The legendary wrestler Rey Mysterio Sr., whose real name was Miguel Angel Lopez Dias, died at the age of 66, leaving behind a significant legacy. Following the death of Rey Sr.’s brother only a week earlier, his family and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide expressed their deepest sympathies as the Mysterio family experiences yet another devastating loss.
Rey Mysterio Sr., whose true name was Miguel Angel Lopez Dias, was a legendary wrestler whose death has been verified by his family. Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, the Mexican wrestling organisation in which Mysterio played a significant role, announced the news.
Early Life:
On December 11, 1974, Óscar Gutiérrez was born in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, California. His parents, Maria del Rosario and Roberto Gutierrez (1948–2024), are Mexican natives who came from extremely low-income, illiterate families. Maria cleaned houses, while Roberto worked in a factory. As a child, Gutiérrez travelled daily across the border to attend school in San Diego from Tijuana. With the consent of his parents, Gutiérrez left high school. He has three brothers.
A Legacy in Wrestling
“We regret the sensitive death of Miguel Angel Lopez Dias, known as Rey Mysterio Sr.” was the poignant social media statement from A Legacy in Wrestling Lucky Libre AAA. We pray for his eternal peace in paradise and offer our deepest sympathies to his loved ones.
One important figure in Mexican wrestling was Rey Mysterio Sr., 66. He retired from competitive play in 2009, having started his career in 1976. The heritage of Mysterio Sr. is carried on by his grandson, Dominik Mysterio, and son, Mysterio Jr., who are both active WWE competitors. In 2023, Rey Mysterio Jr. was honoured for his outstanding career by being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2002–2015)
Championship reigns (2002–2004)
In 2004, Mysterio signed autographs.
Promos for Mysterio’s debut started running when he joined with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in June 2002. He was billed as Rey Mysterio and the “Jr.” was removed from his name.
On the July 25, 2002, SmackDown! program, Mysterio made his WWE debut as a face by defeating Chavo Guerrero while wearing a mask. Kurt Angle was the target of his first feud, which ended on August 25 at SummerSlam when Angle defeated Mysterio by making him submit to the ankle lock. Together with Edge, he later formed a tag team and competed in a tournament for the recently established WWE Tag Team Championship, which was only available on SmackDown!.
On October 20, they were defeated by Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the tournament finals at No Mercy; the Wrestling Observer Newsletter chose the encounter as encounter of the Year. On the November 7 episode of SmackDown!, they won the belts by defeating Angle and Benoit in a two-out-of-three falls match. However, on November 17, they were defeated by Los Guerreros in a Triple Threat Elimination match at Survivor Series.
Rey Mysterio Sr.: A Journey from Boxing to Wrestling
For the Mysterio family, this tragedy comes after yet another recent loss. His brother, Rey Mysterio Jr.’s father, Roberto Gutierrez, died at the age of 76 a week before to Rey Sr.’s death.
Mysterio Sr. first trained as a boxer before going into wrestling. But he first encountered professional wrestling through his boxing trainers. He made his professional wrestling debut in January 1976 and worked for the World Wrestling Association, Tijuana Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Revolution, among other outfits.
A pivotal role in the lucha libre history, Mysterio Sr. distinguished himself from his nephew, Mysterio Jr., by identifying himself as “Rey Mysterio Sr.” His grand-nephew Dominik Mysterio and his grand-niece carried on his family’s wrestling heritage.
The reason behind Rey Mysterio Sr.’s death
There is currently no known cause of death for Mysterio Sr. His death adds a tragic chapter to the Mysterio family’s grief, as it occurs just one week after the death of his brother, Roberto Gutierrez.
“You did more than set the example of how to love & maintain a strong marriage and father 4 boys, you were the example and passed every single time until your death with flying colors,” Rey Mysterio Jr. wrote in an emotional Instagram post honouring his late father. Fantastic father-in-law, wonderful son and brother, devoted father, lovely grandfather, and outstanding husband.
Personal life
Gutiérrez is a native Mexican. Dominik, his son, and Aalyah, his daughter, are the couple’s two children. His right and left biceps are inked with the names of his children, his wife, Angie, and his initials “EG” in honour of his best friend and fellow wrestler, Eddie Guerrero, who passed away in 2005. Along with his uncle Rey Misterio, cousins El Hijo de Rey Misterio and Metalika, and son Dominik, Gutiérrez comes from a long line of wrestlers.
An story in Sports Illustrated’s ongoing series on March 19, 2007, examined a steroid and HGH ring that several elite sportsmen in several sports employ. Several current and past WWE wrestlers were referenced in the report, including Gutierrez, who was accused of obtaining stanozolol and nandrolone. WWE later claimed that the accusations came before the company’s Talent Wellness initiative, which it introduced in February 2006.
WWE declared on August 27, 2009, that Gutierrez would be suspended for 30 days for violating the wellness program. In a newspaper interview a few days later, Gutierrez justified himself by stating that the medications were prescribed for his arm and knee.
Although prescribed medications are permitted under the Wellness Policy, Gutierrez further disputed that he had only been given a day to provide the prescription after being informed because he had been on a family vacation and then in Europe promoting Summer Slam. Gutierrez received a 60-day suspension from WWE on April 26, 2012, for a second infraction of their health program.
In 2019, Gutiérrez criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, saying Trump is “definitely not helping” and “a wall is definitely not the solution”; he spent his childhood crossing the border from Mexico to the United States each day for school.
He is a fervent Catholic, frequently crossing himself before his matches 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.
Suchir Balaji: A Tragic Loss and His Rebellion Against AI’s Dark Side
The sudden death of Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher, has left the AI community in shock. The 26-year-old was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, 2023, just three months after he publicly criticized the practices of OpenAI, the organization where he had worked for over four years. Balaji’s death has raised questions not only about his personal journey but also about the ethical dilemmas surrounding the rapid development of artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to copyright infringement and the broader implications for the future of the Internet.
Balaji’s story is one of internal conflict, professional disillusionment, and a desire to challenge what he saw as the moral failures of the company he once helped build. A gifted AI researcher, Balaji was integral to the development of OpenAI’s flagship product, ChatGPT. However, as OpenAI began shifting from a nonprofit research-driven entity to a profit-driven corporation, Balaji found himself at odds with the company’s direction and its increasing reliance on questionable data practices.
