This was filmed in March of 2015
The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein
It runs at two hours and twelve minutes long
They start off by talking about the first shoot interview they did sixteen years prior at Rey's home in San Diego as Rey talks about his son being one year old at the time.
Rob then leaves off where the first interview did in 1999 by asking him about WCW at that time, specifically the dying days. Rey said that he wasn't paying much attention to the politics and had to plan for himself. He talks about Eric Bischoff wanting to remove his mask but beyond that he didn't have any problems in WCW.
On the sale of WCW to Bischoff not going through, Rey said that he was just focusing on having fun in the ring and mentions how he still has the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Title belt today.
When Shane McMahon showed up on the final WCW Nitro, Rey said that he only said hi to him and a lot of guys were nervous. He said that his contract was really expensive at that point and WWE waited until it expired to approach him.
After WCW, Rey did a few Independents and worked for CMLL in Mexico. He talks about working against CM Punk in IWA Mid-South and mentions how they clicked from day one and thinks he is awesome.
He first learned that the WWE was interested in him at the beginning of 2002, right around the time his WCW contract was expiring. Rey was in Puerto Rico at the time and said that he was willing to start over again to prove himself if necessary as he wanted to have some job security. Rey said he wasn't walking in as a negotiator and just looking for an opportunity.
On WWE wanting him to go back to using the mask, Rey said he liked that but at the time was working on a new character and had a gladiator look, complete with shoulder pads, but when he got to OVW they told him they wanted the mask.
Rey said that there were no initial promises but they just went along as he grew successful. He said he felt the acceptance of the locker room and the fans.
About the WWE locker room, Rey said he was part of a great era in that regard and got along with everyone. He said that he is easy going and built strong relationships with certain performers. When asked, he does feel that Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko helped him get into the company.
He talks about doing everything he could in the ring because he never felt like he could do a great promo like Kurt Angle or Ric Flair. Rey said that never bothered the office because they let him showcase his abilities in the ring.
When asked why he was sent to Smackdown instead of RAW, Rey said he thinks they were trying to build up Smackdown as HHH, Rock and Kurt were on that brand at the time. He said that Dean also protected him as he would stand up for him in creative meetings to make sure he was not given terrible material.
On teaming with Edge, Rey said that they had a lot of chemistry and mentions that he clicked with every partner he had in the WWE now that he thinks about it.
Rey is asked about the WWE Cruiserweight Division. He said that they had a ton of talent and it could have been a huge deal if it was kept by itself, comparing it to the beginning of his WCW run. He said they all wanted to work together to put on good matches. When asked, Rey said that he didn't feel like he was kept in the Cruiserweight Division for too long and wanted to stay there so it couild grow, hoping that International talents would end up joining.
He is asked about the ECW One Night Stand and the WWE bringing back the brand. Rey thought it was going to work when in started but once they took it to the arenas, it didn't feel the same and lacked the same passion of the ECW arena. He said he was happy with his match against Psychosis but was under constraints, unlike the original match in 1995.
On his feud with Eddie, Rey said that he loved the chance to work with Eddie again. When asked if it was better than their feud in WCW, Rey said they could never reach that same greatness in the ring. He said that Eddie had a lot of input into the feud and was for Rey's son to get involved. When asked, Rey said he was not against it and thought the idea of his son being on the road with his dad, and getting paid, was a good thing. Rey talks about his son shooting vignettes then go back to playing with action figures when finished. Rey also said that Eddie would never let up when hurt and would go all out no matter what. When asked why he didn't ask the office to take time off Rey said there feud was doing great and their mentality was to always perform at their best. He said they would talk about it amongst themselves but that was all. Rey was sad when their feud ended but loved their ladder match. He tells a story of Eddie getting pissed as the finish was not going as planned so he started to swear in English and Spanish.
Still on Eddie, Rey said that he hid his injuries well in the ring but backstage he would be on the floor in pain.
He is now asked about the day Eddie was found dead. Rey said he changed his flight to spend a few hours with his family and because of that, missed the flight he would have taken with Eddie and Chavo. He arrived to the hotel in Minnesota and one of the truck drivers asked if he heard what happen and that was how he found out. Rey said it hit him hard. He said that he wanted to see him so he went over to the hotel and was with Chavo, Dean, Chris Benoit, and the doctor, who let them all see Eddie before they took him away.
On the RAW tribute, Rey said that Shawn Michaels came up to him and said Eddie always wanted to see them work and asked if he would be able to have a match and that was how it happened.
When asked who came up with his angle against Randy Orton where Orton said that Eddie was in hell, Rey said that he was talking about it with Randy and they both felt that line was too strong but thought of Eddie and said he was always about the business so they went through with it as Rey cannot recall who came up with that line.
Rob asks him about Vickie Guerrero getting a job with the WWE and how he felt about that. Rey said that she did great. He is also asked about Eddie's daughter not making it despite a few stints in Developmental, Rey said that she seemed to be training well at the end but hinted she was not passionate about the business.
Rey said the Wellness Policy is a good idea and as talent, you have to look at it as the future of wrestling because besides drug testing it included cardiovascular and electro testing. Whether or not the WWE should fine talents for smoking weed, Rey said that is a question for someone else to answer.
He said he first found out he was winning the 2006 Royal Rumble the night of the show. Rey said he remembers the match being long and how he spent a lot of time on the mat. Rob then asks him about the rumor of Vince not wanting him to be the champion despite others in the company wanting to make him the champ. Rey said he is not a politician and does not get involved in that so he just took things as they came.
On winning the title at WrestleMania 22, Rey said he got to work with two of his favorite American workers in Orton and Angle. He is then asked about the rumor of Vince believing Rey was lucky to win the strap so he would put him against monsters on purpose as Rey doesn't really give an answer. Rob then asks him if he felt he was booked to fail as Rey says at the end of the day he was the champion no matter what so he didn't get mad at losing non-title matches. He does say that he could have done bigger things with the belt, especially among the Latino fanbase.
Rey denies the rumor of him following Palmer Canon to the airport after he quit the company during the European tour trying to talk him out of leaving. He does say that was just "boys being boys" and notes how wrestling today is missing the camaraderie they had back then, noting how you also have to be careful what you do in part of social media. Rey also says JBL is not a bully.
He is asked about several talents. Rey said that he never would have thought he would work against Booker T in the WWE when they were in WCW but said they were friends and had great chemistry so they had good matches. He became good friends with Edge after they were a tag team and said they always thought up new things to do and how he loved his match against Edge at Elimination Chamber. Rey calls Chris Jericho the "American" version of Eddie and
When asked about his surgeries, Rey talks about how he regrets not stretching out before wrestling and how that would have added a few more years to his career. He said that he also never listened to the old-timers who would tell him to cut down on the big moves.
Rob asks Rey if it was true that Chris Benoit was never the same after Eddie passed away. Rey said he traveled with Chris after Eddie passed and although he didn't speak much if you knew him you could tell he was hurting. Rey does not believe that Chris had brain damage prior to killing his wife and son as says that Chris and Eddie are together now. Rey thinks Chris should be remembered as a great performer and the best way to do so is the photo of him and Eddie celebrating with the confetti at the end of WrestleMania XX. He said his first match with the Undertaker was intimidating but after that he soaked it all in and enjoyed working with him. Rey says he is an incredible person away from the ring.
He talks about moving to RAW in 2009. He said that the only difference from Smackdown is that it was on Monday. He feuded with Kane and calls him a great guy.
Rey believes that Dolph Ziggler is one of the best workers in the WWE. He said that CM Punk was very dedicated to his craft while completely ignoring the question on how he acted backstage. He then wont say anything about Punk walking out of the WWE as he just says he did what he felt was best for him. He was excited to see Alberto Del Rio perform as he was not familiar with him and said their feud got better as it progressed. On his firing, he said that he was surprised that he got fired after slapping an employee. As a follow up question he is asked about experiencing racism while in the WWE. Rey said not directly but unsure if it was directed to him backstage.
Rob asks him about several other guys in rapid fashion, trying to get something out of Rey, but he says nothing at all except that he likes Cody Rhodes.
Now, Rey is asked about failing a Wellness Policy test while sitting at home and what they were testing for as Rey gave some generic answer about how they were given routine tests and that he failed due to not having "proof and validation." Mind you, he never said what he tested positive for or why he failed. He said the tough thing about the policy is its how the company sees things regarding prescriptions.
He is asked about Sin Cara and how he failed to succeed in the WWE and what happened there. Rey said that his main problem was that he did not speak English and did not know the WWE style. He also said that he had a reputation as a hothead and tried to help him but it didnt work.
Rey thinks the Shield was awesome and Seth is the best out of the three. On whether or not Reigns is the next big thing and if they should have him win at Mania instead of Daniel Bryan as Rey does not understand why the WWE does not go all the way with Bryan as the fans have been going nuts about him for three years. He says getting booed at the Royal Rumble in 2014 as #30, Rey said it shocked him initially but while out there is realized what was going on as he said he told Konnan later on if he saw Bryan in the gorilla position he would have dragged him out in front of the crowd to take his place.
He is asked about HHH and Vince McMahon regarding politics backstage as he gives more generic, non-threatening answers.
Rob now talks about the rumors about his WWE contract and if he was not getting paid. Rey claimed to have always gotten paid by the WWE. He then said he spoke with HHH when he contract was renewed and it went well as he was explained that they had to tack on time due to injury, which was explained in his original contract. He denies any blowup with Vince and that the doors are open for a return in the future.
Rey said he never heard any rumblings about the WWE being upset over him attending the Lucha Underground tapings but thinks they might have been suspicious. He also talks about cutting a promo that aired on TV for the AAA promotion in Mexico (where Rey said "see you soon" at the end) and claimed he did it because the WWE was going to tour Mexico soon and thought it would help promote the shows, not to say that he was going to wrestle for AAA. Rey also claimed he thought he was going on that WWE tour.
When asked about the rumor of HHH was going to release him early from his contract but got overruled by Vince, Rey just talked about how HHH explained his contract to him, not answering the question at all.
He says he is happy to be a free agent now after 13 years of the WWE. Rey also said he left on good terms as he wants to leave the doors open for a potential return. On why the WWE never announced his release, Rey said he had no idea but was aware of his release date.
On the rumors that he is heading to Lucha Underground, Rey said that he wants to wrestle a lot of guys in that company and would like to head into the company.
Rey said he loved returning to AAA for the Rey de Reyes event. He also puts over working with Konnan, who he has known since age 11. He puts over Pentagon and Fenix as being unbelievable workers.
He says his ladder match against Eddie Guerrero was the one he was the most proud of in the WWE as it was the last time they faced off and finishes off the interview by thanking his fans and that he will still be around for a while.
Final Thoughts: Rey might be a nice guy and I have not heard much bad said about him but this was one of the worst shoot interviews I have ever listened to and that was all due to himself. I understand not wanting to go off on people or burn bridges but Rey would not even attempt to answer even a slightly controversial question. And I felt he came off as very insincere and even full of shit when explaining how he left the company. I think he flat out lied about the promo from AAA being a way to promote the WWE Mexico house shows too as he had been off of TV for close to a year at that point with no sign of a return.
I give Feinstein credit for trying to get Rey to say something interesting. However, Rey was unwilling to play the game. He would avoid questions and give generic answers. I actually learned nothing from this interview to be honest and wanted to shut it off halfway through when it was apparent this was going nowhere.
I strongly recommend that you do not listen to this interview. WWE.com articles have more bite than this did and are easier to stomach. You would think filming a shoot a few days after getting released by the WWE would be interesting but that was not the case.
If you are still interested in getting this shoot, you can purchase the DVD for $20 by clicking on the links below:
http://www.rfvideo.com/reymysteriojr2015shootinterview.aspx
The interview was conducted by Rob Feinstein
It runs at two hours and twelve minutes long
They start off by talking about the first shoot interview they did sixteen years prior at Rey's home in San Diego as Rey talks about his son being one year old at the time.
Rob then leaves off where the first interview did in 1999 by asking him about WCW at that time, specifically the dying days. Rey said that he wasn't paying much attention to the politics and had to plan for himself. He talks about Eric Bischoff wanting to remove his mask but beyond that he didn't have any problems in WCW.
On the sale of WCW to Bischoff not going through, Rey said that he was just focusing on having fun in the ring and mentions how he still has the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Title belt today.
When Shane McMahon showed up on the final WCW Nitro, Rey said that he only said hi to him and a lot of guys were nervous. He said that his contract was really expensive at that point and WWE waited until it expired to approach him.
After WCW, Rey did a few Independents and worked for CMLL in Mexico. He talks about working against CM Punk in IWA Mid-South and mentions how they clicked from day one and thinks he is awesome.
He first learned that the WWE was interested in him at the beginning of 2002, right around the time his WCW contract was expiring. Rey was in Puerto Rico at the time and said that he was willing to start over again to prove himself if necessary as he wanted to have some job security. Rey said he wasn't walking in as a negotiator and just looking for an opportunity.
On WWE wanting him to go back to using the mask, Rey said he liked that but at the time was working on a new character and had a gladiator look, complete with shoulder pads, but when he got to OVW they told him they wanted the mask.
Rey said that there were no initial promises but they just went along as he grew successful. He said he felt the acceptance of the locker room and the fans.
About the WWE locker room, Rey said he was part of a great era in that regard and got along with everyone. He said that he is easy going and built strong relationships with certain performers. When asked, he does feel that Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko helped him get into the company.
He talks about doing everything he could in the ring because he never felt like he could do a great promo like Kurt Angle or Ric Flair. Rey said that never bothered the office because they let him showcase his abilities in the ring.
When asked why he was sent to Smackdown instead of RAW, Rey said he thinks they were trying to build up Smackdown as HHH, Rock and Kurt were on that brand at the time. He said that Dean also protected him as he would stand up for him in creative meetings to make sure he was not given terrible material.
On teaming with Edge, Rey said that they had a lot of chemistry and mentions that he clicked with every partner he had in the WWE now that he thinks about it.
Rey is asked about the WWE Cruiserweight Division. He said that they had a ton of talent and it could have been a huge deal if it was kept by itself, comparing it to the beginning of his WCW run. He said they all wanted to work together to put on good matches. When asked, Rey said that he didn't feel like he was kept in the Cruiserweight Division for too long and wanted to stay there so it couild grow, hoping that International talents would end up joining.
He is asked about the ECW One Night Stand and the WWE bringing back the brand. Rey thought it was going to work when in started but once they took it to the arenas, it didn't feel the same and lacked the same passion of the ECW arena. He said he was happy with his match against Psychosis but was under constraints, unlike the original match in 1995.
On his feud with Eddie, Rey said that he loved the chance to work with Eddie again. When asked if it was better than their feud in WCW, Rey said they could never reach that same greatness in the ring. He said that Eddie had a lot of input into the feud and was for Rey's son to get involved. When asked, Rey said he was not against it and thought the idea of his son being on the road with his dad, and getting paid, was a good thing. Rey talks about his son shooting vignettes then go back to playing with action figures when finished. Rey also said that Eddie would never let up when hurt and would go all out no matter what. When asked why he didn't ask the office to take time off Rey said there feud was doing great and their mentality was to always perform at their best. He said they would talk about it amongst themselves but that was all. Rey was sad when their feud ended but loved their ladder match. He tells a story of Eddie getting pissed as the finish was not going as planned so he started to swear in English and Spanish.
Still on Eddie, Rey said that he hid his injuries well in the ring but backstage he would be on the floor in pain.
He is now asked about the day Eddie was found dead. Rey said he changed his flight to spend a few hours with his family and because of that, missed the flight he would have taken with Eddie and Chavo. He arrived to the hotel in Minnesota and one of the truck drivers asked if he heard what happen and that was how he found out. Rey said it hit him hard. He said that he wanted to see him so he went over to the hotel and was with Chavo, Dean, Chris Benoit, and the doctor, who let them all see Eddie before they took him away.
On the RAW tribute, Rey said that Shawn Michaels came up to him and said Eddie always wanted to see them work and asked if he would be able to have a match and that was how it happened.
When asked who came up with his angle against Randy Orton where Orton said that Eddie was in hell, Rey said that he was talking about it with Randy and they both felt that line was too strong but thought of Eddie and said he was always about the business so they went through with it as Rey cannot recall who came up with that line.
Rob asks him about Vickie Guerrero getting a job with the WWE and how he felt about that. Rey said that she did great. He is also asked about Eddie's daughter not making it despite a few stints in Developmental, Rey said that she seemed to be training well at the end but hinted she was not passionate about the business.
Rey said the Wellness Policy is a good idea and as talent, you have to look at it as the future of wrestling because besides drug testing it included cardiovascular and electro testing. Whether or not the WWE should fine talents for smoking weed, Rey said that is a question for someone else to answer.
He said he first found out he was winning the 2006 Royal Rumble the night of the show. Rey said he remembers the match being long and how he spent a lot of time on the mat. Rob then asks him about the rumor of Vince not wanting him to be the champion despite others in the company wanting to make him the champ. Rey said he is not a politician and does not get involved in that so he just took things as they came.
On winning the title at WrestleMania 22, Rey said he got to work with two of his favorite American workers in Orton and Angle. He is then asked about the rumor of Vince believing Rey was lucky to win the strap so he would put him against monsters on purpose as Rey doesn't really give an answer. Rob then asks him if he felt he was booked to fail as Rey says at the end of the day he was the champion no matter what so he didn't get mad at losing non-title matches. He does say that he could have done bigger things with the belt, especially among the Latino fanbase.
Rey denies the rumor of him following Palmer Canon to the airport after he quit the company during the European tour trying to talk him out of leaving. He does say that was just "boys being boys" and notes how wrestling today is missing the camaraderie they had back then, noting how you also have to be careful what you do in part of social media. Rey also says JBL is not a bully.
He is asked about several talents. Rey said that he never would have thought he would work against Booker T in the WWE when they were in WCW but said they were friends and had great chemistry so they had good matches. He became good friends with Edge after they were a tag team and said they always thought up new things to do and how he loved his match against Edge at Elimination Chamber. Rey calls Chris Jericho the "American" version of Eddie and
When asked about his surgeries, Rey talks about how he regrets not stretching out before wrestling and how that would have added a few more years to his career. He said that he also never listened to the old-timers who would tell him to cut down on the big moves.
Rob asks Rey if it was true that Chris Benoit was never the same after Eddie passed away. Rey said he traveled with Chris after Eddie passed and although he didn't speak much if you knew him you could tell he was hurting. Rey does not believe that Chris had brain damage prior to killing his wife and son as says that Chris and Eddie are together now. Rey thinks Chris should be remembered as a great performer and the best way to do so is the photo of him and Eddie celebrating with the confetti at the end of WrestleMania XX. He said his first match with the Undertaker was intimidating but after that he soaked it all in and enjoyed working with him. Rey says he is an incredible person away from the ring.
He talks about moving to RAW in 2009. He said that the only difference from Smackdown is that it was on Monday. He feuded with Kane and calls him a great guy.
Rey believes that Dolph Ziggler is one of the best workers in the WWE. He said that CM Punk was very dedicated to his craft while completely ignoring the question on how he acted backstage. He then wont say anything about Punk walking out of the WWE as he just says he did what he felt was best for him. He was excited to see Alberto Del Rio perform as he was not familiar with him and said their feud got better as it progressed. On his firing, he said that he was surprised that he got fired after slapping an employee. As a follow up question he is asked about experiencing racism while in the WWE. Rey said not directly but unsure if it was directed to him backstage.
Rob asks him about several other guys in rapid fashion, trying to get something out of Rey, but he says nothing at all except that he likes Cody Rhodes.
Now, Rey is asked about failing a Wellness Policy test while sitting at home and what they were testing for as Rey gave some generic answer about how they were given routine tests and that he failed due to not having "proof and validation." Mind you, he never said what he tested positive for or why he failed. He said the tough thing about the policy is its how the company sees things regarding prescriptions.
He is asked about Sin Cara and how he failed to succeed in the WWE and what happened there. Rey said that his main problem was that he did not speak English and did not know the WWE style. He also said that he had a reputation as a hothead and tried to help him but it didnt work.
Rey thinks the Shield was awesome and Seth is the best out of the three. On whether or not Reigns is the next big thing and if they should have him win at Mania instead of Daniel Bryan as Rey does not understand why the WWE does not go all the way with Bryan as the fans have been going nuts about him for three years. He says getting booed at the Royal Rumble in 2014 as #30, Rey said it shocked him initially but while out there is realized what was going on as he said he told Konnan later on if he saw Bryan in the gorilla position he would have dragged him out in front of the crowd to take his place.
He is asked about HHH and Vince McMahon regarding politics backstage as he gives more generic, non-threatening answers.
Rob now talks about the rumors about his WWE contract and if he was not getting paid. Rey claimed to have always gotten paid by the WWE. He then said he spoke with HHH when he contract was renewed and it went well as he was explained that they had to tack on time due to injury, which was explained in his original contract. He denies any blowup with Vince and that the doors are open for a return in the future.
Rey said he never heard any rumblings about the WWE being upset over him attending the Lucha Underground tapings but thinks they might have been suspicious. He also talks about cutting a promo that aired on TV for the AAA promotion in Mexico (where Rey said "see you soon" at the end) and claimed he did it because the WWE was going to tour Mexico soon and thought it would help promote the shows, not to say that he was going to wrestle for AAA. Rey also claimed he thought he was going on that WWE tour.
When asked about the rumor of HHH was going to release him early from his contract but got overruled by Vince, Rey just talked about how HHH explained his contract to him, not answering the question at all.
He says he is happy to be a free agent now after 13 years of the WWE. Rey also said he left on good terms as he wants to leave the doors open for a potential return. On why the WWE never announced his release, Rey said he had no idea but was aware of his release date.
On the rumors that he is heading to Lucha Underground, Rey said that he wants to wrestle a lot of guys in that company and would like to head into the company.
Rey said he loved returning to AAA for the Rey de Reyes event. He also puts over working with Konnan, who he has known since age 11. He puts over Pentagon and Fenix as being unbelievable workers.
He says his ladder match against Eddie Guerrero was the one he was the most proud of in the WWE as it was the last time they faced off and finishes off the interview by thanking his fans and that he will still be around for a while.
Final Thoughts: Rey might be a nice guy and I have not heard much bad said about him but this was one of the worst shoot interviews I have ever listened to and that was all due to himself. I understand not wanting to go off on people or burn bridges but Rey would not even attempt to answer even a slightly controversial question. And I felt he came off as very insincere and even full of shit when explaining how he left the company. I think he flat out lied about the promo from AAA being a way to promote the WWE Mexico house shows too as he had been off of TV for close to a year at that point with no sign of a return.
I give Feinstein credit for trying to get Rey to say something interesting. However, Rey was unwilling to play the game. He would avoid questions and give generic answers. I actually learned nothing from this interview to be honest and wanted to shut it off halfway through when it was apparent this was going nowhere.
I strongly recommend that you do not listen to this interview. WWE.com articles have more bite than this did and are easier to stomach. You would think filming a shoot a few days after getting released by the WWE would be interesting but that was not the case.
If you are still interested in getting this shoot, you can purchase the DVD for $20 by clicking on the links below:
http://www.rfvideo.com/reymysteriojr2015shootinterview.aspx