Rey Mysterio Reveals He Nearly Retired From WWE But One Thing Stopped Him

If Dominik Myserio is upset that his 'deadbeat dad' is still hanging around in WWE, he has no one to blame but himself.

Rey Mysterio has been in the wrestling business since 1992, and he is showing no signs of slowing down at 51-years-old. That wasn't the case at the turn of this decade.

The WWE Hall of Famer a guest on a recent episode of The Late Run with former Cincinnati Bengals standout WR Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Canadian soccer player Raheem Taylor-Parkes, and Mysterio said he was leaning toward retirement before his son expressed interest in becoming a professional wrestler.

Rey Mysterio almost walked away from wrestling

We've waited a long time for this match and it was everything we wanted and more! 👏

AND STILL YOUR INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION, PENTA! pic.twitter.com/6nIlGG2o41
— WWE (@WWE) June 8, 2026

“I just wasn’t getting that same emotion when I would step into the ring. I think my body was burnt out, mentally and physically... I remember sitting down with [his wife] and telling her, ‘You know what, I don’t feel what I would always feel every time I would step into the ring, I think I’m going to tap out. I just don’t feel it anymore.’ Shortly after, my son told me that he wanted to try and break into the business."

Mysterio said that helping get Dom up and running in the business reignited his own fire once again. He would go on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship with his son in 2021, before Dom eventually turned on him.

Now known as "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, the 29-year-old is a two-time WWE Men's Intercontinental Champion and the reigning AAA Mega Champion. He's also two wins away from winning the King of the Ring crown, which would earn him a World Heavyweight or WWE Championship opportunity at SummerSlam.

Dom will face Oba Femi in the semifinals this coming Monday night on WWE Raw, the winner of that match will advance to the tournament finals at Night of Champions on Sunday, June 28.

Rey Mysterio, meantime, is coming off a spectacular fight with Penta for the Men's Intercontinental Championship this past Monday afternoon in Paris. He may not have won the title, but Lucha Libre legend proved once again that he's just as good in the ring as ever.

He also recently took over as the General Manager for Lucha Libre AAA, and his wrestling family tree may be growing in the near future. During an episode of Six Feet Under podcast, Mysterio told The Undertaker that his daughter, Aalyah, will soon be training full-time at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Aalyah is no stranger to WWE programming. She was involved in the creative storylines when her family was feuding with Seth Rollins and his faction back in 2020. Time will tell if a return to WWE programming as a wrestler is in her future.

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