Rey Mysterio Texts Jim Ross Credit For Hall Of Fame Career: 'It All Started With You'
As stars of the Ruthless Aggression era begin to enter the WWE Hall of Fame, there will be many feathers in the cap of former WWE Head of Talent Relations Jim Ross.
"I got a beautiful text from Rey [Mysterio] after [he was announced for the WWE Hall of Fame] and it made me cry," JR said on the latest "Grillin' JR" episode. "He said 'it all started with you,' which is pretty cool."
JR recounts the story of how he recruited Mysterio for WWE, initially bringing him to a TV taping in southern California. According to JR, he didn't hire Mysterio because the former WCW Cruiserweight Champion was on one of the WCW/Turner contracts that was still lucrative after the collapse of WCW. "'I can't pay you what you're earning today,'" JR remembered his words to Mysterio, "'but I can fully expect — if you stay healthy, Rey — that you're gonna blow that number completely out of the water.' And he did! I didn't lie to him!"
Ross says that he had a preternatural belief in Mysterio, noting that he'd "never hired a wrestler of that size" during his time in WWE. The rest is history, Mysterio debuted in WWE in 2002, going on to hold the WWE Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship, and other illustrious titles in his 20-plus years with the company.
"Now look, Rey's still at it and doing great and going into the Hall of Fame," JR exclaimed, noting that Mysterio's current feud with his son Dominik is "interesting."
Mysterio is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 31.