Rey Mysterio Says He Wasn’t Ready To Win The World Heavyweight Championship After Eddie Guerrero Died

Following Eddie Guerrero’s tragic passing in 2005, Rey Mysterio focused his efforts on honoring his friend by winning one of WWE’s top two titles: the World Heavyweight Championship or WWE Championship. He took the first step in realizing his goal when he last eliminated Randy Orton to win the 2006 Royal Rumble. Then at WrestleMania 22, Mysterio accomplished the unthinkable when he defeated Kurt Angle and Orton to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Following the match, Mysterio celebrated his victory with Guerrero’s family. The image of him embracing Chavo and Vickie Guerrero on the WrestleMania stage remains one of the most emotional scenes in WWE history.

During an interview with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca of Busted Open remembering Guerrero on the tenth anniversary of his passing, Mysterio was asked if he was ready to win the title at the time.

“No, especially not under those circumstances,” Mysterio responded.

“I guess my career was heading in a different direction. We had just finished our feud with my son, Dominick, and the great story that Eddie put together and how much passion he threw behind that, that character that he was. He was ready to move on with Batista and I really don’t know where I was going, but that changed direction completely for, I believe, for everyone. So I really wasn’t ready at the time, but of course you’ve got to make the best out of it. This was a big opportunity for me and the people knew. The people knew that it was going down for Eddie. I was put on the spot, but I was there representing Eddie.”

You can listen to the interview here. Busted Open airs Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET on SiriusXM Rush 93 and on the SiriusXM App.