8 Things You Didn't Know About Rey Mysterio

When Rey Mysterio burst into the consciousness of North American wrestling fans in 1995, he quickly acquired a reputation as one of the most innovative athletes in the business. Few wrestlers could match Rey's combination of fast-paced aerial offensive and tip-top technical proficiency, and his exciting, hitherto-unseen style captured the imagination of audiences almost instantly.

Rey's WCW debut against Dean Malenko at The Great American Bash '96 garnered a standing ovation - from the locker-room no less. Even his industry colleagues had never seen moves quite like the ones the former ECW star was pulling off.

However, not all of Rey's in-ring innovations were his idea. Arguably his most iconic move, the 619, was actually transplanted from legendary puroresu star Satoru Sayama. During his pomp, the original Tiger Mask would employ a variation of Mysterio's signature technique known as the 'Tiger feint'. Used primarily as a taunt, the move was originally designed to deceive fans into thinking Sayama was about to dive through the ropes to a downed opponent on the outside.

Rey adopted the tactic beat-for-beat, until pal Damien 666 suggested he morph it into an offensive move. An added violent kick later, plus a cool name courtesy of Tazz, and the '619' soon became part of wrestling folklore.