[rock music] >> [speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] Announcer: This program was made possible in part by a grant from Anne Ray Foundation, a Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropy.

[Music] >> [speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [cheering] Castro III: Rey Misterio was basically the symbol of Lucha libre, of wrestling in the Californias area since the late '70s.

Rey Misterio started mixing up different styles.

He became a hybrid in styles of Lucha.

He had the traditional Mexican style of Lucha libre, but since he was in Tijuana, there was also the influence of the pro wrestling style.

That made Rey Misterio very important in the region.

Rey Misterio was the guy here.

>> [speaking Spanish] Match announcer: Eric Bischoff had to put the ring up... [Super Boy speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] ...Rey Misterio!

>> [speaking Spanish] [Castro III speaking Spanish] [music, crowd cheering] >> My wrestling name is Hijo de Rey Misterio, also known as Rey Misterio Heredero, and I am Rey Misterio Senior's son.

I am a third-generation wrestler.

Over there in Tijuana, that's my hometown.

You know, that's my throne.

That's my people.

You know, that's where I was made.

That's where I grew up.

That's where I live.

So, you know, when I come over here, you know, the people, they know where I come from.

They know about my father, they know about my cousin.

They know about my dynasty.

[Castro III speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] [Castro III speaking Spanish] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] [Super Boy speaking Spanish] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] Zyra: There's a lot of opportunity in SoCal.

There's a lot of Lucha libre shows, a lot of American shows, so you pretty much get a little bit of both sides, and some schools, they do both, so you get a lot of hybrid wrestlers that know American and know Lucha libre.

[Super Boy speaking Spanish] [cheering] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] Castro III: His legacy in wrestling is still felt right now because there are still wrestlers active in different promotions who-- you can see the timeline, and it goes right to him.

El Hijo de Rey Misterio: I have the same style of wrestling-- you know, his aggressive style, strong style, you know what I mean?

And there's a lot of kids that, you know, new wrestlers that have been coming and pushing forward, you know, and wrestling has evolved.

You know...in order to keep the ball moving, you know, you have to evolve with it, too.

[rock music] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [rock music] Castro III: After the '80s, Rey Misterio's influence on Lucha libre became international.

Certain things he did in his mask and his gear, you can still see them in a lot of wrestlers, maintaining some of the designs that are part of the Rey Misterio look.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [cheering] [reporter and Rey speak Spanish] [conversation in Spanish] Castro III: A luchador loses his mask or hair in a bet match against somebody who's truly a great rival.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [Announcer speaking Spanish] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [cheering] [music] [Castro III speaking Spanish] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] [match announcers speaking Spanish] Castro III: Every time he stepped into the ring, he had a different ring gear, different mask.

Rey Misterio incorporated, like, a hawk design.

The mohawk, I really never knew why, but he incorporated it in a lot of his masks.

And then you have the symbol, the question mark, on the front because that's part of it.

El Hijo de Rey Misterio: I like to wear, for example, his old-school masks that I know new fans haven't seen them or they didn't get to see my dad but they heard about him.

You know, maybe their parents did.

You know, my dad was my idol.

When, you know, I started wrestling as amateur wrestling when I was 15.

I used to wrestle at schools for free.

Why?

Because I wanted to be--one day wear this mask, wear my father's mask.

Castro III: And his ring jackets, he also had kind of like the fur he had and the mohawk.

Then he put it on some of his jackets.

So there's certain things you can see in him that are part of the Rey Misterio look.

[music] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] [Castro III speaking Spanish] [music] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] Castro III: The Misterio legacy can be seen on the mask, but it is forged by training in the ring, a practice now continued by Lady Lee and her students.

[music] Castro III: Rey Misterio was basically the symbol of Lucha libre, of wrestling in the Californias area since the late '70s.

And then he became a prime teacher.

And that's where a lot of his legacy really starts--as a teacher.

There's a whole generation of luchadores that were Rey Misterio students.

[music] [Super Boy speaking Spanish] >> Rey Misterio has different generations of wrestlers that he taught.

Obviously, one-- the generation who is most famous are the '90s ones.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] Announcer: The entire career of his wrestling family as well with his uncle, Rey Misterio.

Announcer 2: Oh, good move again.

Castro III: But then in the 2000s, he had a school at a place called Teatro Zaragoza, where a lot of the younger generations of wrestlers, or some call it his last great generation of wrestlers.

There's where we can find Lady Lee.

[Lady Lee speaking Spanish] >> So Lady Lee not only learned the Rey Misterio style of wrestling, but she learned it basically wrestling as a man.

>> [speaking Spanish] >> [speaking Spanish] Castro III: In Mexican Lucha Libre, you have two factions.

You have the técnicos, which are basically the heroes.

Or In English terminology, they're the faces.

Then you have the rudos, who are the villains, the bad guys.

Both of them have the same basic principles, but the técnico is more of a high flyer, and the técnico looks more for the approval of the fans.

Usually, when he's going to do a big move, he looks to the fans for approval, and you see what's coming while the rudo, the villain, is an obvious rule breaker.

He's a rule breaker, and he doesn't look for the approval of the fans.

On the contrary, he looks to make the fans angry.

Announcer: La Parka down on the floor.

Announcer 2: La Parka is a big man.

Announcer 3: He's the biggest of the luchadores.

Misterio, middle rope.

Look at that.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [music] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] Announcer: Lady Lee!

[cheering] >> [speaking Spanish] [coaches speaking indistinctly] >> [Indistinct] [coaches & wrestlers speaking Spanish] [music] [Lady Lee speaking Spanish] [Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] Crowd: Oh!

Hijo de Rey Misterio: I started wrestling as amateur wrestling when I was 15.

Because I wanted to be one day wear this mask, wear my father's mask.

[music] Match announcer: Fight.

[Video game-style chimes] El Hijo de Rey Misterio: My dad had many battles, you know, defending his titles, defending his hair, you know, against great wrestlers.

You know, my dad was my idol.

[Match announcers speaking Spanish] Hijo de Rey Misterio: Basically, I grew up here.

You know, I wasn't like the other kids, you know, that they went to the park or, you know... played soccer.

You know, this is where I grew up.

You know, this was my playground.

[music] [cheering] Castro III: Family legacy of Rey Misterio is a bit confusing because there's Rey Misterio Sr., and Rey Misterio Jr.

is not his son; he's his nephew.

Announcer: ...at Ticketmaster on Saturday, January 30th, in Los Angeles at the Great Western Forum.

Castro III: And then Dominik becomes his grand-nephew.

Announcer: Rey with a lead pipe.

Misterio-- Announcer 2: Chopping down The Beast.

Announcer 1: Misterio chopping down The Beast.

Announcer 2: Look at this.

Announcer 1: Repeated after-- Wait a minute.

Hey... Castro III: The person who's continuing the Misterio name in Mexico and in the southern states of the United States, who is Hijo de Rey Misterio, who is the legitimate son of Rey Misterio Sr.

>> [Grunts] Hijo de Rey Misterio: I debuted as Hijo de Rey Misterio back in 2006, December of 2006.

You know, I got to wrestle next to my dad.

18 years later, here I am.

I like to wear his old-school masks that I know new fans haven't seen them, or they didn't get to see my dad, but they heard about him.

It's like I become him.

Castro III: It's not a copy because he's doing his own thing, but there's a lot of little things you can see, "Hey, that's part of the dad's legacy."

El Hijo de Rey Misterio: I'm not here to imitate nobody.

I'm here to do my own story, but I don't want my dad to be forgotten.

So I want the people that got to see my father wrestle, I want them to keep seeing my father in me.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] Castro III: A legacy in Lucha libre or pro wrestling, it starts with one wrestler, and either his family continues in the style of it or his style you can see in other people.

[Announcer speaking, indistinct] El Hijo de Rey Misterio: There's a saying between us wrestlers, you know, that we always know how we go up to step in the ring, but we never know if we're going to come down the same way.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] [cheering] >> Unfortunately, in the 2000s, he had an accident that basically retired him from wrestling.

[Rey Misterio speaking Spanish] Castro III: But he still kept on being a wrestling teacher, a mentor for a lot of generations.

And that's where a lot of his legacy really starts, as a teacher.

[Lady Lee speaking Spanish] Castro III: Unfortunately, we lost him in December of 2024.

That made people remember and recognize the importance that he had for Lucha libre in Mexico and in the States.

>> [speaking Spanish] [cheering] Announcer: ...championship!

Rey bomb!

Oh!

[Super Boy speaking Spanish] Castro III: For a generation of fans, Rey Misterio is basically Lucha libre in the Californias.

He was a maestro in the ring, and he was also a maestro outside of it.

He was the teacher of a generation.

El Hijo de Rey Misterio: Every single time I step out of that curt--before I step out of that curtain, you know, I pray to him, you know, to take care of me.

I always-- you know, and I know I'm blessed by him.

I know he watches over me.

>> [speaking Spanish] [music] Announcer: This program was made possible in part by a grant from Anne Ray Foundation, a Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropy.