Rey Mysterio: Pro wrestling's human highlight.

Byline: MIKE MOONEYHAM

He flies through the air with the greatest of ease, but he's not the daring young man on the flying trapeze.

He's pro wrestling's human highlight reel, Rey Mysterio, whose spectacular moves inside the squared circle seem to defy the laws of gravity. A little man (5-6, 170) in a big man's sport, Mysterio looks more like a horse jockey than a grappler. But once the bell sounds, his blinding speed, springboard leaps and acrobatic arsenal make everyone who watches the colorfully masked competitor a true believer.

Mysterio, who will appear on tonight's Smackdown show at the North Charleston Coliseum, has literally revolutionized the game during his 15-year career. His innovative, daredevil style has earned him legions of fans not only in this country, but in Mexico and Japan as well.

Born on this side of the Mexican border in Chula Vista, Calif., to parents who had immigrated from Guadalajara, Mysterio went to school in the San Diego area, but often traveled to Tijuana, just 15 minutes away, to see his uncle wrestle. He moved there at the age of 9 and fully immersed himself in the art of Lucha Libre wrestling, second only to soccer as the country's national sport.

The 29-year-old Mysterio, whose birth name is Oscar Gutierrez, carries the ring moniker of his uncle, Mexican wrestling star Rey Misterio ("King of Mystery"). The younger wrestler initially took the name Rey Misterio Jr., but slightly altered the spelling of his surname and dropped the "Jr." when he joined World Wrestling Entertainment.

Mysterio was trained by his uncle in Tijuana in the same …