 Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (right),Atlantis (middle) andBlue Panther (left) in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Unrevealed (1960-01-01)January 1, 1960 (age 65)[2] Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico[2] |
| Children | Rayman (son) |
| Parent | Rayo de Jalisco (father) |
| Relative(s) | Tony Sugar (uncle) Black Sugar (uncle) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rayman Rayo de Jalisco Jr. Rayo de Jalisco |
| Billed height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 115 kg (254 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico[1] |
| Trained by | |
| Debut | November 11, 1975 Tlaquepaque, Jalisco[2] |
Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (Spanish: "Lightning Bolt fromJalisco Jr."; born January 1, 1960) is an active Mexicanluchadorenmascarado (or maskedprofessional wrestler). He is currently performing as afreelancer on the Mexicanindependent circuit, and is best known for his longtime association withConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). A second-generation wrestler, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. is the son ofRayo de Jalisco, a famous wrestler from the early days oflucha libre; he also has a son who wrestles under the nameRayman.
Rayo de Jalisco Jr. is a two-timeCMLL World Heavyweight Champion andWWA World Heavyweight Champion, a title he has held from March 21, 2003 to 2011. His real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico, where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans.[4]
Rayo de Jalisco Jr. was born on January 1, 1960, inGuadalajara, the son of legendary wrestlerRayo de Jalisco and the nephew of wrestlers Tony Sugar and Black Sugar. He was not initially trained by his father as his father did not want his son to follow into his profession; instead he trained underDiablo Velazco.[2]
The future Rayo de Jalisco Jr. turned professional at the age of 15 and initially wrestled under the name "Rayman" to keep his father from finding out he was wrestling. After working as a wrestler for a year he finally revealed to his father that he was wrestling and that he was serious. After seeing his son wrestle, Rayo de Jalisco Sr. decided to allow his son to work as "Rayo de Jalisco Jr." and wear the lightning bolt mask that was synonymous with the Rayo de Jalisco character.[5] Rayo de Jalisco Jr. worked most of the 1970s alongside his father, receiving further training along the way. By the early 1980s he was working forEmpresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mexico's largestprofessional wrestling promotion. In 1982, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. began a wrestling storyline, called a feud, withMS-1 that ended when Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated MS-1 in aLuchas de Apuestas, mask vs. mask match to unmask the hatedrudo ("bad guy").[6] Throughout the early 1980s, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. teamed up with equally popularCien Caras to form a very successful team, working main events all over Mexico. On January 8, 1984, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. captured his first singles championship as he defeatedPirata Morgan to win theMexican National Heavyweight Championship.[7] His first championship success also led to his greatest rivalry as Cien Caras turned on Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in his quest to win the Mexican National Heavyweight Title. Cien Caras defeated his former teammate for the title on March 30, 1984.[7] On June 21, 1985, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated MS-1 to capture theNWA World Light Heavyweight Championship in the main event of an Arena Mexico show.[8] In November 1985, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. teamed withRingo Mendoza and the Kiss to win theMexican National Trios Championship from Los Brazos (El Brazo,Brazo de Oro andBrazo de Plata). The trio held the title for 275 days before losing it to Pirata Morgan,Jerry Estrada and Hombre Bala.[9] On March 20, 1987, Rayo de Jalisco's 637-day reign as NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion ended as he lost to MS-1.[8] By 1990, the storyline between Rayo de Jalisco Jr. and Cien Caras became so heated that they were the main event ofEMLL's 57th Anniversary show in aLuchas de Apuestas, mask vs. mask match. Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Cien Caras two falls to one and forced Cien Caras to unmask.[10][11]
Over the next couple of years, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. won the Mexican National Heavyweight Title on a further two occasions, defeatingGran Markus Jr. and El Egipico to win the title. His third and final reign ended on February 21, 1994, when he lost toPierroth Jr.[7] On November 3, 1995, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. andAtlantis teamed up to win theCMLL World Tag Team Championship fromThe Headhunters.[12] The duo successfully defended it againstMáscara Año 2000 andUniverso 2000, and againstApolo Dantés andEl Canek. On August 6, 1996, Gran Markus Jr. andEl Hijo del Gladiador won the title from Rayo de Jalisco Jr. and Atlantis.[12] On April 14, 1996, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. won theCMLL World Heavyweight Championship from Apolo Dantés, the highest singles championship in the company.[13] He made three successful defenses against the former champion Apolo Dantés, as well as thwarting the challenges of Gran Markus Jr. and Máscara Año 2000.[14] On April 18, 1997, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. lost the title toSteel after a slow building storyline between the two.[13] In 1997, Steel left CMLL to work for theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) as "Val Venis", ending the storyline with Rayo de Jalisco Jr. without a satisfactory conclusion. CMLL convinced the WWF to let Steel return to CMLL for a brief visit, just long enough to lose aLuchas de Apuestas to Rayo de Jalisco Jr. giving him another mask win.[15] A few months after unmasking Steel, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. became a two-time CMLL World Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Universo 2000 for the belt.[13] He successfully defended the championship against Cien Caras and Mascara Año 2000, before losing it back to Universo 2000.[13][14] Rayo de Jalisco Jr. was injured in the match against Universo 2000, as a mistimedtombstone piledriver injured his neck, forcing him out of the ring for over six months and almost causing him to retire.[2]
In 2001, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. dropped the "Junior" part of his name as his son, who had wrestled for two years, took the "Rayo de Jalisco" name, sometimes billed asel Hijo de Rayo de Jalisco Jr. ("the son of Rayo de Jalisco Jr.") and other times simplyRayo de Jalisco Jr.. The confusing name changes only lasted for a couple of months, before his son changed his name toHombre sin Nombre ("the man without name"), as part of a storyline where the son was trying to get out from the father's shadow. His son would later begin working as "Rayman", the same name that Rayo de Jalisco Jr. originally used.[5] Since 2003, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. has not worked for CMLL on a regular basis, instead he works for a number of promotions of the Mexicanindependent circuit. On March 21, 2003, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. won theWWA World Heavyweight Championship, defeatingRey Misterio Sr. in the finals of a tournament to crown a new champion. Rayo de Jalisco Jr. still holds that title to this day, 22 years, 240 days later.[16] In 2004, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. made a brief return to CMLL teaming up withBlack Warrior and El Canek to win theCMLL World Trios Championship fromDr. Wagner Jr., Universo 2000, andBlack Tiger (III). The team quickly lost the title toHéctor Garza,Tarzan Boy, andEl Terrible.[17] In 2005, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. suffered another serious injury when he injured both his knees in a match against Máscara Año 2000; his legs got caught on the ropes as he jumped out of the ring and he tore ligaments in both knees. The injury kept him out of the ring for almost half a year but he made a full recovery and returned to the ring.[2] Rayo de Jalisco Jr. made his return to CMLL in May 2010, siding with the CMLL loyalists in their feud withLos Invasores, especiallyInvasore members Universo 2000 and Máscara Año 2000, reigniting the long-running storyline between them.[18] Rayo de Jalisco Jr. only worked a few matches for CMLL in mid-2010 but returned to the promotion in early 2013. He was on hand for a press conference, announcing that CMLL's annualHomenaje a Dos Leyendas show would pay tribute to his father, Rayo de Jalisco Sr. During the press conference, he was confronted by longtime rival Universo 2000, who challenged him to a match for theDos Leyendas show.[19] At the show, Rayo de Jalisco Jr.,Shocker andRush defeated Universo 2000,Mr. Niebla andEl Terrible by disqualification.[20] Two days later, on March 17, 2013, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. competed in a four-way,steel cage match billed by IWRG asPrison Fatal ("Deadly Prison") againstCien Caras Jr.,Máscara Año 2000 Jr. andPirata Morgan. During the match, Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 interfered, which causedPirata Morgan Jr. to enter the match as well to escalate the rivalry betweenLos Piratas andLos Capos Junior. The match ended with Pirata Morgan being the last man in the cage and thus had his hair shaved off.[21]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Martín Escobedo (hair) | N/A | Live event | N/A | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Herodes (hair) | N/A | Live event | N/A | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) and El Jalisco (hair) | MS-1 (mask) and Carlos Plata (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | July 2, 1982 | [6][26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Gorila Asesino (mask) | Puebla, Puebla | Live event | April 10, 1983 | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | El Egipcio (mask) | Mexico City | Juicio Final | December 9, 1983 | [Note 1][26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Super Halcón (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | April 23, 1989 | [26][27] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Cien Caras (mask) | Mexico City | EMLL 57th Anniversary Show | September 21, 1990 | [10][11][26][28] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Steel (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | June 8, 1998 | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Cien Caras (hair) | Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco | Live event | November 29, 1999 | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | January 30, 2000 | [26][29] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Dr. Muerte (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | June 9, 2001 | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Comando Asesino (mask) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | July 2002 | [Note 2][26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Yankee Star (mask) | Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas | Live event | June 20, 2003 | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Senor Muerte (mask) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | December 7, 2003 | [26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Sombra de Jalisco (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | April 18, 2004 | [Note 3][26] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Enterrador 2000 (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | November 2, 2007 | [Note 4] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. (mask) | Super Parka (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | December 6, 2013 | [30] |
Media related toRayo de Jalisco Jr. at Wikimedia Commons
