| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anselmo Rivas Castro (1982-11-03)November 3, 1982 (age 43)[3] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Diamante Negro[1] Dragón Rojo Jr. El Susto Zaracatán Jr.[1] |
| Billed height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 85 kg (187 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico |
| Trained by | Raúl Díaz[1] Dandy Garcia[1] El Satánico Último Guerrero[2] |
| Debut | June 28, 2001[3] |
Anselmo Rivas Castro (born November 3, 1982), best known by hisring nameDragón Rojo Jr. (Spanish for "Red Dragon Jr."), is aMexicanluchador (orprofessional wrestler). He works forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is a two-timeCMLL World Middleweight Champion, and he currently holds the record formost days as Middleweight Champion. AlongsideÚltimo Guerrero, Dragón Rojo Jr. is the longest reigningCMLL World Tag Team Champion in the history of the championship.
Anselmo Rivas Castro, later known by thering name Dragón Rojo Jr., was born on November 3, 1982, inGómez Palacio,Durango, Mexico.[3] While it was later claimed that he is the grandson of a professional wrestler from the 1970s called Dragón Rojo, it is believed that this is a storyline relationship only, used to explain the ring name, something not uncommon inlucha libre.[4] Dragón Rojo Jr. has a college degree in physical education and has taught physical education at the primary school of Ejido Luján, in Gómez Palacio, Durango, inspired to become a teacher like his father.[2] He is one ofConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's ("World Wrestling Council; CMLL) "ambassadors" in their campaign againsttuberculosis, raising awareness and money for the fight against the disease.[5]
After training for two years under Raúl Díaz and Dandy Garcia, he made his debut on June 28, 2001, using the name "Zaracatán Jr.", a maskedtécnico (good guy) ring persona. He was named the Lagunero area "Rookie of the year" for his work in the local promotion that put on shows inTorreón and Gómez Palacio inDurango. After his rookie year, he suffered an injury that forced him out of wrestling for two years, while recovering and rehabilitating.[2]
When he returned to the ring he changed his ring personas and became a heel, orrudo (those that portray the bad guys), character called "Diamante Negro Jr.", soon after he'd drop the "Jr." and work as Diamante Negro. Diamante Negro stated that the five sided diamond on his mask stood for "passion, aggressiveness, strength, dedication, and professionalism" and that it was black because he was arudo.[1] As Diamante Negro, he won the mask of two wrestlers inLuchas de Apuestas matches, Tackle and Guerrero both in 2007.[2] In 2007, Diamante Negro was signed by CMLL after being invited to train with them by CMLL mainstayÚltimo Guerrero.[2] In CMLL, he worked mainly on the lower half of the card in trios matches with mixed success. In 2008, he was named as a member of "Generación del 75", a group of young wrestlers who exemplified the "CMLL future" in CMLL's 75th anniversary year. The group also included Flash,Mictlán,Tiger Kid,Hijo del Faraón, Axxel,El Hijo del Fantasma,Bronco,Metalik,Puma King,Skándalo,Súper Nova andVangelis.[6]
Diamante Negro was scheduled to team with Último Guerrero in the 2008 version of CMLL'sTorneo Gran Alternativa, but in July 2008, it was officially announced that he had changed names and would from then on work as "Dragón Rojo Jr.", taking the name of his grandfather "Dragón Rojo".[7][8] The new gimmick and mask was noted as bearing a striking resemblance to an animated character of the same name on the showLos Campeones de la Lucha Libre.[9] Dragón Rojo Jr. and Guerrero won the 2008Gran Alternativa, defeating the teams ofShocker andÁngel Azteca Jr.,Blue Panther and Axel and in the finals defeatingDos Caras Jr. and Metalik.[10] The win was seen as an indication that CMLL had plans to move Dragón Rojo Jr. up the card. On August 9, 2008, Dragón Rojo won his biggest "Luchas de Apuestas" match to date as he won the mask of rival Mictlán, forcing him to unmask and reveal his real name as per Lucha Libre traditions.[11]
In December 2008, Dragón Rojo Jr. won a "#1 Contenders" match and thus earned a shot at theMexican National Welterweight Championship, held bySangre Azteca.[12] The title match ended in a double count out leaving Sangre Azteca the champion but showing that Dragón Rojo Jr. was not easily defeated.[13] After the draw, Dragón Rojo Jr. and Sangre Azteca began teaming together, often withBlack Warrior as the third man, quickly forming a trio calledPoder Mexica (Spanish for "Mexican Power"). The group saw mixed success around Mexico but remained undefeated in Arena Mexico, CMLL's main venue and soon earned a shot at theMexican National Trios Championship, held byEl Sagrado,La Sombra andVolador Jr.Poder Mexica won the title in their first attempt, defeating the champions on February 3, 2009.[14] In March 2009,Misterioso Jr. took the place of Black Warrior in several matches in Mexico City and later became an official member ofPoder Mexica.[15] At the 2009Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show, Dragón Rojo Jr., Sangre Azteca and Misteriosos Jr. lost toCMLL World Trios ChampionsHéctor Garza,La Máscara andEl Hijo del Fantasma.[16]
On December 19, 2009, it was announced by theComisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. thatPoder Mexica had been stripped of the Mexican National Trios title, because Black Warrior had left CMLL, breaking up the team. At the same time, they announced an eight team tournament to crown a new trios champion. The top half of the bracket took place on December 22, and the bottom half of the bracket took place on December 29. In the top bracket, the team ofMáscara Dorada,Stuka Jr. andMetro qualified for the finals.[17] The bottom bracket took place on December 29, and sawPoder Mexica (Azteca, Rojo Jr. and Misterioso Jr.) defeatFabian El Gitano,Máximo andRouge and thenDelta,Leono andValiente to qualify for the final.[18]
On January 6, 2010, Mascara Dorada, Stuka Jr. and Metro defeatedPoder Mexica to become the new Mexican National Trios Champions.[19] On November 2, Dragón Rojo Jr. replaced an injuredAtlantis and teamed with Último Guerrero to defeatMr. Águila and Héctor Garza for theCMLL World Tag Team Championship.[20] After the match, Rojo Jr. announced that he was leavingPoder Mexica and joiningLos Guerreros de la Atlantida.[21] On December 10, Dragón Rojo Jr. defeated Maximo, La Máscara, La Sombra and Volador Jr. in singles matches to advance to the finals of the 2010La Copa Junior.[22] On December 25, he defeatedAverno in the finals to win the tournament.[23]
On January 22, 2011, Dragón Rojo Jr. made hisJapanese debut, when he took part in theFantastica Mania 2011 weekend, co-promoted by CMLL andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) inTokyo. During the first night, he teamed withTomohiro Ishii in a tag team match, where they defeated La Máscara andTiger Mask.[24] The following night, he, Atlantis andTaichi were defeated in a six-man tag team match byGiant Bernard,Jushin Thunder Liger andKarl Anderson.[25] On November 18, 2011, Rojo Jr. defeated Liger to win theCMLL World Middleweight Championship, making him a double champion.[26] On theAugust 3 Super Viernes show, Rojo Jr. and Guerrero lost the CMLL World Tag Team Championship to Atlantis andDiamante Azul, ending their reign at 640 days, the longest reign in the title's history.[27]
On theSeptember 28, 2012Super Viernes, Rojo Jr. defeated NJPW representativePrince Devitt to win theNWA World Historic Middleweight Championship, making him a double middleweight champion.[28][29] Following the win, Rojo Jr. quitLos Guerreros del Infierno to form a team withRey Escorpión.[30]
The team of Rey Escorpión, Dragón Rojo Jr. andPólvora was unveiled asLos Revolucionarios del Terror ("The Revolutionaries of Terror"). In January 2013, Dragón Rojo Jr. took part in the three-dayFantastica Mania 2013 event. During the first night on January 18, he was defeated by Prince Devitt in a non-title singles match.[31] The following night, Rojo Jr.,Tomohiro Ishii andYoshi-Hashi defeatedBushi, Devitt andRyusuke Taguchi in six man tag team match.[32] During the third and final night, Dragón Rojo Jr. lost the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship to La Sombra.[33] Dragón Rojo Jr. was forced to team up withNiebla Roja, who was now a rival instead of a partner after the formation ofLos Revolucionarios del Terror, for the 2013Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles ("National Incredible Pairs Tournament") where the concept was that rivals would team up for a tag team tournament. Despite being rivals, the duo managed to defeat the team ofRush andEl Terrible in the first round and Blue Panther and Rey Escorpión in the second round. The team was defeated in the semi-finals by Niebla Rojo's stable leader Último Guerrero and Atlantis.[34][35] On July 9, 2014, Dragón Rojo Jr. announced that due to his recent problems with his stablemates, he was leavingLos Revolucionarios del Terror and turningtécnico.[36] He returned to therudo side on May 8, 2015, when he, Rey Escorpión and Pólvora reunited asLos Revolucionarios del Terror.[37]
On March 25, 2017, nearly five and a half years after it started, Dragón Rojo Jr.'s reign as CMLL Middleweight Champion came to an end when he was defeated byÁngel de Oro.[38] On January 22, 2019, Dragón Rojo Jr. wrestled in a six-man tag team match where he injured his knee and was unable to perform in the ring.[39][40] In September 2020, he revealed that he had gone through four knee operations to address the problems, but was uncertain if he would ever be able to return to the ring.[40]
On April 2, 2022, Dragón Rojo Jr. won the CMLL Middleweight Championship for the second time.[41] On May 12, 2023, he lost the Middleweight title toTemplario.[42] On September 16, at theCMLL 90th Anniversary Show, he lost theLucha de Apuestas Mask vs. Mask match to Templario. As a result, Dragón Rojo Jr. had to unmask and reveal his birth name.[43][44]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamante Negro (mask) | Tackle (hair) | Gómez Palacio, Durango | Live event | September 23, 2007 | [3] |
| Diamante Negro (mask) | Guerrero (hair) | Gómez Palacio, Durango | Live event | 2007 | [3] |
| Dragón Rojo Jr. (mask) | Mictlán (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | August 29, 2008 | [3] |
| Templario (mask) | Dragón Rojo Jr. (mask) | Mexico City | CMLL 90th Anniversary Show | September 16, 2023 | [50] |
Mexican National Welterweight Title #1 Contender Torneo Cibernetico 12 Man Elimination Match - Dragon Rojo Jr. defeats Black Warrior and Felino and Flash and Heavy Metal and La Mascara and Loco Max and Mascara Dorada and Mascara Purpura and Mictlan and Stuka Jr. and Virus
