Rey Mysterio Talks Lucha Underground, WWE Cruiserweights and Alberto El Patron

Since joining Lucha Underground in 2015, wrestling legend Rey Mysterio has helped bring mainstream appeal and credibility to the growing promotion.

With his long history as a top performer in WCW and WWE, Mysterio is bringing credibility to the Lucha Underground brand. For many casual wrestling fans who have never checked out the weekly television show, the presence of a veteran like Mysterio is enough to intrigue them into checking out the program.

In a recent interview promoting Lucha Underground’s TV show every Wednesday on El Rey network at 8 p.m. ET, Mysterio spoke to Ring Rust Radio about the difference between Lucha Underground and other companies, the WWE cruiserweight division and the possibility of free agent Alberto El Patron re-signing with Lucha.

Unlike most wrestling companies in the world, Lucha Underground is presenting its product more like a television show than a traditional WWE program. Mysterio is a fan of Lucha’s style, and that is one of the reasons he signed with the company:

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I think one of the big differences, which is noticeable, it’s the way that Lucha Underground is shot. The cinematic feel it has when we do the behind-the-scenes or backstage takes, those are definitely on another level, and I enjoy watching them.

It’s one thing being a part of them when we are filming and shooting them, but then you get a chance to watch it when it airs and you get to see the final product, and it’s an incredible transformation. I really don’t consider this like a true wrestling company. It’s more and more like a television series with lucha libre displayed at its best.

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Mysterio knows the wrestling business like few other Superstars in history, and his insight on how Lucha Underground is shot is a viable point of view. Another aspect of wrestling he knows well is the cruiserweight division, which WWE has just added once again.

While some fans are concerned the performers in the division will be pigeonholed by the weight class, Mysterio is honest about how the cruiserweights can give wrestlers an opportunity to shine in a way they wouldn’t have received otherwise:

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This is something Dean Malenko talked about for years. When I was in WWE, he talked about giving that noticeable touch to that cruiserweight division. WCW had it at its best. A lot of the heavyweights and top talents didn’t want to work with the smaller talent and so we created our own division. We had some of the best matches most of the nights. We had hoped WWE would take notice and do the same, and they did for a couple of years.

WWE tried it in 2001, but then they dropped that whole division. After so many years it’s finally starting back up. Let’s hope it rises to where it needs to be. I think a lot of the fans want to see the high-flying action and be entertained. I don’t think there is a better division out there than the cruiserweights to do that. It could be a pigeonhole for some, but at the end of the day, it’s about whatever makes you happy as a performer.

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Speaking of performers getting a chance to shine, former world champion Alberto El Patron was recently released by WWE and has a history in Lucha Underground. While Mysterio and El Patron have squared off in the past, they have yet to lock horns inside the Temple.

With El Patron becoming a free agent and looking to expand his brand, the hope from many wrestling fans is to have him back in Lucha Underground as soon as possible. Fans aren’t the only ones, either, as Mysterio is excited by the notion of adding El Patron to the Lucha roster:

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As far as him coming back to Lucha Underground, I would like to see that. I didn’t get a chance to be in the ring with him at Lucha Underground. His stay there was very brief, and when he was setting up in Lucha Underground, I was still on my way out in WWE. By the time I came to Lucha Underground, he was already gone and it happened so fast.

I had some great battles with him in WWE, and I would love to do the same in Lucha Underground if he comes back. We had great chemistry in the ring, and it’s hard to find that when you have a heel and a baby face, but he played such a good heel against me. It’s very catchy when you see both of us together in the ring because we have that good chemistry, and we give it to the fans.

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During his time in Lucha Underground, El Patron was a major star for the promotion. Now with Mysterio on the roster, bringing another former world champion back would bring even more credibility to the growing brand.

For Mysterio, his legacy in the wrestling business has already been cemented, but adding another chapter in Lucha Underground will only continue to build his aura as one of the true pioneers of Lucha Libre’s growth in the United States.

Moving forward, Mysterio will be looking to capture the Lucha Underground Championship for the first time. In addition, he has voiced his desire to stay with the company until his retirement and then even take a backstage role helping younger talents.

Regardless of how long he stays, Mysterio’s presence helps make Lucha Underground one of the most entertaining television shows in recent memory.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).