Miguel Ángel López Díaz, more widely recognized by his ring name Rey Mysterio, passed away at the age of 66, as confirmed by his family on the morning of December 20, 2024.
The confirmation was made via a Facebook post from his son, who performs under the ring name El Hijo De Rey Misterio Lopez.
His passing was also acknowledged by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide through a statement on Instagram.
"The Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide family expresses solidarity in response to the sensitive passing of Miguel Ángel López Días, also known as Rey Misterio Sr. We extend our most sincere condolences to his family and offer our prayers for his eternal rest," the statement reads in part, translated from Spanish.
Misterio was the uncle of WWE wrestler Rey Mysterio, with his great-nephew, Dominik Mysterio, who also signed with WWE. The younger Mysterio honored his great-uncle on Instagram through two posts featuring several archival promotional photographs from Misterio Sr.'s career.
In addition to training his son and nephew, Misterio also mentored several other notable international wrestlers, including Halloween and Hayabusa.
He competed with various promotions, including Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Pro Wrestling Revolution, and the World Wrestling Association.
Throughout his career, he secured multiple championships across different promotions, including the IWC World Middleweight Championship, which he held on two occasions. Although he formally retired in 2009, Misterio participated in his final match in April 2023 in Spring Valley, California.
According to Cagematch, this event was a six-man tag team match in which he, alongside Aero Star and Mr. Iguana, achieved victory over Hereje, Hijo de Pirata Morgan, and Nightmare Azteca.
Miguel Ángel López Díaz (Rey Misterio) Brief Biography
Miguel Ángel López Díaz (January 8, 1958 – December 20, 2024) was a distinguished Mexican professional wrestler and trainer, widely recognized by his ring name, Rey Misterio, which translates to "Mystery King."
Initially, Misterio pursued training as a boxer; however, as his physique developed, he experienced a decrease in his punching capability due to the physical demands of the sport. After receiving feedback from his trainers regarding his diminished punching strength, they introduced him to the sport of wrestling.
His brother facilitated his training in wrestling and lucha libre. On January 6, 1976, Misterio made his professional wrestling debut at an event titled "Day of the Kings" (Día de los Reyes).
Misterio participated in World Championship Wrestling's Starrcade 1990 pay-per-view event, where he partnered with Konnan to compete in the "Pat O'Connor Memorial International Cup," representing Mexico.
During the initial round, the duo succeeded in defeating Chris Adams and Norman Smiley, who represented the United Kingdom, but they were ultimately eliminated in the second round by The Steiner Brothers.
