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Behind the Mask
He's called the human highlight reel of professional wrestling. His high-flying acrobatics have thrilled fans on every continent. He's been crowned champion of the world's greatest wrestling promotions, from Mexico to the U.S. But he's never revealed the inside story of who he is.
Until now.
Wrestling fans know him as Rey Mysterio, an American luchador of unparalleled talent, the ultimate proof that good things come in small packages. Now for the first time, Rey adds the personal side to the
• How he had to fight to get a tryout in the ring
• Who he was before Rey Misterio Jr. -- and even before Colibri, usually noted as his first identity
• What it was like to wrestle in Mexico -- from the bullrings to the riots
• How he fought plans for his unmasking in WCW -- and why he wishes he hadn't succeeded
• The inside story of the 619, the West Coast Pop, and his other signature moves
• The impact of Eddie Guerrero on his career in WWE
• The personal struggle that cost him ring time in 2008 but ultimately made him a stronger man
• His real passion in life as husband and father
In Rey Behind the Mask, Rey talks candidly about his twenty-plus-year career, from the days of sneaking into bars as a fourteen-year-old to his most recent showdowns in WWE. He speaks of the emotional moments in the ring with his uncle Rey Misterio, and the dark days when he went under the knife to repair his damaged knee. Along the way, Mysterio introduces American audiences to the mysteries of lucha libre, the high-flying, anything-goes Mexican wrestling style that he has done so much to popularize in the U.S. He also talks about the debts he owes to wrestlers such as Konnan, known as the Mexican Hulk Hogan, and dishes some behind-the-scenes dirt on the collapse of WCW at the height of the Monday Night Wars. Mysterio talks tenderly -- but realistically -- of his friend Eddie Guerrero, providing a well-rounded picture of one of the most beloved wrestling figures of recent history. He also details his march toward the Heavyweight Championship, and his mastery of the WWE Triple Crown -- a feat that placed him in an elite group for all time.
Behind the Mask is the intimate portrait of one of wrestling's all-time greats, a story wrestling fans of all ages won't want to miss.
Until now.
Wrestling fans know him as Rey Mysterio, an American luchador of unparalleled talent, the ultimate proof that good things come in small packages. Now for the first time, Rey adds the personal side to the
• How he had to fight to get a tryout in the ring
• Who he was before Rey Misterio Jr. -- and even before Colibri, usually noted as his first identity
• What it was like to wrestle in Mexico -- from the bullrings to the riots
• How he fought plans for his unmasking in WCW -- and why he wishes he hadn't succeeded
• The inside story of the 619, the West Coast Pop, and his other signature moves
• The impact of Eddie Guerrero on his career in WWE
• The personal struggle that cost him ring time in 2008 but ultimately made him a stronger man
• His real passion in life as husband and father
In Rey Behind the Mask, Rey talks candidly about his twenty-plus-year career, from the days of sneaking into bars as a fourteen-year-old to his most recent showdowns in WWE. He speaks of the emotional moments in the ring with his uncle Rey Misterio, and the dark days when he went under the knife to repair his damaged knee. Along the way, Mysterio introduces American audiences to the mysteries of lucha libre, the high-flying, anything-goes Mexican wrestling style that he has done so much to popularize in the U.S. He also talks about the debts he owes to wrestlers such as Konnan, known as the Mexican Hulk Hogan, and dishes some behind-the-scenes dirt on the collapse of WCW at the height of the Monday Night Wars. Mysterio talks tenderly -- but realistically -- of his friend Eddie Guerrero, providing a well-rounded picture of one of the most beloved wrestling figures of recent history. He also details his march toward the Heavyweight Championship, and his mastery of the WWE Triple Crown -- a feat that placed him in an elite group for all time.
Behind the Mask is the intimate portrait of one of wrestling's all-time greats, a story wrestling fans of all ages won't want to miss.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
25 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 14, 2025
Rey Mysterio is one of WWE's greatest superstars, in 2023 he inducted into the WWE Hall of fame
August 24, 2011
This is about a man named Rey Mysterio who is of Mexican descent and was born to be a pro wrestler. He started out in lucha libre in Mexico where he excelled immensely after years and years of training he became a professional wwe wrestler. Rey was thought out to be an underdog because of his small size but he was able to overcome this controversy and achieve greatness. This a great underdog journey of a pro wrestler I am fan of underdogs coming through if you feel the same way grab yourself a copy.
January 28, 2010
Big fan of wrestling biographies but becoming less and less of a fan of WWE produced biographies. Seems like they just phone it in now. The layout was strange as it was separated into blurbs and short sections. I felt like I learned very little about Rey's career and life.
March 5, 2025
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January 19, 2019
Run of the mill,basic biography...A quick read.
July 20, 2021
Ten years ago this week, on July 25, 2011, Rey Mysterio made history on Monday Night Raw. The show opened with the final match of an 8-man tournament in which Mysterio defeated The Miz to become the new WWE Champion! The title had been recently been declared vacant when reigning champion CM Punk left the company.
At 5’ 6” tall and weighing just 175 pounds, Mysterio became the smallest competitor in the company’s nearly 50 year history to hold the title. Unfortunately, his reign as WWE Champion was short lived. Before the end of Raw that night, Mysterio was challenged and dethroned by John Cena. Mysterio’s title reign lasted a grand total of one-hour and forty-six minutes. Though brief, Mysterio’s reign was not the shortest in WWE history. Other fleeting championship runs include Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX (2 minutes, 30 seconds) and André the Giant on The Main Event television special (just 45 seconds).
To mark the occasion of Mysterio’s ascension to the top of WWE (and his subsequent dethroning), the Literary Squared Circle blog reviews the book, Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask by Rey Mysterio and Jeremy Roberts (World Wrestling Entertainment, 2009). The man behind the mask, we come to find out, is Oscar Gutiérrez, who despite his lack of size, chose to embark on a career as a luchador.
Trained by his uncle, who wrestled under the name “Rey Misterio”, Gutiérrez would soon don a mask and eventually come to be known in the ring as “Rey Misterio Jr.” Following a successful run in Mexico, Gutiérrez began competing in Extreme Championship Wrestling. It was during his time in ECW, that the high-flying Rey Misterio Jr. became an international star competing in United States, Mexico, and Japan.
During the Monday Night Wars, Rey Misterio Jr. joined World Championship Wrestling as a member of WCW’s talent-laden Cruiserweight Division. Misterio Jr. competed in WCW until the company ceased operations and was purchased by its main competitor, World Wrestling Entertainment. During his time in WCW, Rey Misterio Jr. often felt that he and the other cruiserweights were not respected or treated fairly by management. The lack of respect culminated in Misterio Jr. being forced to unmask near the end of his WCW career.
When he eventually joined WWE, he again competed under a mask. He also dropped the “Junior” from his name and slightly altered his last name, continuing his wrestling career billed simply as “Rey Mysterio”. Mysterio would go on to compete in the WWE for the next 13 years.
In addition to discussing his in-ring career in depth, Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask also looks at Mysterio’s personal life, as well as his friendships with fellow wrestlers, most notably Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio and Guerrero both teamed together and feuded against one another. Their epic feud brought elements of Mysterio’s personal life into their worked storyline, with Guerrero claiming to be the biological father of Mysterio’s young son, Dominik. Rey Mysterio goes on to address the heartbreak of Eddie Guerrero’s untimely death in 2005.
Rey Mysterio is refreshingly candid about all subjects, including overcoming his addiction painkillers and his insistence that he never used steroids. This book was released nearly two years before Mysterio’s brief reign as WWE Champion. At the end of the book, Mysterio looks ahead to his future writing, “Just this year, in 2009, I signed a new contract with WWE that will have me wrestling for some time. That means five more years, at least, of pushing myself and inventing new things. Five more years of Pay-Per-Views, championships – I hope – and, best of all, high-flying wrestling.”
Well, it’s 2021, and Rey Mysterio is still going strong. Mysterio left WWE in early 2015, when his contract expired. However, he returned to the company at the as a surprise entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble match, and he remains a member of the WWE roster to this day. Just two days ago, at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik (yes, the same Dominik who, at the age of 8, played a role in his father’s feud with Eddie Guerrero) lost the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship to The Usos (Jimmy & Jey). Rey and Dominik were the first father-son tag team champions in WWE history.
Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask is an enjoyable read. Mysterio truly allows readers to get to know the man behind the mask. He discusses both his career and personal life in an open and honest manner. Most wrestler autobiographies are published near the end of a career, or after that wrestler has already retired from the ring. Being that Rey Mysterio continues to compete in the WWE, nearly 12 years after his book was published, I sincerely hope that Mysterio plans to someday write a follow-up book once his career does finally come to an end. Hopefully, that day is far off, and Rey and his son, Dominik, will continue to entertain the WWE Universe years to come.
4 Stars out of 5
At 5’ 6” tall and weighing just 175 pounds, Mysterio became the smallest competitor in the company’s nearly 50 year history to hold the title. Unfortunately, his reign as WWE Champion was short lived. Before the end of Raw that night, Mysterio was challenged and dethroned by John Cena. Mysterio’s title reign lasted a grand total of one-hour and forty-six minutes. Though brief, Mysterio’s reign was not the shortest in WWE history. Other fleeting championship runs include Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX (2 minutes, 30 seconds) and André the Giant on The Main Event television special (just 45 seconds).
To mark the occasion of Mysterio’s ascension to the top of WWE (and his subsequent dethroning), the Literary Squared Circle blog reviews the book, Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask by Rey Mysterio and Jeremy Roberts (World Wrestling Entertainment, 2009). The man behind the mask, we come to find out, is Oscar Gutiérrez, who despite his lack of size, chose to embark on a career as a luchador.
Trained by his uncle, who wrestled under the name “Rey Misterio”, Gutiérrez would soon don a mask and eventually come to be known in the ring as “Rey Misterio Jr.” Following a successful run in Mexico, Gutiérrez began competing in Extreme Championship Wrestling. It was during his time in ECW, that the high-flying Rey Misterio Jr. became an international star competing in United States, Mexico, and Japan.
During the Monday Night Wars, Rey Misterio Jr. joined World Championship Wrestling as a member of WCW’s talent-laden Cruiserweight Division. Misterio Jr. competed in WCW until the company ceased operations and was purchased by its main competitor, World Wrestling Entertainment. During his time in WCW, Rey Misterio Jr. often felt that he and the other cruiserweights were not respected or treated fairly by management. The lack of respect culminated in Misterio Jr. being forced to unmask near the end of his WCW career.
When he eventually joined WWE, he again competed under a mask. He also dropped the “Junior” from his name and slightly altered his last name, continuing his wrestling career billed simply as “Rey Mysterio”. Mysterio would go on to compete in the WWE for the next 13 years.
In addition to discussing his in-ring career in depth, Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask also looks at Mysterio’s personal life, as well as his friendships with fellow wrestlers, most notably Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio and Guerrero both teamed together and feuded against one another. Their epic feud brought elements of Mysterio’s personal life into their worked storyline, with Guerrero claiming to be the biological father of Mysterio’s young son, Dominik. Rey Mysterio goes on to address the heartbreak of Eddie Guerrero’s untimely death in 2005.
Rey Mysterio is refreshingly candid about all subjects, including overcoming his addiction painkillers and his insistence that he never used steroids. This book was released nearly two years before Mysterio’s brief reign as WWE Champion. At the end of the book, Mysterio looks ahead to his future writing, “Just this year, in 2009, I signed a new contract with WWE that will have me wrestling for some time. That means five more years, at least, of pushing myself and inventing new things. Five more years of Pay-Per-Views, championships – I hope – and, best of all, high-flying wrestling.”
Well, it’s 2021, and Rey Mysterio is still going strong. Mysterio left WWE in early 2015, when his contract expired. However, he returned to the company at the as a surprise entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble match, and he remains a member of the WWE roster to this day. Just two days ago, at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik (yes, the same Dominik who, at the age of 8, played a role in his father’s feud with Eddie Guerrero) lost the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship to The Usos (Jimmy & Jey). Rey and Dominik were the first father-son tag team champions in WWE history.
Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask is an enjoyable read. Mysterio truly allows readers to get to know the man behind the mask. He discusses both his career and personal life in an open and honest manner. Most wrestler autobiographies are published near the end of a career, or after that wrestler has already retired from the ring. Being that Rey Mysterio continues to compete in the WWE, nearly 12 years after his book was published, I sincerely hope that Mysterio plans to someday write a follow-up book once his career does finally come to an end. Hopefully, that day is far off, and Rey and his son, Dominik, will continue to entertain the WWE Universe years to come.
4 Stars out of 5
July 3, 2014
Hello Rey Mysterio, Allow me to introduce you to an important person called an editor. Please get to know him a little bit better.
November 13, 2020
I love wrestling. As part of that I live the autobiographies. The dirtsheets. Behind the scenes etc. I'm the sort of fan that watches wrestling and completely suspends my disbelief. But at the same time I love to read about the reality of the business.
To do this I like to read autobiographies. This one is not good. Not good at all. It's bizzarre. Every other section has Rey telling us about his matches and the way he talks about them is baffling. One minute he is talking about real life in the business and the next I get 5 pages about a storyline thst he describes as if it was real.
Added to this is the lack of real info. Based on this book WWE is great and WCW was good and AAA was good and so on and so forth. Essentially there's nothing to this. I don't know hoe Rey feels about anything.
This is an officla WWE autobiography and it's clear that Rey has had little influence in it.
Pretty dissapointing stuff
To do this I like to read autobiographies. This one is not good. Not good at all. It's bizzarre. Every other section has Rey telling us about his matches and the way he talks about them is baffling. One minute he is talking about real life in the business and the next I get 5 pages about a storyline thst he describes as if it was real.
Added to this is the lack of real info. Based on this book WWE is great and WCW was good and AAA was good and so on and so forth. Essentially there's nothing to this. I don't know hoe Rey feels about anything.
This is an officla WWE autobiography and it's clear that Rey has had little influence in it.
Pretty dissapointing stuff
September 3, 2025
This is, unfortunately the one wrestling book I’ve enjoyed the least so far.
Nothing wrong with the stories being told, but the writing is so uninspired that it takes away all the emotion and fun out of what should be epic tales. Everything felt delivered as statement, as though the writer for Rey doesn’t get it.
Shame, as I was looking forward to this one. Still the insights are always fascinating, and it’s the reason I stayed with it through to the end, even if the formatting is a little odd. The other ones I’ve read have nice, short, punchy chapters, whereas these were longer chapters broken up into vignettes. Maybe this contributed to some of the stories not having the desired impact I don’t know. Maybe it’s because there’s enough material in this book, given the proper treatment, could have been 2 or 3 volumes. With the career that Rey has had, and his predictions about his children’s futures, I’d be fascinated to pick up a new book checking in over the last 14 years.
Nothing wrong with the stories being told, but the writing is so uninspired that it takes away all the emotion and fun out of what should be epic tales. Everything felt delivered as statement, as though the writer for Rey doesn’t get it.
Shame, as I was looking forward to this one. Still the insights are always fascinating, and it’s the reason I stayed with it through to the end, even if the formatting is a little odd. The other ones I’ve read have nice, short, punchy chapters, whereas these were longer chapters broken up into vignettes. Maybe this contributed to some of the stories not having the desired impact I don’t know. Maybe it’s because there’s enough material in this book, given the proper treatment, could have been 2 or 3 volumes. With the career that Rey has had, and his predictions about his children’s futures, I’d be fascinated to pick up a new book checking in over the last 14 years.
September 27, 2021
The King of Mystery, Rey Mysterio, gets in on the action of WWE-produced autobiographies with his 2009 book “Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask.” As with most wrestling biographies, Rey does an excellent job in documenting his career pre-WWE, in this case with various Mexican promotions, ECW and WCW. The oft-repeated pattern of this genre continues, though: the wrestler's WWE timeline is relatively bare-bones and lacking of insightful behind-the-scenes stories. Possibly because pro wrestling was such an impactful form of entertainment for my childhood, the vast majority of wrestling books find a soft spot in my heart. However, it is undeniable that these books are nicely organized and edited, and are perhaps most successful because they peel back additional layers of kayfabe and introduce many unknown particulars of our favorite wrestling characters.
September 2, 2019
If you're not a wrestling fan, it won't convert you; ditto if you are a wrestling fan but not a Rey Mysterio fan. But I'm a wrestling nerd and I've read a lot of wrestling autobiographies and found the origins in Mexican Lucha Libre and his really young beginnings refreshing and fascinating. My main criticism is only about a 1/4 is based on his WWE career, so if you're unfamiliar with his early work in WCW/ECW and prior then it may require some patience. But it's great for wrestling aficionados nerdy collections.
September 16, 2024
Took a while with this one, wish it was geared to a more mature audience. I think Rey talks about really important things but is trapped in the narrative of being a hero for a young audience.
Example; he’s fine with cursing and recalling his bad boy aesthetic, but only dedicates one chapter to a painkiller addiction and recovery——!????
Overall very interesting to hear about his upbringing and ascension to WWE. He’s of course no essayist, but he’s a pretty real ass esé.
Example; he’s fine with cursing and recalling his bad boy aesthetic, but only dedicates one chapter to a painkiller addiction and recovery——!????
Overall very interesting to hear about his upbringing and ascension to WWE. He’s of course no essayist, but he’s a pretty real ass esé.
September 12, 2018
If you are used to buying wrestling books, this one is not going to disappoint you, because it tells all about Mysterio's life, both inside and outside the ring. In the book, all the importants things about Rey's life are covered: his run in Mexico, ECW, WCW and WWE as a wrestling star, his personal life, his struggles (he had to enter in a rehab center because of his addiction to painkillers), you name it.
The only problem is the usual in the books released by WWE: it han been clearly toned down and censored.
All in all, is a very goog and easy read.
The only problem is the usual in the books released by WWE: it han been clearly toned down and censored.
All in all, is a very goog and easy read.
July 18, 2017
Not a fan of this guy, but this book was much better than expected.
May 28, 2013
In this book,Rey Mysterio Jr.talks about how he started wrestling at the age of 8 until his successful WWE run.As a child,he started wrestling with his uncle who trained him and was also called Rey Mysterio.His uncle was very famous in mexico.Rey Jr. Later talks how he made it to AAA and Tijuana.It was a hard battle to the top but his hyflying style made him a fan favourite all around the world and among other wrestler friends and bosses.His name Rey Mysterio means King of mystery.He is kind of mysterious beacuse he wears a mask almost all the time even when he is isn't following his gimmick.Throughout gis career many supported him but others where also jealous of him and his success.He represented the short and young people because he is not tall,and all his opponents are almost double his size,but he overcame every obstacle in his way to become the biggest underdog in lucha libre (wrestling),or as the people call him;the biggest small man.
September 5, 2011
A little background on this book. It is basically about a wrestler of Mexican decent who decides to get into the wrestling career but is smaller than the other guys that do the same thing. He defies all the odds to make it in the wrestling show business by capturing wrestling championships of almost every kind and making it to the biggest wrestling events that are hosted.
I like this book because it takes about how an underdog defies all the odds and still makes it big. I understood that size doesnt matter and I didnt really understand that until this summer when I played basketball. Although i am tall, Im also skinny and other guys have more weight than me and it puts me at a disadvantage. My team and I were smaller in size and weight and we still came back and won so it shows how being an underdog doesnt mean anything.
I like this book because it takes about how an underdog defies all the odds and still makes it big. I understood that size doesnt matter and I didnt really understand that until this summer when I played basketball. Although i am tall, Im also skinny and other guys have more weight than me and it puts me at a disadvantage. My team and I were smaller in size and weight and we still came back and won so it shows how being an underdog doesnt mean anything.
July 19, 2015
Not a bad read. I have to admit Rey does seem a bit too simplistic in his details. Even he gets things wrong such as the date of a particular event. But he is a really cool guy and very good story teller. He's just not much of a writer.
I like how talks about his family as well as some of his relationship with various people, his wife, his uncle who let him use the Rey Misterio name. I like how he's very humble and grounded. I like how he talked about his friends such as Eddie. Total respect with Eddie, definitely the best part to read. Interesting bit his acknowledgement section praises a wrestler known as Wild Pegasus. Wild Pegasus was Chris Benoit's nom de plume in Japan, because lets face it Benoit's murder suicide has given him a severe case of damnatio memoriae.
A good read. B-
I like how talks about his family as well as some of his relationship with various people, his wife, his uncle who let him use the Rey Misterio name. I like how he's very humble and grounded. I like how he talked about his friends such as Eddie. Total respect with Eddie, definitely the best part to read. Interesting bit his acknowledgement section praises a wrestler known as Wild Pegasus. Wild Pegasus was Chris Benoit's nom de plume in Japan, because lets face it Benoit's murder suicide has given him a severe case of damnatio memoriae.
A good read. B-
October 23, 2012
Not the best wrestling biography I've read, by a long shot, but certainly not the worst either.
My main gripe with this book is that, as a keen Mysterio fan and long-time close follower of his career, I felt like I didn't really learn anything through reading this, other than the few occasions when he decided to delve a bit more into his personal life and key experiences from his time on the road.
Still a good read though and well worth checking out if you're a fan.
My main gripe with this book is that, as a keen Mysterio fan and long-time close follower of his career, I felt like I didn't really learn anything through reading this, other than the few occasions when he decided to delve a bit more into his personal life and key experiences from his time on the road.
Still a good read though and well worth checking out if you're a fan.
May 4, 2011
Rey mysterio is a mexican wrestler that when he was young he wanted to become a wrestler and he did, but he took small steps from the advice of his father on going to mexican wrestling and later in his years of wrestling in Mexico now a professional wrestler in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Read
December 12, 2009i love rey mysterio
Read
May 6, 2010I cant wait to read this book. I'm a huge fan of wrestling and especially REY MYSTERIO.Even though he is slient he can make abig impact in wrestling.GO REY!
May 6, 2010
Wade read this one and really liked it.
May 27, 2011
I love wrestling and this book gave good behind the scene stuff.
January 3, 2012
1 love wwe and its a book about wwe
2 my favorite rey mysterio
3 love learning about a wwe superstar
2 my favorite rey mysterio
3 love learning about a wwe superstar
August 24, 2014
An interesting look into the wrestling career of Rey Mysterio.
July 28, 2016
I have been a fan of Rey Mysterio since he started his career in the United States wrestling and it was good to get to know the man behind the wrestler a little bit.
July 20, 2013
A great book about the small wrestler from mexico that is very informative and inspiring!
June 2, 2017
Pleasing lecture, almost detailed in every bit of his life and career. In particular, it focuses on Rey's origins as human being and luchador, training when he was just a kid under his uncle (who later gave him his name and mask) and going huge in Mexico and then internationally. It suffers from being a little bit dispersive and at same time indulgent due to his fragmented writing and I think it doesn't give much stories on his course in WWE, but Rey's storytelling can be very amusing, though.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews