 El Hijo del Santo at the 2023WonderCon | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jorge Ernesto Guzmán Rodríguez (1963-08-02)August 2, 1963 (age 62) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Children | Santo Jr. |
| Parent | El Santo (father) |
| Relatives |
|
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring names |
|
| Billed height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 82 kg (181 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Tulancingo, Mexico[1] |
| Trained by |
|
| Debut | February 6, 1982 |
| Retired | December 13, 2025 |
Jorge Ernesto Guzmán Rodríguez (born August 2, 1963), best known under hisring name,El Hijo del Santo (English: "The Son of the Saint"), is a Mexican retiredluchadorenmascarado (or maskedprofessional wrestler) and politicalactivist. He is the youngest child, out of eleven, ofEl Santo. Guzmán has also followed in his father's footsteps, as he has starred in severalluchador films.
He made his wrestling debut in February 1982 under the nameEl Korak, but officially adopted his most famous ring name and silver mask in October 1982. During his career, Guzmán has worked for every major Mexican wrestling promotion includingConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre,Asistencia Asesoría y Administración,Universal Wrestling Association andWorld Wrestling Association as well as stints with the World Wrestling Federation (nowWWE) in the United States as well as working in Japan forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling,All Japan Pro-Wrestling and various other promotions. Early in his career, he formed a successfultag team withEddie Guerrero calledLa Pareja Atomica, inspired by their fathers (El Santo andGory Guerrero) teaming up from the 1940s to the 1960s. From 1998 through 2006, he also formed a very successful team withNegro Casas.
Over the span of his career, Guzmán has held various championships, most significantly theAAA World Tag Team Championship,Mexican National Middleweight Championship,Mexican National Trios Championship,Mexican National Welterweight Championship,CMLL World Tag Team Championship,UWA World Lightweight Championship,UWA World Welterweight Championship,WWA Tag Team Championship andWWA World Welterweight Championship as well as an honorary championship awarded by theWorld Boxing Council. He has also won theLeyenda de Plata tournament (held in honor of his father), the 1995 version of theCMLL International Gran Prix tournament and the 2004Gran Alternativa tournament. In 1997, he was voted into theWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
His son wrestles under the ring name Santo Jr., becoming the third-generation Guzmán to use the name "Santo". Guzmán's uncles,Black Guzmán, Pantera Negra and Jimmy Guzmán were also wrestlers. His nephew Axxel originally wrestled as "El Nieto del Santo" ("The Grandson of El Santo"), but Guzmán owned the rights to the "Santo" name and objected.
"Santito", as he is often called, was the only one of his father's 11 children to become a professional wrestler. He began wrestling without his father's consent in February 1982 as "El Korak" but he made his official debut as "El Hijo del Santo" in October of that year after he earned his college degree at theUniversidad Iberoamericana in Communication Science per his father's request. He shared his father's look, the silver mask, tights and cape, and moves but he is shorter than his father was and, although he would never become the same cultural icon, he has been said to be a better in-ring performer than his father.[2][3]
Early in his career, he wrestled mainly forWorld Wrestling Association (WWA) (TheTijuana circuit) andUniversal Wrestling Association (UWA) (a promotion that worked in the Mexico City area) but he did make his debut for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), the promotion that later becameConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) inArena Mexico, in the summer of 1983. He also was voted "Rookie of the Year" in Mexico.[2]
He won his first title, theUWA World Lightweight Championship, in October 1985 and traded the title with Aristóteles.[4] He next feuded with Espanto Jr. (whose father feuded with the original El Santo) and Hijo del Santo took his mask. Espanto Jr. took Hijo del Santo's title but he regained it in 1988 and took Espanto Jr.'s hair as well after winning aLuchas de Apuestas (Spanish for "Bet match").[4] During this time, he also feuded withNegro Casas, who would become his most important opponent, and took his hair in a 1987 match in the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium.[5]
In 1990, he debuted in Japan for Gran Hamada'sUniversal Lucha Libre promotion and moved up a weight class by winning theUWA World Welterweight Championship as well as theWWA Welterweight Championship.[6][7] In late 1991, he left WWA and vacated the Welterweight title but continued to wrestle for UWA until the formation ofAsistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA).[7] El Hijo del Santo regained the WWA Welterweight title and brought it with him to AAA. One of the first feuds he was put in was against Negro Casas' youngest brother,Heavy Metal. Heavy Metal took Hijo del Santo's WWA Welterweight title and won theMexican National Welterweight Championship but Hijo del Santo would come out on top of the feud and took both titles from Heavy Metal before he lost them again to another young star,Psicosis.[6][8]
His most memorable feud during his time with AAA was against the American team,Los Gringos Locos.Eddy Guerrero's stifferJapanese style offense, combined with "Love Machine"Art Barr's cocky mannerisms made Los Gringos Locos a very exciting yet hated tag team.[9] During the feud, they played up the oldPareja Atómica tag team which consisted of El Santo and Eddie's father,Gory Guerrero. Eddie turned on Santo, leading to a hair vs. mask challenge for theWhen Worlds Collidepay-per-view.[9] The match was changed at the last minute when Barr pleaded with AAA officials to be included on the show which would be broadcast in the United States. The new match was a double hair versus double mask match with Santo teaming with Octagón against Los Gringos Locos.[9] El Hijo del Santo andOctagón were victorious. AAA ownerAntonio Peña tried to run an angle with an evil version of El Santo called "El Santo Negro" who supposedly came from South America. When the other members of Santo's family objected, the feud was scrapped and Hijo del Santo jumped to CMLL in 1995.[10]
The object of the jump was to revitalize his feud with Negro Casas. El Hijo del Santo lost a match to Casas at the CMLL 63rd Anniversary show on September 20, 1996, and took a brief hiatus.[11] While gone, Negro Casasturnedtécnico (face) and his former allies,Scorpio Jr. andBestia Salvaje said they had a surprise for Casas. The set-up was a trios match with Negro Casas,El Dandy andHéctor Garza on thetécnico side with Scorpio Jr. and Bestia Salvaje on therudo (or heel) side. El Hijo del Santo came down to the ring with Scorpio and Salvaje but was wearing a disguise and pretending to beEl Felino, the brother of Negro Casas. During the match, Scorpio and Salvaje began attacking Casas and the fans, unaware of the ruse, expected El Felino to save his brother from the beating. Once he entered the ring, Hijo del Santo removed the disguise and revealed himself as Scorpio and Salvaje's partner, thus turningrudo for the first time in his career.[10]
The fans were irate and fistfights broke out in the crowd as Hijo del Santo attacked Casas. The feud helped ease sagging business caused by the split with AAA and thedownturn of the Mexican economy. The following week, the two trios had a rematch and both El Dandy and Negro Casas challenged Santo to a hair vs. mask match. The match was made a triangle match on December 6, 1996. Santo took El Dandy's hair in a bloody match in front of a sold-out crowd in Arena Mexico. The feud would continue until the 64th anniversary show on September 19, 1997, where Negro Casas and Hijo del Santo faced off in a dramatic hair vs. mask match.[12] El Hijo del Santo won the match and began a slow face turn.
Although the angle was very successful and drew a lot of money for CMLL, Hijo del Santo continued to wrestle as a babyface throughout the country, even teaming withRey Mysterio in Tijuana. Hijo del Santo began to be at odds with his heel allies, namely Scorpio Jr. and Bestia Salvaje. Finally, in September 1998, the face turn was made official when Hijo del Santo's partners,Villano III andFuerza Guerrera turned on Santo. Scorpio Jr. and Salvaje joined in on the beat down, leading Santo's next big feud.
Santo worked in theWorld Wrestling Federation from 1998 to 1999 for Super Astros; Spanish-language television program. His tenure ended due to WWF's mandatory marketing policy regarding characters on their programming, which Santo refused to agree to due to his well-known protectiveness of his IP.[13]
Negro Casas and Hijo del Santo began teaming together and chased Scorpio and Salvaje's recently wonCMLL World Tag Team Championship.[14] They defeated Scorpio and Salvaje for the titles on February 5, 1999, by disqualification but Hijo del Santo and Casas refused to accept the titles. The big match in the feud was a mask/hair versus mask/hair tag match between the two teams at CMLL's 1999Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show. Santo and Casas were victorious and took the tag titles as well.[14] El Hijo del Santo had a brief falling out with CMLL management and the tag titles were vacated.[14] He returned and won the tag titles again with Casas fromLos Guerreros del Infierno (Último Guerrero andRey Bucanero) but later lost them back to Los Guerreros in 2002.[14] El Hijo del Santo took another sabbatical from CMLL withPerro Aguayo Jr. filling in his spot on the roster. He returned to CMLL in the summer of 2004, initially to work withMístico to help him become a main eventer and to feud with Aguayo and hisLa Furia del Norte group. After the feud ended, he had a program with young Guerreros recruitAverno and they had a WWA Welterweight title match on October 22 where Hijo del Santo retained and ended his tour with the company.[15]
El Hijo del Santo has continued wrestling as an independent worker doing shows all over Mexico. He even started his own promotion calledTodo x el Todo. The promotion's main show so far was a "25 Year Anniversary Show" shown byTelevisa, a testament to Hijo del Santo's appeal as Televisa rarely show independent promotions. The show featured aRelevos suicidas tournament where the losing teams advance until the finals, where the final team would fight each other over who would unmask. El Hijo del Santo ended up unmasking Pentagón Black in the finals, which meant that he booked himself to lose three times during the tournament.[16] Around the time of Hijo del Santo's 25th Anniversary, theWorld Boxing Council (WBC) named him their "WBC World Wrestling Champion" complete with title belt due to his "significant accomplishments in wrestling".[17] While the title is technically an honorary championship Hijo del Santo defended it several times in 2008. In 2008, Hijo del Santo began running shows inLondon, England featuring independent talent from Mexico.
On May 11, 2013, Hijo del Santo and his rival, Blue Demon Jr., joined forces to win the Pro Wrestling Revolution Tag Team Championship fromBrian Cage and Derek Sanders.[18]
On November 25, 2013, Santo announced a break to repair damage in his spinal area.[19] After successful rehabilitation returned to the ring, teaming with his son El Santo Jr. at a Lucha Ilimitado card in Yakima, Washington on October 12, 2016, and closing out 2016 with two matches alongside his son in Tijuana on December 16 and in Ciudad Juarez on December 18.
Like his father, Hijo del Santo has also crossed over into other media. He is the subject of acomic book published and appeared on the Mexican reality showDía de Perros. He was also the star of a 5 episode animated series on the Mexican version ofCartoon Network titledSanto vs The Clones. In 2007, he became a spokesperson forWildcoast, an environmental non-profit organization, and campaigned to save sea turtles on the Gulf of Mexico from extinction. He has also been involved ingray whale campaigns and Tijuana clean-ups on behalf of Wildcoast.[20]
Hijo del Santo has appeared in several films, first with his father and then on his own or with other famous luchadores. In 2001 he starred in the filmInfraterrestre, which received positive reviews from critics such as the respected Mexican film critic, David Wilt.[21] In 2007 he appeared in the filmMil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy (also known asMil Mascaras: Resurrection),[22] which also received positive reviews.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Santo contra Capulina ("Santo vs. Capulina") | Jorge | |
| 1970 | Santo en la venganza de la momia ("Santo in The Mummy's Revenge") | Agapito | Credited as Niño Jorgito |
| 1974 | Santo en la venganza de la llorona ("Santo in The Revenge of the Crying Woman") | Carlitos | |
| 1981 | Chanoc y el hijo del Santo contra los vampiros asesinos ("Chanoc and the Son of Santo vs. the Killer Vampires") | El Hijo del Santo | |
| 1983 | Frontera sin ley ("The Lawless Border") | ||
| 1991 | El poder de Omnicron ("The Power of Omnicron") | The film was never released | |
| 1992 | La fuerza de un ídolo ("The Strength of an Idol") | Direct-to-video | |
| 1993 | Santo: la leyenda del enmascarado de plata ("Santo: The Legend of the Man in the Silver Mask") | El Santo/Hombre Rojo | |
| 2001 | Infraterrestre ("Infraterrestrial") | El Santo | |
| 2006 | ¡Esta máscara es mía! o Santo contra los burócratas ("This Mask is Mine! Or Santo against the Bureaucrats") | Short film | |
| 2007 | Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy | El Hijo del Santo | Also known asMil Mascaras: Resurrection |
| 2008 | El Hijo del Santo ("The Son of the Saint") | El Santo | Short film |
| 2016 | Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata ("Santo, The Man in the Silver Mask") | ||
| 2020 | El camino de Xico ("Xico's Journey") | Mr. Brown | Voice role |
| 2022 | Demogorgon vs. El Santo | El Santo | Short film Stranger Things tie-in |
| 2023 | Cassandro | El Hijo del Santo |
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In March 2013, it was announced that one of Hijo del Santo's sons was going to travel to Japan to train inPro Wrestling Noah wrestling school to prepare him for his wrestling debut under the ring name "El Nieto del Santo" ("The Grandson of El Santo"). The training started in May 2013 and he was set to return to Mexico three months later for his official in-ring debut. El Nieto del Santo was the first masked wrestler to attend the wrestling school, in honor of thelucha libre traditions and anonymity of theirenmascarados.[24] He made his wrestling debut in 2015, working under the name "Tempestad",[25] before adopting the name "El Santo Jr." in July 2016.[26]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Pierroth (mask) | Veracruz, Veracruz | Live event | October 31, 1982 | [2][3] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Buitre (mask) | Pachuca, Hidalgo | Live event | July 28, 1983 | [2][3] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Lobo Rubio (hair) | Veracruz, Veracruz | Live event | October 28, 1983 | [2][3] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Galáctico (mask) | Pachuca, Hidalgo | Live event | February 26, 1984 | [2][3] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Chamaco Castro (hair) | Panama City, Panama | Live event | September 4, 1984 | [2][3] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Guerrero (hair) | Acapulco, Guerrero | Live event | January 27, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Porro (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | February 26, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Ray Richard (hair) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | March 17, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Diluvio (mask) | Texcoco, Mexico State | Live event | March 23, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Cosmonauta (mask) | Apatlaco, Mexico State | Live event | March 30, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Aristóteles I (mask) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | July 28, 1985 | [34][35] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Tornado Negro (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | August 9, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Aristóteles II (mask) | Acapulco, Guerrero | Live event | November 27, 1985 | [5][34] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Ninja (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | December 13, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Ray Tony (hair) | Veracruz, Veracruz | Live event | December 18, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Skeletor (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | December 22, 1985 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Aristóteles I (hair) | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua | Live event | March 9, 1986 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Espanto Jr. (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | August 31, 1986 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Kato Kung Lee (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | August 31, 1986 | [5][36] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Flama Azul (hair) | Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State | Live event | January 30, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Black Terry (hair) | Irapuato, Guanajuato | Live event | March 9, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Ray Richard (hair) | Morelia, Michoacán | Live event | April 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Lobo Rubio (hair) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | June 7, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Negro Casas (hair) | Los Angeles, California, United States | Live event | July 18, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Espanto Jr. (hair) | Torreón, Coahuila | Live event | August 2, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Silver King (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | November 13, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Principe Island (mask) | Apatlaco, Mexico State | Live event | November 21, 1987 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Estudiante (hair) | Mexicali, Baja California | Live event | March 28, 1988 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Tarahumara (hair) | Saltillo, Coahuila | Live event | April 9, 1988 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Espanto Jr. (hair) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | May 8, 1988 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | León Chino (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | August 19, 1988 | [5][37] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Brujo (mask) | Teotihuacán, Mexico State | Live event | October 22, 1988 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Cuchillo (mask) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | October 30, 1988 | [5][38] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Brujo (hair) | Teotihuacán, Mexico State | Live event | November 26, 1988 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Starman (mask) | Cancún, Quintana Roo | Live event | December 2, 1988 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | La Momia (mask) | Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca | Live event | March 26, 1989 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Masdek (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | May 19, 1989 | [Note 1][3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Espanto Jr. (hair) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | September 17, 1989 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | All Star (mask) | Mexico City | Juicio Final | December 8, 1989 | [Note 2][5][39] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Tornado Negro (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | February 9, 1990 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Brazo de Oro (hair) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | January 13, 1991 | [34][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Black Shadow Jr. (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | December 15, 1991 | [Note 3][5][40] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) andOctagón (mask) | La Pareja del Terror (hair) (Art Barr andEddy Guerrero) | Los Angeles, California | AAA When Worlds Collide | November 6, 1994 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Dandy (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | December 6, 1996 | [Note 4][5][34] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Negro Casas (hair) | Mexico City | CMLL 64th Anniversary Show | September 19, 1997 | [3][12] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Guerrero del Futuro (mask) | Mexico City | Ruleta de la Muerte | July 17, 1998 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Gacela del Ring (mask) | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua | Live event | September 28, 1998 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Gacela del Ring (hair) | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua | Live event | December 6, 1998 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Asterisco (hair) | Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Live event | December 20, 1998 | [Note 5][3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) andNegro Casas (hair) | Scorpio Jr. (mask) andBestia Salvaje (hair) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 19, 1999 | [5][34] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Misterioso (hair) | Anaheim, California | Live event | September 5, 1999 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Nuevo Huracán Ramírez Jr. (mask) | Celaya, Guanajuato | Live event | February 2, 2000 | [Note 6][3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Dr. Cerebro (mask) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | March 1, 2001 | [34] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Nicho "el Millonario" (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Destino Final | April 6, 2001 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Scorpio Jr. (hair) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Live event | December 19, 2002 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Super Parka (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | October 9, 2003 | [5][34] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Hijo del Cobarde (mask) | Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua | Live event | February 29, 2004 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | El Dandy (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | October 29, 2004 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Scorpio, Jr. (hair) | Los Angeles, California | Live event | July 16, 2005 | [3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Cyber Vikingo (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | August 21, 2005 | [Note 7][3][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Mano Negra (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | November 26, 2006 | [5][34] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Cassandro (hair) | Los Angeles, California | Live event | July 14, 2007 | [Note 8][5] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Mano Negra (hair) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | November 26, 2006 | [Note 9][16] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Ángel Blanco Jr (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | March 31, 2012 | [41] |
| El Hijo del Santo (mask) | Misterioso Jr. (mask) | Arena Ciudad de Mexico | Live event | April 6, 2025 |
