The terms 7th July, July 7th, and 7/7 (pronounced "Seven-seven") have been widely used in the Western media as a shorthand for the 7 July 2005 bombings on London's transport system. In China, this term is used to denote the Battle of Lugou Bridge started on July 7, 1937, marking the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Events

1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death.

1534 – European colonization of the Americas: first known exchange between Europeans and natives of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick.

1543 – French troops invade Luxembourg.

1575 – Raid of the Redeswire, the last major battle between England and Scotland.

1585 – The Treaty of Nemours abolishes tolerance to Protestants in France.

1770 – The Battle of Larga between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire takes place.

1777 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Hubbardton.

1798 – Quasi-War: the U.S. Congress rescinds treaties with France sparking the "war".

1807 – Napoleonic Wars: the Peace of Tilsit between France, Prussia and Russia ends the Fourth Coalition.

1834 – In New York City, four nights of rioting against abolitionists began.

1846 – Mexican-American War: American troops occupy Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the U.S. acquisition of California.

1863 – United States begins its first military draft; exemptions cost $300.

1865 – American Civil War: four conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln are hanged.

1892 – Katipunan: the Revolutionary Philippine Brotherhood is established, contributing to the fall of the Spanish Empire in Asia.

1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signs the Newlands Resolution annexing Hawaii as a territory of the United States.

1911 – The United States, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia sign the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 banning open-water seal hunting, the first international treaty to address wildlife preservation issues.

1915 – World War I: end of First Battle of the Isonzo.

1915 – An International Railway trolley with an extreme overload of 157 passengers crashes near Queenston, Ontario, killing 15.

1915 – Militia officer Henry Pedris executed by firing squad at Colombo, Ceylon - an act widely regarded as a miscarriage of justice by the British colonial authorities.

1928 – Sliced bread is sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri.

1930 – Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser begins construction of the Boulder Dam (now known as Hoover Dam).

1937 – Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Lugou Bridge – Japanese forces invade Beijing, China.

1941 – World War II: U.S. forces land in Iceland, taking over from an earlier British occupation.

1941 – World War II: Beirut is occupied by Free France and British troops.

1944 – World War II: Largest Banzai charge of the Pacific War at the Battle of Saipan.

1946 – Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini becomes the first American to be canonized.

1946 – Howard Hughes nearly dies when his XF-11 spy plane prototype crashes in a Beverly Hills neighborhood.

1952 – The ocean liner passes Bishop's Rock on her maiden voyage, breaking the transatlantic speed record to become the fastest passenger ship in the world.

1953 – Ernesto "Che" Guevara sets out on a trip through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.

1954 – Elvis Presley made his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right."

1956 – Fritz Moravec and two other Austrian mountaineers make the first ascent of Gasherbrum II (8,035 m).

1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Act into law.

1959 – Venus occults the star Regulus. This rare event is used to determine the diameter of Venus and the structure of the Venusian atmosphere.

1978 – The Solomon Islands become independent from the United Kingdom.

1980 – Institution of sharia in Iran.

1980 – During the Lebanese civil war, 83 Tiger militants are killed during what will be known as the Safra massacre.

1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States.

1983 – Cold War: Samantha Smith, a U.S. schoolgirl, flies to the Soviet Union at the invitation of Secretary General Yuri Andropov.

1985 – Boris Becker becomes the youngest player ever to win Wimbledon at age 17

1991 – Yugoslav Wars: the Brioni Agreement ends the ten-day independence war in Slovenia against the rest of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

1997 – The Turkish Armed Forces withdraw from northern Iraq after assisting the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War.

2002 – A scandal breaks out in the United Kingdom when news reports accuse MI6 of sheltering Abu Qatada, the supposed European Al Qaeda leader.

2005 – A series of four explosions occurs on London's transport system killing 56 people including four alleged suicide bombers and injuring over 700 others.

2011 – Roof of a stand in De Grolsch Veste Stadium in Enschede which was under construction collapsed, one killed and 14 injured.

Births

1053 – Emperor Shirakawa of Japan (d. 1129)

1119 – Emperor Sutoku of Japan (d. 1164)

1207 – Princess Elisabeth of Hungary Catholic saint (d. 1231)

1528 – Archduchess Anna of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I (d. 1590)

1586 – Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, English statesman and art collector (d. 1646)

1656 – Guru Har Krishan, Indian religious figure (d. 1664)

1746 – Giuseppe Piazzi, Italian astronomer (d. 1826)

1752 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, French inventor (d. 1834)

1766 – Guillaume Philibert Duhesme, French general (d. 1815)

1833 – Félicien Rops, Belgian artist, and printmaker in etching and aquatint (d. 1898)

1843 – Camillo Golgi, Italian physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1926)

1848 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian politician (d. 1919)

1851 – Charles Tindley, American gospel music composer (d. 1933)

1855 – Ludwig Ganghofer, German writer (d. 1920)

1860 – Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer (d. 1911)

1874 – Erwin Bumke, German jurist (d. 1945)

1884 – Lion Feuchtwanger, German dramatist (d. 1958)

1887 – Marc Chagall, Russian painter (d. 1985)

1891 – Virginia Rappe, American actress (d. 1921)

1891 – Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Japanese general (d. 1945)

1893 – Miroslav Krleža, Croatian writer (d. 1981)

1899 – George Cukor, American director (d. 1983)

1900 – Earle E. Partridge, American military commander (d. 1990)

1901 – Vittorio De Sica, Italian director (d. 1974)

1901 – Sam Katzman, American film producer (d. 1973)

1901 – Eiji Tsuburaya, Japanese film producer (d. 1970)

1902 – Ted Radcliffe, American baseball player and centenarian (d. 2005)

1904 – Simone Beck, French chef (d. 1991)

1906 – William Feller, Croatian-American mathematician/probabilist (d. 1970)

1906 – Anna Marie Hahn, German-born American serial killer (d. 1938)

1906 – Anton Karas, Austrian zither player (d. 1985)

1906 – Satchel Paige, American baseball player (d. 1982)

1907 – Robert A. Heinlein, American writer (d. 1988)

1908 – Revilo P. Oliver, American academic and White nationalism advocate (d. 1994)

1911 – Gretchen Franklin, English actress (d. 2005)

1911 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian composer (d. 2007)

1913 – Pinetop Perkins, American blues pianist (d. 2011)

1915 – Margaret Abigail Walker Alexander, American novelist and poet (d. 1998)

1917 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, El Salvador politician (d. 2003)

1919 – Jon Pertwee, English actor (d. 1996)

1920 – Bhaktaraj Maharaj, Indian Hindu figure (d. 1995)

1921 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer (d. 1975)

1921 – Adolf von Thadden, German politician (d. 1996)

1922 – Alan Armer, American television producer, and director (d. 2010)

1922 – Pierre Cardin, French fashion designer

1924 – Mary Ford, American singer (d. 1977)

1925 – Wally Phillips, American radio personality (d. 2008)

1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer

1927 – Charlie Louvin, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2011) (Louvin Brothers)

1927 – Doc Severinsen, American composer and jazz trumpeter

1929 – Hasan Abidi, Pakistani journalist and poet (d. 2005)

1930 – Theodore Edgar McCarrick, American cardinal

1930 – Hank Mobley, American jazz composer and saxophonist (d. 1986)

1931 – David Eddings, American fantasy novelist (d. 2009)

1932 – Joe Zawinul, Austrian jazz composer and keyboardist (d. 2007)

1933 – Murray Halberg, New Zealand middle distance runner

1933 – David McCullough, American historian and author

1933 – Bruce Wells, English boxer and actor (d. 2009)

1936 – Jo Siffert, Swiss race car driver (d. 1971)

1936 – Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer (d. 1980)

1937 – Tung Chee-Hwa, Hong Kong administrator

1940 – Ringo Starr, English drummer and singer (The Beatles)

1941 – Marco Bollesan, Italian rugby player and coach

1941 – Michael Howard, British politician

1941 – Bill Oddie, English comedian and ornithologist

1942 – Carmen Duncan, Australian actress

1943 – Toto Cutugno, Italian singer

1943 – Joel Siegel, American film critic (d. 2007)

1945 – Michael Ancram, British politician

1945 – Matti Salminen, Finnish opera singer

1946 – Joe Spano, American actor

1947 – Gyanendra, deposed king of Nepal

1947 – Víctor Manuel, Spanish songwriter and singer

1947 – Howard Rheingold, American critic and writer

1947 – Felix Standaert, Belgian diplomat

1947 – Rob Townsend, English drummer (Family)

1948 – Jean Leclerc, French-Canadian actor

1949 – Shelley Duvall, American actress

1952 – Mando Guerrero, Mexican professional wrestler

1954 – Rami Fortis, Israeli rock singer (Minimal Compact)

1955 – Len Barker, American baseball player

1957 – Jonathan Dayton, American film director

1957 – Berry Sakharof, Turkish-born Israeli guitarist (Minimal Compact)

1959 – Billy Campbell, American actor

1959 – Jessica Hahn, American model

1959 – Ben Linder, American engineer (d. 1987)

1960 – Kevin A. Ford, American astronaut

1960 – Ralph Sampson, American basketball player

1963 – Vonda Shepard, American singer

1965 – Mo Collins, American actress

1965 – Paula Devicq, Canadian actress

1965 – Jeremy Kyle, English television presenter

1965 – Jeremy Guscott, English rugby player

1965 – Sam Holbrook, American baseball umpire

1966 – Jim Gaffigan, American comedian

1966 – Gundula Krause, German folk violinist

1966 – Neil Tobin, American magician and psychic entertainer

1967 – Tom Kristensen, Danish race car driver

1967 – Jackie Neal, American singer (d. 2005)

1968 – Amy Carlson, American actress

1968 – Jorja Fox, American actress

1968 – Allen Payne, American actor

1968 – Jeff VanderMeer, American writer

1969 – Sylke Otto, German luger

1969 – Joe Sakic, Canadian ice hockey player

1969 – Nathalie Simard, French Canadian singer

1969 – Cree Summer, American voice actress

1969 – Robin Weigert, American actress

1970 – Robia LaMorte, American actress and dancer

1970 – Wayne McCullough, Irish boxer

1970 – Erik Zabel, German cyclist

1971 – Christian Camargo, American actor

1971 – Alistair Potts, British rower

1972 – Lisa Leslie, American basketball player

1972 – Manfred Stohl, Austrian rally driver

1972 – Kirsten Vangsness, American actress

1973 – Troy Garity, American actor

1973 – José Jiménez, Dominican baseball player

1973 – Matt Mantei, American baseball player

1973 – Kārlis Skrastiņš, Latvian ice hockey player

1973 – Natsuki Takaya, Japanese manga artist

1974 – Patrick Lalime, Canadian ice hockey player

1975 – Tony Benshoof, American luger

1975 – Michael Voss, Australian rules footballer

1976 – Dominic Foley, Irish footballer

1977 – D-Loc, American rapper (Kottonmouth Kings)

1977 – Felix Vasquez, American municipal employee

1978 – Chris Andersen, American basketball player

1978 – Davor Kraljević, Croatian footballer

1979 – Anastasios Gousis, Greek sprinter

1979 – Carl Breeze, British racing driver

1980 – John Buck, American baseball player

1980 – Deidre Downs, American beauty queen

1980 – Kaisa Jouhki, Indonesian singer (Battlelore)

1980 – Michelle Kwan, American figure skater

1980 – Dan Whitesides, American drummer (The Used)

1981 – Synyster Gates, American guitarist (Avenged Sevenfold)

1981 – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Indian cricketer

1982 – Cassidy, American rapper

1982 – Mike Glita, American bassist (Senses Fail)

1982 – Nick Karner, American filmmaker

1982 – George Owu, Ghanaian footballer

1983 – Justin Davies, Australian rules footballer

1983 – Ciara Newell, Irish singer (Bellefire)

1983 – D. Woods, American singer (Danity Kane)

1984 – Minas Alozidis, Greek hurdler

1984 – Alberto Aquilani, Italian footballer

1984 – Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladeshi cricketer

1984 – Marie-Mai, Canadian singer

1986 – Ana Kasparian, American radio personality

1986 – Udo Schwarz, German rugby player

1987 – Julianna Guill, American actress

1987 – Lena Ma, Canadian beauty pageant contestant

1988 – Kaci Brown, American singer

1988 – Lukas Rosenthal, German rugby player

1988 – Ilan Rubin, American drummer (Nine Inch Nails)

1988 – Jack Whitehall, British comedian

1989 – Kim Bum, South Korean actor

1990 – Lee Addy, Ghanian football player

2000 – Princess Purnika of Nepal

Deaths

1304 – Pope Benedict XI (b. 1240)

1307 – King Edward I of England (b. 1239)

1537 – Madeleine of Valois, French-born Queen consort of James V of Scotland (b. 1520)

1572 – King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland (b. 1520)

1573 – Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Italian architect (b. 1507)

1647 – Thomas Hooker, English-born Connecticut colonist (b. 1586)

1663 – Thomas Baltzar, German violinist

1701 – William Stoughton, American judge at the Salem witch trials (b. 1631)

1713 – Henry Compton, Bishop of Oxford and member of the Privy Council of England (b. 1632)

1730 – Olivier Levasseur, French pirate (b. 1688 or 1690)

1764 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician (b. 1683)

1776 – Jeremiah Markland, English classical scholar (b. 1693)

1790 – François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher (b. 1721)

1816 – Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish playwright and politician (b. 1751)

1855 – Konstantin Batyushkov, Russian poet (b. 1787)

1865 – Mary Surratt, American conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the first woman ever executed in the USA (b. 1823)

1865 – Lewis Payne, American conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1844)

1865 – David Herold, American conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1842)

1865 – George Atzerodt, German-born conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1833)

1878 – Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician (b. 1847)

1890 – Henri Nestlé, German confectioner and founder of Nestlé S.A. (b. 1814)

1901 – Johanna Spyri, Swiss author (b. 1827)

1913 – Edward Burd Grubb, Jr., American Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General (b. 1841)

1922 – Cathal Brugha, Chief of Staff of Irish Republican Army (b. 1874)

1925 – Clarence Hudson White American photographer (b. 1871)

1927 – Gösta Mittag-Leffler, Swedish mathematician (b. 1846)

1930 – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Scottish writer (b. 1859)

1932 – Alexander Grin, Russian novelist (b. 1880)

1932 – Henry Eyster Jacobs, American Lutheran theologian (b. 1844)

1942 – Thomas Xenakis, Greek gymnast (b. 1875)

1949 – Bunk Johnson, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1879 or 1889)

1954 – Idabelle Smith Firestone, American composer and songwriter (b. 1874)

1956 – Gottfried Benn, German poet (b. 1886)

1964 – Lillian Copeland, American discus thrower (b. 1904)

1965 – Moshe Sharett, Ukraine-born 2nd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1894)

1967 – Vivien Leigh, English actress (b. 1913)

1968 – Jo Schlesser, French race car driver (b. 1928)

1971 – Claude Gauvreau, Canadian writer (b. 1925)

1971 – Ub Iwerks, American artist, director, and cartoonist (b. 1901)

1972 – Athenagoras, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 1886)

1972 – King Talal of Jordan (b. 1909)

1973 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (b. 1895)

1973 – Veronica Lake, American actress (b. 1919)

1975 – Ruffian, American thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1972)

1976 – Walter Giesler, American football coach (b. 1910)

1980 – Dore Schary, American film producer and writer (b. 1905)

1981 – Peace Pilgrim, American pacifist and activist (b. 1908)

1984 – Carl Boenish, American BASE jumping supporter (b. 1941)

1984 – Alexander Fu Sheng, Hong Kong actor (b. 1954)

1987 – Hannelore Schroth, German actress (b. 1922)

1990 – Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer (b. 1958)

1990 – Bill Cullen, American game show host (b. 1920)

1993 – Mia Zapata, American singer (The Gits) (b. 1965)

1994 – Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer (b. 1924)

1994 – Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, German Luftwaffe officer (b. 1907)

1998 – M. K. O. Abiola, Nigerian industrialist and politician (b. 1937)

1999 – Captain Vikram Batra, Indian Army officer and Param Vir Chakra recipient (b. 1974)

2000 – Kenny Irwin, Jr., American race car driver (b. 1969)

2001 – Fred Neil, American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)

2002 – Bison Dele, American basketball player (b. 1969)

2003 – Izhak Graziani, Bulgarian-born conductor (b. 1924)

2003 – Vlado Kristl, Croatian painter, animator and film director (b. 1923)

2006 – Juan de Ávalos, Spanish sculptor (b. 1911)

2006 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Pink Floyd) (b. 1946)

2006 – John Money, New Zealand-born American sexologist (b. 1921)

2008 – Bruce Conner, American sculptor, painter and photographer (b. 1933)

2008 – Dorian Leigh, American supermodel (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

* Æthelburg of Faremoutiers

* Illidius

* Job of Maniava (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

* Willibald (Roman Catholic Church)

* July 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Solomon Islands from the United Kingdom in 1978.

Ivan Kupala Day (Belarus, Poland, Russia, Ukraine)

Saba Saba Day (Tanzania)

Tanabata (Japan)

Unity Factory Day (Yemen)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:July

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Name	Dave Grohl
Background	solo_singer
Landscape	Yes
Birth name	David Eric Grohl
Alias	Late! (pseudonym for his solo album ''Pocketwatch''), Probot
Birth date	January 14, 1969
Birth place	Warren, Ohio
Genre	Alternative rock, grunge, hardcore punk, hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
Years active	1981–present
Instrument	Vocals, drums, guitar, bass guitar, piano
Label	RCA Capitol DGC Dischord
Associated acts	Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Scream, Them Crooked Vultures, Probot, Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D
notable instruments	Gibson SG Custom Gibson DG-335/Trini LopezGibson Firebird }}

David Eric "Dave" Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures. He has also written all the music for his short-lived side projects Late! and Probot as well as being involved with Queens of the Stone Age. Furthermore, he has performed session work for a variety of musicians, including Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Slash, Juliette Lewis, and Lemmy Kilmister. In total, he has performed in over 30 bands.

Early life

As a child, Grohl's family relocated from Warren, Ohio, to Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Three years later, when Grohl was six, his parents divorced, and Grohl grew up living with his mother. His early influences also involved tutorials in drumming from "Treasures of the Earth" drummer Timothy Aldridge.

At the age of twelve, Grohl began learning to play guitar. He quickly grew tired of lessons and instead taught himself, and began playing in bands with friends. A year later, Grohl and his sister spent the summer in Evanston, Illinois, at their cousin Tracy's house. Tracy introduced them to punk rock by taking the pair to shows by a variety of punk bands. "From then on we were totally punk," Grohl explained. "We went home and bought ''Maximumrocknroll'' and tried to figure it all out."

In Virginia, Grohl attended Thomas Jefferson High School as a freshman and sophomore. He was elected vice president of his freshman class and played bits of songs by bands like the Circle Jerks and Bad Brains over the school intercom before his morning announcements. During his junior year, Grohl and his mother decided that he should transfer to Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria because his marijuana usage was affecting his grades.

While in high school, Grohl played in several local bands, including a stint on guitar in a band called Freak Baby. While playing in Freak Baby, he taught himself to play drums. When Freak Baby kicked out its bass player, Grohl decided to switch to drums, and the new band called themselves Mission Impossible. During his developing years as a drummer, Grohl cited John Bonham as his greatest influence, and eventually had Bonham's three-circle logo tattooed on his wrist. Mission Impossible later rebranded themselves Fast before breaking up, after which Grohl joined the post-punk-influenced hardcore punk band Dain Bramage.

Many of Grohl's early influences were gained at the 9:30 club, a live music venue in Washington D.C.: "I went to the 9:30 club hundreds of times. I was always so excited to get there, and I was always bummed when it closed. I spent my teenage years at the club and saw some shows that changed my life."

Musical career

Scream

At the age of seventeen, Grohl auditioned with local DC favorites Scream to fill the vacancy left by the departure of drummer Kent Stax. In order to be lined up for the audition, Grohl had lied about his age, claiming he was 20. To Grohl's surprise, the band asked him to join. After waffling for a brief period, Grohl accepted the offer. Grohl dropped out of high school in his junior year; he said, "I was seventeen and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it." Over the next four years, Grohl toured extensively with the band, recording a couple of live albums (their May 4, 1990 show in Alzey, Germany being released by Tobby Holzinger as Your Choice Live Series Vol.10) and two studio albums, ''No More Censorship'' and ''Fumble'', on which Grohl penned and sang vocals on the song "Gods Look Down".

While playing in Scream, Grohl became a fan of Melvins and eventually befriended the band. During a 1990 tour stop on the west coast, The Melvins' Buzz Osborne took a couple of his friends, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, to see the band.

Nirvana

A few months later, Scream unexpectedly disbanded following the departure of its bass player. Grohl called Osborne for advice, and the latter gave Grohl's phone number to Krist Novoselic, who invited Grohl to Seattle, where Grohl would attend Nirvana's infamous show at the Motor Sports Garage, the one Nirvana show that featured Dan Peters on drums. (Grohl admitted to ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2005 that he spent most of Nirvana's set outside talking to a friend.) Grohl subsequently auditioned for the band, and soon joined them full-time.

At the time that Grohl joined Nirvana, the band had already recorded several demos for what would be the follow-up to their debut album ''Bleach'', having spent time recording with producer Butch Vig in Wisconsin. Initially, the plans were to release the album on Sub Pop, but the band found itself receiving a great deal of major label interest based on the demos. Grohl spent the initial months with Nirvana traveling to various major labels as the band shopped for a deal, eventually signing with DGC Records. In the spring of 1991, the band entered the studio to record the album.

Upon its release, ''Nevermind'' exceeded all expectations and became a massive success, catapulting the band to worldwide stardom. At the same time, Grohl found himself fighting with his status in the band. While his drumming style was a significant element in the band's success, Grohl saw himself as just another in a long line of drummers. In his mind, Nirvana was the band that recorded ''Bleach''; his arrival had altered that sound dramatically, and, as he saw it, not necessarily in a positive way. Though Grohl had been writing songs for several years, he declined to introduce his songs to the band for fear of damaging the band's chemistry. Instead, Grohl compiled his songs and recorded them himself, releasing a cassette called ''Pocketwatch'' in 1992 on indie label Simple Machines. Rather than using his own name, Grohl released the cassette under the pseudonym "Late!".

In the later years of Nirvana, Grohl's songwriting contributions increased. In Grohl's initial months in Seattle, Cobain overheard him working on a song called "Color Pictures of a Marigold", and the two ended up working on it. Grohl would later record the song for the ''Pocketwatch'' cassette. During the sessions for ''In Utero'', he decided to re-record the song, and the band released this version as a b-side on the "Heart-Shaped Box" single, titled simply "Marigold". Earlier, as the band worked on new material for ''In Utero'', Grohl contributed the main guitar riff for what ended up becoming "Scentless Apprentice". Cobain conceded in a late 1993 MTV interview that he initially thought the riff was "kind of boneheaded", but was gratified at how the song developed (a process captured in part in a demo on the Nirvana box set ''With the Lights Out''). Cobain noted that he was excited at the possibility of having Novoselic and Grohl contribute more to the band's songwriting.

Prior to their 1994 European tour, the band decided to schedule session time at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle to work on demos. For most of the three-day session, Cobain was absent, so Novoselic and Grohl worked on demos of their own songs. The duo completed several of Grohl's songs, including future Foo Fighters songs "Exhausted", "Big Me", "February Stars", and "Butterflies". On the third day of the session, Cobain finally arrived, and the band recorded a demo of a song later named "You Know You're Right". It was the band's final studio recording.

Foo Fighters

Following Cobain's death in April 1994, Grohl retreated, unsure of where to go and what to do with himself. In October 1994, Grohl scheduled studio time, again at Robert Lang's Studio, and quickly recorded a fifteen-track demo. With the exception of a single guitar part on "X-Static" played by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl performed all of the instruments himself.

At the same time, Grohl wondered if his future might be in drumming for other bands. In November, Grohl took a brief turn with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, including a memorable performance on ''Saturday Night Live''. Petty asked him to join permanently, but Grohl realized that his future lay elsewhere, and thus he declined the invitation. Grohl's name was also rumored as a possible replacement for Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese, and Grohl even performed with the band for a song or two at three shows during Pearl Jam's March 1995 Australian tour. However, by then, Pearl Jam had already settled on ex- Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Jack Irons, and Grohl had other solo plans in the works.

After passing the demo around, Grohl found himself with considerable major label interest. Nirvana's A&R; rep Gary Gersh had subsequently taken over as president of Capitol Records and lured Grohl to sign with the label. Grohl did not want the effort to be considered the start of a solo career so he recruited other band members: former Germs and touring Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, and two members of the band Sunny Day Real Estate, William Goldsmith (drums) and Nate Mendel (bass). Rather than re-record the album, Grohl's demo was given a professional mix by Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock and was released in July 1995 as Foo Fighters' debut album.

During a break between tours, the band entered the studio and recorded a cover of Gary Numan's "Down in the Park". In February 1996, Grohl and his then-wife Jennifer Youngblood made a brief cameo appearance on the X-Files third season episode "Pusher". (The two can be spotted walking in the FBI building, just after the Pusher character has put on his phony pass. Grohl pauses to look at his watch.)

After touring for the self-titled album for more than a year, Grohl returned home and began work on the soundtrack to the 1997 movie ''Touch''. Grohl performed all of the instruments and vocals himself, save for vocals from Veruca Salt singer Louise Post on the title track, and vocals and guitar by X's John Doe on "This Loving Thing (Lynn's Song)". Grohl completed the recording in two weeks, and immediately joined Foo Fighters to work on their follow-up.

In the midst of the initial sessions for Foo Fighters' second album, tension emerged between Grohl and Goldsmith. According to Goldsmith, "Dave had me do 96 takes of one song, and I had to do thirteen hours' worth of takes on another one. ... It just seemed that everything I did wasn't good enough for him, or anyone else." Goldsmith also believed that Capitol and producer Gil Norton wanted Grohl to drum on the album. With the album seemingly complete, Grohl headed home to Virginia with a copy of the rough mixes, and found himself unhappy with the results. Grohl penned a few new songs, recording one of them, "Walking After You", by himself at a studio in Washington, DC. Inspired by the session, Grohl opted to move the band, without Goldsmith's knowledge, to Los Angeles to re-record most of the album with Grohl behind the kit. After the sessions were complete, Goldsmith officially announced his departure from the band.

The effort was released in May 1997 as the band's second album, ''The Colour and the Shape'', which eventually cemented Foo Fighters as a staple of rock radio. The album spawned several hits, including "Everlong", "My Hero", and "Monkey Wrench". Just prior to the album's release, former Alanis Morissette drummer Taylor Hawkins joined the band on drums. The following September, Smear (a close friend of Jennifer Youngblood) left the band, citing a need to settle down following a lifetime of touring. Smear was subsequently replaced by Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. (Stahl departed the band prior to recording of Foo Fighters' third album and was replaced by touring guitarist Chris Shiflett, who later became a full-fledged member during the recording of ''One by One''.)

Grohl's life of non-stop touring and travel continued with Foo Fighters' popularity. During his infrequent pauses he lived in Seattle and Los Angeles before returning to Alexandria, Virginia. It was there that he turned his basement into a recording studio where the 1999 album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose'' was recorded.

In 2000, the band recruited Queen guitarist Brian May to add some guitar flourish to a cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", a song which Foo Fighters previously recorded as a b-side. The friendship between the two bands resulted in Grohl and Taylor Hawkins being asked to induct Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Grohl and Hawkins joined May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor to perform "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl standing in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. (May later contributed guitar work for the song "Tired of You" on the ensuing Foo Fighters album, as well as on an unreleased Foo Fighters song called "Knucklehead".)

Near the end of 2001, Foo Fighters returned to the studio to work on their fourth album. After four months in the studio, with the sessions finished, Grohl accepted an invitation to join Queens of the Stone Age and helped them to record their 2002 album ''Songs for the Deaf''. (Grohl can be seen drumming for the band in the video for the song "No One Knows".) After a brief tour through North America, Britain and Japan with the band and feeling rejuvenated by the effort, Grohl recalled the other band members to completely re-record their album at his studio in Virginia. The effort became their fourth album, ''One by One''. While initially pleased with the results, in another 2005 ''Rolling Stone'' interview, Dave Grohl admitted to not liking the record: "Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life. We rushed into it, and we rushed out of it."

On November 23, 2002, Grohl achieved a historical milestone by replacing himself on the top of the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock chart, when "You Know You're Right" by Nirvana was replaced by "All My Life" by Foo Fighters. When "All My Life" ended its run, after a one week respite, "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age took the number one spot. Between October 26, 2002 and March 1, 2003 Grohl was in the number one spot on the Modern Rock charts for 17 of 18 successive weeks, as a member of three different groups.

Grohl and Foo Fighters released their fifth album ''In Your Honor'' on June 14, 2005. Prior to starting work on the album, the band spent almost a year relocating Grohl's home-based Virginia studio to a brand new facility, dubbed Studio 606, located in a warehouse near Los Angeles. Featuring collaborations with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Norah Jones, the album was a departure from previous efforts, and included one rock and one acoustic disc.

Foo Fighters's sixth studio album ''Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'' was released on September 25, 2007. It was recorded during a three-month period between March 2007 and June 2007, and its release was preceded by the first single "The Pretender" on September 17. The second single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released on December 3, 2007, followed by the third single, "Let It Die", June 24, 2008.

On November 3, 2009 Foo Fighters released their first ''Greatest Hits'' collection, consisting of 16 tracks including a previously unreleased acoustic version of "Everlong" and two new tracks "Wheels" and "Word Forward" which were produced by Nevermind's producer Butch Vig. Grohl has been quoted saying the ''Greatest Hits'' is too early and "...can look like an obituary." He does not feel they have written their best hits yet.

The Foo Fighters' seventh studio album, ''Wasting Light'', was released on April 12, 2011. It is the first Foo Fighters album to reach #1 in the United States.

Other projects

Apart from his main bands, Grohl has been involved in other music projects. In 1992, Grohl played drums on Buzz Osborne's Kiss-styled solo-EP ''King Buzzo'', where he was credited as ''Dale Nixon'', a pseudonym that Greg Ginn adopted to play bass on Black Flag's ''My War''. Grohl also released the music cassette Pocketwatch under the pseudonym ''Late!'' on the now defunct indie label, Simple Machines.

In 1993, Grohl was recruited to help recreate the music of The Beatles' early years for the movie ''Backbeat''. Grohl played drums in an "all-star" lineup that included Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, indie producer Don Fleming, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum. A music video was filmed for the song "Money (That's What I Want)" while Grohl was with Nirvana on their 1994 European tour, footage of Grohl was filmed later and included.

Later in 1994, Grohl played drums on two tracks for Mike Watt's ''Ball-Hog or Tugboat?''. In early 1995, Grohl and Foo Fighters played their first US tour opening for Watt, and helped make up Watt's supporting band. Nicknamed the "Ringspiel" tour, Watt's band featured Grohl and William Goldsmith on drums, Eddie Vedder and Pat Smear on guitar, and Watt on bass.

During the early 2000s, Grohl spent time in his basement studio writing and recording a number of songs for a "metal" project. Over the span of several years, Grohl recruited his favorite metal vocalists from the 1980s, including Lemmy of Motörhead, Conrad "Cronos" Lant from Venom, King Diamond, Scott Weinrich, and Max Cavalera of Sepultura, to perform the vocals for the songs. The project was released in 2004 under the moniker Probot.

Also in 2003, Grohl stepped behind the kit to perform on Killing Joke's second self-titled album. The move surprised some Nirvana fans, given that Nirvana had been accused of stealing the opening riff of "Come as You Are" from Killing Joke's 1984 song "Eighties". However, the controversy failed to create a lasting rift between the bands. Foo Fighters covered Killing Joke's "Requiem" during the late 1990s, and were even joined by Killing Joke singer Jaz Coleman for a performance of the song at a show in New Zealand in 2003.

Grohl lent his drumming skills to other artists during the early 2000s. In 2000, Dave played drums and sang on a track, "Goodbye Lament", from Tony Iommi's album ''Iommi''. In 2001, Grohl performed on Tenacious D's debut album, and appeared in the video for lead single "Tribute" as Satan. He later appeared in the duo's 2006 movie ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'' as Beelzeboss and performed on its soundtrack. In 2002, Grohl helped Chan Marshall of Cat Power on the album ''You Are Free'' and played with Queens of the Stone Age on their album ''Songs for the Deaf''. Grohl also toured with the band in support of the album, delaying work on the Foo Fighters' album One by One. In 2004, Grohl drummed on several tracks for Nine Inch Nails' 2005 album ''With Teeth''. He also drummed on the song "Bad Boyfriend" on Garbage's 2005 album ''Bleed Like Me''. Most recently, he recorded all the drums on Juliette and the Licks's 2006 album ''Four on the Floor'' and the song "For Us" from Pete Yorn's 2006 album ''Nightcrawler''. Beyond drumming, Grohl contributed guitar to a cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" on David Bowie's 2002 album ''Heathen''.

In June 2008, Grohl was Paul McCartney's special guest for a concert at the Anfield football stadium in Liverpool, in one of the central events of the English city's year as European Capital of Culture. Grohl joined McCartney's band singing backup vocals and playing guitar on "Band on the Run" and drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "I Saw Her Standing There". Grohl also performed with McCartney at the 51st Grammy Awards, again playing drums on "I Saw Her Standing There". Grohl also helped pay tribute to McCartney at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors along with No Doubt, Norah Jones, Steven Tyler, James Taylor, and Mavis Staples. He sang a duet version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" with Norah Jones on Dec. 5 2010.

Grohl played drums on the tracks 'Run With The Wolves' and 'Stand Up' on The Prodigy's 2009 album Invaders Must Die. In July 2009, it was revealed that Grohl was recording with Josh Homme and John Paul Jones as Them Crooked Vultures. The trio performed their first show together on August 9, 2009 at Metro in Chicago. The band played their first UK gig on August 26, 2009, with a surprise appearance at Brixton Academy in London, supporting the Arctic Monkeys. The band released their debut album Them Crooked Vultures on November 16, 2009 in the UK and November 17, 2009 in the US. Grohl has recently been involved in producing emerging Brit-rock outift A Band Called Bert, notably on the track ''It's Over Now''.

On February 6, 2010, Grohl performed with his band Them Crooked Vultures the songs "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "New Fang" as musical guests on Saturday Night Live. Dave Grohl appeared as an old punk rock drummer reuniting the group "Crisis of Conformity" after 25 years in a skit later on in the episode.

On October 23, 2010, Grohl performed with Tenacious D at Blizzcon. He appeared as the drummer for the entire concert.

Also in 2010, Grohl helped write and performed on drums for "Watch This" with guitarist Slash and Duff McKagan on Slash's self titled album that also included many other famous artists.

Outside of his music projects, Grohl will be making a cameo in the 2011 film ''The Muppets''.

Personal life

Grohl has been married twice. He was first married to photographer Jennifer Youngblood from 1993 to 1997. After their divorce, Grohl had relationships with Louise Post from Veruca Salt, solo artist and Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, and pro-snowboarder Tina Basich.

He then went on to marry Jordyn Blum on August 2, 2003, at their home in Los Angeles. Guests included Clive Davis, Jack Black, and former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic. On April 15, 2006, their daughter Violet Maye was born in Los Angeles, being named after Grohl's maternal grandmother. Earlier that year, Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins told MTV, "We're going to be touring Europe in January and February, but we've got to be home by March, because Dave and his wife are having a baby," he said, adding, "but I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that." Grohl said that he had been playing music to his unborn child, saying "she 'likes' The Beatles. Doesn't really get down to The Beach Boys. Digs Mozart." On April 17, 2009, Grohl's second child, daughter Harper Willow, was born.

Grohl has been vocal in his views on drug misuse, contributing to a 2009 anti-drug video for the BBC. "I have never done cocaine, ever in my life. I have never done heroin, I have never done speed," he said in a 2008 interview, adding that he had stopped smoking marijuana and taking acid at the age of 20. In the BBC video he said "I've seen people die. It ain't easy being young, but that stuff doesn't make it any easier".

In May 2006, Grohl sent a note of support to the two trapped miners in the Beaconsfield mine collapse in Tasmania, Australia. In the initial days following the collapse, one of the men requested an iPod with Foo Fighters album ''In Your Honor'', to be sent down to them through a small hole. Grohl's note read, in part, "Though I'm halfway around the world right now, my heart is with you both, and I want you to know that when you come home, there's two tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and two cold beers waiting for yous. Deal?" In October 2006, one of the miners took up his offer, joining Grohl for a drink after Foo Fighters acoustic concert at the Sydney Opera House. Grohl wrote an instrumental piece for the meeting, which Grohl pledged he would include on the band's next album. The song, titled "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," appears on Foo Fighters' 2007 release ''Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'', and features Kaki King.

In August 2009 Grohl was given the key to the city of Warren, Ohio and performed the songs "Everlong", "Times Like These", and "My Hero". A roadway in downtown Warren named "David Grohl Alley" has been dedicated to him with murals by local artists.

In 2000 while on tour with Foo Fighters in Australia, Grohl was arrested by Australian police while driving a scooter for driving under the influence following a concert on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He was fined $400 and had his Australian driving permit revoked for three months. Following the incident Grohl stated: "So, people, I guess if there's anything to learn here, it's: don't drive after a few beers, even if you feel entirely capable like I did."

Discography

Notes

References

External links

Foo Fighters official website

Dave Grohl Band Discography

Live Review at ArtistDirect.com

Category:1969 births Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American music video directors Category:American punk rock drummers Category:American rock drummers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Backing vocalists Category:Foo Fighters members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grunge musicians Category:Killing Joke members Category:Musicians from Ohio Category:Musicians from Virginia Category:Nirvana members Category:People from Fairfax County, Virginia Category:People from Warren, Ohio Category:Queens of the Stone Age members Category:Scream members Category:Living people Category:English-language singers Category:American heavy metal drummers

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Name	Rey Mysterio, Jr.
Names	La Lagartija Verde (The Green Lizard)ColibríRey Misterio, Jr.Rey Mysterio, Jr.Rey Mysterio
Height
Weight
Birth date	December 11, 1974
Birth place	Chula Vista, California
Resides	San Diego, California
Billed	San Diego, California
Trainer	Rey Misterio, Sr.
Debut	April 30, 1989 }}

Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974) is a Mexican American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Rey Mysterio. He is currently signed to WWE competing on its Raw brand, however he is currently inactive due to an injury. Gutiérrez was trained by his uncle Rey Mysterio and wrestled early on in Mexico where he learned the ''Lucha Libre'' high flying style that has been his trademark.

Gutiérrez originally worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) in Mexico, from 1992 to 1995. He wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1996 and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1996 to 2001, as Rey Misterio, Jr./Rey Mysterio, Jr. but dropped the "Junior" from his name when he began working for WWE in 2002.

Mysterio is known for having a high flying style, which helped kick-start the cruiserweight wrestling revolution in the United States in the late 1990s during his time in WCW. In WCW, Mysterio won the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship five times, the WCW World Tag Team Championship three times, and the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship once with Billy Kidman as part of the Filthy Animals. In WWE, Mysterio is a three time world champion having held the World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WWE Championship once and is currently listed as the lightest world champion in WWE history. He has also held the WWE World Cruiserweight Championship three times (a record eight times overall when added with his WCW reigns), the WWE Tag Team Championship four times (also a record—shared with two others), and the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice. All totaled, he has won 21 titles between WWE and WCW. Mysterio was the 21st person to win the WWE Triple Crown Championship, and was the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Mysterio made his debut in Mexico on April 30, 1989 when he was only 14 years old. He was trained by his uncle Rey Mysterio and wrestled early on in Mexico where he learned the ''Lucha Libre'' high flying style that has been his trademark. He had ring names such as "La Lagartija Verde (The Green Lizard)" and "Colibrí" before his uncle gave him the name of Rey Misterio, Jr./Rey Mysterio, Jr.

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (1992–1995)

In Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), Mysterio feuded with Juventud Guerrera. Mysterio's uncle Misterio, Sr. also took on Juventud in a tag match: Misterio, Sr. and Mysterio, Jr., taking on Juventud and his father Fuerza Guerrera. Mysterio commonly teamed with the similarly undersized high flyer known as Romy "Romeo" Magruder.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995–1996)

Mysterio signed with Paul Heyman's Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1995. He debuted in September at ''Gangsta's Paradise'', defeating Psicosis, who was also making his ECW debut. A feud between the two began, which included a two out of three falls match and a Mexican Death match. Mysterio also had a series of matches with ECW-newcomer Juventud Guerrera during the first half of 1996.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–2001)

Cruiserweight division (1996–1999)

Rey Mysterio, Jr. made his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) debut on June 16, 1996 at The Great American Bash, challenging Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, which Malenko retained by cheating to win. In July at Bash at the Beach, he defeated longtime rival Psicosis in a number one contender's match to earn another opportunity at the Cruiserweight title. The next night, on the July 8 edition of ''WCW Monday Nitro'', he defeated Malenko to win his first Cruiserweight Championship. He reigned as champion for three months, which included title defenses against the likes of Ultimate Dragon, Malenko, and Super Caló before he lost the title to Malenko at Halloween Havoc. Following his Cruiserweight Championship reign, Mysterio challenged Ultimate Dragon for the J-Crown Championship, but was unsuccessful in his title match at World War 3 in November.

In early 1997, he feuded with Prince Iaukea over the WCW World Television Championship. Mysterio was defeated in his title match against Iaukea at SuperBrawl VII after Lord Steven Regal attacked him. Mysterio also lost a championship rematch at Uncensored in March. Mysterio soon began a feud with the New World Order (nWo), which culminated when he lost a Mexican Death match to nWo member Konnan at Road Wild in August. Mysterio then became involved in a feud with his real-life friend and Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero. He defeated Guerrero in a Title vs. Mask match at Halloween Havoc to win the Cruiserweight Championship for the second time. On the November 10, 1997 edition of ''Nitro'', he lost the title back to Guerrero. They had a rematch at World War 3, which Mysterio also lost.

On the January 15, 1998 edition of ''WCW Thunder'', Mysterio defeated Juventud to win his third Cruiserweight Championship, but lost it nine days later to Chris Jericho at Souled Out. After the match, Jericho continued the beating by using a toolbox he found at ringside. This storyline was used to cover Mysterio's need for a knee operation that kept him out of the ring for six months. He made his return at Bash at the Beach, where he defeated Jericho for his fourth Cruiserweight championship. The next night, however, the result was overturned and the belt returned to Jericho due to the interference by Dean Malenko. Later that year, Eddie Guerrero formed a Mexican stable known as the ''Latino World Order'' (LWO) (a spin off of New World Order) that included nearly every luchador in the promotion. Mysterio continually refused to join and feuded with Guerrero and the LWO members, including winning a match against longtime rival and LWO member Psicosis in a match at Road Wild. He, however, was finally forced to join the group after losing a match to Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio's on-and-off tag team partner Billy Kidman joined him during the feud with LWO, wrestling against the LWO despite Mysterio being a part of the group. His alliance with Kidman was formed after Mysterio helped Kidman defeat Juventud for the Cruiserweight Title at World War 3. Mysterio went up against Kidman for the Cruiserweight title at Starrcade 1998 but was unsuccessful winning back the title in a Triangle match that also involved Juventud. Kidman once again defeated Mysterio for the Cruiserweight title at Souled Out 1999 in a Fatal Four-Way match that also included Psicosis and Juventud.

Giant Killer and Unmasking (1999)

In 1999, after the two factions of nWo reformed – nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpac – they demanded that the LWO disband. Mysterio refused to take off his LWO colors and was attacked by the nWo as a result. This led to a match at SuperBrawl IX where Mysterio and tag partner Konnan lost a "Hair vs. Mask match" against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, forcing Mysterio to remove his mask. After the match, he phoned his uncle to tell him the news. Mysterio has publicly expressed his disappointment over being unmasked:

}}

Mysterio later became a "giant killer" by defeating large opponents such as Kevin Nash, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Scott Norton. He faced Nash at Uncensored in a match where Lex Luger interfered and helped Nash in winning the match. Although he participated in several notable matches with some of the heavyweight top card wrestlers, it was made very clear to him that he would never receive a push to become a main eventer. This was due to Eric Bischoff utilizing cruiserweights as alternative, mid-card entertainment as opposed to the more conventional style that led WCW programming. As one of the top wrestlers in the cruiserweight division, Mysterio would go on to voice his disdain in regards to not being pushed:

The next night on the March 15 ''Nitro'', he defeated Billy Kidman to win his fourth Cruiserweight Championship. On the March 22 Spring Breakout edition of ''Nitro'', Mysterio got his first shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against champion Ric Flair when the names of (allegedly) nearly everyone in the company were put into a hat and a lottery was held. El Dandy was the lottery winner, but he was injured, and Mysterio took the shot instead. The match ended with a disqualification win for Flair, even though Arn Anderson's interference on Flair's behalf should have theoretically disqualified Flair. The following week, Mysterio and Kidman teamed with each other and defeated Flair's Four Horsemen stablemates Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship, making Mysterio a double champion. Mysterio successfully defended his Cruiserweight Title against his tag team partner Kidman at Spring Stampede before losing the title on the April 19 edition of ''Nitro'' to Psicosis in a Fatal Four-Way match that also involved Juventud Guerrera and Blitzkrieg. On the following edition of ''Nitro'', he defeated Psicosis to win his fifth Cruiserweight Championship. At Slamboree, Mysterio and Kidman lost the World Tag Team titles to Raven and Perry Saturn in a Triangle match, also involving former champions Benoit and Malenko.

No Limit Soldiers; Filthy Animals (1999–2001)

In the summer of 1999, Mysterio teamed with longtime friend Konnan, becoming members of Master P's No Limit Soldiers, feuding with the West Texas Rednecks. At The Great American Bash, they defeated Rednecks members Curt Hennig and Bobby Duncum, Jr. in a tag team match. At Bash at the Beach, they defeated the Rednecks in a four-on-four Elimination tag team match when Mysterio pinned Hennig. After Master P's departure from WCW, Mysterio formed a stable with Eddie Guerrero and Billy Kidman known as the Filthy Animals. The three wrestlers soon began a feud with the Dead Pool. The Filthy Animals defeated the Dead Pool in a six-man tag team match at Road Wild and at Fall Brawl. On the August 19 edition of ''Thunder'', Mysterio lost the Cruiserweight Title to Lenny Lane.

On the October 18 edition of ''Nitro'', Mysterio and Konnan teamed up together (after Konnan joined the Filthy Animals) to defeat Harlem Heat for the World Tag Team Championship. Mysterio, however, was injured during the match and was sidelined due to injury. Billy Kidman substituted for Mysterio and teamed with Konnan during their title defense against Harlem Heat and The First Family, in which the Filthy Animals went on to lose the title back to Harlem Heat.

Mysterio returned in the spring of 2000 and remained a steady performer, eventually joining the New Blood faction in early 2000 opposing the Millionaire's Club. On the August 14 edition of ''Nitro'', Mysterio and Juventud defeated The Great Muta and Vampiro to win the World Tag Team Championship. They were stripped of the title, however, after Ernest Miller pinned Disco Inferno with the stipulation that if he pinned Disco, Mysterio and Guerrera would be stripped of the title. The Filthy Animals then feuded with the Natural Born Thrillers in the fall of the year. At Fall Brawl, the Filthy Animals fought the Thrillers to a no contest in an Elimination tag team match. Mysterio reformed his tag team with Kidman and the two challenged for the World Tag Team Championship in a Triangle match at Halloween Havoc, facing the champions Natural Born Thrillers and the Boogie Knights, where the Thrillers retained.

At the beginning of 2001, the Filthy Animals feuded with Team Canada, to whom they lost in a Penalty Box match at Sin. At SuperBrawl Revenge, Mysterio unsuccessfully challenged Chavo Guerrero, Jr. for the Cruiserweight Title. Kidman and Mysterio participated in a Cruiserweight tag team tournament for the newly created WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship and advanced to the final round where they ended up losing to Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo. On the March 26 (and the final) edition of ''Nitro'', they defeated Skipper and Romeo in a rematch to win the Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles before WCW was sold to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–present)

Debut and Tag Team Champion (2002)

In June 2002, Mysterio signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and promos that hyped his debut began airing. The "Jr." was dropped from his name and was billed simply as Rey Mysterio after Mysterio got permission from his uncle Rey Misterio, Sr. Mysterio made his WWE debut on the July 25, 2002 edition of ''SmackDown!'' as a fan favorite in a match against Chavo Guerrero, which Mysterio won. He eventually began a feud with Kurt Angle, which culminated in a match at SummerSlam that Angle won after forcing Mysterio to submit to the ankle lock. He later formed a tag team with Edge; the two participated in a tournament for the newly created and SmackDown!-exclusive WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the finals of the tournament at No Mercy; the match was voted match of the year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. After they failed in winning the title, Mysterio and Edge defeated Los Guerreros in a number one contender's match on the October 24 edition of ''SmackDown!'' to earn a title shot. On the November 7 edition of ''SmackDown!'', they defeated Angle and Benoit in a two out of three falls match to win their first Tag Team Championship. They soon lost the tag titles to Los Guerreros in a Triple Threat Elimination match that also involved former champions Angle and Benoit at Survivor Series. Shortly after the loss, Mysterio and Edge disbanded as a tag team.

Cruiserweight Champion (2003–2004)

On the March 6, 2003 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio defeated Tajiri and Jamie Noble in a Triple Threat match to earn a shot at the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. At WrestleMania XIX, he challenged the champion, Matt Hardy, for the title but lost after Shannon Moore interfered. On the May 22 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio defeated Shannon Moore and Crash Holly in a Handicap Elimination match to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight title. On the June 5 edition of ''SmackDown!'', he defeated Hardy to win his sixth Cruiserweight Championship. Mysterio's reign ended when he lost the title to Tajiri on the September 25 edition of ''SmackDown!''.

On the January 1, 2004 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio defeated Tajiri to win his seventh Cruiserweight Championship. After a successful title defense against Jamie Noble at Royal Rumble, Mysterio lost the title to Chavo Guerrero at No Way Out in February. At WrestleMania XX, Mysterio took part in a Cruiserweight Open for the title, but lost as Chavo retained the title. On the June 17 edition of ''SmackDown!'', he defeated Chavo Classic for a record-setting eighth Cruiserweight Championship. He successfully defended the title against Classic's son Chavo Guerrero at The Great American Bash. While Mysterio was Cruiserweight Champion, Spike Dudley turned heel after plowing Mysterio through a table and joined the other Dudleys before winning the Cruiserweight Title from Mysterio on the July 29 edition of ''SmackDown!''. At Survivor Series, he participated in a Fatal Four-Way match for the Cruiserweight Title involving the champion Spike, Chavo Guerrero, and Billy Kidman. Mysterio lost when Dudley pinned Guerrero to retain.

Feud with Eddie Guerrero (2004–2005)

Rey Mysterio had a tag team with Eddie and they were also best friends. After an unsuccessful attempt at regaining the Cruiserweight Title, Mysterio formed a tag team with Rob Van Dam, and went on to win the Tag Team Championship from Kenzo Suzuki and René Dupreé on the December 9 edition of ''SmackDown!''. They successfully defended the title against the former champions at Armageddon, before losing the title to the Basham Brothers on the January 13, 2005 edition of ''SmackDown!'' after Van Dam was injured. Mysterio then teamed up with Eddie Guerrero to win the Tag Team Championship back from the Bashams at No Way Out. During this time Rey had a video camera, which was called the "619 cam", during his entrance he taped members of the audience with this. In a departure from traditional booking, the new champions did not defend their title at WrestleMania 21, but instead had a match against each other which Rey won. Three months later, at ECW One Night Stand, Mysterio faced and defeated long-time rival Psicosis for the first time in nearly five years.

WWE Tag Team Champion with Batista (2005)

The match at WrestleMania was part of a storyline in which Guerrero turned on Mysterio and beat him up after abandoning him during a match against MNM for the Tag Team Championship. Then after a no disqualification match against Chavo, Eddie came out and slammed Mysterio on the steel steps, displaying Eddie's increasing frustration with being unable to defeat Mysterio. Guerrero and Mysterio continued to feud, with Guerrero threatening to reveal a secret he and Mysterio shared involving Mysterio's real-life son Dominik, unless Mysterio deferred to Guerrero's authority. Guerrero later revealed that, in the storyline, he was Dominik's biological father. The storyline went that Guerrero knew Mysterio was having trouble starting his own family, so Guerrero left Dominik as a baby with Mysterio and his wife Angie to raise. In subsequent weeks, Guerrero threatened to take custody of Dominik, drawing up custody papers and having his lawyer present them to Mysterio. At SummerSlam, Mysterio defeated Guerrero in a ladder match for the custody of Dominik. Their feud ended when Guerrero gained a victory over Mysterio in a steel cage match. On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That same day at a WWE "Super Show" where ''SmackDown!'' and ''Raw'' were both taped, Mysterio gave an emotional speech about Eddie, and in a show of respect removed his mask (though he put his head down, so no one could see his face). Mysterio went on to defeat Shawn Michaels in an interpromotional match later that night. After the match, Michaels and Mysterio hugged in the ring and Mysterio pointed up to the sky, crying, in memory of Guerrero.

Mysterio participated in the main event of Survivor Series as part of Team SmackDown! along with Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, Batista, and JBL who defeated Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Big Show, Carlito, and Chris Masters). After Survivor Series, Mysterio faced Big Show in a match billed as "David vs. Goliath" in a ''SmackDown!'' special show. The match stemmed from Mysterio eliminating Big Show at Survivor Series, and ended as a "no contest" when Big Show's tag team partner Kane interfered in the match. Mysterio continued to feud with Raw's World Tag Team Champions, even finding a tag team partner in World Heavyweight Champion Batista who, along with Mysterio, would be set to face Raw's Kane and The Big Show in a tag match at Armageddon. Before Armageddon, Batista and Mysterio defeated Mysterio's longtime rivals MNM on the December 19 edition of ''SmackDown!'' to win the Tag Team Championship in a match they both dedicated to Eddie Guerrero. Now the Tag Team Champions, Mysterio and Batista's match with Big Show and Kane was billed as "Champions vs. Champions." At Armageddon, Mysterio and Batista lost this "Raw vs. SmackDown!" match when Kane pinned Mysterio after a chokeslam. On the December 30 edition of ''SmackDown!'', MNM invoked their rematch clause, defeating Batista and Mysterio with help from Mark Henry to regain the Tag Team Championship. Mysterio and Batista lost a Steel Cage match in an effort to reclaim the titles the following week, again courtesy of interference by Henry.

World Heavyweight Champion and injury (2006)

On the April 7 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio – who was billed as being an "underdog champion", made his first successful World Heavyweight title defense against Randy Orton. Mysterio went on to retain his title again during a WrestleMania rematch on ''SmackDown!'' against Kurt Angle, three weeks later. The week before the title defense took place saw the start of a feud between the then-United States Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Mysterio. The rivalry kicked off after JBL stated he deserved the World Heavyweight title during his celebration of becoming the U.S. Champion. The feud with JBL saw Mysterio face off against any opponent of JBL's choosing in the three weeks leading up to his title match against Mysterio at Judgment Day. Mysterio was defeated by Mark Henry and The Great Khali in separate non-title matches before wrestling Kane to a "no contest"; Mysterio retained his title against JBL at Judgement Day. The feud intensified when JBL lost the U.S. Title to Bobby Lashley five days later on ''SmackDown!'' after being tricked by Mysterio to take on all comers like he himself had. This led JBL to vow that if he did not win his rematch against Mysterio, he would quit SmackDown!. In the main event of the evening, Mysterio retained the World Heavyweight Championship, causing JBL to leave SmackDown!, until ECW One Night Stand, when JBL announced he would return as a color commentator.

It was revealed that Mysterio would have to defend his title against ECW wrestler Sabu at One Night Stand. In the weeks leading up to his title defense, Mysterio defeated Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms in a Champion vs. Champion match but was defeated by Rob Van Dam at ''WWE vs. ECW Head to Head'' on June 7. At One Night Stand, Mysterio retained his title in a match after he and Sabu were ruled unable to continue following a triple jump DDT through a table from Sabu. Mysterio then retained his title against Mark Henry, winning by disqualification after Chavo Guerrero handed Henry a chair and Mysterio acted as if he was hit, thus Guerrero stole a trick from his uncle Eddie Guerrero.

Mysterio began a feud with King Booker after Booker won a battle royal to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Booker attacked Mysterio from behind backstage with the help of Booker's wife Queen Sharmell. The next week on ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio gained revenge by attacking Booker and his "court". This rivalry continued for several weeks and saw Mysterio defeating Booker's court member William Regal on an edition of ''SmackDown!'', moments before attacking the challenger and hitting him with a 619 around the steel post. At The Great American Bash, Mysterio lost the World Heavyweight Championship after Chavo Guerrero turned on Mysterio and hit him with a steel chair; Chavo cost Mysterio his rematch the following week. This culminated in a match at Summerslam where Mysterio lost to Guerrero after Vickie Guerrero tried to stop both men from fighting but accidentally knocked Mysterio off the top turnbuckle. Vickie then along with Chavo turned on Mysterio after she hit him in the back with a steel chair, thus, siding with Guerrero. Mysterio then defeated Guerrero in a Falls Count Anywhere match at No Mercy. Subsequently Guerrero challenged Mysterio to an "I Quit" match. In that match, Chavo injured Mysterio's knee, using the match to write Mysterio out of the storyline for a while to get knee surgery.

Return and feud with Chavo Guerrero (2007–2008)

Mysterio made his in-ring return at SummerSlam, defeating Guerrero with the 619, after Guerrero obsessed over Mysterio's return as well as wanting to injure Mysterio again.

On the August 31 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio won a "Championship Competition" to become the number 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Batista and Finlay. On the September 7 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio had an "I Quit" match with Chavo Guerrero, which he won after hitting Guerrero's knee with a chair repeatedly in a similar manner to which Mysterio had been put out of action. Mysterio then began a feud with The Great Khali, which would lead to a match at Unforgiven where he would face Khali for the World Heavyweight Championship; the match was eventually made a Triple Threat match also involving Batista, but was unsuccessful in recapturing the title.

Mysterio then began a feud with Finlay, an opponent chosen by JBL. The rivalry was marked as "Fight vs. Flight", a competition between the two contrasting fighting styles of both wrestlers – Finlay's physicality, versus the high-flying Mysterio. On October 28, after fighting to a "no contest" at No Mercy, followed by a double-disqualification in a number one contender's match for Batista's World Heavyweight title on the next ''SmackDown!'' (The Undertaker would succeed the pair), he defeated Finlay in a Stretcher match at Cyber Sunday. During this feud, he conceded one match to Finlay on an episode of ''SmackDown!'' and was part of the winning team at Survivor Series which consisted of both wrestlers on opposing sides (although Mysterio was second to be eliminated). The rivalry ended after Survivor Series as Finlay turned face. At Tribute to the Troops 2007, Rey Mysterio faced and defeated former rival Mark Henry.

He re-entered the world title picture when he emerged victorious in the Beat the Clock challenge for the chance to face the World Heavyweight Champion Edge at Royal Rumble. However, he was unsuccessful in winning the championship. WWE.com announced on February 14 that Mysterio suffered a biceps injury during an overseas tour. Despite the injury, Mysterio faced Edge for the title again at No Way Out. On the February 22 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Mysterio announced that his injury would keep him out of action for at least six months, and he eventually underwent three surgeries within the space of a month.

Raw and feud with JBL (2008–2009)

Mysterio made his return on the June 23 episode of ''Raw'', as Mysterio was the first wrestler to be drafted in the 2008 WWE Draft from the SmackDown brand to the Raw brand. On the June 30 edition of ''Raw'', Mysterio came to make an announcement to all the Raw fans which led to a minor fight with Santino Marella. Mysterio made his Raw in-ring debut the next week, pinning Marella after a 619. General Manager Mike Adamle announced that John Cena was injured and that his replacement in the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven was Mysterio. The next week, Mysterio made his return to Raw after an extended absence by attacking Kane, turning back numerous claims that Kane had "ended his career". Mysterio then made his in-ring return at Unforgiven, competing in the Raw Championship scramble match. Mysterio began a feud with Kane next which lasted until Survivor Series. Kane called Mysterio a coward who hides behind a mask. As a result, Mysterio put his mask on the line against Kane at No Mercy, Mysterio won the match via disqualification after Kane hit Mysterio with a steel chair. Kane and Mysterio were once again booked in a No Holds Barred match at Cyber Sunday, Mysterio defeated Kane. The next night on Raw, Mysterio faced off against Evan Bourne in which Mysterio became victorious. After the match, he and Bourne were attacked by Kane and Mark Henry. Few weeks later, Rey Mysterio teamed up with Kofi Kingston in a losing effort against Kane and Henry, Kane once again made an attempt to attack Mysterio but he was saved by The Great Khali. At Survivor Series 2008, Team HBK which consisted of Shawn Michaels (the team captain), Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali and Cryme Tyme (JTG & Shad) defeated Team JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield, Kane, Montel Vontavious Porter, John Morrison & The Miz), thus ending the feud between Kane and Mysterio. He would shortly participate in an Intercontinental Championship tournament to determine the No.1 Contender for the William Regal's championship. Mysterio defeated The Miz and Kofi Kingston to advance to the finals of the tournament but ended up losing to CM Punk at Armageddon. Mysterio participated in the 2009 Royal Rumble match where he entered at the No.1 position. He spent 49 minutes and 24 seconds in the match before being eliminated by the No.30 and final entrant Big Show. He qualified for Elimination Chamber spot the next night for the World Heavyweight Championship. He started at the No.1 position and survived to the final two before being eliminated by the winner Edge who attacked the original participant Kofi Kingston before and replaced him. Later, Mysterio accepted John "Bradshaw" Layfield's (JBL) challenge for Layfield's Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XXV, which Mysterio won in 21 seconds. With this win, Mysterio became the twenty first Triple Crown Champion in WWE history.

Return to Smackdown (2009–2011)

Mysterio was drafted back to SmackDown! during the 2009 WWE Draft on the April 13 episode of ''Raw'', in the process making the Intercontinental Title exclusive to SmackDown for the first time since mid-2002.

He then began a long-time feud with Chris Jericho, resulting in Mysterio defending and retaining his title at Judgment Day. At Extreme Rules, Jericho managed to unmask Mysterio and pin him for the Intercontinental Championship, however his face was never shown, as he covered it. As a result, Mysterio and Jericho were booked in a Title vs. Mask match at The Bash, in which Mysterio was victorious after tricking Jericho with a second mask. On the July 10, edition of Smackdown, following a successful title defense against Chris Jericho, Mysterio was attacked by Dolph Ziggler. This began a rivalry between the two which culminated in a title match at Night of Champions where Mysterio retained. Mysterio once again defeated Ziggler to retain the Intercontinental title at Summerslam. On August 2, WWE announced that Mysterio would be suspended for 30 days, effective September 2, for violating the company's Wellness Policy. In an interview with Mexican newspaper ''Record'', Mysterio stated that he was suspended for a drug he was using for his knee and arm. Mysterio stated that he had a prescription for the drug, but was unable to produce it in time to prevent his suspension due to being on vacation and doing a promotional tour. On the September 4 episode of ''SmackDown'' (taped on September 1), Mysterio lost the Intercontinental Championship to John Morrison.

Mysterio returned from his suspension at Hell in a Cell to face Chris Jericho and Big Show for the Unified Tag Team Championships with former tag team partner Batista, but they failed to win the title after Mysterio was pinned by Big Show. At WWE Bragging Rights, Mysterio was unsuccessful in winning the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal Four-Way match including Batista, CM Punk, and then-champion The Undertaker. During the match, Mysterio broke up Batista's pin on Undertaker possibly costing him the match and the title. After the match, Batista turned heel by attacking Mysterio. Mysterio faced Batista at Survivor Series where Batista delivered three Batista Bombs on Mysterio leading to the referee stopping the match. Mysterio was defeated by Batista again in a street fight on the 11th December episode of SmackDown. A few weeks later Mysterio defeated Batista to be named the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio's title match against The Undertaker ended as a no-contest after interference from Batista. On January 1, 2010 Mysterio participated in a Beat the Clock Tournament for the #1 contendership of The Undertaker's World Heavyweight Championship at Royal Rumble. In the tournament, he defeated his former rival Chris Jericho, beating CM Punk's time. During Batista's "Beat the Clock" challenge against R-Truth, Batista was about to beat Mysterio's time, but Mysterio pulled the referee out of the ring during a pinfall as time ran out, costing Batista the tournament. Later it was announced that Mysterio and Batista would face each other the following week to decide the Number #1 Contender. However, this match also ended in a no-contest, following interference from the Undertaker. The following week in a rematch, Mysterio managed to win the title shot for the championship by defeating Batista in a Steel Cage match. At the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker successfully defended the championship against Mysterio.

Following the Rumble, Mysterio qualified for an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. In the weeks leading up to the Elimination Chamber, Mysterio began a feud with CM Punk that also involved Punk's Straight Edge Society. During the Elimination Chamber match, Mysterio eliminated Punk, but was ultimately eliminated by John Morrison. In the weeks following the Elimination Chamber event, Mysterio would continue to get the better of CM Punk, costing him a Money in the Bank qualifying match and defeating SES member Luke Gallows. During the on-screen celebration of Mysterio's daughter's ninth birthday, Punk interrupted, taunting Mysterio and challenging him to a match at WrestleMania XXVI. Mysterio later accepted the challenge. Punk later added the stipulation that if Mysterio were to lose at WrestleMania, he would be forced to join the SES. However Mysterio successfully defeated Punk at WrestleMania. Five days later on SmackDown, Punk challenged Mysterio to another match at Extreme Rules, with the stipulation that if Mysterio won, Punk would have his head shaved bald. At Extreme Rules, Mysterio lost to Punk. At Over the Limit, Mysterio faced CM Punk again with both previous stipulations in place (Mysterio's allegiance to The SES vs Punk's hair.) Mysterio defeated Punk, resulting in Punk's hair being shaved.

On the May 28 edition of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio fought The Undertaker unsuccessfully, to qualify for the World Heavyweight Championship title match at Fatal 4-Way but in the process, accidentally injured the Undertaker and took him out of the competition. On June 4, 2010, Mysterio won a Battle Royal involving the whole SmackDown roster by lastly eliminating Kane to earn The Undertaker's vacated spot, joining then-champion Jack Swagger, Big Show, and CM Punk at the pay-per-view. At Fatal 4 Way, Mysterio defeated Big Show, CM Punk and Jack Swagger to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time in his career. For the next month, Swagger continuously assaulted Mysterio using his ankle lock. At Money in the Bank, Mysterio successfully defeated Swagger to retain the World title, however Swagger continued attacking the ankle after the match until Kane, who had earlier won the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match, came to the ring to chase Swagger away, seemingly to protect Mysterio. However, Kane returned with a referee and cashed in his title shot, quickly defeating Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship. On the July 20 edition of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio defeated Swagger in a 2 out of 3 falls match to remain the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, earning a title match against Kane at SummerSlam. However, during the weeks before SummerSlam, Kane had marked Mysterio as the one who had attacked The Undertaker putting him in a vegetative state (which was a storyline put in place to explain Undertaker's absence due to the injury he had sustained against Mysterio in the Fatal Four Way qualifying match). Mysterio retaliated by saying that Kane was the true culprit. After the match at SummerSlam, which Mysterio ultimately lost, Kane had attempted to put Mysterio in a casket, only for The Undertaker to emerge from the casket. Mysterio ended up clearing his name The Undertaker revealed Kane to be the real attacker.

On the August 20 edition of ''SmackDown'', he lost via submission to the debuting Alberto Del Rio. On the August 27 edition of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio lost a No Disqualification match to Kane, and afterwards was attacked by Alberto Del Rio on his injured left arm, sparking a feud between the two. Mysterio returned on the first episode of ''SmackDown'' on Syfy and confronted Alberto Del Rio. After Del Rio escaped the ring, he hit his personal ring announcer with a 619. On the October 8 edition of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio defeated Del Rio, and thus ending his undefeated streak. At Bragging Rights, Mysterio represented Team SmackDown, and despite an attack by fellow teammate Del Rio, he and Edge managed to defeat the rest of Team Raw, giving Team SmackDown the victory. At Survivor Series, Mysterio led a team consisting of himself, Big Show, Chris Masters, MVP and Kofi Kingston to defeat Team Del Rio ( Del Rio, Tyler Reks, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, and Cody Rhodes). At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010), Mysterio participated in a fatal four way match for the World Heavyweight title against Kane, Edge and Del Rio, in a losing effort as Edge won the match to become the new champion. Mysterio would continue his feud with Del Rio which culminated on the January 7, 2011 edition of ''SmackDown'' in a 2 out of 3 falls match, which Del Rio ultimately won by countout due to interference from his personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, ending the feud.

On the January 21 edition of SmackDown, Mysterio defeated Cody Rhodes. During the match, he also broke Rhodes' nose when he hit Rhodes with a 619 with his exposed knee brace, causing Rhodes to miss the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber pay-per-views, thus sparking a feud. Mysterio participated in in the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble, though he was eliminated by Wade Barrett. The match would later be won by his rival, Alberto Del Rio. Five days later on SmackDown, Mysterio qualified for a spot in the Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view for the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jack Swagger. At the event he made it to the final two but was finally eliminated by Edge. On the February 25 edition of ''SmackDown'', Mysterio was tricked and attacked by Cody Rhodes and his father, Dusty Rhodes, resulting in Mysterio being unmasked by Rhodes. Mysterio accepted Rhodes' challenge to a match at WrestleMania XXVII, but was defeated by Rhodes. On the April 23 edition of Smackdown Mysterio defeated Rhodes in a rematch. Mysterio's feud with Rhodes ended at Extreme Rules when Mysterio defeated Rhodes in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Return to Raw, various feuds, WWE Champion, and injury (2011)

In the 2011 WWE Draft, Mysterio was drafted to Raw. On the May 9 edition of ''Raw'', Mysterio lost a Triple Threat match to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship. Following the match, Mysterio was attacked by R-Truth which led to a match between the two at Over the Limit, which R-Truth won. From May, Mysterio started feuding with CM Punk, with the pair exchanging victories on successive episodes of ''Raw''. Their feud ended at WWE Capitol Punishment when Punk beat Mysterio. Rey Mysterio failed to capture the Raw Money In The Bank briefcase, eventually the match was won by Alberto Del Rio by unmasking Mysterio as a distraction. Mysterio advanced to the finals of a one night tournament on the July 18 edition of ''Raw'', which culminated into a match between The Miz and Mysterio for the WWE Championship. The following week, Mysterio defeated Miz to win his first ever WWE Championship, nine years to the day of his WWE debut, also becoming a three-time world champion. Later that night, John Cena defeated Mysterio to become WWE Champion. On the August 8, 2011 edition of ''Raw'', Mysterio was brutally attacked by The Miz, leaving him with a storylined injury. At SummerSlam 2011, Mysterio competed in a six man tag-team match with Kofi Kingston and John Morisson to defeat The Miz, Alberto del Rio and R-Truth. The following night on ''Raw'', Rey Mysterio was unsuccessful in his WWE Title rematch against Alberto Del Rio. Mysterio suffered an in-ring injury in a house show earlier but was put in a storyline injury after Alberto Del Rio attacked him following their match. He is expected to be out of action for 6 months and expected to return after Wrestlemania next year.

Personal life

Mysterio and his wife Angie have two children. In January 2009, Mysterio revealed that he and his wife were expecting their third child. He has tattoos of his two children's names on his right and left biceps. He also has tattoos dedicated to his wife, Angie.

On March 19, 2007, ''Sports Illustrated'' posted on its website an article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports. That article mentioned several current and former WWE wrestlers, including Mysterio who was alleged to have obtained nandrolone and stanozolol. WWE subsequently stated that the allegations preceded the Talent Wellness program WWE launched in February 2006. On August 27, 2009, WWE announced that Gutiérrez would receive a 30 day suspension due to a violation of the wellness program. Days later Gutiérrez defended himself in a newspaper interview by explaining the drugs as being on a prescription for his knee and arm. While the Wellness Policy allows for prescribed drugs, Mysterio further contested he had been on a family holiday and subsequently in Europe promoting SummerSlam, giving him only a day to provide the prescription after being notified.

He is a devoted Roman Catholic, frequently crossing himself before every match and bearing numerous religious tattoos on his body, most notably a cross on his chest attached to rosaries as well as other crosses and allusions to God. Gutiérrez is friends with Noah "Wuv" Bernardo of P.O.D., who performed the original version of Booyaka along with Mysterio, and several other of Mysterio's themes in WCW.

He has stated that his favourite food is cupcakes, particularly the Banana Chip flavour from Heavenly Cupcakes in his home town of San Diego.

Mysterio has been a subject of several DVDs during his wrestling career, including "Rey Mysterio: 619", a documentary of Rey's career and personal life, which was released on DVD and VHS. The DVD featured ten additional matches and other special features, and was released in 2003. WWE also produced "Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man", a three disc set featuring Rey's best matches. Rey also shares his thoughts about the matches he's had and the feuds that he's been in, the DVD was released on October 23, 2007. He was also featured on the DVD "Before They Were Wrestling Stars: Rey Mysterio Jr" in 2007 which featured matches from his time in Mexico.

In the UK, Silver Vision released a Rey Mysterio DVD as part of their Best of WWE collection. This featured his matches from SummerSlam 2005, Wrestlemania 22, No Mercy 2006, and SummerSlam 2007.

On July 12, 2011, WWE released Rey Mysterio: The Life of a Masked Man, a three disc set which is presented by Matt Striker, the DVD includes exclusive interviews with Rey and over two dozen of his past matches.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''619'' (Tiger feint kick to the head of an opponent draped over the second rope) followed by:

*''Droppin' Da Dime / TJ Drop'' (Springboard leg drop, sometimes to the back of the opponent's head) - 1989-2003

**Frog splash – 2005–present; adopted from and used as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero

*Springboard into either a splash, a seated senton to the shoulder of a standing opponent , or a diving headbutt - 2006-2009

*''West Coast Pop'' (Springboard hurricanrana pin) - ECW / WCW / WWE; preceded by Mysterio spinning his arm around then pointing to the sky, signaling the move - 1989-2006

Signature moves

Armbar, often transitioned into a hammerlock

*Arm drag, often used as a counter

Arm wrench inside cradle

Baseball slide, sometimes transitioned into a headscissors takedown

Bronco buster

Bulldog, often used as a counter

*DDT, often used as a counter

Diving hurricanrana, sometimes off of the ring apron

*Dragonrana

*Dragon sleeper

Dropkick, sometimes while springboarding or from the top rope

*Green mist – 2011–present

*Headscissors DDT or headscissors reverse DDT

*Headscissors takedown

*High speed roundhouse kick to the head of a seated opponent, as a roll out counter to a sunset flip

*Inverted STF

*Leg-feed enzuigiri

*Multiple crossbody variations

**Diving

**Reverse

**Running

**Slingshot (Plancha), sometimes with corkscrew

**Springboard, sometimes from the second rope

*Multiple moonsault variations

**Diving, sometimes to a standing opponent

*Split-legged

*Springboard

**Standing

''Mysterio Express'' (Leg trap sunset flip powerbomb)

*''Mysterio-Rana'' (Mysterio jumps onto an opponent's shoulders and then twists around into a hurricanrana pin), sometimes preceded by a cartwheel

Slingshot or springboard somersault seated senton onto a standing opponent outside of the ring, sometimes transitioned into a hurricanrana

*Spinning heel kick, sometimes while springboarding

*Springboard sitout facebuster

*Standing shiranui

*Suicide dive

Thesz press

Tilt-a-whirl or tope-rope headscissors takedown

*Victory roll

Wheelbarrow bodyscissors transitioned into either an arm drag, a bulldog, or a DDT

With Billy Kidman

''619'' (Tiger feint kick) by Mysterio into a Shooting Star Press by Kidman

Baseball slide to the groin by Kidman into a Bronco buster by Mysterio

*Catapult by Kidman into a diving hurricanrana by Mysterio

*Double sitout chokeslam

''Nutcracker Suite'' (Kidman holds the opponents legs while Rey performs a ''Droppin' Da Dime'' to their groin)

*Wheelbarrow facebuster (Kidman) / ''Droppin' Da Dime'' (Mysterio) combination

With Edge

''619'' (Tiger feint kick) by Mysterio followed by a Spear or ''Edgecution'' by Edge

*''Bombs Away'' (Simultaneous powerbomb (Edge) / springboard seated senton (Mysterio) combination)

*Catapult by Edge into a diving hurricanrana by Mysterio

*Double missile dropkick

*Hurricanrana by Mysterio into a Spear by Edge

*Powerbomb lift by Edge to Mysterio, Mysterio then moonsaults on to the opponent (the opponent(s) is usually standing outside the ring)

With Rob Van Dam

*''4:20'' (Van Dam lifts Mysterio up and drops him while simultaneously dropping himself into a seated position, resulting in a double ''Droppin' Da Dime'' to an opponent's throat and chest)

''619'' (Tiger feint kick) by Mysterio followed by a Five-Star Frog Splash by Van Dam

*Catapult by Van Dam into a diving hurricanrana by Mysterio

*''Rolling Thunder'' by Van Dam followed by a ''Droppin' Da Dime'' by Mysterio

With Batista

''619'' (Tiger feint kick) followed by a Spinebuster from Batista

Managers

*Torrie Wilson

Nicknames

*"El Super Duper Niño" ("The Super Duper Kid") (ECW)

*"The Technical Kid From San Diego" (ECW / WCW)

*"Flying Fury" (WCW / WWE)

*"The Giant Killer" (WCW / WWE)

*"The Ultimate Underdog" (WCW / WWE)

*"The Human Highlight Reel" (WCW / WWE)

*"The Sensation" (WCW / WWE)

*"The Firecracker" (WCW / WWE)

"The Master of the 619" (WWE)

*"The Biggest Little Man" (WWE)

*"The Masked Maestro" (WWE)

Entrance themes

*"Sad but True" by Metallica (ECW; 1995-1996; as Rey Mysterio, Jr.)

*"March of Death" by Jimmy Hart (ECW/WCW; 1995–1998; 1999; as Rey Mysterio, Jr.)

*"Flying Fury" by Ill Harmonics (WCW; 1998-1999; as Rey Mysterio, Jr.)

*"Bow Wow Wow" by Konnan and Mad One (WCW; 1999; as Rey Mysterio, Jr.; used while part of the Filthy Animals)

*"Psycho" by Konnan and Mad One (WCW; 1999–2001; as Rey Mysterio, Jr.; used while part of the Filthy Animals)

*"619" by Chris Classic (WWE; July 25, 2002–September 15, 2005)

*"Booyaka" performed by Rey Mysterio and Mad One (WWE; November 13, 2005–May 26, 2006)

*"Booyaka 619" by P.O.D. (WWE; June 7, 2006–present)

Championships and accomplishments

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

Mexican National Trios Championship (1 time) – with Octagón and Super Muñeco

Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)

AAA Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)

International Wrestling All-Stars

IWAS Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Konnan

International Wrestling Council

International Wrestling Council World Middleweight Title (2 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him #9 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999

PWI ranked him #56 in the PWI Years in 2003

Tijuana, Mexico

*Tijuana Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)

World Championship Wrestling

WCW Cruiserweight Championship (5 times)

WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Billy Kidman

WCW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Billy Kidman (1), Konnan (1), and Juventud Guerrera (1)

*WCW Magazine Match of the Year (1997) vs. Eddie Guerrero, for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, WCW Halloween Havoc, October 26

World Wrestling Association

WWA Lightweight Championship (3 times)

WWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rey Misterio

WWA Welterweight Championship (3 times)

World Wrestling Council

WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wrestling Entertainment

*WWE Championship (1 time)

World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

WWE Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Edge (1), Rob Van Dam (1), Eddie Guerrero (1), and Batista (1)

WWE Cruiserweight Championship (3 times)

Royal Rumble (2006)

*Twenty First Triple Crown Champion

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

*Best Flying Wrestler (1995–1997, 2002–2004)

*Best Wrestling Maneuver (1995) West Coast Pop

*Match of the Year (2002) with Edge vs. Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle, for the WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE No Mercy, October 20

*Most Outstanding Wrestler (1996)

*Rookie of the Year (1992)

*Worst Feud of the Year (2008) with Kane

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2010)

Luchas de Apuestas record

{|class="wikitable" width=100% |- !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Wager !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Winner !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Loser !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Notes |----- align="center" |Mask |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Mr. Cóndor |Acapulco, Guerrero | | |----- align="center" |Hair |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Rocco Valente |Tampico, Tamaulipas | | |----- align="center" |Hair |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Tony Arce |Acapulco, Guerrero | | |----- align="center" |Mask |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |El Bandido |Querétaro, Querétaro | | |----- align="center" |Hair |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Vulcano |Monterrey, Nuevo León | | |----- align="center" |Mask |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Misterioso |Tijuana, Baja California | | |----- align="center" |Mask |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Eddie Guerrero |Las Vegas, Nevada | | |----- align="center" |Mask |Kevin Nash and Scott Hall |Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Konnan |Oakland, California | | |----- align="center" |Title |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |Chris Jericho |Sacramento, California | || |----- align="center" |Hair |Rey Mysterio, Jr. |CM Punk |Detroit, Michigan | | |}

Notes

References

External links

Rey Mysterio Fansite

Rey Mysterio Mask

WWE profile

WWE Kids profile

Category:1974 births Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Living people Category:American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:People from Chula Vista, California Category:People from San Diego, California

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