 Volador Jr. in May 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ramón Ibarra Rivera[3] (1981-01-26)January 26, 1981 (age 44)[1] |
Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Volador Jr. Volador Komachi |
| Billed height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 87 kg (192 lb)[1][2] |
| Billed from | Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico |
| Trained by | Super Parka[1] El Satánico[1] |
| Debut | February 1996[2] |
Ramón Ibarra Rivera (born January 26, 1981), better known by hisring nameVolador Jr., is a Mexicanluchador (orprofessional wrestler), who works forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays atécnico ("good guy") wrestling character and is considered one of the top leveltécnicos in the promotion. He is the son ofSuper Parka, and his ring name refers to his father's previous gimmick, Volador. Ibarra is the cousin of the originalLa Parka, the cousin ofEl Hijo de L.A. Park and the uncle ofFlyer; he is also related to a number of otherluchadors in the Ibarra family.
Ibarra has also worked outside his native Mexico on multiple occasions, with his highest profile work being forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in theUnited States, andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) inJapan. Volador Jr. originally worked under amask but was forced to unmask when he lost his mask to long time friend turned rival,La Sombra, in September 2013.
Over the years he has held a number of CMLL championships including theCMLL World Tag Team Championship, theCMLL World Trios Championship, theMexican National Light Heavyweight Championship,Mexican National Trios Championship, theNWA World Historic Middleweight Championship and theNWA World Historic Welterweight Championship. He has won CMLL'sTorneo Gran Alternativa,Leyenda de Plata andTorneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles tournaments.
Volador Jr. made his professional wrestling debut in 1999 after training with his father, the originalVolador.[1] Initially he worked on theindependent circuit around his native Coahuila.
On August 14, 2001, Volador Jr. competed in the annualTorneo Gran Alternativa teaming withAtlantis. The team was eliminated in the semifinals byBlack Warrior andSangre Azteca after having defeatedMáscara Año 2000 and Enemigo Publico in the first round.[4] Volador Jr. participated in a tournament to determine the first everCMLL World Super Lightweight Champion, but was defeated in the first round toRocky Romero. On December 5, 2003, he,El Felino andSafari won the vacantMexican National Trios Championship by defeating the team ofAlan Stone,Super Crazy andZumbido in a tournament final.[5] On August 20, 2004, he competed in theTorneo Gran Alternativa once again teaming with Atlantis and once again but they were eliminated in the semifinals, defeated by eventual tournament winnersEl Hijo del Santo andMístico. In the first round the team had defeatedPerro Aguayo, Jr. and Sangre Azteca.[6] Volador Jr., El Felino and Safari lost the Mexican National Trios Championship on March 25, 2005, toPandilla Guerrera (Doctor X,Nitro and Sangre Azteca).[5] On June 2, 2006, he competed in theTorneo Gran Alternativa, teaming withDos Caras, Jr. but were eliminated in the first byÚltimo Guerrero and Nitro. On August 13, 2007, Volador teamed up withEl Sagrado andLa Sombra to win the Mexican National Trios Championship for the second time.[7]
On January 16, 2009, La Sombra and Volador Jr., dubbed "Super Sky Team", defeatedAverno andMephisto to win theCMLL World Tag Team Championship.[8] Super Sky Team's status as double champions ended on February 3, 2009, when Volador Jr., El Sagrado and La Sombra lost the Mexican Trios Championship toPoder Mexica (Sangre Azteca, Black Warrior andDragón Rojo, Jr.).[9] Following the title loss, Volador Jr. and La Sombra focused on working as a team, defended their tag team titles eight times through 2009 and 2010.[10] Their teamwork resulted in them being voted the "CMLL Tag Team of the year" for 2009 by the fans of CMLL.[11] Volador Jr. was also voted "Most popular wrestler of the year" in the same poll.[11]
On January 22, 2010, Volador Jr. teamed up with El Terrible to participate in CMLL's "Torneo Nacional de Pareja Increíbles" ("National Amazing Pairs tournament"), a tournament where CMLL teams up aTecnico (Volador Jr.) and aRudo (El Terrible) for a tournament. In the second round of the tournament the team faced Averno and Místico. Initially Místico wrestle as thetecnico he has been for years, but during the match Místico's attitude seemingly changed as he began attacking Volador Jr., someone he had teamed with for years. Místico even went so far as to ripping up Volador's mask, arudo move, and won the match after an illegal low blow to Volador Jr. After the match Místico took the microphone and claimed that "all was fair in war and defending Mexico City", a comment that drew many boos from the crowd.[12] The two met in the main event of anArena México show on February 5, 2010, and this time Místico was clearly aRúdo, tearing so viciously at Volador's mask that a new mask had to be brought to the ring during falls. In the second fall Místico pulled his mask off and threw it to Volador Jr. in an attempt to get Volador Jr. disqualified. The end came when Volador Jr. reversed Místico'sLa Mística and won by applying the same move to Místico. Following the match Místico angrily proclaimed"¡Yo soy la máxima figura de la lucha libre!". ("I am the greatest figure in wrestling").[13] On February 12, 2010, Místico lost the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship to Volador Jr. two falls to one.[14] On the February 26CMLL Super Viernes show it was announced that Místico, Volador Jr., La Sombra and El Felino would face off in a four-wayLucha de Apuesta match as the main event of the 2010Homenaje a Dos Leyendas.[15] La Sombra was the first man pinned at Dos Leyendas and El Felino was the second, forcing the two to put their masks on the line. After a long match La Sombra pinned El Felino. After the match he unmasked and announced that his real name was Jorge Luis Casas Ruiz.[16] FollowingDos Leyendas Místico announced that he was done being arúdo and returned to thetécnico side, although Volador Jr. remained suspicious of Místico. The storyline between the two cooled off for a bit, but in late May 2010, tension resumed as Místico and Volador Jr. faced off once again at the Mexican Light Heavyweight Championship, with Volador Jr. retaining the belt. At the 2010Sin Salida the two were on opposite sides of aRelevos incredibles, Místico teamed withMáscara Dorada andMr. Águila while Volador Jr. teamed with Averno andNegro Casas. Averno came to the ring wearing the same combined Averno/Místico mask he had worn for theParejas Incredibles tournament and tried to convince Místico to join therúdo side, only to turn around and reveal that both he and Volador Jr. were wearing a combined Averno/Volador Jr. mask underneath. Volador Jr. worked as arúdo throughout the match, losing the match for his team when he tried to cheat but was caught by the referee.[17] On July 12, 2010, at thePromociones Gutiérrez 1st Anniversary Show, Volador Jr. participated in a match where 10 men put their mask on the line in a match that featured fivepareja incredibles teams, with the losing team being forced to wrestle each other with their mask on the line. His partner in the match wasEl Alebrije, facing off against the teams of Atlantis andOlímpico, Místico andEl Oriental, Histeria and La Sombra, and Último Guerrero and Averno.[18] Volador Jr. and El Alebrije were the second team to escape the match. In the end Místico defeated El Oriental to unmask him.[19] After teasing arudo turn for over a month, Volador Jr. and La Sombra lost the CMLL World Tag Team Championship to theLos Invasores team of Mr. Águila and Héctor Garza onJuly 23, 2010 without any signs of dissension between the two.[20] During a later show Volador Jr. finally turnedrudo when he attacked La Sombra, tore his former partner's mask off and beat him up. During the2010 Universal Championship tournament, Volador Jr. defeatedValiente in the first round. In the second round Volador Jr. facedLa Máscara and cemented his status as arudo when he was disqualified for excessive violence against La Máscara. He kept attacking La Máscara after the match ended, leaving La Máscara an easy victim for his next round opponent,Jushin Thunder Liger.[21]
Following theSuper Viernes on August 13, 2010, where he attacked La Máscara, Volador Jr. began being booked asrudo, although the on again, off again feud with Místico was put to the side in favor of Volador Jr. against La Sombra. The feud between the two led both wrestlers to be booked in the main event of theCMLL 77th Anniversary Show, a 14-mansteel cageLucha de Apuesta, mask vs. mask match.[22] Volador Jr. was the 10th man to leave the steel cage, keeping his mask safe. The match came down to La Sombra pinning Olímpico to unmask him.[23] On September 17, Volador Jr. picked up one of the biggest wins in his CMLL career, defeating Místico in the finals of a tournament to win the Copa Bicentenario.[24] On October 5, 2010, Volador Jr. lost the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship to La Máscara, ending his reign at 236 days.[25] After losing the title, Volador Jr. spent several months not doing anything significant in CMLL until he took over theLos Invasores stable in July 2011, when its leader Héctor Garza turnedtecnico.[26] On September 18, Volador Jr. unsuccessfully challenged former partner La Sombra for theNWA World Historic Welterweight Championship, in a match that received rave reviews.[27] Two days later, Volador Jr. led Olímpico andPsicosis II ofLos Invasores to the Mexican National Trios Championship, when they defeated the trio ofÁngel de Oro,Diamante andRush.[28] Volador Jr. continued his successful run on September 23 by defeating eleven other men in atorneo cibernetico to advance to the finals of the2011 Leyenda de Plata. On October 7, Volador Jr. defeated Jushin Thunder Liger to win the tournament.[29]Los Invasores lost the Mexican National Trios Championship to Atlantis,Delta andGuerrero Maya, Jr. on December 16, 2011.[30] On February 14, 2012, Volador Jr. defeated La Máscara to win theNWA World Historic Middleweight Championship for the first time.[31] On March 30, Volador Jr. lost the title toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) representativePrince Devitt.[32]
On June 20, 2012, Volador Jr. formed theLos Depredadores del Aire ("The Predators of the Air") group alongside Black Warrior and Mr. Águila.[33] 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.[34] For July 29, Volador Jr. traveled to Tokyo, Japan, in an attempt to regain the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship from Prince Devitt, but would eventually fail in his title challenge.[35] The following month, Volador Jr. started a rivalry withMr. Niebla, for which he was positioned as atecnico even though still being a part ofrudo stableLos Invasores.[36] On October 30,Los Depredadores del Aire lost the Mexican National Trios Championship back toLos Reyes de la Atlantida.[37] On January 22, 2013, Volador Jr. survived atorneo cibernetico to advance to a final match for the vacantCMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship against the other survivor, Rey Escorpión.[38][39] On January 29, Volador Jr. was defeated in the finals of the tournament by Escorpión.[40] Following their clash over the Reyes del Aire trophy, Volador Jr. and La Sombra were teamed up for the 2013Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles tournament, the same tournament that in 2010 was the impetus for Volador Jr.'srudo turn. The rivals put their issues aside for the tournament defeating the teams of Guerrero Maya Jr. and Negro Casas, La Máscara and Averno and finallyShocker and Mr. Niebla to qualify for the finals of the tournament.[41][42] On March 15, 2013, at the 2013Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show, Volador Jr. and La Sombra defeated Altantis and Último Guerrero to win theTorneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles.[43] The truce between La Sombra and Volador Jr. that allowed them to win the tag team tournament only lasted until the next time the two rivals were in the same ring. On Sunday, February 17, 2013, La Sombra teamed up withMarco Corleone andMísticoLa Nueva Era against Volador Jr.,Euforia and Último Guerrero. During the match Volador Jr. attacked both La Sombra and the referee, causing a disqualification before leaving the ring and his confused partners behind.[44] On September 13 atCMLL's 80th Anniversary Show, Volador Jr. and La Sombra defeated Atlantis and Último Guerrero in aRelevos Suicidas match and thus advanced to a Mask vs. MaskLucha de Apuestas against each other. In the end, Volador Jr. was defeated and forced to unmask and reveal his real name.[3][45]
On November 19, Volador Jr. defeated Máscara Dorada to win the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship.[46] Three days later, Volador Jr. began showing signs of atecnico turn by shaking hands with Místico and trying to save him fromLos Guerreros Laguneros, before walking out on hisLos Invasores partners.[47] His turn was finalized on November 29, whenLos Invasores attacked him following atorneo cibernetico betweenLos Invasores and representatives of CMLL.[48] On June 6, 2014, Volador Jr. lost the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship to La Sombra in a match also contested for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.[49] The loss came as a result of outside interference from La Máscara and Rush.[50] Volador Jr. regained the title from La Sombra on August 1 atEl Juicio Final.[51] In early 2015, Volador Jr. came together with Místico and Valiente to form a new Sky Team.[52] On February 13, Sky Team defeatedLos Guerreros Laguneros (Euforia,Niebla Roja and Último Guerrero) to win theCMLL World Trios Championship.[53] On April 5, 2016, Volador Jr. and rookieEsfinge defeatedFujin andRey Escorpión to win the 2016Gran Alternativa tournament. On July 1, Volador Jr. won the2016 International Gran Prix, scoring the last elimination overTama Tonga.[54] On October 20, 2017, Volador defeatedCarístico to win the2017 Leyenda de Plata.[55] On November 3, Volador Jr. turned on Carístico, attacking him with help from Rush, who afterwards stated that Volador Jr. had everything it took to joinLos Ingobernables.[56] At Homenaje a Dos Leyendas 2018, Volador and Valiente defeated El Terrible and Rey Bucanero to win the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.
In 2008, Volador Jr. was given an opportunity to travel to theUnited States and compete for the Florida-basedTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as part of their 2008World X Cup tournament. TNA decided to simply drop the "Junior" part of his name and promote him as "Volador". He was part ofTeam Mexico, working with Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero and Averno, with TNA ignoring the fact that Volador Jr. had been rivals with all three wrestlers in Mexico. He made his TNA debut in anUltimate X match at TNA'sVictory Road show on July 13, 2008. During the World X tournament he defeatedKaz,Naruki Doi andDaivari to score four points for his team that allowed Team Mexico to win the tournament by one point.[57] On October 30, 2008, Volador returned to TNA to work his first "Non-X-Cup" match, teaming up withHiroshi Tanahashi as the two lost toThe Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin andAlex Shelley).[58] On the edition of November 7 of TNA's weeklyImpact! television show Volador teamed with Tanahashi to compete in a 4 teamLadder Match where the winning team would get a championship match againstTNA World Tag Team ChampionsBeer Money, Inc. The match also includedTeam 3D,The Latin American Xchange and was won byMatt Morgan andAbyss. At TNA's 2008Turning Point show, Volador participated in a 10-manX Division elimination rankings match. Volador was the second man eliminated from the match, which was won byEric Young.[59] The Turning Point match was Volador's last match for TNA.
On January 21 and 22, 2012, Volador Jr. took part in the CMLL and NJPW co-producedFantastica Mania 2012 events inTokyo. On the first night, Volador Jr. teamed withKazuchika Okada to defeat the team of Hiroshi Tanahashi and La Sombra.[60] In the main event of the second night, Volador Jr. unsuccessfully challenged La Sombra for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship.[61]
In January 2013, Volador Jr. returned to Japan to take part in the three-dayFantastica Mania 2013 event. During the first night on January 18, he teamed withTaichi andTaka Michinoku to defeat La Máscara, Mascara Dorada andMáximo in a six-man tag team match.[62] The following night, Volador Jr., Kazuchika Okada and Rey Escorpión defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, La Máscara and Rush in another six-man tag team match.[63] During the third and final night, Volador Jr. unsuccessfully challenged La Máscara for the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship.[64]
In January 2014, Volador Jr. took part in the five-dayFantastica Mania 2014 tour.[65] The third event of the tour, on January 17, was headlined by the first interaction between Volador Jr. and his longtime rival La Sombra, after the former'stecnico turn. The match, wrestled underMatch Relampago VIP rules, ended in a ten-minute time limit draw.[66] Two days later, in the final match of the tour, Volador Jr. successfully defended the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship against Máscara Dorada.[67]
In January 2015, Volador Jr. took part in theFantastica Mania 2015 tour, during which he successfully defended the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship againstGran Guerrero.[68] In January 2016, Volador Jr. again returned to Japan to take part inFantastica Mania 2016, successfully defending the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship against Mephisto in the main event of the final show of the tour.[69] The following May, Volador Jr. entered theBest of the Super Juniors XXIII tournament. After four wins and two losses, Volador Jr. headed to his final round-robin match leading his block,[70] but was eliminated after losing toWill Ospreay.[71] A year later, Volador Jr. was announced as a returning participant in theBest of the Super Juniors 24 tournament.[72] He finished the tournament with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance to the finals.[73]
On October 9, 2018, it was announced that Volador Jr. would be participating in NJPW's annual Super Junior Tag League.[74] Teaming withSoberano Jr., he finished the tournament with a record of two wins and five losses, failing to advance to the finals.[75] On October 8, 2019, it was announced that Volador Jr. would return to NJPW for the Super Junior Tag League.[76] Teaming withTitán, he finished the tournament with a record of four wins and three losses, once again failing to advance to the finals.[77]
Due to CMLL's partnership withRing of Honor (ROH), Volador Jr. appeared atSupercard of Honor XI, where he teamed up withWill Ospreay to defeatJay White andDragon Lee.[78]
In January 2024, it was announced the CMLL stars, Volador Jr.,Máscara Dorada 2.0,Hechicero andMístico would represent their home promotion, in American partner promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW).[79] The four men made their debut on the January 31 edition ofAEW Dynamite, appearing ringside duringJon Moxley's singles match againstJeff Hardy. After being taunted by Moxley during the match, the four men attacked him after his victory, before being chased off by members of the AEW roster.[80] The four men made their AEW in-ring debut during the February 2 edition ofAEW Rampage, defeatingChristopher Daniels,Matt Sydal,Angelo Parker and Matt Menard, in an 8-man tag-team match.[81]
Ibarra is a part of an extended family of wrestlers, including his father Ramón Ibarra Banda who currently wrestles asSuper Parka and previous wrestled as Volador, which is where Ibarra's ring name of Volador Jr. comes from. Volador Jr.'s uncles wrestle as Johnny Ibarra and El Desalmado, and he is the cousin of lucha libre legendL.A. Park and wrestlerEl Hijo de Cien Caras.[82] He is also the great cousin of L.A. Park's son who wrestles asEl Hijo de L.A. Park.[83] Ibarra's nephew, a grandson of Ramón Ibarra Banda, began working for CMLL in 2014 under the ring nameFlyer.[84]
In 2013, Ibarra married CMLLEdecanes ("ring girl") Bruni Sagnite. The couple have a son together, born in 2014.[85]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volador Jr. (mask) | Cowboy (mask) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico | Live event | 1998 | |
| Volador Jr. (mask) | Diablo (mask) | N/A | Live event | 2001 | |
| Volador Jr. (mask) | El Demolodor (mask) | Cuernavaca, Morelos | Live event | April 18, 2002 | |
| Volador Jr. (mask) | Tony Tijuana (mask) | Nezahualcoyotl, State of Mexico | Live event | April 28, 2002 | [a] |
| Volador Jr. andMístico (masks) | Anthrax and Ebola (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | October 7, 2004 | |
| Volador Jr. (mask) | Misterioso (hair) | Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Live event | November 30, 2008 | [b] |
| La Sombra (mask) | Volador Jr. (mask) | Mexico City | CMLL 80th Anniversary Show | September 13, 2013 | [c] |
| Máximo and Volador Jr. (hair) | TRT: La Máquina de la Destrucción (hair) (El Terrible andRey Bucanero) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 20, 2015 | [97] |
| Volador Jr. (hair) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 18, 2016 | [98] |
| Bárbaro Cavernario andRush (hair) | Matt Taven and Volador Jr. (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 85th Anniversary Show | September 14, 2018 | [99] |
| Volador Jr. (hair) | Ángel de Oro. (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 90th Anniversary Show | September 16, 2023 | [100] |
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