Black Widow
02-24-2009, 02:09 PM
While Barack Obama officially became President of the United States on Tuesday, WWE star Rey Mysterio was traveling coast to coast, home to San Diego -- preparing for WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view, the start of WWE's WrestleMania 25 silver anniversary season.
When you ponder it, there is a correlation between these two inspirational men. Obama, a man for change, elicited the interest and support of many young people to the political platform. Mysterio, who already achieved change in another political process, is a fan favorite of many young people, especially kids.
''I want to say, plain and simple, I'm a father myself,'' Mysterio said via phone. ``My son is 11, and my daughter is 7-years-old, and I have another baby coming on the way. The connection I have with my kids is a good connection. It's a friendship, father-type connection.
``Every time I'm at an airport or a hotel lobby or even at an arena, I make time to say hi to my fans. Whether it's a kid who's 8-years-old or a teenager who's 17, 18-years-old. I think that makes a big difference to give your fans the time, an autograph, a handshake or even just to say hello. I think that makes the biggest difference in the world.
``I'd like to say that I'm good with my fans. I like to interact with my fans. I think that speaks to Rey Mysterio, the person who he is.''
Mysterio goes to the ring wearing two masks, giving one to a lucky young fan ringside.
''I was a big fan, and I still am of Bret Hart,'' he said. ``Every time Bret Hart would come out and give his glasses to a kid sitting in the front row, I thought that was really cool.
``I would think what if that was my son sitting in the front row, and Bret Hart put his glasses on my son. Just that emotion, that adrenaline, that connection between that wrestler and that person just brings it to another level.
``Again it goes back to the connection I have with my fans. I like to interact with my fans. I like to say hi and shake hands.''
Mysterio recalls the first time he bumped heads lightly with his fans ringside.
''One day it just happened,'' he recalled. 'I was walking to the ring, and there was a little boy with his Rey Mysterio gear, and I just happened to bump heads with him and was talking to him, eye-to-eye. I said, `Tonight we are going to win, and we are going to do it together. All right. Are you going to help me?' The little boy was like, 'Yea Rey, Yea Rey.' I said, 'All right. We're going to win tonight,' and I left.
'The next day they asked me, `Hey, what did you tell that little boy. He was excited.' I said I was just pumping myself up, and he was pumping me up. I kept doing it week after week, and the next thing you know more little kids are at ringside with their masks waiting to stick their head out to have Rey Mysterio face-to-face. There was definitely a connection between the fans and myself.''
With a strong fan base, Mysterio, 34, continues to succeed in a field once known as a big man's world. A former world champ in WWE, this 5-6 athlete helped opened the main event door to other high-flying, smaller wrestlers.
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels kicked it open, and Mysterio flew right through. Like the Hitman and the Heartbreak Kid did in the past, Mysterio even won WWE's Royal Rumble in 2006 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
''That was incredible,'' Mysterio said. ``As a kid, I grew up watching the Royal Rumble.
Miami Herald
When you ponder it, there is a correlation between these two inspirational men. Obama, a man for change, elicited the interest and support of many young people to the political platform. Mysterio, who already achieved change in another political process, is a fan favorite of many young people, especially kids.
''I want to say, plain and simple, I'm a father myself,'' Mysterio said via phone. ``My son is 11, and my daughter is 7-years-old, and I have another baby coming on the way. The connection I have with my kids is a good connection. It's a friendship, father-type connection.
``Every time I'm at an airport or a hotel lobby or even at an arena, I make time to say hi to my fans. Whether it's a kid who's 8-years-old or a teenager who's 17, 18-years-old. I think that makes a big difference to give your fans the time, an autograph, a handshake or even just to say hello. I think that makes the biggest difference in the world.
``I'd like to say that I'm good with my fans. I like to interact with my fans. I think that speaks to Rey Mysterio, the person who he is.''
Mysterio goes to the ring wearing two masks, giving one to a lucky young fan ringside.
''I was a big fan, and I still am of Bret Hart,'' he said. ``Every time Bret Hart would come out and give his glasses to a kid sitting in the front row, I thought that was really cool.
``I would think what if that was my son sitting in the front row, and Bret Hart put his glasses on my son. Just that emotion, that adrenaline, that connection between that wrestler and that person just brings it to another level.
``Again it goes back to the connection I have with my fans. I like to interact with my fans. I like to say hi and shake hands.''
Mysterio recalls the first time he bumped heads lightly with his fans ringside.
''One day it just happened,'' he recalled. 'I was walking to the ring, and there was a little boy with his Rey Mysterio gear, and I just happened to bump heads with him and was talking to him, eye-to-eye. I said, `Tonight we are going to win, and we are going to do it together. All right. Are you going to help me?' The little boy was like, 'Yea Rey, Yea Rey.' I said, 'All right. We're going to win tonight,' and I left.
'The next day they asked me, `Hey, what did you tell that little boy. He was excited.' I said I was just pumping myself up, and he was pumping me up. I kept doing it week after week, and the next thing you know more little kids are at ringside with their masks waiting to stick their head out to have Rey Mysterio face-to-face. There was definitely a connection between the fans and myself.''
With a strong fan base, Mysterio, 34, continues to succeed in a field once known as a big man's world. A former world champ in WWE, this 5-6 athlete helped opened the main event door to other high-flying, smaller wrestlers.
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels kicked it open, and Mysterio flew right through. Like the Hitman and the Heartbreak Kid did in the past, Mysterio even won WWE's Royal Rumble in 2006 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
''That was incredible,'' Mysterio said. ``As a kid, I grew up watching the Royal Rumble.
Miami Herald