_(cropped).jpg) Bandido in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1995-04-17)April 17, 1995 (age 30) |
| Family | Gravity (brother) Magia Blanca (cousin) Myzteziz Jr.(cousin) |
| Website | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bandido Cielito Magnífico II |
| Billed height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Billed weight | 95.7 kg (211 lb) |
| Trained by | Franco Columbo Hijo del Gladiador Último Guerrero[1] |
| Debut | June 19, 2011 |
Bandido (born April 17, 1995) is a Mexicanluchador enmascarado (maskedprofessional wrestler). He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a formerAEW World Tag Team Champion withBrody King asBrodido, andRing of Honor (ROH), where he is the reigningROH World Champion. He is also known for his work in a range of promotions, such aspromotionsLucha Libre Elite (LLE),The Crash Lucha Libre,Dragon Gate (DG),GLEAT,Game Changer Wrestling (GCW),Progress Wrestling,Major League Wrestling (MLW),Impact Wrestling (TNA),World Series Wrestling (WSW),Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw),Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) andJim Crockett Promotions.
Bandido is the cousin ofMyzteziz Jr. andMagia Blanca. His younger brotherGravity is also a luchador. Bandido's real name is not publicly known, which is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico.
Bandido previously worked under thering names "Magnífico II" and "Cielito" but since 2016, he has used the ring character Bandido, who wears a mask that incorporates a bandana covering the lower part of his face in the style ofWild West outlaw. Bandido regularly teamed withFlamita, forming a duo known as "Mexa Blood". Bandido is a one-timePWG World Champion, and with Flamita andRey Horus he has held theROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. Bandido has also achieved much success as a singles competitor, his feats including winning PWG's2019 Battle of Los Angeles, and ROH's2021 Survival of the Fittest tournaments. Bandido is a former world champion in the latter promotions, winning thePWG World Championship and Ring of Honor World Championship.
Bandido was born on April 17, 1995, in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.[2] Bandido's cousin Magia Blanca is also a professional wrestler in theConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre promotion.[2] He is also related toMyzteziz Jr. who wrestles inLucha Libre AAA Worldwide.[2]
Bandido currently uses "Canción del Mariachi" as his theme song, as a tribute to the lateHéctor Garza (who used this song as his entrance song throughout his professional wrestling career until 2012, when he was forced to retire due toadvancedlung cancer).
The wrestler later known as Bandido began training in the wrestling schoolConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico City, where he was primarily trained byFranco Columbo,Hijo del Gladiador andÚltimo Guerrero for his in-ring debut. Because Bandido has never been unmasked in the ring, his birth name is not a matter of public knowledge, a tradition in Mexico for masked wrestlers.[3]
For his debut, Bandido adopted the ring name "Magnífico II" and formed atag team known asLos Magníficos ("The Magnificent Ones") with his cousin, who worked as Magnífico I. The duo worked for various promotions on the Mexicanindependent circuit including Wrestling Martin Calderon (WMC), Cara Lucha and Lucha Memes.[4] In 2015, Magnífico II traveled to England, where he worked a show that was promoted byEl Hijo del Santo.[5]
In mid-2015 Magnífico II began working for El Hijo del Santo'sTodo x el Todo promotion, wrestling under the name "Cielito", named after the songCielito Lindo.[6] On October 5, 2015, Cielito unsuccessfully challenged Ángel Blanco Jr. for theWWA World Welterweight Championship.[7]
In mid-2016Los Magníficos split up and Magnífico I started working for CMLL under the name "Magia Blanca" and Magnífico II began working forLucha Libre Elite (LLE), adopting a new in-ring character called "El Bandido". His character, ring gear and mask were inspired by theWild West bandit stereotype. His new mask incorporated a bandana that covered his nose and mouth, a stylized "Lone Ranger"-style markings around the eyes and a horseshoe on his forehead.[8] On November 18, 2016, El Bandido outlastedGolden Magic, Argos, Emperador Azteca, Ciclón Ramírez Jr.,Imposible,Eterno,Flamita,Diamante andZumbido in atorneo cibernético elimination match to become the first Lucha Libre Elite Welterweight Champion.[9] LLE closed 2017, but Bandido defended the LLE Welterweight Championship at least once after the promotion closed.[10]
On September 28, 2017, Bandido defeated Ángel Blanco Jr. to win theWWA World Welterweight Championship in a show inAguascalientes.[11] Bandido came to Mexican national attention through his work forThe Crash Lucha Libre as the promotion began expanding to touring nationally. His debut with the promotion was on November 29, 2017, where Bandido,Damián 666 andM-ximo lost to the team of Bestia 666,Garza Jr. andMr. 450.[12] In December, 2017 Bandido andLaredo Kid outlasted Perro Callejero Jr., Apando Negro Jr.,Bestia 666, Crazy Latino, Dr. Polux, Emperador Azteca,Extreme Tiger, Murciélago Plateado Jr. andRey Horus to win the G21Torneo Gran Alternativa tournament.[13]
Starting in 2018, Bandido started to work more for promotions outside Mexico, primarily in the United States, where he often teamed with Flamita under the team name "MexaBlood". On March 17, 2018, Bandido and Flamita defeated the teams Aeroboy and Séptimo Dragón, andThe Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier andZachary Wentz) to win the vacantThe Crash Tag Team Championship.[14] Two months later, Bandido became a double champion in The Crash when he wonThe Crash Cruiserweight Championship, defeating Dezmond Xavier and Laredo Kid for the vacant championship.[15] Through Flamita's contacts in Japan, Bandido worked his first two tours with Dragon Gate in January and June 2018.[16] During the British promotionProgress Wrestling's tour of the United States, Bandido and Flamita defeatedA. R. Fox and Chris Brookes to win theProgress Tag Team Championship.[17] Bandido teamed up withRey Mysterio andRey Fénix in the main event of the Indy wrestling super showAll In, losing toThe Golden Elite team ofKota Ibushi andThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson).[18] MexaBlood traveled to England at the end of September 2018 to work once more for Progress Wrestling. On September 30, the duo lost theProgress Tag Team Championship toAussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis).[19] Mexa Blood were stripped of the tag team championship on October 7 for reasons that were never made public. On March 23, 2019,Jonathan Gresham won The Crash Cruiserweight Championship from Bandido; the match also included Flamita andShane Strickland.[20] After losing the cruiserweight title, Bandido challengedRey Horus forThe Crash Heavyweight Championship on July 5 and lost.[21] In November 2019, Bandido defeated Rey Horus andMarty Scurll to win the heavyweight championship in a show inTijuana.[21][22]
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In March 2020, Bandido participated in the 2020 16 Carat Gold, held byWestside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). On night one, he defeated Julian Pace in the first round. On night two, Mike Bailey defeated him in the quarter-final. The match was well received by the crowd in attendance, who pelted the two men with coins and notes in appreciation. On night three, Bandido teamed with Pace and Jeff Cobb, defeated the team ofBlack Taurus,Hektor Invictus andPuma King.[23]
On March 23, 2018, at the "Time Is A Flat Circle" event, Bandido made hisPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut, losing in a tag team effort withFlamita againstThe Rascalz (Zachary Wentz andDezmond Xavier). He was brought back for All-Star Weekend 14, which took place during the month of April. Bandido lost againstTaiji Ishimori on Night One but went on to gain his first PWG victory against Rey Horus the next evening. His winning streak continued into May, when Bandido defeatedRobbie Eagles at Bask in His Glory.[24] Bandido kept winning consecutive matches after entering the2018 Battle of Los Angeles (BOLA) tournament. He defeatedT-Hawk in the opening round, Flamita in the quarterfinals, andJoey Janela in the semifinals. Entering the final round, he was the last man eliminated by eventual winnerJeff Cobb.[25] After his national exposure in the tournament, it was reported thatWWE, the world's largest wrestling promotion, was interested in signing Bandido to a full-time contract.[26] In October, he defeated Rey Fénix atSmokey and the Bandido.[27]
On September 19, 20, and 22; Bandido participated in the2019 Battle of Los Angeles. He defeatedPuma King in the first round (which was also for theIronman Heavymetalweight Championship),Brody King in the quarterfinals, andDragon Lee in the semi-finals. He defeatedDavid andJonathan Gresham in a three-way elimination match final to win the Battle of Los Angeles.[28] After his BOLA victory, Bandido went on to defeatJeff Cobb on December 20, to win thePWG World Championship.[29] He would retain the title until May 1, 2022, when he lost it againstDaniel Garcia.[30]
In mid-2018,Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) began a storyline in which LLE (no longer a separate promotion) invaded AAA. As part of the "Invasion" storyline, AAA brought in several former LLE wrestlers including Bandido, who with Flamita andAramís made his AAA debut, losing toEl Nuevo Poder del Norte (Carta Brava Jr.,Mocho Cota Jr. andTito Santana).[31] Bandido was featured in his first major AAA storyline when he participated in a three-way match against Flamita and Fénix for the right to challenge for theAAA Mega Championship. Fénix won the match and the title match.[32] At AAA's biggest show of the yearTriplemanía XXVI, MexaBlood defeated Team AAA (Aero Star andDrago), Team Elite (Laredo Kid and Golden Magic) andTeam Impact! (DJZ andAndrew Everett) to become the top contenders for theAAA World Tag Team Championship. Bandido's last AAA appearance was atHéroes Inmortales XII, where and Flamita lost a three-way tag team match for the AAA World Tag Team Championship toLos Mercenarios (Rey Escorpión andEl Texano Jr.) in a match that also included Andrew Everett and DJZ.[33]
In late 2018, it was reported Bandido has signed a full-time contract with the U.S.-based promotionRing of Honor (ROH).[34] In an interview, Bandido later said he turned down an offer from "the biggest company in the world" (referring to WWE) and instead chose to sign with ROH.[1] He also turned down an offer to work forAll Elite Wrestling he received around the time of his ROH negotiations.[35] Bandido made his debut for the promotion at their January 12, 2019, television tapings, defeatingMark Haskins. He later joined a group called "Lifeblood", which was formed byJuice Robinson and also includesDavid Finlay, Mark Haskins,Tracy Williams andTenille Dashwood.[36] The following day, Bandido defeatedP.J. Black as part of ROH'sHonor Reigns Supremesupercard event.[37] As The Mexa Squad, Bandido alongside Rey Horus and Flamita won the ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships. However, a few months later, they would lose the titles to Shane Taylor Promotions. The group disbanded shortly after, after Flamita turned heel by attacking both his partners.
After winning the 2021ROH Survival of the Fittest tournament to earn the title shot, Bandido would go on to win theROH World Championship fromRush atBest in the World on July 11, marking his first major world championship.[38] In December, Bandido was forced to vacate the title due to testing positive for COVID-19. During Bandido's reign, ROH went on hiatus and was later acquired byAll Elite Wrestling (AEW).[39]
Because he never lost the title, Bandido continued to appear with the belt at numerous independent shows. Bandido lost toJonathan Gresham on April 1, 2022, during theSupercard of Honor XV, who was the officially recognized ROH Champion at the time. Bandido made his debut for AEW on the September 28, 2022 edition ofAEW Dynamite, where he received his rematch for theROH World Championship, against championChris Jericho, but lost the match.[40] On November 11, Bandido signed with AEW after a bout with Rush.[41] On the April 26, 2023 episode ofDynamite, Bandido unsuccessfully challengedOrange Cassidy for theAEW International Championship.[42] On the June 14 episode ofAEW Rampage, Bandido was defeated byKonosuke Takeshita. During the match, Bandido suffered a wrist injury, rendering him out of action indefinitely.[43][44] On the December 4, 2024 episode ofDynamite, avignette was shown teasing Bandido's return.[45] On December 20 atFinal Battle, Bandido made his return to ROH, where he came to the aid ofMatt Cardona from an attack byThe Learning Tree (Chris Jericho,Big Bill, andBryan Keith), but suffered a concussion when he landed on his head during the segment.[46][47]
On the February 1, 2025 episode ofAEW Collision, Bandido returned from his concussion, coming to the aid ofThe Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd) from an attack by The Learning Tree.[48] The following week onCollision, Bandido made his in-ring return, defeating Bryan Keith.[49] On the February 22, 2025 episode ofCollision, Bandido unsuccessfully challenged Jericho for the ROH World Championship.[50] On March 9 atRevolution Zero Hour, Bandido attempted to save his brotherGravity from an attack by The Learning Tree, but was overwhelmed and was forced to watch as Jericho unmasked Gravity.[51] On April 6 atDynasty, Bandido defeated Jericho in aTitle vs. Mask match to win the ROH World Championship for the second time.[52] On July 11 atSupercard of Honor, Bandido successfully defended his title against Konosuke Takeshita.[53] On July 12 atAll In, Bandido competed in the men'sCasino Gauntlet match, which was won byMJF.[54]
On the July 31 episode ofDynamite, Bandido formed a tag team withBrody King, known as "Brodido", and the two entered a world tag title eliminator tournament, where the winners would receive a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championships atForbidden Door.[55] They defeatedGates of Agony (Bishop Kaun andToa Liona) in the first round,The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) in the semi-finals, and wrestledFTR (Cash Wheeler andDax Harwood) to atime-limit draw in the grand finals, meaning that both teams would advance to face reigning championsThe Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley andShelton Benjamin) for the tag titles at Forbidden Door.[56][57][58] On August 24 at Forbidden Door, Brodido defeated FTR and The Hurt Syndicate to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships.[59] On August 29 atDeath Before Dishonor, Bandido successfully defended his ROH World Championship againstHechicero.[60] On September 20 atAll Out, Brodido successfully defended their titles in afour-way Ladder match, involving The Young Bucks,Don Callis Family (Hechicero andJosh Alexander), and JetSpeed (Kevin Knight and"Speedball" Mike Bailey).[61] On October 18 atWrestleDream, Brodido sucessfully defended their titles againstKazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita of the Don Callis Family with Bandido pinnng Okada for the win.[62] On the following episode ofDynamite, Bandido unsuccessfully challenged Okada for theAEW Unified Championship.[63]
Bandido made hisNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut on May 13, 2019, in a tag team match that also involvedRocky Romero andYuya Uemura losing to the team ofJado,Robbie Eagles andEl Phantasmo.[64] He participated in theBest of the Super Juniors 27 tournament, where he defeatedDouki,Ren Narita,Ryusuke Taguchi, Robbie Eagles, and Rocky Romero, but lost to El Phantasmo,Yoh,Will Ospreay, andBushi, ending up with ten points overall.[64]
Bandido made his debut for the Mexican promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) following a brief stint in 2016 as part of CMLL's 2019Leyendas Mexicanassupercard show. Bandido,Volador Jr. andValiente defeatedNueva Generacion Dinamitas (El Cuatrero,Sansón andForastero).[65][66] For the 2020Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles ("National Incredible Teams" tournament), he teamed up with rivalÚltimo Guerrero. In the storyline of their tournament participation, the two collaborated for the first two rounds, defeatingFlyer andHechicero in the first round andDiamante Azul/Gilbert el Boricua in the second. During the semi-final match Guerrero accidentally hit Bandido, leading to the team's loss toCarístico and Forastero.[67][68] Bandido would leave CMLL on April 10, 2021.[69]
On December 4, 2021 atTriplemanía Regia II, Bandido returned to AAA as a participant in afive-way match for the vacantAAA Mega Championship, which was won byEl Hijo del Vikingo.[70]
In June 2023, it was reported byWrestling Observer Newsletter that Bandido would be leaving AAA.[71]
On June 17, 2025, Bandido made his return to CMLL after four years at Martes de Arena Mexico, where he successfully defended hisROH World Championship againstMáscara Dorada.[72] Three days later at Fantastica Mania Mexico, Bandido teamed withHologram to defeatMístico and Dorada.[73] On the September 12 episode ofViernes Espectacular, Brodido successfully defended theirAEW World Tag Team Championship against Galeon Fantasma (Difunto andZandokan Jr.).[74]
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| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandido (mask) | Chris Jericho (championship) | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Dynasty | April 6, 2025 |
Cassandro, El Hijo del Santo & Zumbi defeat Angel Blanco Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr. & Magnifico II
Elite Welterweight Title Match: Bandido (c) defeats The Tigger
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
