Rey Mysterio had plans to retire at 50.
The World Wrestling Entertainment star is now 47 and has enjoyed a career spanning more than three decades. He is known for his high-flying lucha libre wrestling style, which he helped popularise in the US.
However, the high-calibre level of this acrobatic technique can be difficult on the body and he always feared he wouldn't have a long career, especially given the number of injuries he's sustained. Now, it seems all thoughts of hanging up his mask have been pushed aside — at least for the moment.
My body feels great. My mind feels great. Right now, I'm not even thinking of a number. I'm just enjoying every day as it happens and getting the most out of it
Rey Mysterio
“Obviously, times change and your train of thought changes as you get older. Having my son Dominik become a part of WWE changed my outcome and the number that I was looking at," he tells The National. "Since the beginning, I've never enjoyed things as much as I am during this phase of my career."
He is speaking during a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the Gamers8 festival, which gives him a chance to connect with the sport's global fanbase. And, despite the taxing round-the-world promotional work, as well as the stunts in the ring, Mysterio has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.
“My body feels great. My mind feels great. Right now, I'm not even thinking of a number," he says. "I'm just enjoying every day as it happens and getting the most out of it. I'm sure that eventually my body is going to say: ‘Okay, now's the time, don't go any further.' And, that's when I'm going to decide to push everything behind. But I'm enjoying the moment right now.”
Mysterio made his wrestling debut in Mexico in 1989, at the age of 14, before joining the now defunct World Championship Wrestling in the mid-1990s where he made a name for himself in the cruiserweight division. After WCW was sold in 2001, he competed as an independent wrestler, working for different promotions in Mexico.
In 2002, he signed with the WWE and later made his debut on SmackDown in a match against Chavo Guerrero. His first tenure with the company would last until 2015 when his contract expired.
“I left because I was just tired physically, mentally and I just wanted to reconnect with my family. But I always knew that I wanted to come back and I wanted to retire in the WWE,” he says. “My career was definitely going to end in WWE, no matter what.”
He shocked many with a return at the 2018 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant. Although there are other wrestling promotions he could have gone to, Mysterio says that there was never any doubt he’d eventually return one day, especially considering that his son Dominik now wrestles alongside him.
“I never really had any desire to go anywhere else. It has always been the WWE," he says. "Now I know the WWE has always been my home.
"And, not only for me, but for my son as well and for my family. You know, we've been part of the WWE brand for 20 years. And, it's once you get to know family, you just don't turn away from them.”
However, despite the longevity he’s had with the WWE, Mysterio is now also experiencing something new with the company: a change in leadership.
In July, long-time chairman and chief executive Vince McMahon retired amid an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct. His daughter Stephanie McMahon is now the chairwoman and shares chief executive duties with Nick Khan. Meanwhile her husband Paul Levesque, the retired wrestler better known as Triple H, has taken over as executive vice president for talent relations and head of creative — a change many fans are keen on.
“The one thing I can say and I can answer it straight from my heart, and from the changes that I've seen in the past two weeks, is the position that Triple H has, and the rest of their crew including Stephanie McMahon, Bruce Prichard, Nick Khan, is a very, very difficult position to overcome,” he says.
“But I think it's in the hands of the right people without a doubt. And if there's anyone that's willing to make a change for the better is the guys that are in charge right now. So I truly believe we are in good hands.
“Triple H wants nothing but the best for this business, in this industry and for this company. Now, it's going to be up to us to put in the work to help them take it to the next level.”
For his trip to Riyadh, Mysterio has brought along his wife Angie, who is experiencing the kingdom for the first time. While the wrestler is no stranger to the Middle East, having come to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the past, he says he’s always in awe of the fans he gets to meet in the region.
“Through WWE, I was given the opportunity to demonstrate Lucha Libre around the world. But I would have never thought that in Saudi Arabia, fans were going to enjoy watching Lucha Libre and Ray Mysterio, in particular, so that has really blown my mind,” he says.
“And, not only me, when I talked to my wife, when I talk to my son and my daughter, we put those things into perspective and go: ‘Wow, that was really incredible and unbelievable to be able to reach an audience, all the way on the other side of the world’.
"I'm very thankful for not only the support that the fans give me, but the support that they now give my son, because now there's a legacy that will continue with the Mysterios. I'm very thankful from the heart and I hope to get to see you all soon."
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
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%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"
Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model
Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
