Customer Reviews

Rey Mysterio: Behind the Mask (Wwe S.)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was an okay book, but not great. Rey didn't seem to go into too much detail on things other than his surgeries and his workout routine at the end of the book. I thought that was a pretty boring way to end the book. There wasn't too much detail on any behind the scenes stuff though. What I found really weird was that Rey would acknowledge that wrestling was entertainment, but his description of some of his matches made them sound like real fights. That made it come off as very hokey and at times it just had me rolling my eyes. The strange part about it is that at times it seems like the book is written for younger Mysterio fans, but then it has a fair amount of cursing in it. It seems like it is trying to appeal to both kids and adults, but ultimately is too vulgar for kids and isn't in depth enough for adults. One of my biggest disappointments with the book was Rey's take on the Chris Benoit situation, or lack thereof. I don't know if it was a WWE mandate not to mention it or what, but Rey didn't even talk about the murder/suicide of Chris Benoit. In the acknowledgements section at the very end of the book Rey mentions fallen wrestlers who helped him by name and he calls Benoit "Wild Pegasus", which was the name Benoit went by in Japan. Most fans wouldn't even know that. I was also surprised that there were no pictures at all of Rey without his mask as an adult.

It was an okay read, but I have read alot better wrestling books such as Edge's, Jericho's, and Foley's. I thought the most interesting part was his time wrestling in Mexico because I didn't know much about that. The WWE and WCW information was pretty boring for me because if you watched him on tv during that time then you won't really learn anything new. I'm not a Rey Mysterio fan, just a huge wrestling fan, and I found this book to be very uninformative and lacking in substance. I would recommend it if you are a Rey Mysterio fan, but otherwise I would say pass on it or just check it out at the library.

Rey Mysterio:Behind the Mask is a good solid wrestling bio.It's an autobiography co-written with Keith Elliot Greenberg who co-authored autobiographies of Fred Blassie,Superstar Billy Graham and Ric Flair among others.This book uses the same format as those other books as it tells the story of one of the few luchadors to find success in the world of wrestling North of the border.There's an all too brief mention of the history of lucha libre and the tradition of the mask.But there are nods to el Santo and Mil Mascaras,two of the greatest luchadors ever,in this book.There are some who have even referred to Mysterio as a Mil Mascaras for the 21st century.I say Mysterio's accomplishments can stand on their own.He is one of the most exciting wrestlers ever to put on a pair of tights.Have you ever seen the Spider-Man movies? Well that's how Mysterio moves,and without the aid of CGI.In this book Mysterio answers questions about steroids(something every successful athlete is asked about these days)and talks a little bit about his own conditioning program.More importantly we learn how a 5'5" 100lb.wannabe through force of will became one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE.We learn how he was trained by his uncle,legendary luchador Rey Misterio,and went from wrestling in small venues in Tiajuanna as a teenager to headlining matches in arenas like New York's famed Madison Square Garden.We get to hear the inside story on his unmasking in the WCW. We're also told about his relationship with the late Eddie Guerrero and the Guerrero family in his own words.We also learn about Mysterio's relationship with his own family.This is something that's very important,because aside from wrestling itself the most important things in the world of lucha libre are family,tradition and honor.This book is a good read if you're a fan of pro wrestling and I recommend it.

If you're a fan of rey. You should probably take the time to read the book. If you're a fan of wrestling books you've read much more in depth and amusing books. It's not a terrible read but it's lacking any thing unique or overly exciting.

It also seems to be written from a perspective aimed more at kids or those who believe that pro wrestling doesn't have predetermined finishes. What do I mean by that? Where as most other wrestlers whose books I have read didn't attempt to weave the magic of disbelief into their matches, the stories here about rey's matches seem to come from more of a I COULD have won that match if i did this, that, or the other.

Not to say there aren't interesting bits but it's much more about the man than his adventure in and out of the ring...which of course there are SOME wrestling stories...but mostly it's more about him...WHICH makes sense since the book is called behind the mask. Right?

First let me say that I am a huge Mysterio and lucha libre fan. So I was really looking forward to this book. Rey has helped revolutionize an industry with his amazing high flying. He brought the lucha libre style to a world wide audience. That's why this book is such a let down. So many basic mistakes on things that Rey himself should and would know.
He claims that Psicosis still wears his mask in Mexico. The only problem is that he doesn't. There is a luchador called Psicosis but it's not Dionicio Castellanos Torres.(Psicosis's real name, who wrestles as Nicho El Millinario in Mexico sans mask) Rey should know that considering Nicho was the best man at his wedding. And Rey was wrestling in WCW at the time Psicosis lost his mask to Billy Kidman.
Speaking of Billy Kidman, Rey claims that he and Billy won the WCW tag titles on the last episode of Nitro. Except that they didn't. They won the WCW cruiserweight tag titles. He even talks about this on one of his DVDs.
He talks about the development of the 619 and how he based it on a move that Tiger Mask used to do. And the epic battles that Tiger had with Dynamite Kid, how Tiger was Mitsuharu Misawa under the mask. Except the epic battles Dynamite had with Tiger Mask, it was Satoru Sayama under the mask. Misawa was the 2nd Tiger Mask but it wasn't until 1984 not 1980 like this book claims. I've seen the RF shoot interview Rey did shortly after WCW died. He knows all this stuff. Glaring mistakes like this make me think that Rey actually had very little to do with this book. If you really want to read it, check it out from the library. If actually spend money of this book you're going to be very disappointed.

This book was purchased as a gift. The person reading it says it is a great book, very interesting. It came quickly after ordering.

at first i didn't want to buy it but i got it for christmas and i loved it. Its a great biography the only thing that could have made it better would be having a few more pictures

This is a great book. Rey talks about his childhood and how he went to wrestling school with his uncle despite it being across the border in Tj and he lived in San Diego. He also talks about the struggles of how he first started in AAA in Mexico with a group of other wrestlers. And he talks about the death of Eddie Guerrero, the last time he saw him alive and when he found out about his death. Great book overall. If you are a Rey Mysterio fan I really recommend you buy it.

From start to finish, an excellent read. I especially enjoyed reading about Rey Misterio, Rey Mysterio's Uncle. Great looks into the hard work and extrodinay triumphs of Mysterio through out his career. Rey doe's not toot his own horn, he tell's it like it is, how it is. One of my favorite wrestling memoirs.

i really liked this book its something that any wrestling fan would like.
this book tells you how much rey loved wrestling as a kid when he started training how a person his age and size became a wrestler how he met his wife what the AAA was like his career in japan ecw and wcw and wwe

may not be as great as foley's, jericho's, or bret's bio but i really enjoyed it

There is no doubt that Rey Mysterio is one of the best performers to step into a wrestling ring. His Lucha Libre style making him an instant highlight reel and one of the top names in the business that is pro wrestling, he has wrestled all over the world winning over many doubters who said he's too small. Thats why it's so disappointing that book really adds nothing new to the man behind the mask!!

Whenever you finish reading a book one of the first things you should ask your self is what do i know about the person now that i didn't before and with this book the answer would be not a lot really!

Which is a pity as know doubt Mysterio has alot of stories to tell considering he's been all over the world and his career more or less followed the same path as both Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho, who both wrote great books. Considering as well that Mysterio was with WCW till its last days he should have lots of inside information as too why it was such a shambles! When talking about Eddie Guerrero's death he never mentions that steriods had played a big part in his death while Chris Benoit barely gets a mention which probably has more to do with this being a WWE Book really. Mysterio also overlooks his own suspension for a banned substance but does admit that he battled an addiction to painkillers!

The book does have some good stuff such as his struggle with Promoters who never think he's big enough, the book's main problem is that Rey presents some of the book as that his matches are real(kayfabe, a wrestling term for protecting the business) yet admits most of what happens are storylines. There's no doubt that with Mysterio having such a young fan base WWE wanted to protect his and the business image.