Rey Mysterio Explains Why WWE Didn’t Sign Him Immediately After WCW Folded

Rey Mysterio has detailed what the holdup was in getting signed with WWE.

When WCW was bought by WWE back in March 2001, it left many wrestlers wondering what their future would hold.

Many stars such as Booker T and DDP seemed to be sure locks for WWE contracts, while stars such as Goldberg and Kevin Nash stood at home collecting massive checks.

For Mysterio, WWE wasn’t willing to buy out his contract right away. The company did however keep its promise.

Appearing on The Kurt Angle Show, Rey Mysterio offered an explanation as to why he wasn’t a member of the WWE roster until 2002.

“So, when the company was bought out I was told right off the bat that they were interested in me but they wanted me to let my WCW contract run out. Once it ended, we would sit down and do business.

“I thought that it was a nice way of saying, ‘We’re not interested,’ because a lot of contracts were bought out. Chavo’s, Booker’s, a lot of guys. So, again I’m thinking, ‘Is Vince really gonna open up the doors for me because he doesn’t believe in small guys?’

“I would hear that sometimes from Nash, from Hall but I never lost hope and sure enough when that contract expired JR reached out and said, ‘Okay, we’re ready to do business,’ and that’s when I signed. So, they kept their word.”

The WCW contract did allow for Mysterio to take international bookings as he waited for the deal to expire. He competed in Mexico under the CMLL banner before taking some independent dates and then signing with WWE.