Rey Mysterio has credited Kurt Angle with helping launch his WWE career after Mysterio arrived at the company in 2002.
Speaking on The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast (quotes courtesy of wrestlezone.com), the WWE Hall of Famer reflected on his early days in WWE and revealed that Kurt Angle specifically requested to work with him at SummerSlam 2002.
Rey Mysterio had built a strong reputation through his work in WCW, ECW, and AAA before joining WWE, but admitted that adapting to the company’s style and storytelling approach was a significant adjustment. According to Mysterio, Angle played a major role in helping him navigate that transition.
“The first one to pull me aside was Kurt Angle,” Mysterio recalled. “I remember he told me they gave him three opponents to work with for SummerSlam, which was my first pay-per-view with WWE. He said, ‘I chose you. I’ve always wanted to work with you since seeing you in WCW.”
At the time, Angle was already firmly established as one of WWE’s biggest stars. The Olympic gold medallist had become one of the company’s most respected in-ring performers, making his endorsement particularly meaningful for Mysterio.
Rey Mysterio Credits Kurt Angle With Helping Adapt To The WWE Style
Beyond selecting him as an opponent, Rey Mysterio said Kurt Angle also helped him understand WWE’s approach to building matches and telling stories in the ring.
“He was like the first guy that kind of pulled me under his wing, and I was learning all these new methods of how to make my craft much better,” Mysterio said.
The SummerSlam match ultimately became one of the most memorable bouts of Mysterio’s early WWE run. More than two decades later, it is still widely regarded as one of the strongest opening matches in WWE pay-per-view history. For Mysterio, the opportunity not only introduced him to a new audience but also helped establish him as one of WWE’s future stars, with Angle playing a key role in that process.
