Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio: A resurgence of great Mexican wrestlers in WWE

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Status of Kalisto: Made his debut in 2006 working in the Midwestern independent circuit, under the name Samuray Del Sol. Later on he started to work for larger promotions like Dragon Gate USA  in 2012 and Mexican promotion AAA, repackaged as Octagon Jr.

Wrestling influence and Style: Kalisto was a huge fan of Mexican wrestling growing up. He was enamored by the allure of Lucha Libre. The elaborate mask and physiques of the wrestlers drew him in. Performers like Tinieblas and Octagon inspired his style big time. His athletic background helped to mold Kalisto into the premier Luchador that he is today. With a background in gymnastics, Taekwondo,Jujitsu, Amateur wrestling and Football.

Kalisto got the call and was signed by WWE in May 2013. He was assigned to NXT and paired with Sin Cara to become “The Lucha Dragons”. In February 2015, Kalisto was promoted to the main roster.

Kalisto’s road to receiving a title shot: With Sin Cara out with a shoulder injury, this was a perfect opportunity  for Kalisto to branch out on his own. He had his eyes set on the United States champion Alberto Del Rio. Kalisto competed with Del Rio on January 7th with John Cena in his corner. Unfortunately he was not successful but luck brought him another opportunity to face Del Rio. Four days later on Raw, where Kalisto won the match, earning him his first WWE title. The victory was short lived because Del Rio regained the title on January 14th, only for Kalisto to take it back at the Royal Rumble.

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Alberto Del Rio’s Status: Born as the son of Luchador Dos Caras, Del Rio always loved  wrestling. He took up Greco- Roman Wrestling as a teen under the training of Leonel Kolenski and Juan Fernandez. In 2000, he made his debut in AAA wrestling as Dos Caras Jr. During this time Del Rio gained experience working in Mexico and Japan. On June,17,2010, it was confirmed that Del Rio has signed a  three year contract with WWE. He removed his mask, which he received a lot of criticism for. Del Rio went on to won several titles. On January 11th,2013, Del Rio won the World Heavy weight championship from the Big Show. He is also the only wrestler who has won the Rumble and Money in the bank ladder match in 2011. Upon leaving WWE in the summer of 2011, Alberto return to AAA. He began using the name El Patron(The Boss). In AAA, El Patron won the AAA mega champion after defeating El Texano Jr.

Del Rio was the first wrestler to win both the CMLL and AAA world heavyweight championships. In 2015, he teamed up with Myzteziz and Rey Mysterio Jr. for the Lucha Libre world cup. The trio won. Del Rio has also wrestled in Wrestle-1, House of Hardcore, World Wrestling League, Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground before returning to  WWE in October 2015.

Alberto’s Wrestling Style: Along with possessing a tremendous technical ability inside of the squared circle, Alberto has a background in mixed martial arts. During his professional mixed martial arts career, Alberto had 14 matches. 9 wins,4 loses. 2 wins by knockout and 7 by submission. This experience heavily influences his amazing mat work and submission style in pro wrestling in my opinion.

These two competitors are bringing the legacy of world renowned Latin wrestling styles into this feud. The on going David, Goliath battle in wrestling can become bland, but with Alberto’s set in heel persona and Kalisto’s natural babyface characteristics this could have the potential of going on for months. Maybe even getting a spot at Wrestlemania. Hopefully, the recent hiccup in the feud because of Alberto’s back injury, which he sustained during the Royal Rumble a week ago doesn’t stop the great matches that we have been treated to.

Kalisto’s pure Lucha Libre style and American high flying style, being put up against Alberto’s blend of Mixed Martial Arts,Technical, Japanese, Lucha, and American influences gives many upincoming Latin stars the ability to believe that they can have meaningful feuds that can steal the show on the main roster.