 La Parka (II) in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jesús Alfonso Huerta Escoboza (1966-01-04)January 4, 1966 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico |
| Died | January 11, 2020(2020-01-11) (aged 54)[2] Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico[3] |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bello Sexy Crater Duro Karis la Momia La Parka (II) La Parka Jr. Maligno Santa Esmeralda |
| Billed height | 1.84 m (6 ft1⁄2 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 101 kg (223 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico[1] |
| Trained by | America Salvaje Resplandor |
| Debut | 1987 |
Jesús Alfonso Huerta Escoboza[4] (January 4, 1966 – January 11, 2020), better known asLa Parka, was a Mexicanluchadorenmascarado, or maskedprofessional wrestler, who worked for the Mexicanprofessional wrestling promotionAAA from the mid-1990s until 2019. On January 11, 2020, Huerta died from complications arising from injuries that he sustained from a botched move during an October 2019 match.[5]
Escoboza was not the first wrestler to use thering name "La Parka".Adolfo Tapia was the original La Parka but did not own either the name or the character. In the late 1990s, Escoboza was billed asLa Parka Jr. and then in 2003 he became the "official" La Parka while Tapia was forced to stop using the name and instead became known as L.A. Park.[6] OnMarch 22, 2025, AAA introduced a third La Parka portrayed by Brazo de Oro Jr.
In 2020, he was posthumously inducted into theAAA Hall of Fame.
Escoboza made his debut in 1987, working asBello Sexy.[7] Five years later, he changed hisgimmick toMaligno (Spanish for "Evil"), which he used until 1995.[7] During this time, he also briefly worked as Crater and Santa Esmarela.[7]
In early 1995, Escoboza was once again repackaged when he joinedLucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA; then formally known asAsistencia Asesoría y Administración) and becameKaris la Momia ("Karis the Mummy"), amummy gimmick named after the 1940s Mummy-film seriesKharis.[7] He was the fourth wrestler to use the Karis la Momia name. On June 30, 1995, Karis la Momia made his first AAA major show appearance, teaming withEspectro I, El Duende,Maniaco andHalloween in a loss toLos Power Raiders atTriplemania III-C.[8] On May 15, 1996, Karis won his first wrestling championship, defeatingBlue Demon Jr. for theMexican National Cruiserweight Championship.[9] AtTriplemania IV-A Karis, Arunyo and Killer defeated Blue Demon Jr.,El Torero, and Máscara Sagrada Jr.[10] Over the summer of 1996, Karis worked astoryline feud, teaming withLos Payasos againstLos Junior Atómicos (Máscara Sagrada Jr.,Tinieblas Jr., Blue Demon Jr. andHalcón Dorado Jr.). The two teams met in a four on four match atTriplemania IV-B thatLos Junior Atómicos won.[11] The storyline continued atTriplemania IV-C as the two teams faced off in aSteel cage match in the main event.[12] The match saw Karis la Momia defeat Halcón Dorado Jr., forcing him to unmask. In November 1996, Karis la Momia was given a new gimmick and was forced to vacate the Mexican National Cruiserweight Championship because of this.[9] He may have impersonated a new character namedLa Calaca (a variation of La Parka character with an inverted costume and a more diabolical mask) in a match fought in Arena Neza at the end of 1996. This gimmick was later given to a Monterreyrudo named El Sanguinario.[13]
By late 1996, AAA regular,La Parka began working full-time forWorld Championship Wrestling, which meant that AAA lost one of its most popular performers. Since AAA ownerAntonio Peña owned the rights to the character in Mexico, he created "La Parka Jr." as a way to capitalize on the popularity of La Parka, giving the part to the promising Escobedo.[6] La Parka. Jr. joinedLos Junior Atómicos, replacing the very man he had unmasked, Halcón Dorado Jr. One of the early appearances of La Parka Jr. was atGuerra de Titanes 1997, where he teamed with Máscara Sagrada Jr.,Venum andCuervo in a loss toLos Vipers (Psicosis,Histeria,Mosco de la Merced andManiaco).[14] La Parka Jr. quickly became involved in the storyline between theLos Vipers group and a group of "AAA Loyalists", which led to a match atTriplemania VI where he teamed withLatin Lover, Blue Demon Jr. andMáscara Sagráda to defeatLos Vipers (Cibernético, Histeria, Maniaco and Psicosis).[15] On April 4, 1999Los Junior Atómicos (La Parka Jr.Perro Aguayo Jr., Blue Demon Jr. andMáscara Sagrada Jr.) defeatedLos Vatos Locos (Charly Manson, May Flowers,Nygma andPicudo) to win theMexican National Atómicos Championship.[16] The group held the title for five months, before losing it to rivalsLos Vipers atVerano de Escandalo (1999).[17] On August 12, 1999, La Parka Jr. regained the Mexican National Cruiserweight Championship he was forced to give up when he changed gimmicks, defeatingKendo for the title.[9]
On March 30, 2001, La Parka Jr. defeated Latin Lover,Abismo Negro andHeavy Metal to win the 2001Rey de Reyes tournament, the first visible proof that La Parka Jr. was being positioned as one of the toptecnicos (Face or good guy) of AAA.[18] La Parka Jr. followed hisRey de Reyes success by forcing Abismo Negro to submit in their four-on-four encounter atTriplemania IX on May 26, 2001.[19] On November 11, 2001, La Parka andMáscara Sagrada teamed up to defeatEl Texano andPirata Morgan for theMexican National Tag Team Championship.[20] The team held the titles until April 19, 2002, whenElectroshock andChessman took the titles from them.[20] La Parka Jr.'s climb up the card continued as he teamed with El Alebrije, Máscara Sagrada andOctagón to defeat Abismo Negro, Cibernético,the Monsther and Leatherface in the main event ofGuerra de Titanes 2002.[21] On March 16, 2003, La Parka Jr. won theRey de Reyes tournament, defeating Abismo Negro to claim his secondRey de Reyes.[22]
In early 2003, the original La Parka joinedConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), AAA's main rival. As a result, Antonio Peña took legal action against Adolfo Tapia, barring him from using the name "La Parka" or wearing the signature "skeleton suit" in Mexico. After taking action against Tapia, La Parka Jr. became known officially as just "La Parka".[6] On June 15, 2003, La Parka main evented his firstTriplemanía, teaming withLizmark, Octagón andSuper Caló to defeat Abismo Negro, Cibernético andThe Headhunters in the main event ofTriplemania XI.[23] Five days later, La Parka teamed with Octagón to win the Mexican National Tag Team Championship from Electroshock and Chessman, a title the team held for 3,110 days.[24]
The storyline between the AAA loyalists, led by La Parka, andLos Vipers, led by Cibernético, came to a head on June 20, 2004, in the main event ofTriplemania XII. La Parka defeated Cibernético in aLuchas de Apuesta, forcing Cibernético to unmask in one of the biggest Triplemania events ever.[25] The feud between La Parka and Cibernético continued beyond the mask loss, including La Parka defeating Cibernético in a"Lights Out" match atVerano de Escandalo (2004).[26]
In late 2005,Konnan returned to AAA, bringing a contingent ofTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) wrestlers with him, formingLa Legión Extranjera, the new topRudo (Heel or bad guy) faction of AAA. The appearance of La Legión caused La Parka and Cibernético to form a temporary alliance, fightingLa Legión in the main event ofGuerra de Titanes 2004, defeating Konnan andRikishi.[27] The Cibernético / La Parka alliance did not last long as Cibernético formedLa Secta Cibernetica in early 2005, siding with Konnan'sLa Legión. On March 11, 2005, La Parka won his thirdRey de Reyes, winning a seven-way elimination match over Latin Lover, Abismo Negro, Chessman,Jeff Jarrett, Konnan and Cibernético. With the victory, La Parka became the only wrestler to ever win threeRey de Reyes tournaments.[28] La Parka's run as the toptecnico of AAA continued, main eventingTriplemania XIII alongside Latin Lover and Octagón, defeating Cibernético, Chessman andFuerza Guerrera.[29] In early 2006,La Secta de Cibernetica brought inMuerta Cibernetica to strengthen the group, often replacing Cibernético because of various minor injuries. At the 2006Rey de Reyes, La Parka,Vampiro and Octagón represented AAA in a four-way trios match againstLa Secta,Team TNA andLos Guapos for theRey de Reyes trophy. While La Parka did not win, he did help his teammate Vampiro win it.[30] AtTriplemania XIV, La Parka faced off against Muerta Cibernetica in aLucha de Apuesta. In a move that mirrored Triplemania XII, La Parka won, unmasking Muerta Cibernetica.[31] TheLegión Extranjera storyline saw La Parka face off against TNA wrestlers such asAbyss, Jeff Jarrett,Elix Skipper andHotstuff Hernandez.[32][33]
In late 2006, AAA owner Antonio Peña died, forcing various changes backstage, including Joaquin Roldan taking over the booking duties. One of the things that Roldan changed in AAA was that La Parka was no longer booked as the lone toptecnico anymore, focusing the main storyline more on Cibernético. On March 18, 2007, La Parka won his fourth and finalRey de Reyes tournament, defeating Octagón, Abismo Negro,Rhino, Fuerza Guerrera and Latin Lover in the elimination match final.[34] AtTriplemania XV, theLa Legión team ofRon Killings,Sabu, Head Hunter A and Rikishi Phatu defeated La Parka,El Zorro, Latin Lover andAnimal.[35] Over the summer of 2007, La Parka injured his shoulder in a car accident, forcing him to work a lighter schedule and a less risky style.[36] At the 2007Antonio Peña Memorial Show,Kenzo Suzuki accidentally aggravated La Parka's injury, forcing him to take time off after the event.[36][37]
La Parka's shoulder injury kept him sidelined for extended periods in both 2007 and 2008, but he did participate inTriplemania XVI, where he teamed with Chessman andSilver King, only to lose toLa Legión, represented byBobby Lashley, Electroshock and Kenzo Suzuki.[38] The storyline betweenLa Legión and the AAA Loyalists led to a Steel cage match between team AAA (La Parka, Latin Lover, Octagón andSuper Fly) andLa Legión Extranjera (Electroshock, Konnan, Kenzo Suzuki andRellik). The storyline leading into the match was that the winning team would gain control of AAA as well as the urn that supposedly contained Antonio Peña's ashes as the symbol of that control. Konnan's team won on the night, taking control of the promotion.[39] In 2009, La Parka's angle withLa Legión focused mainly on Silver King, who had turned on La Parka during a match in early 2009 and joinedLa Legión. Since then, the two faced off in many intense matches, often with inconclusive results. The storyline saw both of them ripping at each other's masks, hinting at a futureLucha de Apuestas match. AtTriplemania XVII, La Parka,El Hijo del Santo, Vampiro, Octagón andJack Evans defeatedLa Legión (Silver King, Chessman, Electroshock, Kenzo Suzuki andTeddy Hart) in a match where Team AAA won back the storyline control of AAA.[40] AtVerano de Escandalo (2009), La Parka was pinned by Silver King as La Parka,Marco Corleone and Octagón lost toLos Wagnermaniacos (Silver King, Electroshock andÚltimo Gladiador).[41]
During the 2010Rey de Reyes, the original La Parka, L.A. Park, returned to AAA 13 years after he left on bad terms to work a storyline feud against the "impostor" La Parka. L.A. Park sided with Dorian Roldan in his feud with his father Joaquin Roldan (president of AAA) while La Parka sided with Joaquin.[42] During an AAA show on March 19, 2010, L.A. Park attacked La Parka once again and put him through a table.[43] At a later show, the two had another brawl, after which La Parka challenged L.A. Park to a match atTriplemania XVIII, under any stipulation the original Parka wanted.[44] During AAA's television taping on April 30, 2010, L.A. Park accepted La Parka's challenge for a match at Triplemania XVIII.[45] At an AAA press conference on May 12, 2010, it was announced that the match between the two would be for the rights to the name "La Parka".[46] The two signed the official contract for the match during a television taping on May 19, 2010. After signing the contract, Dorian Roldan had the police arrest La Parka for piracy by impersonating La Parka. He was released just in time to run in during the semi-main event to attack L.A. Park.[47] At Triplemania XVIII, L.A. Park faced La Parka in the main event. Near the end of the match, Park used atombstone piledriver, a move that is illegal in Lucha Libre. Joaquin Roldan entered the ring when L.A. Park attempted to use a steel chair on La Parka. When L.A. Park teased using the chair on Joaquin instead, Dorian entered the ring to protest, but was pushed down by Park, who then hit Joaquin with the chair, which caused Dorian to turn on him, hitting him with a steel chair three times.Halloween andDamián 666 from thePerros del Mal wrestling promotion ran to the ring to chase Dorian Roldan away. Then they dragged L.A. Park on top of La Parka beforerudo referee Hijo del Tirantes made the three count to give L.A. Park the victory. After the bell rang, the rest ofLos Perros del Mal (including Park's sonHijo de L.A. Park) came to the ring to celebrate with L.A. Park, who had won the rights to the name "La Parka". After a couple of minutes, a group of AAA wrestlers led by Octagón came to ringside and in combination with the arena security managed to remove Los Perros del Mal from the ring. La Parka was taken from the ring on a stretcher, not having moved since L.A. Park applied the piledriver. A bit later it was announced that the match result had been thrown out due to interference by Los Perros del Mal, but the following morning it was confirmed that Tapia had indeed won and would now be known as "La Parka" once again, and that AAA's La Parka would have to change his name.[48][49] However, on June 10 AAA announced that it would respect Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission's decision to throw out the match and as a result both La Parka and L.A. Park would keep their names.[50] On July 4 La Parka defeated L.A. Park in a rematch.[51]
In October 2010, Parka's friend Cibernético turned on him and AAA, after feeling betrayed by them when they didn't trust his claim about not joiningLa Sociedad, and re-formed his old groupLos Bizarros with Amadeus,Billy el Malo, Charly Manson,Escoria, Nygma and Taboo.[52][53] Parka and Cibernético then started a heated rivalry, during which it was implied that Cibernético had hospitalized Parka's three-year-old son.[54] In May 2011, Parka formedEl Inframundo ("The Underworld") with Dark Cuervo,Dark Espíritu,Dark Ozz andDrago to battleLos Bizarros.[55] On June 18 atTriplemanía XIX, Parka, Ozz, Drago and Octagón were defeated by Cibernético, Billy el Malo, Charly Manson and Escoria, when Cibernético pinned Parka following a distraction from Taboo, who appeared at the top of the ramp with his son. After the match it was revealed that Taboo was in fact Parka's brother.[56][57] Parka would finally get his hands on Taboo on July 31 atVerano de Escándalo in an eight-man tag team match between the two groups, whichEl Inframundo lost, when Parka was disqualified for excessive violence on his brother.[58]
On October 9, 2011, atHéroes Inmortales, Octagón shocked AAA by turning on the promotion by attackingDr. Wagner Jr. after his match with El Hijo del Perro Aguayo. La Parka entered the ring to seemingly confront his longtime partner, but then also attacked Wagner along with Octagón, Aguayo,Konan Big and Silver King, joiningLa Sociedad.[59] At the first post-Héroes Inmortales television tapings on October 21, Parka blamed his turn on AAA for bringing back L.A. Park after his 15 years of loyal service, and the promotion's fans for choosing to root for both Park and Cibernético over him during his past two rivalries.[60] On December 1, Parka and Park put their past differences aside, when they teamed together for the first time, defeating Dr. Wagner Jr. and Electroshock in a tag team main event.[61] On March 18, 2012, atRey de Reyes, La Parka,Dark Dragon andTito Santana were defeated by Cibernético, Billy el Malo and Escoria in what was billed as the final chapter in the rivalry between Parka and Cibernético. After the match, Octagón turned on Parka, attacking him with Dragon and Santana, which led toLos Bizarros returning to the ring and chasing them away.[62] After initially trying to save his alliance withLa Sociedad, La Parka officially turnedtecnico and rejoined AAA on April 30.[63]
On August 5 atTriplemanía XX, La Parka teamed withLos Psycho Circus in an eight-man tag team match, where they defeated Octagón andEl Consejo, with Parka pinning Octagón for the win. Afterwards, Octagón was attacked byEl Consejo, which led to Parka making the save for his former partner.[64] On October 7, 2012, atHéroes Inmortales, La Parka and Octagón made peace with each other, officially ending the short-lived rivalry between the two.[65] On December 2 atGuerra de Titanes,La Sociedad debuted La Parka's new storyline nemesis,La Parka Negra. In the following match, La Parka, Octagón andOctagón Jr. defeated La Parka Negra, the also debutingPentagón Jr. and Silver King.[66][67] On October 18, 2013, atHéroes Inmortales VII, La Parka won the 2013Copa Antonio Peña.[68] On March 16, 2014, atRey de Reyes, La Parka defeatedBlack Warrior, El Hijo del Perro Aguayo and El Zorro to win his fifthRey de Reyes tournament.[69]
La Parka continued to make appearances for AAA untilhis injury in 2019. In 2018 Parka debuted for AAA's partnerImpact Wrestling. Parka appeared on the October 4 edition ofImpact!, which was taped September 14 at the Frontón México Entertainment Center inMexico City, answeringEli Drake's open challenge and subsequently picking up the count-out victory.[70][71]
La Parka has appeared in the video gameLucha Libre AAA: Héroes del Ring.[72]
In August 2019 La Parka introduced "Karis La Momia Jr."; a son who decided to follow in La Parka's footsteps and become a professional wrestler.[73] Shortly after his father's death, his son began incorporating elements of theLa Parka gimmick into his wrestling character.
La Parka's brother "Taboo," also a wrestler, died on September 11,2020.[74]
During aKaoz show on October 21, 2019, La Parka dove out of the ring to the floor, missed his opponentRush, and hit the steel barrier and concrete floor head first.[75] The impact paralyzed La Parka, and he was immediately taken to Monterrey's OCA hospital. While in the hospital, he began to regain feeling to his extremities.[75] Early the next morning, he underwent surgery for his neck and cervical fractures as well as to relieve pressure to parts of his upper body.[76][77] It was reported that not only did the injury threaten La Parka's career, but could have been fatal.[77] The following day, a press release was circulated stating that La Parka had died. Hours later, AAA revealed the press release to be false.[78] However, Huerta died on January 11, 2020, as a result of the injuries he suffered during the match.[2]
La Parka was regarded as one ofLucha Libre's biggest stars, withDave Meltzer of theWrestling Observer Newsletter describing him as being "a key part of the AAA presentation."[79] On January 29, 2020, La Parka (Escoboza) was posthumously inducted into theAAA Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class.[80]
Following Parka's death, numerous wrestlers and wrestling promotions sent their condolences, including Parka's long-time storyline enemyL.A. Park and AAA's rival promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. On January 19, 2020,Deportivo Toluca F.C. paid tribute to Parka during their firstClausura 2020 home game.[81]
AtTriplemania XXXII: Mexico City on August 17, 2024, a person dressed up as La Parka appeared during theVampiro vs.El Mesias casket match, having been in a casket that was opened by Mesias andJeff Jarrett. On March 22, 2025, at the2025 Rey de Reyes, AAA debuted a third La Parka.[82]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karis la Momia (mask) | Halcón Dorado Jr. (mask) | Acapulco, Guerrero | Triplemanía IV-C | July 15, 1996 | [Note 3][12] |
| La Parka Jr. (mask) | The Panther (hair) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | January 30, 2000 | [89] |
| La Parka Jr. (mask) | Gigante Drako (mask) | Mexico City | Rey de Reyes | February 5, 2000 | [90] |
| La Parka Jr. (mask) | El Hijo del Espectro (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | April 20, 2001 | [90] |
| La Parka Jr. (mask) | Akuma (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | August 10, 2001 | [90] |
| La Parka (mask) | Cibernético (mask) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Triplemanía XII | June 20, 2004 | [25] |
| La Parka (mask) | La Bestia (mask) | Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Live event | August 31, 2004 | [90] |
| La Parka (mask) | El Angel (hair) | Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Live event | August 30, 2005 | [90] |
| La Parka (mask) | Destroyer II (mask) | Reynosa, Tamaulipas | Live event | October 25, 2005 | [90] |
| La Parka (mask) | Muerte Cibernetica (mask) | Naucalpan, Mexico State | Triplemanía XIV | June 18, 2006 | [31] |
La Parka (Jesus Escobedo) did his first interview since turning heel at the 10/21 TV taping in Xalapa, which drew 4,000 fans, which was close to full in the smaller arena.
Media related toJesús Alfonso Huerta Escoboza at Wikimedia Commons
