“Lucha Underground” star Rey Mysterio Jr. has won just about every championship the pro wrestling world has to offer, but now he is thinking of embarking on a new endeavor: his own wrestling school.
In an interview with TheWrap’s Joe Otterson, Mysterio said he has been thinking about starting a school for some time, and the desire has grown stronger as he now prepares to train his son, Dominic.
“I’ve thought about that for many years, and I just thought I would never have the time,” Mysterio said. “Now being able to make that time, to not have the busy schedule I had with WWE…gives me plenty of time to be a family man. I’m hoping that this time I spend with my son will open up that idea again and create a Rey Mysterio wrestling school.”
After 27 years in the wrestling business, Mysterio is widely considered to be the dean of lucha libre. Now, on the El Rey series “Lucha Underground,” the former WWE champion is passing on his experience to a new generation of luchadors.
While it contains the usual pro wrestling action, “Lucha Underground” distances itself from WWE through backstage vignettes filled with choreographed fight scenes and pulpy visuals more reminiscent of comic books than the single-camera, soap opera style that has been used by pro wrestling TV shows in the past. Mysterio says it’s part of a different approach that he hopes will change the industry.
“This is a fresh new product that is trying to attract a new audience,” he said. “Those who have not seen wrestling before have probably tuned in to ‘Lucha Underground’ and go, ‘Whoa! This is a TV series turned into wrestling.’”
“But for wrestling fans, it’s time they saw something different… They’re giving the audience something different to look at with the wrestling, which I believe is the evolution of wrestling. This is the high-paced, high-flying hybrid style of action that is non-stop. You can’t blink, because if you do you’re going to miss one of the moves.”
“Lucha Underground” airs Wednesdays at 8 PM on El Rey Network. Watch more of Rey Mysterio’s interview with TheWrap above.