. Now that they are older they understand that. They understand what I do and understand the impact that I have on life and on other people's life so that was pretty much my answer as to why I was stepping away from my contractual agreement with WWE.
"I started working on the independent scene. I started to work with Lucha Underground and towards the end of my independent run I was working a bit more in Japan with New Japan so that was definitely on my bucket list to accomplish in my career, and sure enough the beginning of this year in 2018 I got an opportunity to go back into the Royal Rumble as a guest spot and that just kind of lead to where everything is at right now."
Mysterio said he is enjoying his comeback as he's reunited with old friends and he's been introduced to the new generation of superstars. He said his main goal at this point in his career is to put on great performances for the fans.
"It has been incredible. From the time that I left up until now there is definitely a lot of new faces on the roster. That is the evolution of this sport. You can't have everybody around forever. By the time that I left there were guys that were leaving the company–whether it was due to injuries or just to continue to whatever else they wanted to do outside of wrestling. To be back now and to see some old faces and new faces is actually really a feel good moment," he said. "It feels good to be back. Under different terms, I wouldn't have been able to go back and wrestle at the full schedule prior to me leaving 4 years ago. My body is definitely beat down after 29 years of a solid career. I am just the type of person where that bell rings or I walk through that curtain I am ready to give 110 percent. As much as people tell me that I can take it easy and I don't have to do that much, but I can't cheat my fans so I go out there and give it everything."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia
Peter Bahi contributed to this article.