.jpg) El Felino in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jorge Luis Casas Ruiz (1964-03-22)March 22, 1964 (age 61)[2] |
Spouse | Princesa Blanca[c] |
| Children | |
| Parent | Pepe Casas (father)[c] |
| Family | Casas |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names | |
| Billed height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[b] |
| Billed weight | 86 kg (190 lb)[b] |
| Billed from | Mexico City, Mexico[b] |
| Trained by |
|
| Debut | March 22, 1987[2] |
Jorge Luis Casas Ruiz (born March 22, 1964), better known by hisring nameEl Felino[d] ("The Feline"), is a Mexicanluchador (orprofessional wrestler) working for Mexican wrestling promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Casas started his professional wrestling career under the nameBabe Casas, working for theUniversal Wrestling Association (UWA). In 1989, he adopted the "Felino" ring character, wearing an orange full body suit and cat inspired mask. With the exception of a short stint inAAA in 1999, Casas has worked for CMLL since adopting the "El Felino" ring character. El Felino was originally anenmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, but was forced to unmask in March 2010 due to losing a match.
He is a second-generation professional wrestler, as he is the son of wrestler-turned-refereePepe Casas and a part of theCasas wrestling family. His siblings include his older brotherNegro Casas and younger brotherHeavy Metal. He is also the uncle of wrestlersCanelo Casas,Danny Casas, Black Star, Destroyer and Nanyzh Rock. His sons are both wrestlers under the names ofTiger andPuma King respectively. Up until mid-2014, his wife,Blanca Rodríguez wrestled under the ring name "Princesa Blanca" but has since retired.
He was a member of the groupLa Peste Negra ("The Black Plague") from 2008 to 2020, with whom he has held theMexican National Trios Championship. He has also won theCMLL World Welterweight Championship three times in his career, theMexican National Welterweight Championship once, and is the currentMexican National Light Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He has also won several major CMLL tournaments, including the1999Torneo Gran Alternativa, the 2001Copa Ovaciones and the2002Leyenda de Plata tournament.
Jorge Luis Casas Ruiz was born on March 22, 1964,[2] son of professional wrestler Pepe Casas, best known as wrestling referee Pepe "Tropi" Casas later on, and part of theCasas wrestling family, spanning three generations of wrestlers.[c][e] Jorge Casas' older brother José would later become known under thering nameNegro Casas, while his younger brother, Erick Francisco Casas, would be known asHeavy Metal.[e][4][5]
For years Casas was married to Blanca Rodríguez, who is known as professional wrestlerPrincesa Blanca.[c][e] Prior to his relationship with Rodríguez, Casas had two children with his previous wife, known asPuma King andTiger.[f][4][5] His sister-in-law, wife of José, is a professional wrestler known asDalys la Caribeña, and through that marriage he is related to Rafael Ernesto Medina Baeza, known asVeneno.[4][5] His nephews and niece,Canelo Casas,Danny Casas, Destroyer and Nanyzh Rock are also second-generation professional wrestlers.[7]
After training under his father and Raúl Reyes he made his in-ring debut in 1982, using the ring name "Babe Casas".[2][8] The first documented match for Babe Casas took place on January 14, 1984.[9] He later began working for the Naucalpan, State of Mexico-basedUniversal Wrestling Association (UWA).[8] Early on in his time with the UWA, he won the Naucalpan Lightweight Championship, but ended up losing it to El Pantea on January 27, 1985.[10] Around the same time he would lose aLucha de Apuestas, or "Bet match", to Pantera I on two different occasions, which meant that he shaved bald as a result.[11] On January 29, 1989, he won hisApuestas match, pinning Mario Prado Jr. to force Prado to have his hair shaved off.[8]
In 1989 Casas began working for Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre ("Mexican Wrestling Enterprise"; EMLL), later known asConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre ("Word Wrestling Council"; CMLL). in EMLL, he adopted a newmasked persona, thetechnico[g] "El Felino" (Spanish for "The Feline") character. As El Felino he wore an orange mask with black tiger stripes as well as an orange full body suit to match the mask design.[12] On July 5, 1992, El Felino defeatedCiclón Ramírez to win theMexican National Welterweight Championship.[h] The match was part of a longer running storyline between the two. Felino vacated the title after winning theCMLL World Welterweight Championship on July 16, 1992.[h][i] He lost the championship to Ciclón Ramírez on May 21, 1993, as part of their ongoing feud.[j] The storyline between the two led to a mask vs. mask,Lucha de Apuestas, on July 9, which saw El Felino pin Ramírez, forcing him to remove his mask and state his name afterwards.[14] Felino regained the CMLL World Welterweight March 30, 1994 inAcapulco, conclusively ending the storyline between the two as he defeated Ciclón Ramírez again.[k]
His second reign came to an end on June 21, 1994, as he relinquished the championship toEl Pantera II in Cuernavaca, Morelos.[l] Near the end of 1994, El Felino won another mask, as he defeated Justiciero in aLucha de Apuestas match in Guadalajara, Jalisco.[12] Felino was teamed up withEmilio Charles Jr. for the 1995Copa de Oro, held in honor ofOro who died during a match in 1993. The duo defeatedBlue Demon Jr. andSilver King in the first round, the team ofMáscara Mágica andRingo Mendoza in the semi-finals before losing to Chicago Express andPierroth Jr. in the finals.[15] With his success in the welterweight division, El Felino was one of 16 wrestlers in a tournament to determine a newNWA World Welterweight Champion. He defeated Onita Jr. and Oro II to the semi-finals, where he lost at this stage toEl Hijo del Santo to be eliminated from the tournament.[16] In May of that year Máscara Mágica defeated El Felino in the finals of atournament for the vacant CMLL World Welterweight Championship after Felino had first defeated Alacran de Durango,Ángel Azteca, and Ciclón Ramírez to advance to the finals.[17]
In 1997, El Hijo del Santo began defending theWWA World Welterweight Championship in CMLL. On February 21 El Felino added another welterweight championship to his collection as he defeated El Hijo del Santo for the WWA title.[m] El Hijo del Santo regained the championship on October 8, 1997,[n] only for El Felino to win it a second time on January 31, 1998.[o] The championship ended up being vacated after a match on March 8 ended without a conclusive winner.[p] Four months later El Hijo del Santo claimed the title once more, when he defeated El Felino in the rematch.[q]
Casas made his first trip to Japan in 1998 to workNew Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW)Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He ended up with just one point in the tournament, losing all but one match.[19] 1998 also marked the year El Felino competed in theLeyenda de Plata ("Silver Legend") tournament, CMLL's most prestigious tournament at the time. He was eliminated byScorpió Jr. early on.[20][21] For the April 1999Gran Alternativa tournament, El Felino teamed up with rookieStarman, but lost toMr. Niebla and Atlantico in the opening round.[22]
In 1999, after 10 years with CMLL, Jorge Casas left the company to work for their Mexican rivalAAA. He, as El Felino, was introduced to the AAA audience as support for his younger brother Heavy Metal and their father as part of an ongoing storyline.[23] His first mach for AAA took place on April 18, 1999, when he, Heavy Metal andPerro Aguayo Jr. defeatedEl Texano, Espectro Jr. andSangre Chicana.[24] The Casas storylined peaked atTriplemanía VII on June 11, 1999. In the semi-main event El Felino and Heavy Metal defeated Kick Boxer and Thai Boxer in a match where Pepe Casas' hair was on the line if the Casas brothers had lost. As a result of the Casas' brothers victory, referee El Tirantes' hair was shaved off instead.[25] By the end of the year El Felino left AAA, with his last match for the company taking place on October 17 that saw El Felino, Hator,La Parka Jr. andPath Finder defeatingLos Vipers (Abismo Negro andElectroshock), El Hijo del Espectro and El Hijo del Solitario.[24]
After his short stay with AAA, El Felino worked his first match back for CMLL on October 22, only five days after his last match for AAA.[26] In December, El Felino teamed up with rookieTigre Blanco (who had a similar "wild cat" character) for theGran Alternativa tournament. The duo defeatedFugaz and Scorpio Jr. in the first round, thenRicky Marvin and Ringo Mendoza in the semi-finals and finallyMáscara Año 2000 andSangre Azteca in the finals to win the entire tournament.[27][28]
Felino won the CMLL World Welterweight Championship for the third time with a victory overNosawa on September 21, 2001, in Mexico City.[k] On July 26, 2002, El Felino andBlack Tiger survived a 16-mantorneo cibernetico elimination match as the first stage of theLeyenda de Plata tournament.[29] The following week El Felino defeated Black Tiger to earn his way to the finals of the tournament.[30] In the end, El Felino defeatedBlack Warrior to win theLeyenda de Plata trophy.[31][32] His third CMLL World Welterweight Championship reign lasted more than two years, ended byEl Satánico on November 25, 2003, in Mexico City. On December 5, 2003, Felino,Volador Jr. andSafari won the vacantMexican National Trios Championship by defeating Alan Stone,Super Crazy and Zumbido in the finals of a tournament.[r] At the 2004Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to two legends") show, El Felino, Safari and Volador Jr. successfully defended the Mexican National Trios Championship againstOlímpico,Super Crazy andZumbido.[33] The Mexican National Trios Championship reign lasted 476 days, as they lost the championship on March 25, 2005, toDr. X,Nitro andSangre Azteca.[s]
Through CMLL's working relationship withInternational Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), El Felino had worked for the group on special occasions over the years,[35] but began working for them on a regular basis in 2005. First he formed a group calledLos Revolucionarios with Black Dragon andMatrix, but soon began working with his brothers instead. On August 25, 2005, the Casas brothers defeatedLa Corporacion (Black Tiger,Pentagon Black, and Pantera) to win theIWRG Intercontinental Trios Championship.[36] The Casas' brothers trios championship reign in IWRG lasted 133 days, untilCerebro Negro,Veneno and Scorpio Jr. won it from them.[37] Later in 2006, El Felino teamed up with longtime rival Pantera to win theIWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship on June 29, 2006, as they defeatedLos Cerebros (Cerebro Negro andDr. Cerebro).[37] They would hold the title into 2007, losing toLos Junior Dinamitas (El Hijo de Cien Caras andMáscara Año 2000 Jr.).[38]
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 joinedLa 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 Pestra, the turn led to Princesa Blanca winning theMexican National Women's Championship fromMarcela on January 30.[39] La Pesta Negra's biggest triumph to date is Negro Casas' title win overMístico that brought the CMLL World Welterweight Championship into the group.[40] 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 some time in the future although nothing came of it at the time.[41]
In early 2010 El Felino began astoryline feud withLa Sombra. The feud began on February 2, 2010, with a singles match between El Felino and La Sombra, after each wrestler won a fall,Puma King, El Felino's nephew, showed up wearing an El Felino outfit and mask, distracting both the referee and La Sombra long enough for El Felino to land a low blow on La Sombra to win the match.[42] The two met in aLighting match (a one fall, 10 minute time limit match) on the February 19CMLL Super Viernes show. Once again Puma King tried to help his uncle, but this time the referee disqualified El Felino for the transgression.[43] After the main event of the show, Místico challenged Volador Jr. to aLucha de Apuesta, or bet match, between the two with their masks on the line.[43] During the main event La Sombra came to Volador Jr.'s aid while El Felino helped Místico.[43] On the February 26 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 2010 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas.[44] 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.[45]
On September 30, 2011, at CMLL's78th Anniversary Show, El Felino wonRey Bucanero's hair in a ten-mansteel cage match.[46] In October 2011, El Felino became one of four CMLL wrestlers featured in anA&E Latinoamericano documentary series titledEl Luchador.[47] In late 2011, El Felino began feuding withBlue Panther, which led to a Hair vs. Hair match on December 16 atSin Piedad. A week prior to the show, Panther was disqualified in a tag team match, after giving El Felino aMartinete. This led to the Distrito Federal Box y Lucha Commission announcing that Panther was suspended for two weeks, starting after the December 16 event.[48] AtSin Piedad, El Felino tried to exact revenge on Panther, but was disqualified after the referee caught him going for aMartinete. As a result, El Felino was shaved bald.[49]
El Felino was teamed up withtecnicoEl Hijo del Fantasma for the 2013Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles ("National Incredible Pairs Tournament"), a tag team tournament teamingrudos withtechnicos. The team lost to La Máscara andAverno in the first round despite Averno and La Máscara being long time rivals.[50][51] On March 15, 2013, El Felino teamed up with his sons Tiger and Puma to defeat the team ofGuerrero Maya Jr.,Delta andTritón in the opening match of the 2013Homenaje a Dos Leyendas.[52] On February 18, 2014, El Felino, Mr. Niebla and Negro Casas defeated La Máscara,Rush andTitán to win the Mexican National Trios Championship.[53] They lost the title toLos Reyes de la Atlantida (Atlantis, Delta and Guerrero Maya Jr.) on April 26, 2015.[54]
Felino, Casas and Mr. Niebla lost to the trio ofDragon Lee and Sky Team (Místico andValiente) on the undercard of theCMLL 82nd Anniversary Show.[55] In late 2015 into early 2016, El Felino became involved in a storyline feud withSuper Crazy, a storyline that was split between CMLL andLucha Libre Elite shows. The storyline led to Super Crazy defeating El Felino as in aLucha de Apuestas match, forcing El Felino to be shaved bald.[56] The rivals teamed up for the 2016Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles ("National Incredible teams tournament"), but they lost toMáscara Dorada andBoby Z in the first round.[57][58] In November 2017, CMLL held a tournament for family teams calledCopa Dinastia. Felino and his sons Tiger and Puma lost to Dragon Lee, Mistico and their fatherComandante Pierroth.[59] El Felino was one of 12 participants in the2017La Copa Junior VIP tournament, but was eliminated by Drago Lee.[60][61]
El Felino participated in the 2018Leyenda de Plata tournament, but was eliminated in the opening round when he was pinned bySoberano Jr. and became the ninth wrestler to be eliminated from the contest.[62][63] For the 2019Copa Dinastia, El Felino and Negro Casas faced and lost toFlyer and Volador Jr. in the opening round.[64] El Felino was one of the wrestlers selected to work againstJushin Thunder Liger as Liger toured Mexico on his retirement tour, losing to Liger on a CMLL/Lucha Libre Real show on July 20, 2019.[65] CMLL's working relationship withRing of Honor (ROH) in the United States, allowed El Felino to work for ROH in August 2019, first teaming withOkumura andSilas Young to defeat The Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger, Eli Isom and Ryan Nova),[66] followed by a loss to The Bouncers (Brian Milonas andBeer City Bruiser) the following night as part of ROH's Honor for Allsupercard show.[67]
On January 24, 2020, atLa Noche de Mr. Niebla, Felino andBárbaro Cavernario faced each other on opposite sides in aRelevos increíbles six-man tag team match between members ofLa Peste Negra. They would repeatedly attack each other throughout the match, which ended in a disqualification when Cavernario cheated to win the final fall over Felino. Afterwards, Felino hoped thatLa Peste Negra would continue,[68] but Cavernario announced that, withoutMr. Niebla, the stable should be disbanded,[69] In the weeks that followed, Felino and Cavernario were involved in multiple confrontations[70][71] (including at theTorneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles final where Felino distracted Cavernario enough that he was pinned for the third and final fall),[72][73] until they agreed on a hair vs. hair match atHomenaje a Dos Leyendas.[74] The event had to be cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it would be rescheduled the following year. They continued the feud later that year during CMLL's empty arena shows. In 2021, they were paired together for theTorneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles, but were defeated in the first round byÁngel de Oro andMephisto.[75] Cavernario was later challenged by Felino for the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, which happened on June 29. Felino defeated Cavernario at the event, hitting him with a low blow, as the referee was dealing withNegro Casas; it was his first singles championship win since 2011.[76] AtHomenaje a Dos Leyendas, Felino was defeated by Cavernario in the hair vs. hair match.[77] On October 5, Ángel de Oro challenged Felino for the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship.[78] On October 12, Felino was defeated by Ángel de Oro, ending his reign at 105 days.[79]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pantera[v] (mask) | Babe Casas (hair) | N/A | UWA show | N/A | [11] |
| Pantera[v] (mask) | Babe Casas (hair) | N/A | UWA show | N/A | [11] |
| Babe Casas (hair) | Mario Prado Jr. (hair) | N/A | UWA show | January 29, 1989 | [8] |
| El Felino (mask) | Guerrero Imperial (mask) | N/A | CMLL show | N/A | [2][12] |
| El Felino (mask) | Guerrero Águila (mask) | N/A | CMLL show | N/A | [2][12] |
| El Felino (mask) | El Comandante (mask) | N/A | CMLL show | N/A | [2][12] |
| El Felino (mask) | El Predicador (mask) | N/A | CMLL show | N/A | [2][12] |
| El Felino (mask) | Negro Navarro (hair) | N/A | CMLL show | N/A | [12] |
| El Felino (mask) | El Signo (hair) | N/A | CMLL show | N/A | [12] |
| El Felino (mask) | Ciclón Ramírez | Mexico City | CMLL show | July 9, 1993 | [2][12][14][85] |
| El Felino (mask) | Justiciero (mask) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | CMLL show | October 28, 1994 | [2][12] |
| El Felino andHeavy Metal(hair of Pepe Casas) | Kick Boxer and Thai Boxer(hair of El Tirantes) | Tamaulipas | Triplemanía VII | June 11, 1999 | [w][86][87] |
| El Felino (mask) | Brazo de Plata (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Indy show | June 23, 2000 | [x] |
| El Felino (mask) | Bestia Negra (mask) | Tamaulipas | Indy show | April 21, 2002 | [12] |
| El Felino (mask) | Perro Ruso (hair) | Los Angeles, California | Indy show | June 3, 2007 | [2][12] |
| La Sombra (mask) | El Felino (mask) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 19, 2010 | [y] |
| El Felino (hair) | Rey Bucanero (hair) | CMLL 78th Anniversary Show | September 30, 2011 | [z] | |
| Blue Panther (hair) | El Felino (hair) | Sin Piedad | December 16, 2011 | [49] | |
| Rey Bucanero (hair) | El Felino (hair) | Infierno en el Ring | December 5, 2014 | [aa] | |
| Super Crazy (hair) | El Felino (hair) | Lucha Elite show | February 28, 2016 | [56] | |
| Bárbaro Cavernario (hair) | Felino (hair) | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | September 17, 2021 | [77] | |
| Rey Bucanero (hair) and Felino (hair) | CMLL 92nd Anniversary Show | September 19, 2025 | [ab][90] |
Naucalpan Lightweight Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match El Pantera I defeats Babe Casas (c) - TITLE CHANGE !!!
