SmackDown legend details recovering from horrible addiction after his big run in WWE
Many WWE Superstars have fallen prey to substances in the past. The road winds up taking a toll on them. After a stint in the main event scene of Friday Night SmackDown and subsequent knee injuries, Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio became addicted to pain killers.
Rey Mysterio won the Royal Rumble match in 2006, headlined WrestleMania 22 and won the World Heavyweight Championship. The masked luchador successfully held onto the title for 112 days, defending it against the likes of Randy Orton, JBL, Sabu and Mark Henry before ultimately dropping the belt to King Booker.
Speaking to Logan Paul on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, The Biggest Little Man revealed that after multiple knee surgeries, the pressure of being one of the company's top stars caught up with him. However, his wife Angie found out about this and she played a big role in his recovery:
"So, during my big run in WWE, and after so many (knee) surgeries, I got f***ing hooked on pain killers for a very long time, and my wife caught me. One time, we were on vacation, she saw that I was out of it, completely, so she gave me an ultimatum. She goes, 'So when we get back home, you can either take your pills, or you can take your family.' [43:14 onwards]
Rey Mysterio further added that it was his wife's ultimatum that made all the difference, and made the now-Hall of Famer a stronger person. He chose his family over his dependence on pain killers:
"That really opened me up, man, and it made me a stronger person. I remember getting back to San Diego, flew to TV next day, spoke to Vince, and I told him, 'Boss, I need to check myself in. I'm gonna need some time off.' He was cool with it. He was like, 'It takes a man to f***ing man up to what you're doing,' so that was a big life changer for me. A different perspective of life, and the appreciation of family. And the support of my wife, it's crazy. Yeah. She's been there from day one."
Rey Mysterio winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22 was a beautiful moment. https://t.co/v6IOUNgHmx
Rey Mysterio wants a "Hair vs. Mask" match in WWE against his son
While the WWE Hall of Famer still shows hesitance in fighting his son Dominik Mysterio, Rey Mysterio feels a "Hair vs. Mask" match against the Judgment Day star will put an end to things.
In the aforementioned interview, Rey revealed that he is interested in bringing back the match type as it is part of the Lucha culture, and even claimed that he is going to pitch the iconic stipulation down the line.
The luchador legend has been part of several bouts under this stipulation in the past, most notably against "Straight Edge Savior" CM Punk at WWE Over The Limit 2010.
10 years ago today, May 23, 2010, was the first ever Over the Limit PPV! @reymysterio defeated @CMPunk in a Straight Edge Society pledge vs. Hair match; as a result, Punk had his head shaved. During the match, Punk got busted open and Rey was visibility hurt https://t.co/uYOM2gmFFL
You can read more about how Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes inadvertently created a bad WrestleMania memory for a former WWE Superstar.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the IMPAULSIVE podcast and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.