Espanto, Jr. (CMLL)

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Espanto Jr.
Personal information
Born (1986-03-26) March 26, 1986
Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
FamilyJesús Andrade Salas (father)
the Andrade wrestling family
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Moro Jr.
El Hijo del Pentagón
Espanto Jr.
Billed height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Billed weight90 kg (198 lb)
Trained byEspanto Jr.
El Hijo del Gladiador
DebutOctober 2001

Espanto Jr. (born March 26, 1986) is a Mexican professional wrestler working for the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) portraying a rudo ("bad guy") wrestling character, and is a former CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Champion. Espanto Jr.'s real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico, where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans. He made his professional wrestling debut in 2001 at the age of only 15.

He is the son of the original Espanto Jr., Jesús Andrade Salas, and is a part of an extensive wrestling family that started with his grandfather Jose Andrade, better known as "El Moro". At least nine of his uncles are professional wrestlers, including his cousin, Manuel Andrade, best known as Andrade. Espanto Jr. originally worked under the ring name "Moro Jr." after his grandfather and later took the name "Hijo del Pentagón" after his father, who portrayed the original Pentagón. While in CMLL, he has participated in their annual Gran Alternativa 2013 and Gran Alternativa 2014 tournaments, as well as the 2016 La Copa Junior tournament.

Personal life

Espanto Jr. was born on March 28, 1986, in Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. In his country, as part of the wrestling style called lucha libre, it is traditional to preserve the privacy of any masked wrestler unless they are unmasked.[1] Due to this secrecy, Espanto Jr.'s birth name is not common knowledge and traditionally not something Mexican news sources would report on.[1] It has been revealed that his paternal last name is "Andrade", as he has publicly stated that he is the son of professional wrestler Jesús Andrade Salas, who was the first wrestler to use the ring name Espanto Jr. Jesús Andrade also worked as Pentagón and Santo Negro during his career.[2][3]

He is the grandson of El Moro (Spanish for "The Moor") and has at least nine uncles that are or were involved with professional wrestling over the years.[2] The most well known second-generation Andrade brother are three that worked as Lo Gemelos del Ring ("The Gems of the Ring") – Brilliante (Jose Andrade Salasa), Zafiro (who was also the original Pentagoncito) and Diamante (Sergio Andrade Salas, also known as "Moro III"). Other Andrade brothers have played the part of Zafiro (Juan Andrade Salas, now known as "Espirtu Magico") and Diamante (César Andrade Salas, better known as Kevin, Radioactivo, El Pollo and El Pollo Asesino). Sergi Andrade Salas is another uncle who, at one point, was a professional wrestler, having briefly worked as "Hijo del Espectro"; it is unclear if he is still wrestling or retired. Manuel Andrade worked for a while as El Fúnebre. In interviews, the Andrade family has indicated that at least two other Andrade brothers are involved with wrestling, but did not clearly identify who they were.[2][4] His cousin Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza, the son of Jose Andrade, worked under the ring name La Sombra from 2007 until 2015.[5]

Growing up as part of a professional wrestling family, the future Espanto Jr. decided he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather at an early age. In a 2010 interview, he recalled how he would be in the front row watching his father wrestle from the time he could walk.[6] In 1996, his father suffered an injury during a match and was briefly clinically dead while in the ring until he was revived.[7] While the injury left a big impression on the then-10 year old, he later accepted that it was an accident and tried not to think about it, but did comment that his mother still worried about him every time he competed.[6]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2001–2012)

Espanto Jr. made his debut in October or November 2001, wearing a mask and using the ring name "El Moro Jr." a tribute to his grandfather. Initially, he worked in the Andrade family owned Arena Olimpico Laguna in Gómez Palacio, Durango, while still developing his wrestling skills.[8] Early in his career, Moro Jr. teamed up with Espanto V on multiple occasions, a name that would later become more significant in his career. In 2005, he was one of ten wrestlers participating in the first ever Copa Moro in honor of his grandfather. Moro Jr. teamed up with Oso Negro, Latino Junior, Psycho and his uncle Zafiroto, taking on the team of Brillante Junior, Cadete de la Atlántida I, Cadete de la Atlántida II, Espacial and Tigre Chong in an elimination match.[9] In 2008, Moro Jr. became involved in a storyline feud with local exótico wrestler Sexy Psicis. After several matches between the two, they both agreed to put their hair on the line in a Lucha de Apuestas ("bet match"). Moro Jr. was masked, but for this specific match, he put his hair on the line. Sexy Psicis won the match, forcing Moro Jr. to remove his mask enough to have his hair shaved off afterwards.[10] The match between the two was described as "the best match of the night" by the El Siglo del Torreon newspaper.[10] After the match, Moro Jr. put out a challenge against Sexy Psicis, where he would put his mask on the line.[10]

In early 2009, Moro Jr. worked a four-way feud against Kato Kung Lee Jr., Galaxy and Radioactivo, leading to a four-way Lucha de Apuestas where all four wrestlers put their masks on the line.[11] On February 28, Moro Jr. pinned Radioactivo to win his first Lucha de Apuestas. After the match, Radioactivo was unmasked and revealed that he was César Andrade Salas, Moro Jr.'s uncle.[12] Also in 2009, Moro Jr. changed his ring character, adopting the name "El Hijo del Pentagón", playing off the fact that his father portrayed the original Pentagón late in his career.[7] He remained primarily in Gómez Palacio, Durango for the next few years, out of the national spotlight.[13]

Consejo Mundia de Lucha Libre (2012–present)

In 2012, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) introduced their Generacion 2012 ("Generation 2012"), essentially the 2012 "graduating class" from CMLL's wrestling school. The group included Oro Jr. Herodes Jr., Taurus, Genesis, Guerrero Negro Jr. and Akuma, as well as Espanto Jr., who wore the distinctive black and white mask of the Los Espantos team. Espanto Jr. was later revealed to be the son of the original Espanto Jr., who had used the ring name from 1984 until 1994.[14] In the weeks and months following his introduction, "Hijo del Espanto" (literally "The Son of Espanto") publicly stated that he was the rightful holder of the rights to the Espanto name, given to him by the only remaining, living member of the original Los Espantos, Espanto II. Hijo del Espanto demanded that Espanto Jr. changed his name, but neither the wrestler nor CMLL ever responded to the request.[15] CMLL never commented on the claim of El Hijo del Espanto, nor did they modify Espanto Jr.'s name or mask design. El Hijo del Espanto had successfully prevented AAA from promoting a different team as "Los Hijos del Espanto", who in fact were uncles of Espanto Jr., Sergio and César Andrade Salas.[16] While the claim was successful in 2001, the Mexico City boxing and wrestling commission did not block CMLL's usage of the name "Espanto Jr.", as CMLL continued to promote Espanto Jr., even after the claim by El Hijo del Espanto.[17]

Prior to his in-ring debut, sports website MedioTiempo described Espanto Jr. as having "a good look and better wrestling skills" based on what they had seen of him before becoming Espanto Jr.[18] Espanto Jr. made his CMLL in-ring debut on September 18, at their main venue, Arena México, where he and fellow Generacion 2012 member Herodoes Jr. lost to Bengala and Oro Jr.[19] Espanto Jr.'s first high level exposure came in February 2013, where he was one of 20 participants in the Torneo Sangre Nueva ("New Blood Tournament"), a tournament specifically designed to bring attention to the young, low-ranked wrestlers of the promotion. He participated in qualifying block A on February 26, where he was one of 10 wrestlers in the torneo cibernetico, multi-man elimination match alongside Akuma, Camaleón, Cholo, Herodes Jr., Hombre Bala Jr., Höruz, Stigma, Soberano Jr. and Boby Zavala. He was eliminated by Hombre Bala Jr. as the fifth man eliminated overall.[20] Block winner Soberano Jr. would end up winning the entire tournament.[21] In late March, Espanto Jr. was announced as one of the novatos ("rookies") in the Torneo Gran Alternativa ("Great Alternative Tournament"), which paired a rookie with an experienced wrestler for a tag team tournament.[22] Espanto Jr. was paired with veteran wrestler Mr. Niebla and competed in Block B on the April 19 Super Viernes. The team defeated Camaleón and Brazo de Plata in the first round, but lost to eventual tournament winners Bobby Zavala and Rey Escorpión in the second round.[23] The following year, Espanto Jr. and Mephisto competed in that year's Gran Alternativa tournament, but lost to Soberano Jr. and Volador Jr. in the first round on March 31, 2014.[24]

On January 5, 2016, Espanto Jr. was one of sixteen wrestlers competing in CMLL's annual La Copa Junior ("The Junior Cup") tournament, which showcased only second and third-generation wrestlers. He competed in Block B alongside Canelo Casas, Esfinge, The Panther, Sansón, Soberano Jr., Super Halcón Jr. and Tiger, but was the second man eliminated by Super Halcón Jr.[25][26] On October 7, 2023, Espanto Jr. and Akuma won the CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship, marking their first titles in CMLL.[27]

Championships and accomplishments

  • Laguna Extreme Championship (1 time)

Luchas de Apuestas record

Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Sexy Psicis (hair)Moro Jr. (hair)Gómez Palacio, DurangoLive eventNovember 20, 2008[10][a]
Moro Jr. (mask)Radioactivo (mask)Gómez Palacio, DurangoLive eventFebruary 28, 2009[12][b]

Footnotes

  1. This was a Lucha del reves match where the masked Moro Jr. risked his hair against the unmasked Sexy Psicis.
  2. This was a four-way match that also included Kato Kung Lee Jr. and Galaxy.

References

  1. Madigan, Dan (2007). "Okay... what is Lucha Libre?". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 29–40. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
  2. Madigan, Dan (2007). "A family Affair". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 224–228. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
  3. "Espanto Jr. se presenta este 18/Sep/12 en la Arena México". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). September 15, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  4. Flores Maltos, Joel (January 23, 2011). "Brillante, una joya de la lucha libre". El Siglo del Torreon (in Spanish). Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  5. "Statistics for Professional wrestlers". PWI Presents: 2008 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. pp. 66–79. 2008 Edition.
  6. "El Legado de Pentagón; Hijo de Pentagón". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). June 2012. pp. 15–16. 432.
  7. "Pentagón: Informacion classificaca AAA". LuchaLibreAAA (in Spanish). Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  8. "2002: considerar detrás". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 19, 2003. Issue 2593.
  9. "Rendirán homenaje a El Moro I" (in Spanish). El Siglo de Torreón. December 10, 2005. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  10. "Sexy Piscis gana y rapa al Moro Jr" (in Spanish). El Siglo de Torreón. November 22, 2008.
  11. "Hay máscaras en juego" (in Spanish). El Siglo del Torreon. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  12. "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Radioactivo (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. October 2007. p. 10. Tomo IV.
  13. "El Hijo de Pentagón en el Luis L. Vargas" (in Spanish). El Siglo del Torreon. November 25, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  14. "Confecencia de prensa 79 aniversario del CMLL". Súper Luchas Magazine (in Spanish). August 27, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  15. Ruiz Glez, Alex (September 30, 2012). "Video: Hijo del Espanto demandara a Espanto Jr. de la generación 2012 del CMLL". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  16. "2001 Especial!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 13, 2002. pp. 2–28. Issue 2540.
  17. "Video: Oro Jr. y Molotov vs. Zayko y Espanto Jr". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). April 1, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  18. "Debuta Espanto Jr. en el CMLL". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. September 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  19. "¡Amargo debut para Espanto Jr. en el CMLL!". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). September 18, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  20. "Soberano, finalista de Sangre Nueva". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). February 27, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  21. "Soberano Jr gana el Torneo Sangre Nueva 2013". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  22. "CMLL inicia el Torneo de la Gran Alternativa". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  23. Valdés, Apolo (April 20, 2013). "Místico y Averno por el Campeonato Nacional Welter". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  24. Redaccion (February 1, 2014). "Rush vivió rudeza al 'mil por ciento'". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  25. "Puma, finalista de la Copa Jr. del CMLL". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. January 6, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  26. Peralta, Gonzalo López (January 20, 2016). "Lucha Libre función martes 19 de Enero". Yahoo! Deportes (in Spanish). Yahoo!. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  27. "Dragón Rojo Jr. se coronó Campeón Mundial Medio del CMLL en el 79 Aniversario de la Arena Coliseo". Mas Lucha. Retrieved 4 April 2022.