Rey Mysterio stood in awe as he gazed at a new mural celebrating his wrestling career and his impact on his community.
On Wednesday, he returned to Logan Heights in San Diego as the neighborhood unveiled
the new artwork honoring the WWE Hall of Famer. Joined by his daughter, Aalyah, along with community members, fans, and the artists, Mysterio quietly took in the dedication, reflecting on how far his path had taken him.
“The journey has been so long when you see this, like something so special, so significant from the roots all the way up until now,” Mysterio told Cageside Seats. “And not only myself, but the ones that help pave the way and the ones that are coming behind me as well. It’s such a beautiful piece of art and so significant, meaningful, and historical, man.”
The latest installation, at 30th and Commercial, depicts Mysterio hitting his signature 619 on Fishman, a longtime rival of the Mysterio family. In 1988, Fishman unmasked Rey’s uncle, Rey Misterio, after defeating him in a match.
According to lead artist Daniel “Dentlok” Angeles, giving Mysterio the upper hand this time was intentional. Depicting the 619 on Fishman, he said, was his way of “getting revenge.”
The mural also features several legendary luchadores sitting ringside, including Blue Demon, Perro Aguayo, and arguably the most iconic of all, El Santo.
When deciding who would appear, Angeles said the team focused on honoring lucha libre’s foundations.
“We went OGs. We wanted to do a shout-out to the main guys, the originals,” said Angeles.
Wednesday’s unveiling follows a previous mural, introduced in the spring. That featured Mysterio, his uncle, his son Dominik, and in-ring friends and rivals Psicosis and Konnan. The new mural came together quickly, with Angeles and his team completing it in just over two weeks.
The job they did is impressive, especially with the challenges they faced. San Diego was hit by rain for much of last week. But as true in art as it is in entertainment, the show must go on.
“We worked during the storm, weekends, seven to seven, most of the days,” said Lenny Pérez, an artist and Angeles’ cousin.
As moved as Mysterio appeared, so too was his daughter, Aalyah, who was proud of her father and what he means to the community.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to live in San Diego,” she said, “and to just see the love that the city has for him and to be able to just drive past it and see it as many times as I want, this is a beautiful thing.”
Near the end, Mysterio got choked up as seated in the mural’s audience were his uncle and his parents. The community’s tribute comes on the first anniversary of the passing of Mysterio’s father.
“He’s always in my mind. He’s always in my heart,” said Mysterio. “Being able to see that choked me up, for real. You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone, and I miss him a lot.”
After Mysterio gathered himself, he took pictures with the artists and his fans who came out in full support of the San Diego icon.
As fans head to WWE’s Survivor Series this Saturday at San Diego’s Petco Park, they can see both murals, which are just over a mile and a half east of the stadium. According to San Diego’s favorite son, the murals are full of history and Easter eggs that dedicated fans will enjoy.
“Anybody that comes here that might be a wrestling fan will look at this and go, ‘Oh, wow.’ And once you start going through the process of explaining, ‘Oh, this guy is this guy, and then this, he did this, he helped Rey out, get to where he’s at now.’ There’s a lot of history here, man. It’s beautiful.”
