WWE: Rey Mysterio explains incident that almost cost him his first-ever WCW title fight

Rey Mysterio, one of the most famous masked men in pro-wrestling history, almost did not get to showcase his skills in his first-ever WCW fight, which was a Cruiserweight Championship bout and also a try-out match with the promotion. The "Master of the 619" lost the title fight against Dean Malenko at The Great American Bash in June 1996.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, the former WWE star revealed why he almost did not make it to the ring. He said security personnel kicked him out of the venue because of his babyface. He was just a 21-year-old at the time and added that he stands tall at 5 feet 4 inches.

"Actually, I had to leave the building and security wouldn't let me back in. People still tell me I have a babyface, and I was 21 at the time, so I looked like a 12-year-old back then," he said.

He told the security personnel that he was a wrestler, who was scheduled to fight at the show. Security then asked him for his credentials to verify his claims, but unfortunately he had none on him.

"I recall explaining to the security guards, 'No, no, it's OK, I wrestle,' and they looked at me and laughed. So I continued to say that I was a wrestler, and they finally asked me for a credential. I didn't have any credentials, this was a tryout."

The Lucha Underground star was allowed in the venue after security finally figured out who he was; but when similar incidents happened later, he started carrying credentials to avoid these embarrassing situations.

"Finally, security was cool enough to find out who I was and let me back in the building, but that happened several times after that, too," he said. "I learned my lesson after the fourth time, and I started carrying a WCW badge everywhere with me."