 Casas in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | José Casas Ruiz (1960-01-10)January 10, 1960 (age 65)[4] Mexico City, Mexico[2] |
| Family | Casas |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Pepe Casas Jr.[1] Negro Casas |
| Billed height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2] |
| Billed weight | 79 kg (174 lb)[2] |
| Billed from | Mexico City, Mexico[2] |
| Trained by | Pepe Casas[3] Raúl Reyes[3] Tony Sugar[3] Rodolfo Ruiz[3] |
| Debut | October 19, 1979[3] |
José Casas Ruiz (born January 10, 1960) is a Mexicanprofessional wrestler (called aLuchador inSpanish) and professional wrestling trainer working forLucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) under thering nameNegro Casas. He is the son of former wrestler turned referee Pepe Casas, and part of the largeCasas wrestling family; brother of professional wrestlersEl Felino andHeavy Metal and uncle ofPuma,Tiger,Canelo Casas, Rocky Casas, Danny Casas and many more.
Casas has trained several wrestlers, includingMephisto,Kazushige Nosawa,T. J. Perkins,Rocky Romero, andRicky Marvin. Casas has worked all over the world, making appearances for theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in theUnited States of America as well as touring withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan for over a decade.
In Mexico, Casas is known for his work inConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), wrestling sporadically for the promotion from 1980 until 2023. Casas has also wrestled in Mexico for theUniversal Wrestling Association (UWA),World Wrestling Association (WWA) andInternational Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). In 2008 Negro Casas joined withMr. Niebla and Heavy Metal to form the groupLa Peste Negra (Spanish for "the Black Plague"), a group that would later be joined by El Felino.
Casas was born in 1960, the son of professional wrestler Pepe "Tropi" Casas, and grew up around Tlalpan. Casas described his childhood as a happy and normal one, even though his father would be away from home for long stretches as he wrestled all over Mexico and the United States. Casas' father first took him to a wrestling show when Casas was five years old, bringing him to an event across the border in the United States.[3][5] Casas became hooked on wrestling from the moment he saw the first match, with his first idols being his father,Aníbal andEl Solitario. Casas played football, soccer, volleyball and baseball while still in school and even started training in professional wrestling classes taught by his father and Raúl Reyes.[3] José and his brothers,Heavy Metal andEl Felino, often sat at ringside during their father's matches, pretending to be upset or cry whenever their father looked like he was getting beat up in the ring, a ploy that their father had taught them to help gain crowd sympathy.[5]
Casas debut came in 1979 as a bit of a strange turn of events. José Casas was in an arena where his father was supposed to compete when the promoter told Casas that his father had not shown and that he needed the young Casas to fill in for him or he would have Pepe Casas banned from wrestling. Casas wrestled and won his first match using the ring name "Pepe Casas Jr.", wearing street clothes only to discover Pepe Casas and Raúl Reyes waiting in the dressing room. The two had played a joke on Casas to see how he handled himself in the ring.[3] Casas chose the name "Negro Casas" ("Black Casas") as hisring name and decided not to wear a mask. By 1984 Casas had begun working forUniversal Wrestling Association, winning theUWA World Lightweight Championship fromBlack Terry on January 1, 1984.[6] Casas held the championship for 301 days before losing it toEl Hijo del Santo.[6] The loss to El Hijo del Santo was part of a long running, very intensestoryline between Casas and Hijo del Santo that drew favorable reviews and helped establish both wrestlers as future main eventers. The storyline included Hijo del Santo forcing Negro Casas to be shaved bald after losing aLuchas de Apuestas, or bet match.[7]
In the late 1980s Negro Casas began working for the Mexican-basedWorld Wrestling Association (WWA) where he became the first man to hold theWWA Welterweight Championship, holding it from sometime in 1987 until he was defeated by Tornado Negro on April 14, 1989.[8] Casas regained the title, but only held it briefly before losing again as he was leaving the WWA.[8] Casas returned to the UWA in 1990 and on January 29, 1991, he won theUWA World Middleweight Championship from Super Astro.[9] Casas held the title for 787 days, finally losing it toÚltimo Dragón.[9]
In 1980 Casas worked a low card match atColiseo Naucalpan against an equally youngFuerza Guerrera, the match was so well liked by the audience that they threw money into the ring to show their appreciation. PromoterPaco Alonso even entered the ring and asked the crowd to show their appreciation for the match they just saw, earning both Negro Casas and Fuerza Guerrera a regular job withEmpresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL).
By the mid 1990s Casas worked regularly for CMLL and toured Japan several times a year, wrestling forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In April 1994 Casas took part in the firstSuper J-Cup tournament; he lost toRicky Fuji in the first round. On December 1, 1995, Negro Casas defeated longtime rival Hijo del Santo in the finals of a tournament to crown a newNWA World Welterweight Championship.[10] Casas held the title for over 200 days, rarely defending until he participated in a tournament to unify 8 lightweight titles in NJPW'sJ-Crown tournament. Casas put the Welterweight title on the line but lost toShinjiro Otani in the first round.[10] Casas and El Hijo del Santo resumed their feud in 1997, culminating in anotherLucha de Apuestas between the two. Negro Casas once again ended up on the losing side, losing two falls to one in the main event of theCMLL 63rd Anniversary Show.[7] Negro Casas would later state that El Hijo del Santo was one of his favorite rivals and good friends backstage.[5] Following theApuesta loss Negro Casas and El Hijo del Santo began teaming together in 1998 and in early 1999 the team defeatedBestia Salvaje andScorpio Jr. by disqualification, but refused to accept theCMLL World Tag Team Championship as they did not win by pinfall.[11] After the refusal the title the two teams faced a few weeks later and this time Casas and Hijo del Santo won by pinfall to claim the title.[11] The team reigned for over 400 days, until El Hijo del Santo left CMLL; forcing Negro Casas to vacate the title. When El Hijo del Santo returned in 2001 the duo picked up where they left off by defeatingÚltimo Guerrero andRey Bucanero to win the tag team championship once again.[12] After 210 days and several title defenses Guerrero and Bucanero finally regained the titles, ending the third and final reign of the Casas/Hijo del Santo team. Following the loss of the tag team title Negro Casas began focusing on his singles career once again, winning theCMLL World Middleweight Championship fromEmilio Charles Jr. on April 26, 2004.[13] On August 28, 2005, Negro Casas became a double champion when he won theIWRG Intercontinental Trios Championship, teaming with his brothers El Felino and Heavy Metal to defeatBlack Tiger III,Pentagon Black, andEl Pantera to win the title.[14] The trios title reign lasted 129 days, ended by the team ofCerebro Negro,Veneno, and Scorpio Jr.[14] In 2006 Negro Casas was teamed up with CMLL's rising starMístico, working together in a style very similar to Casas and Hijo del Santo. The two defeatedAverno andMephisto to win the CMLL Tag Team Championship, Casas' fourth and Místico's first, on April 14, 2006.[15] On September 17, 2006, Negro Casas' 874-day CMLL World Middleweight Championship reign ended at the hands of Averno.[8] Casas and Místico lost the tag team titles to Último Guerrero and Dr. Wagner Jr. on July 13, 2007 but quickly regained them a week later.[15] The team of Último Guerrero andAtlantis finally dethroned the duo, keeping them away from the title in subsequent rematches.[15] On November 11, 2007, Negro Casas won theIWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship by defeatingVillano III in the finals of a tournament to find a new champion. Casas has not lost the title, but since CMLL and IWRG stopped working together in 2008 he is no longer promoted as the champion with the title technically being inactive.[16]
In July 2008Mr. Niebla returned to CMLL, forming a group with Negro Casas and Heavy Metal calledLa Peste Negra (Spanish for "the Black Plague"), a Rudo group that had a more comical approach to wrestling. The trio started wearing large afro wigs, painting their faces black and dancing during their entrances and generally worked a less serious style of match than was unusual, especially for a serious wrestler like Negro Casas.[5] On September 2, 2008, the last Casas brother, El Felino turned Rudo as well and joined La Peste Negra. After Felino joined the group Heavy Metal was quietly phased out as he was not comfortable working the comedic style.[5] Felino's wife Princesa Blanca joined the group in early 2009, turning Rudo to work with La Pestre, the turn led to Princesa Blanca winning theMexican National Women's Championship fromMarcela on January 30, 2009.[17] La Pesta Negra's biggest triumph to date is Negro Casas' title win over Místico that brought theCMLL World Welterweight Championship into the group.[18] After the title win, La Peste Negra continued their feud with Místico and his various allies. The feud led to Místico and Negro Casas facing off in aLucha de Apuesta on theCMLL 76th Anniversary Show, where Casas lost two falls to one and had his hair shaved off. After the match, Místico challenged El Felino, Casas' cornerman, to anApuesta sometime in the future.[19]
On January 29, 2010, Negro Casas teamed up withLa Máscara to participate in CMLL's "Torneo Nacional de Pareja Increíbles" ("National Amazing Pairs tournament"), a tournament where CMLL teams up aTecnico (La Máscara) and aRudo (Casas) for a tournament. The two defeatedEl Texano Jr. andRouge in the opening round,El Sagrado andShocker in the second round, and Héctor Garza andToscano in the semi-final to earn a spot in the final of the tournament.[20] On February 5, 2010, Casas and La Máscara lost toMáscara Dorada and Atlantis in the finals.[21] On February 14, 2010, Casas defeatedEl Hijo del Fantasma to win the CMLL World Middleweight Championship for the second time.[22] During most of April and into May Negro Casas toured with NJPW in Japan. On May 3, 2010 Casas lost the CMLL World Middleweight title toJushin Thunder Liger during NJPW'sWrestling Dontaku 2010 show.[23] On October 15, 2010,Charly Manson defeated Negro Casas in aLucha de Apuesta to take his hair.[24] On February 14, 2012, Casas defeatedLa Sombra to win theNWA World Historic Welterweight Championship for the first time.[25] On March 2 atHomenaje a Dos Leyendas, Casas andBlue Panther wrestled to a draw in aLucha de Apuesta and were, as a result, both shaved bald.[26] On October 21, Casas returned to NJPW, when he andBushi entered the2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament as "Grupo Cibernetico".[27] The team was eliminated from the tournament in the first round bySuzuki-gun (Taichi andTaka Michinoku).[28] On December 25, 2012, Negro Casas successfully defended the NWA Historic Welterweight Championship againstGuerrero Maya Jr. on a special Christmas show inArena Mexico after Maya Jr. had defeated Casas in a series of matches leading up to the show.[29] In early 2013 Negro Casas and Guerrero Maya Jr. were teamed up for the 2013CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles, a tournament where the concept was that rivals or at least wrestlers from opposite sides of thetecnico/rudo divide. The team lost in the first round to eventual tournament winners La Sombra and Volador Jr.[30][31] On June 2, Casas lost the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship to Máscara Dorada, ending his reign at 475 days, the longest in the title's history.[32] On January 3, 2014, Casas defeatedTitán in the finals to win the2014 Leyenda de Plata.[33] On February 18, Casas, El Felino and Mr. Niebla defeated La Máscara, Rush and Titán to win theMexican National Trios Championship.[34] On June 13, Casas and Shocker defeated La Máscara and Rush to win the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.[35] On August 1 atEl Juicio Final, Casas lost his hair to Rush in aLucha de Apuestas.[36] On April 26, 2015,La Peste Negra lost the Mexican National Trios Championship toLos Reyes de la Atlantida (Atlantis,Delta and Guerrero Maya Jr.).[37] On May 22, Casas defeatedDragon Lee to win the2015 Leyenda de Plata, his second in a row and third overall.[38] On February 14, 2018, CMLL vacated the CMLL World Tag Team Titles due to lack of defences since 2016.
In January 2023, Casas and his wifeDalys la Caribeña departed CMLL.
On January 21, 2023, Casas and his wifeDalys la Caribeña made their debuts forLucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), appearing at a AAA television taping inQuerétaro.[39] On February 5, atRey de Reyes, Casas made his AAA in-ring debut, being defeated byHijo del Vikingo in a four-wayRey de Reyes match qualifier that also involvedMyzteziz Jr. andMecha Wolf.[40][41]
José Casas is a member of an extensive wrestling family, founded by his father Pepe "Tropi" Casas and also consists of his brothers Erick, who wrestles as "Heavy Metal" and El Felino (Jorge Casas), and a brother who is not a professional wrestler. Casas' sister-in-law (Felino's wife) is former Mexican National Women's ChampionPrincessa Blanca.[3] Casas' wife is the daughter of aPanamanian wrestling promoter that Casas once worked for, currently working for CMLL as well, using the ring nameDalys la Caribeña. His two daughters are training in Olympic style wrestling, also hoping to turn professional one day. José Casas does not train his daughters, entrusting that task toRingo Mendoza,Tony Salazar,Arturo Beristain and Franco Colombo.[3][5] One of Casas' daughters is married to professional wrestlerDiamante who works for CMLL. Casas also has two nephews who work asTiger andPuma, the sons of El Felino. WrestlerCanelo Casas is also credited with being a nephew of Negro Casas, but it is unclear if he is the son of Erick Casas or the son of one of their non-wrestling brothers or sisters.[42]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy Guerrero (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Juarez, Chihuahua | Live event | 1980s | |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Aristos (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | December 6, 1981 | Relevos suicidas[46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Diamante Blanco (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | February 28, 1983 | [46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Tony Ledesma (hair) | Tlalnepantla, Mexico State | Live event | December 4, 1983 | [46] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Negro Casas (hair) | Los Angeles, California | Live event | July 18, 1987 | [7][46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Black Man (hair) | Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State | Live event | February 5, 1991 | |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Valente Fernández (hair) | Puebla, Puebla | Live event | January 27, 1992 | [46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | La Fiera (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 60th Anniversary Show | October 1, 1993 | [5][46][50] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Mocho Cota (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | September 23, 1994 | [5][46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Bestia Salvaje (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | October 18, 1996 | [5][46] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 64th Anniversary Show | September 19, 1997 | [7][46][50] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | El Satánico (hair) | Puebla, Puebla | Live event | October 19, 1998 | [46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) andEl Hijo del Santo (mask) | Bestia Salvaje (hair) andScorpio, Jr. (mask) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 19, 1999 | [46][51] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Bestia Salvaje (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | June 26, 1999 | [5][46] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Bestia Salvaje (hair) | Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas | Live event | November 6, 2000 | [5][46][52] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Halcón de Oro (hair) | Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Live event | June 10, 2001 | |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Mosco de la Merced (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | May 9, 2002 | [b] |
| Tarzan Boy (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 69th Anniversary Show | September 13, 2002 | [53] |
| El Satánico and Negro Casas (hair) | Tokyo Gurentai (hair) (Nosawa andMasada) | CMLL Live event | Mexico City | May 16, 2003 | |
| Perro Aguayo Jr. (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL Live event | June 18, 2004 | [c] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Okumura (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL Live event | December 5, 2004 | [d] |
| Místico (mask) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 76th Anniversary Show | September 18, 2009 | [19] |
| Charly Manson (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | Entre el Cielo y el Infierno | October 15, 2010 | [24] |
| Draw | Negro Casas (hair) Blue Panther (hair) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 2, 2012 | [e] |
| Rush (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | El Juicio Final | August 1, 2014 | [36] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Super Parka (hair) | Mexico City | Sin Piedad | January 1, 2016 | [54] |
| Volador Jr. (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 18, 2016 | [55] |
| Negro Casas (hair) | Sam Adonis (hair) | Mexico City | Sin Piedad | January 1, 2018 | [56] |
| Último Guerrero (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 86th Anniversary Show | September 27, 2019 | [f] |
