_resize.png) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jesús Toral López (1969-01-07)January 7, 1969[1] |
| Died | January 10, 2023(2023-01-10) (aged 54) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bali Black Panther Black Warrior Bronce Camorra Destroyer Dragón de Oro La Máscara Super Star Vegas (I) |
| Billed height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 85 kg (187 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico |
| Trained by | Asterión[1] Halcón Suriano[1] Blue Panther[1] |
| Debut | January 22, 1984[1] |
Jesús Toral López (January 7, 1969 – January 10, 2023) was aluchador, orprofessional wrestler, who worked almost exclusively in Mexico. López achieved his most success under thering nameBlack Warrior. He was best known for his work forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) between 1995 and 2013, as well for his work in some independent promotions, highlighting his time at theArena Mamá Lucha-S. Being a coach of this sport, he served as a teacher in the Arena Mamá Lucha-S promotion.[2]
Over the years Black Warrior had played both therúdo (theSpanish term used for the villains in wrestling) andtécnico (the Spanish term used for the good guys in wrestling). Before assuming the "Black Warrior" ring persona, López worked for almost a decade under various ring personas, generally with little success. His only previous ring persona of note was that of "Bronce" (Spanish for Bronze) where he was a part of the "Los Metalicos" team, a team that was popular in the early 1990s, teaming withOro and Plata. López was the nephew of LuchadorBlue Panther, the son-in-law ofMano Negra and the brother-in-law of Mano Negra Jr.
López made his professional wrestling debut In January 1984 inGómez Palacio, Durango under themaskedring persona "Destroyer". In 1985 López began working forEmpresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (EMLL, later renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, CMLL) where he worked as "Camorra", another masked persona. He worked for EMLL from 1985 until 1988 without achieving much success. In 1988 he left EMLL and joined theUniversal Wrestling Association (UWA), EMLL's main Mexican competitor, where he worked asLa Máscara (Spanish for "the Mask") for three years, still with limited success.[a] In 1991 he returned to EMLL, now renamed CMLL, where he got his first big break; López was given the ring persona ofBronze (Bronce) and teamed up with the popular duo ofOro andPlata to form a trio calledLos Metalicos (the Metals).[3] Teaming with Oro and Plata, López won his first wrestling championship when they won theDistrito Federal Trios Championship early in 1992. The trio held the title for almost a year before being defeated byLos Guerreros del Futuro (Damain El Guerrero, Guerrero Del Futuro, and Guerrero Maya).[4] When then CMLL bookerAntonio Peña left CMLL to form his own promotionAsistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) López was one of the wrestlers who left CMLL with him. Peña had hoped to sign all three Metalicos but in the end only López jumped so Peña was forced to "repackage" him with a new ring persona. From 1992 to 1995 López worked for AAA under various gimmicks such as "Super Star", "Drágon de Oro" (Golden Dragon), "Bali" and "Vegas", but did not achieve the same success as he had as "Bronce". In 1995 he returned to CMLL, in a deal brokered by his uncle who wrestled for CMLL asBlue Panther. López became "Black Panther" and teamed up with his uncle and other "Lagunero" area wrestlers laying the foundation for a group that would later become known as "Ola Lagunero" (the Lagunero Wave).
In May 1996 López changed ring personas once again as he became "Black Warrior", a bad guy (called arudo in Spanish) who teamed with his uncle Blue Panther and other Lagunero workers such asDr. Wagner Jr. With the new image came success, as on October 15, Black Warrior defeatedEl Dandy to win theNWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, his first singles championship.[5] In 1997 Warrior, Panther, and Dr. Wagner Jr. almost won theCMLL World Trios Championship, but lost in the finals of the tournament to crown new champions.[6] Warrior briefly parted with the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title whenShocker beat him in May 1997 but regained it in March 1998.[5] On December 18, 1998, the team of Warrior, Panther, and Wagner, Jr. finally won the CMLL World Trios Championship after several attempts when they defeatedBestia Salvaje,Scorpio Jr., andZumbido to win the vacant title.[6] The team, billed asOla Lagunero held the Trios title for over 1,140 days. On March 6, 2000, Black Warrior lost the NWA World Light Heavyweight title toTarzan Boy after a reign lasting 727 days.[5] In subsequent months Black Warrior began to hear cheers, especially because of his high risk "Tope of death" move, a (high-speed dive out of the ring). In 2001 Black Warrior entered theLeyenda de Plata (the silver legend) tournament, still a rudo but hearing the cheers of the crowd more and more. In the semi-final Warrior facedBlack Tiger III and the two did a "double turn" where Black Warrior became a fan favourite (called atécnico in Mexico) while Black Tiger III became arudo. Warrior won the tournament when he defeated previous year's winnerNegro Casas to claim the 2001 "Leyenda de Plata" trophy. In February 2002, Ola Lagunero vacated the trios title when Panther and Wagner kicked Black Warrior out of the group. On March 17, 2002, the new Ola Lagunero (Panther, Dr. Wagner Jr., andFuerza Guerrera) defeated Warrior,Mr. Niebla, and Antifaz del Norte in a match for the vacant championship. Three months later Warrior, Mr. Niebla, andAtlantis won the CMLL trios title from the new Ola Lagunera.[6] The trio lost the title March 2003 but Warrior regained it on July 9, 2004, withEl Canek andRayo de Jalisco, Jr., beginning a 133-day reign.
After losing the trios title Black Warrior had a hard time finding any direction, at one point he publicly pleaded with CMLL to turn him rudo via an interview forBox y Lucha magazine. In early 2006 Warrior began working withMístico and the two quickly earned a shot at theCMLL World Tag Team Championship, held byAverno andMephisto. During the third fall of the match, Místico accidentally collided with Black Warrior causing their team to lose. Weeks later, during a rematch, Black Warrior turned on Místico, attacking him during the match and then walking out. The storyline with Místico was further intensified when Black Warrior defeated Místico for theNWA World Middleweight Championship on May 12, 2006.[7] After months of scripted hostility between Warrior and Místico the two faced off in aLuchas de Apuestas (bet fight), mask versus mask match atCMLL's 73rd Anniversary show. The match saw Místico defeat Black Warrior, two falls to one, to win Black Warrior's mask. For the first time in his career Warrior was forced to unmask and show his face in public.[8] Following the loss of his mask Black Warrior made several successful title defenses against Místico until finally losing the NWA World Middleweight Title back to him on April 29, 2007.[7] After the feud with Místico ended Black Warrior worked as an upper-card rudo although not with any major storylines. In late 2007 Black Warrior became involved in a storyline that saw Warrior andRey Bucanero team up to take on Shocker andLizmark Jr. in a tag teamLuchas de Apuestas with the hair of the losing team on the line. On December 7, 2007 Warrior and Bucanero lost and had their heads shaved completely bald as a result of the stipulation, in the main event of CMLL'spay-per-viewSin Piedad (Without Mercy).[9]
After a draw betweenSangre Azteca andDragón Rojo Jr. the two began teaming together regularly and soon added Black Warrior as the third man to form a trio calledPoder Mexica.[10] The group saw mixed success around Mexico but remained undefeated in Arena Mexico, CMLL's main venue, earning the group a shot at theMexican National Trios Championship held bySagrado,La Sombra, andVolador Jr. Poder Mexicana won the title in their first attempt, defeating the champions on February 3, 2009.[11] Shortly after winning the Championship Black Warrior was suspended from working in Mexico City, forcing Poder Mexica to draftMisterioso, Jr. to take the place of Black Warrior when they worked in Mexico City, making him an unofficial a member of Poder Mexicana.[12] In mid-April 2009 Warrior returned to Arena Mexico to reunite Poder Mexico.
On July 10, 2009, Black Warrior teamed withNo Limit (Naito andYujiro) to defeat the team ofHéctor Garza,Toscano, and Sagrado, After the match Black Warrior made a challenge on behalf of Yujiro for a "hair vs. hair" match with Garza.[13] This led to all men being involved in a 15-man steel cageLuchas de Apuestas match atInfierno en el Ring that Naito won by pinning Toscano. After not teaming with the other members ofPoder Mexica during mid-2009, Black Warrior left the group.[14] Black Warrior's feud with No Limit continued through the fall, leading to aLuchas de Apuesta, hair vs. hair match between Black Warrior and Yujiro on October 16, 2009, a match which Black Warrior lost and subsequently had his hair shaved off after the match.[15]
On June 20, 2012, Black Warrior turned rudo and formed theLos Depredadores del Aire ("The Flying Predators") stable withMr. Águila and Volador Jr.[16] Two days later,Los Depredadores del Aire defeatedLos Reyes de la Atlantida (Atlantis,Delta, and Guerrero Maya Jr.) to win the Mexican National Trios Championship.[17] They lost the title back toLos Reyes de la Atlantida on October 30, 2012.[18]
On February 21, 2014, Black Warrior made a surprise return to AAA as the newest member ofLos Perros del Mal. He then defeatedPsicosis,Psycho Clown, andEl Texano, Jr. to advance to the final of the 2014Rey de Reyes tournament.[19] On March 16 atRey de Reyes, Black Warrior was defeated in the finals of the tournament byLa Parka.[20]
After leaving AAA, Black Warrior made his debut for Lucha Libre Elite on November 15, 2015.[21]
In his last years, he won theArena Mamá Lucha-S Cruiserweight Championship, which he successfully defended against Coyote Azteca in his last match held on January 1, 2023.[22]
López was the nephew of wrestlers Blue Panther (real name Genaro Vásquez Nevares) and Héctor López. He was married to the daughter ofMano Negra (real name Jesús Reza Rosales).
López died on January 10, 2023, at the age of 54, three days following his birthday.[23]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Warrior (mask) | Impala (hair) | N/A | Live event | N/A | [1] |
| Black Warrior (mask) | Bronco (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | July 19, 1996 | [26][27] |
| Black Warrior (mask) | Super Elektra (mask) | Los Angeles, California | Live event | 1997 | [28] |
| Black Warrior (mask) | Brazo de Platino (mask) | San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí | Live event | September 30, 2000 | [29] |
| Místico (mask) | Black Warrior (mask) | Mexico City | CMLL 73rd Anniversary Show | September 29, 2006 | [8] |
| Lizmark Jr. andShocker (hair) | Rey Bucanero and Black Warrior (hair) | Mexico City | Sin Piedad | December 12, 2007 | [30] |
| Yujiro (hair) | Black Warrior (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | October 16, 2009 | [15] |
| Rey Escorpión (hair) | Black Warrior (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | June 1, 2012 | |
| Carístico (mask) | Black Warrior (hair) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico | Prisión Fatal | July 23, 2017 | [31][b] |
