SmackDown star reveals he was texting CM Punk before WWE return

It's seemingly CM Punk season in WWE, which many fans have been waiting for since 2014. Rey Mysterio recently spoke about his former rival and their relationship off camera.

Rey Mysterio and Punk first met when they competed in a triple threat match involving Eddie Guerrero at an independent wrestling show in 2002. They eventually crossed paths again in WWE and have since been in touch, though Mysterio admitted on the recent episode of Keepin' It 100 that they weren't "super close."

The WWE Hall of Famer confirmed that he had been exchanging texts with CM Punk on a sporadic basis before the former AEW star's recent WWE return.

Mysterio also noted that Dominik's meteoric rise as a pro wrestler was one of the topics that Punk and he always discussed:

"I was texting Punk back and forth every now and then. We would say hi and what's up [we've] always been, not super close but connected. [Friendly acquaintance] Of course. Him, like just watching Dominik's career take off, we would constantly shoot each other texts." [1:23 - 1:51]

It's pretty fitting that CM Punk's first match back in WWE was against Dominik Mysterio at a recent MSG house show, and in case you didn't catch it, you can check out the untelevised in-ring showdown right here.

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Rey Mysterio on how he was introduced to CM Punk

As noted above, Rey Mysterio met CM Punk at an independent show nearly 21 years ago.

Mysterio recalled that he hadn't joined WWE by then but knew that Eddie Guerrero was returning to the company. CM Punk was a rookie in the pro wrestling business and would have considered himself fortunate to share the ring with two of the best wrestlers in the world at the time.

Rey Mysterio explained that he and Punk shared the same attitude towards wrestling, and it was all about giving fans a great match, irrespective of the crowd's size.

Mysterio had fond memories of the classic three-way match against Punk and the late great Eddie Guerrero, as you can view below:

"That was crazy. I still hadn't made my way to WWE. I know Eddie; I believe that was his last match before he went back to WWE. So, you go back and look at that time, how the independent scene was very booming, having Eddie there. That was the first time I had met Punk; again, we hit it off right away. We all have the mindsets that we want to work; we want to put on a good show for the fans, whether it's five people or 15,000 people. That's how we set up that match that night." [From 00:23 onwards]

Rey Mysterio also opened up about his injury, and you can read all about his ongoing recovery right here.

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If you use any quotes from this article, please add an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription and credit Keepin' It 100.