On this week’s episode of SmackDown Live (the 1000th edition) Rey Mysterio made his long-awaited return to the WWE, defeating Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall to advance in the World Cup tournament. Now, WWE has released a behind-the-scenes look at SD 1000, where Mysterio opened up about finally being able to return to the WWE.

SmackDown, from day one has been my brand. For not only myself, but a lot of legends have grown with this brand. The likes of Eddie Guerrero…rest in peace… Batista, John Cena, The Rock. When I first came into WWE, The Rock was still part of SmackDown…Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton. When you talk about all of those names, you truly understand how stacked the SmackDown roster was. To be one of those guys that eventually branched out, put in the work, and became who I am now, it feels good to come back and be home, because this truly is my home.

Mysterio would go on, detailing his initial though process when he first left the company back in 2014.

I did not leave and say goodbye forever, I did definitely leave with a vision of one day returning and here we are. I’m back to dominate, I’m back to prove a point of why I’ve been in this industry for almost 30 years. I truly believe I’m in the best shape of my life right now. I’m mentally prepared to come in and do what I have to do to keep demonstrating why I love this sport.

Check out the full backstage look of SmackDown 1000 below.