Rey Mysterio Credits Dean Malenko For His Pop-Up Entance, Discusses His 2002 WWE SmackDown Debut

Rey Mysterio recently reflected on his iconic pop-up entrance.

In July 2002, Mysterio made his WWE SmackDown debut, popping out from under the stage, instantly creating an iconic moment and providing WWE with one of its best entrances, one that Rey would use for years to come.

During an appearance on WWE’s The Bump, the Lucha legend spoke about the entrance, crediting Dean Malenko for bringing up the idea. He then reflected on the debut itself and the excitement surrounding his arrival.

“Oh my god, that’s one of the best entrances I’ve ever had, and I believe in general, one of the best entrances that WWE has created. From my understanding, Dean Malenko had brought that up, and it was given to me. They wanted to do something special, coming into WWE, and I think this just put the icing on the cake. The fact that that had done vignettes a month prior to me having my first match, and they would just show flashes of someone doing high-flying moves, but you couldn’t tell who it was, and every week we saw a little bit more until the day came. The advertisement was, ‘He’s coming, he’s coming,’ and sure enough, when he arrived, it was Rey Mysterio with an incredible entrance, you know, music, the whole package was just there, and all I had to do was deliver. I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity, and I’m grateful to god that I was able to deliver for 20 years,” Rey said.

As of late, Rey has been feuding with the nefarious Judgment Day faction who turned his son Dominik against him. 

Separated from his Papi, Dominik has formed quite a relationship with Rhea Ripley, his on-screen Mami. She recently shared that she loves getting fans worked up over her dynamic with Dominik. Click here to learn more.

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