Mid 20th Century
127-585: José Jorge Arriaga Rodríguez (born September 5, 1977) is an American professional wrestler currently working on the Mexican independent circuit , under the ring name Cinta de Oro ( Spanish for "Golden Ribbon"). He is best known for his tenure in WWE , under the ring name Sin Cara (Spanish for "Faceless"), where he was the longest-tenured wrestler to use the persona. Prior to his signing with WWE, he wrestled under
254-435: A bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether the individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in
381-415: A performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in the 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance
508-415: A professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
635-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
762-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
889-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1016-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
1143-410: A champion there. Independent Mexican wrestlers may use a lot of gimmicks, including some that may be based on copyrighted characters from American television shows, such as Thundercats and X-Men . (These gimmicks are often changed if the wrestler playing them makes it into AAA or CMLL; the most prominent example of non-compliance with this method is midget wrestler Chucky from AAA, whose gimmick
1270-748: A degree in embalming and funeral director services in Mexico. Arriaga attended El Paso Burges High School and in 1996 was an undefeated state wrestling champion who was voted the MVP of the state tournament. Arriaga began wrestling at Burges High School from 1992 to 1996, where in 1995 he placed 3rd in State of Texas and in 1996 he became an undefeated State Champion. He then embarked on a professional career, as he managed to continue working for his family's funeral home in Ciudad Juárez , Chihuahua , Mexico , during
1397-423: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Independent circuit In professional wrestling , the independent circuit (often shortened to
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#17327974916631524-404: A distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by the broader public. In the United States, wrestling
1651-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
1778-527: A five-year extension on its TV wrestling monopoly from January 1982 to December 1986. However, by the mid-1980s Dixon had won over many wrestlers and fans from Joint who were tired of the Big Daddy -orientated direction of Joint. Eventually this culminated in All Star gaining a TV show on satellite channel Screensport and later, a slice of ITV's coverage from 1987 until the end of ITV wrestling in 1988. By
1905-525: A good impression may be offered a developmental or even a full-professional contract. The advent of the Internet has allowed independent wrestlers and promotions to reach a wider audience, and it is possible for wrestlers regularly working the indie circuit to gain some measure of fame among wrestling fans online. Additionally, some of the more successful indies have video distribution deals, giving them an additional source of income and allowing them to reach
2032-581: A large enough crowd to fill such a venue were they able to do so. Instead, they make use of any almost open space (such as fields, ballrooms, or gymnasiums) to put on their performances. Some independent promotions are attached to professional wrestling schools , serving as a venue for students to gain experience in front of an audience. As independent matches are seldom televised, indie wrestlers who have not already gained recognition in other promotions tend to remain in obscurity. However, scouts from major promotions attend indie shows, and an indie wrestler who makes
2159-549: A larger audience outside of their local areas. Unlike the North American or Japanese products which have large, globally renowned organisations such as WWE and New Japan Pro-Wrestling with several hundred smaller promotions , Australia only has approximately 30 smaller independent circuit promotions which exist in all but one of the states and territories, that being the Northern Territory . Tours from
2286-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
2413-719: A loss to El Generico , Steen, Briscoe and Magno. On December 14, 2009, Arriaga worked a "try out" match for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) working without a mask, under the name Jorge Arias, losing a tag team match against The Dudebusters. Shortly after Arriaga signed a developmental deal with WWE following his try out match and started in WWE's farm league Florida Championship Wrestling . He later changed his ring name to Hunico although his mask and outfit remained unchanged. In April Hunico began teaming with Tito Colon , wrestling Florida Tag Team Champions The Uso Brothers (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) but were unsuccessful. Later on Tito Colon
2540-541: A major promoter with shows featuring himself as headline heel. In 1958, when Bert Assirati was stripped of the British Heavyweight Championship , Lincoln formed the BWF alliance of promoters to support Assirati's claim, later recognising Shirley Crabtree as champion. Lincoln's BWF was eventually bought out into Joint in 1970. Welsh promoter Orig Williams also used the BWF name, promoting from
2667-560: A man's eyeball out in the process. In January 2012, Hunico started a feud with Ted DiBiase after Hunico was offended that he was not invited to one of DiBiase's Posse parties. After both wrestlers scored two wins apiece, Hunico defeated DiBiase on the February 17 SmackDown to end the feud. After his feud with DiBiase, Hunico wrestled extensively on Superstars , going on an unbeaten streak in Superstars singles matches by defeating
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#17327974916632794-799: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
2921-422: A mesh tray paper on each eye opening at the masks. Unlike Rey Mysterio and Kalisto, he did not have a mouth opening and instead placed mesh tray papers on several mouth opening stripes. These masks covered his full face. Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling )
3048-424: A more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise
3175-593: A name for himself in the United States when he participated in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling 's (TNA) 2006 World X-Cup Tournament . As part of Team Mexico , Incognito's only match in the World Cup tournament was a 16-man gauntlet match that included all four World Cup teams. Incognito was eliminated by Sonjay Dutt . Team Mexico finished in third place out of four teams. Following his appearance for TNA, Incognito began working regularly for
3302-634: A new black attire to distinguish himself from the original version, while also explaining that he was going to steal the Sin Cara identity from Urive, just as Urive had stolen the Místico identity from him six years prior. At Hell in a Cell , the impostor Sin Cara, now being referred to as "Sin Cara Negro", was defeated by the original Sin Cara, now referred to as "Sin Cara Azul". The feud continued on
3429-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
3556-562: A new gimmick, portraying a stereotypical Mexican hoodlum , wrestling in street attire and addressing the audience in both Spanish and English . On the November 4 SmackDown , Hunico continued his rivalry with Sin Cara by attacking him together with his debuting FCW tag team partner Epico . Despite Epico's cousin Primo soon joining them, this was short lived as Primo & Epico went on to align with Rosa Mendes . Hunico's feud with Sin Cara
3683-532: A region and maintain a consistent schedule. After Vince McMahon , seeking regulatory relief, gave in 1989 testimony in front of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission where he publicly admitted pro wrestling was in fact a sports-based entertainment, rather than a true athletic competition, many state athletic commissions stopped regulating wrestling. This obviated the need for complying with many expensive requirements, such as
3810-611: A statement, but The Undertaker returned to save Kane, disposing of Hunico with a chokeslam and a tombstone piledriver. Hunico then underwent surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the knee. Hunico returned to in-ring action (but not television) at the WrestleMania Axxess live event on April 4, 2013, once again teaming with Camacho. Hunico and Camacho returned to television on the November 6 Main Event and lost to The Usos . Hunico and Camacho's first title shot
3937-532: A team in an 8-man tag team match, teaming with The New Day ( Big E and Kofi Kingston ) to defeat Tyson Kidd and Cesaro and The Ascension. At Elimination Chamber , The Lucha Dragons competed in the first ever tag team Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Tag Team Championship , however they failed to capture the titles. In late June, The Lucha Dragons took a small part in the ongoing feud between The New Day and The Prime Time Players on
Cinta de Oro - Misplaced Pages Continue
4064-614: A triple threat tag team ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship, which was won by The New Day, who retained their titles. The following week, on a live episode of SmackDown , The Lucha Dragons received another tag team title shot, but they were once again defeated by The New Day. On the December 28 episode of Raw , Sin Cara dislocated his shoulder in a match with Big E, leaving him out of action. On February 6, Sin Cara returned from injury, teaming with Kalisto in
4191-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
4318-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
4445-482: A week or once a month in local towns. Independent promotions are usually local in focus and, lacking national TV contracts, are much more dependent on revenue from house show attendance. Due to their lower budgets, most independent promotions offer low salaries (it is not unusual for a wrestler to work for free due to the fact most promoters can only afford to pay well-known talent). Most cannot afford to regularly rent large venues, and would not be able to attract
4572-761: A winning effort. On the March 21 episode of Raw , Sin Cara faced Stardust and Zack Ryder in a triple threat match to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship , which ended in no contest, after Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens interfered in the match. Afterwards, it was announced that Sin Cara would compete in a 7-man ladder match for the title at WrestleMania 32 against Owens, Stardust, Ryder, Dolph Ziggler , Sami Zayn and The Miz , which he lost. On July 18, Sin Cara and Kalisto announced they were disbanding and entering
4699-436: Is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which
4826-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
4953-448: Is also not uncommon for veteran wrestlers who have had past tenures with major promotions to appear on independent shows, either as special attractions or as a way to prolong their careers. The "indie" scene in the United States dates back to the days of regional territories. When a promoter ran opposition in even one town controlled by a National Wrestling Alliance sanctioned territory, they were often called an "outlaw" territory. This
5080-640: Is based on the Child's Play movies.) Until 1984, no independent puroresu promotion per se existed in Japan; potential talent went directly into the training dojos of either New Japan Pro-Wrestling or All Japan Pro Wrestling . ( International Wrestling Enterprise also was a third-party promotion until 1981.) The advent of the Japanese Universal Wrestling Federation offered a long-sought third alternative. From 1986 to 1988
5207-573: Is considered by some to be a forerunner to indies since some stars of the past got their start in these low quality local rivals to the big regional territories. The modern definition of the independent circuit came about in the middle to late 1980s and fully formed and flourished after 1990. These promotions initially sought to revive the feel of old school territorial wrestling after former territories either went national, such as WWF , went out of business, or eventually did both, such as WCW . Several indies did in fact manage to tour different towns within
Cinta de Oro - Misplaced Pages Continue
5334-599: Is friends with Raúl Jiménez , who plays for Fulham FC and formerly Wolverhampton Wanderers. Jiménez celebrated scoring a goal in April 2019 by briefly donning a mask in the style of Sin Cara's. Arriaga visited the club in May 2019. Arriaga made his video game debut in WWE '13 as Hunico, and later appeared in WWE 2K16 , WWE 2K17 , WWE 2K18 , WWE 2K19 , and WWE 2K20 as Sin Cara. Sin Cara wore multiple masks every year, with
5461-427: Is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as a genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has
5588-470: Is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain a " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to
5715-489: The 2016 draft as singles competitors. As a result of the draft, Sin Cara was drafted to the Raw brand . On the September 5 episode of Raw , Sin Cara confronted Braun Strowman , who had removed a luchador's mask the previous week. Sin Cara berated Strowman for disrespecting luchador tradition, igniting a feud between the two. On the following weeks on Raw , Strowman would defeat Sin Cara in two matches by countout and pinfall. On
5842-770: The NXT Tag Team Championship alongside Kalisto as a part of the Lucha Dragons . He departed the company in December 2019. Jose Jorge Arriaga Rodriguez was born on September 5, 1977, in El Paso, Texas , to Mexican immigrant parents. Arriaga grew up in El Segundo Barrio , El Paso , Texas . While working towards his goal of becoming a professional wrestler, Arriaga worked in his grandfather's funeral home in Juarez , Mexico . He also gained
5969-562: The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), often teaming with fellow Luchador Sicodelico Jr. The two participated in a tournament to crown new NWA World Tag Team Champions , but lost to Joey Ryan and Karl Anderson in the final match, a match that also included Billy Kidman and Sean Waltman . On September 22, 2007, Incognito made his first appearance for the Lucha Libre inspired Chikara promotion when he participated in their annual 16-man torneo cibernetico tournament. Incognito
6096-468: The National Wrestling Alliance . Arriaga signed with WWE in 2009 and debuted on the main roster in 2011 as Sin Cara, temporarily replacing the original performer of the character, who coincidentally was also Luis Urive. Following the return of Urive, the two began a storyline, with Arriaga donning a black mask, and was referred to on commentary as Sin Cara Negro . Arriaga subsequently lost a Mask vs. Mask match against Urive and began wrestling unmasked under
6223-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
6350-691: The WWA Middleweight Championship but was stripped of the title in March when he had to stop wrestling in the Tijuana , Baja California area where the World Wrestling Association was based. In early 2004, he began working regularly for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), CMLL's main Mexican rival and had to change his name in order to avoid any type of legal problems. With minor adjustments to his mask and tights, he became known as "Incognito" instead. While he
6477-557: The independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in the United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including
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#17327974916636604-431: The indie circuit or the indies ) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. Independent promotions are essentially viewed as a minor league or farm system for the larger national promotions, as wrestlers in "indie" companies (especially young wrestlers just starting their careers) are usually honing their craft with
6731-431: The spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from the competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on
6858-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
6985-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
7112-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
7239-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
7366-808: The January 6, 2014, episode of Raw . As 2014 progressed, Sin Cara was unsuccessful in winning four battle royals: the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX , a battle royal for the WWE United States Championship in May, a Money in the Bank qualifying battle royal in June and a battle royal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Battleground . Soon after, Sin Cara
7493-723: The Japanese system went back to the two-promotion system, but then the UWF was reformed and another promotion, Pioneer Senshi, was started. Because of Japanese societal mores which implied that a wrestler was a lifelong employee of a company and thus identified with it wherever he went, neither AJPW nor NJPW made an effort to acquire wrestlers trained in other promotions; wrestlers from the major promotions who left, such as Genichiro Tenryu , Gran Hamada , Yoshiaki Fujiwara , Akira Maeda , Atsushi Onita , and Nobuhiko Takada had to start their own independent promotions in order to keep themselves in
7620-501: The June 25 episode of SmackDown , when they teamed with The Prime Time Players in a winning effort against The New Day and Bo Dallas . At SummerSlam , The Lucha Dragons competed in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship which was won by The New Day. At Night of Champions , The Lucha Dragons and Neville were defeated by The Cosmic Wasteland ( Stardust , Konnor and Viktor). At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs , The Lucha Dragons, The Usos and The New Day competed in
7747-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
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#17327974916637874-488: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
8001-540: The North American product are regularly sold out in capital cities such as Melbourne , Sydney , Perth and Brisbane . Lucha libre has many more independent wrestlers in proportion to the rest of North America, because of the weight classes prevalent in the Mexican league system as well as its emphasis on multiple person tag matches; just about anyone with ability can emerge from an independent promotion into either AAA or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and be
8128-658: The November 14 episode of SmackDown Live , Sin Cara failed to win the United States Championship, after being defeated by Corbin. At WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018, Sin Cara competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but failed to win. On the May 29 episode of SmackDown Live , Sin Cara tried to reconnect with Andrade "Cien" Almas only to be blown off. At Extreme Rules on July 15, Sin Cara lost to Almas. On August 15, it
8255-422: The November 4 episode of Raw . After the match, Arriaga asked WWE for future plans and, while several WWE producers didn't answer him, Raw's Executive Director Paul Heyman told him the character of Sin Cara was "dead", which was one of the reasons to leave the company. On the November 11 episode of Raw, Sin Cara was defeated by Drew McIntyre , in what would be his final televised match in WWE. On that same show
8382-547: The October 10 episode of Raw , Sin Cara teamed with Lince Dorado to defeat Tony Nese and Drew Gulak . During the match, it was confirmed that Sin Cara would be competing in the cruiserweight division. At the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 30, Sin Cara participated in a six-man tag team match, teaming with Lince Dorado and Cedric Alexander to defeat Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari . On April 11, 2017, Sin Cara
8509-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
8636-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
8763-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
8890-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
9017-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
9144-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
9271-413: The character. On the September 19 episode of Raw , the impostor Sin Cara attacked the original character prior to his match with Cody Rhodes , but was forced to flee after a brief brawl. On the September 23 episode of SmackDown , the impostor Sin Cara attacked the original version during his match with Daniel Bryan, took his place in the match and pinned Bryan for the win. The following week, he revealed
9398-461: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
9525-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
9652-461: The death of Giant Baba and retirement of Antonio Inoki , which effectively broke their control over the promotions they founded, the major promotions began looking to the smaller promotions for talent. In 2000, the first major signing from an independent, Minoru Tanaka by NJPW from BattlARTS , took place; soon after NJPW stocked the junior heavyweight division with independent talent such as Masayuki Naruse , Tiger Mask , Gedo , and Jado . On
9779-503: The early 2000s under the ring name "Mistico". This masked ring persona may or may not have preceded the in-ring debut of Místico (Luis Urive) in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), but Paco Alonso owned the legal rights to the name "Místico" since 1999 anyway, forcing Arriaga to change his name to "Mystico" or "Mistico de Juarez" to differentiate from the original. On February 2, 2004, he defeated Nicho El Millonario to win
9906-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
10033-553: The end of this period, All Star had effectively replaced Joint (by now owned by Max Crabtree , brother of Shirley) as the dominant promotion in the UK. Joint, renamed Ring Wrestling Stars in 1991, dwindled down before closing with Crabtree's retirement in 1995, All Star has continued to be the dominant non-import live promotion in the UK up to the present day. Its principal competitors since that time have been Scott Conway's TWA, John Freemantle's Premier Promotions, RBW and LDN Wrestling. Since
10160-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
10287-570: The finals. Incognito went on to win the 2008 Rey de Voladores ("King of the Fliers") tournament when he defeated Helios in the finals on May 18, 2008. In April 2009 Incognito made two appearances for Ring of Honor , working on the same shows where his friend Blue Demon Jr. worked. On April 3 he teamed with Chris Hero and Eddie Edwards to defeat Jay Briscoe , Kevin Steen and Magno and on April 4 he teamed with Hero, Edwards and Davey Richards in
10414-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
10541-535: The following SmackDown with Negro attacking Azul. The rivalry culminated at the October 16 taping of SmackDown in Mexico City in a Mask vs. Mask match , where Sin Cara Azul was victorious, unmasking Arriaga after the match. On the October 28 SmackDown , Negro was interviewed by Matt Striker , where he wanted payback for losing to Azul while revealing his name to be Hunico , a name he used in FCW. He also adopted
10668-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
10795-484: The goal of being noticed and signed by a major national promotion such as WWE , All Elite Wrestling (AEW) (which also owns Ring of Honor (ROH)), or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the United States, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico, or New Japan Pro-Wrestling , Dragongate , All Japan Pro Wrestling , World Wonder Ring Stardom or the CyberFight promotions in Japan. It
10922-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
11049-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
11176-533: The independents that were signed included Akitoshi Saito , Takahiro Suwa , and Taiji Ishimori ). Although AJPW, NJPW, and Noah remain committed to their dojos, the reliance on independents is growing as obscure talent is recognized for its ability. For most of the years of ITV 's coverage of British Wrestling, the dominant promoter in the United Kingdom was the Joint Promotions cartel, which
11303-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
11430-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
11557-492: The last mask worn by their father. On April 19, 2020, Arriaga competed in his first match under the Cinta de Oro gimmick, teaming with Pagano to defeat Aéreo and El Hijo Del Impostor at a De Juarez Para El Mundo event. Arriaga has a son and a daughter In November 2016, it was reported that WWE had ordered Arriaga to take anger management classes, following separate altercations with Simon Gotch and Chris Jericho . Arriaga
11684-416: The late 1960s up until the early 2000s and then sporadically until his death in 2009. From 1982 to 1995, Williams had a Welsh language TV wrestling show "Reslo" on S4C. Brian Dixon, a referee for Williams, set up his own company Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead later renamed All Star Wrestling c. 1984 . An alliance with promoter and former top star Jackie Pallo failed to prevent Joint gaining
11811-673: The likes of Ezekiel Jackson , Yoshi Tatsu , and Justin Gabriel. In April, Camacho began regularly teaming with Hunico. In June, Hunico lost to the returning Sin Cara, on the June 4 Raw and at No Way Out . In the pre-show of Money in the Bank , Hunico and Camacho lost to the WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth in a non-title match. At Raw 1000 in July 2012, Hunico, along with Camacho and four other wrestlers attempted to ambush Kane to make
11938-405: The limelight ( Wrestling Association "R" , Universal Lucha Libre , Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi , Fighting Network Rings , Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling , and Hustle respectively) . As the 1990s ended, though, things began to change. Independent promotions began gaining more prominence as they were featured in major specialized media such as Shukan Puroresu and Shukan Gong magazines. With
12065-434: The matches. Arriaga, wearing the Sin Cara mask and using his WWE ring name, saved Pagano from an attack and then announced that he would return in 2020. On December 17, Arriaga announced that he would be changing his ring name to "Cinta de Oro" ("Golden Ribbon"), to continue the legacy of the original performer of the character who died in 2016. The sons of the original performer gave Arriaga permission to do so, and handed him
12192-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
12319-426: The need for an on-site ambulance and trained emergency medical personnel at each bout. After the business was thus exposed and deregulated, just about anyone could be a promoter or a wrestler since no licensing beyond a business license was then required. Many thought they could save money by holding shows in lesser towns and smaller arenas with little to no televised exposure, leading to many shows being held only once
12446-437: The platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of the venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as
12573-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
12700-405: The ring name Hunico . In 2013, after the release of Urive, Arriaga reprised his role as Sin Cara. In contrast to Urive, Arriaga's portrayal of Sin Cara was bilingual due to Arriaga having grown up in the United States , thus knowing how to speak both Spanish and English, and doing so depending on the intended audience, whereas Urive legitimately did not know English. In September 2014, Arriaga won
12827-527: The ring name Místico or Mystico (Spanish for "Mystic") under which he worked for Mexican professional wrestling promotion AAA and various independent promotions in the United States and Mexico. During this time, CMLL wrestler Místico (Luis Urive) grew in popularity, and since CMLL originally owned the legal rights to the character, Arriaga had to change his ring name to Místico de Juarez and later to Incognito , under which he wrestled in promotions like Chikara , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , and
12954-463: The role of Sin Cara for a live event. At the following tapings of SmackDown , Arriaga once again appeared under the mask. On the August 30 episode of SmackDown , Sin Cara defeated Daniel Bryan and attacked Bryan after the match, turning heel for the first time. At the tapings of the September 16 episode of SmackDown , the original Sin Cara made his return, confronting Arriaga's impostor version of
13081-513: The role of Sin Cara from Luis Urive , the former CMLL Místico, who was serving a 30-day suspension for violating WWE's wellness program , and defeated Tyson Kidd . Arriaga reprised his role of Sin Cara the following week, taking part in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship , from which he was the last man eliminated by the winner, Mark Henry . On August 20, Urive took back
13208-534: The same year, following the Pro Wrestling Noah split, AJPW was forced to fill its ranks with independent talent; Nobutaka Araya , Shigeo Okumura and Mitsuya Nagai signed up (Araya is the only one who remains, but other signings since then have been Kaz Hayashi , Tomoaki Honma , Hideki Hosaka , and Ryuji Hijikata .) Noah admitted one wrestler from the independents, Daisuke Ikeda , to its ranks as well (Ikeda has since left, but other wrestlers from
13335-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
13462-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
13589-569: The titles the following day in a rematch. On August 12 Hunico and Epico lost the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship to Johnny Curtis and Derrick Bateman in a three-way match, which also involved the team of Donny Marlow and Brodus Clay . On July 26, 2011, Hunico wrestled in a dark match at the NXT tapings, losing to Justin Gabriel . On the August 12 episode of SmackDown , Arriaga made his WWE debut, taking over
13716-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
13843-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
13970-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
14097-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
14224-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
14351-414: Was aired, Arriaga requested his release from WWE, citing that while grateful about the opportunities that WWE gave him, he felt unappreciated and wanted to expand his career elsewhere. On December 8, WWE officially granted his release and Arriaga departed from the company. On December 14, 2019, at Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide 's annual Guerra de Titanes show, Arriaga made a surprise appearance after one of
14478-525: Was awarded a title shot against Barrett on the taped episode of Smackdown which aired on January 15, but lost the match. On the January 28 episode of NXT , The Lucha Dragons lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy . Sin Cara competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31 , but failed to win the match. The following night on Raw , The Lucha Dragons made their main roster debut as
14605-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
14732-583: Was cut short when Sin Cara suffered a legit injury at Survivor Series , which required surgery. On the December 15 Superstars , Hunico introduced FCW's Donny Marlow (son of Haku ) as his new bodyguard as they rode to the ring in a lowrider bicycle (which would become Hunico's signature entrance). The following week, Marlow's new name was revealed as Camacho. It was revealed that Hunico and Camacho's friendship arose from Hunico once saving Camacho from several attackers, resulting in Hunico being stabbed but biting
14859-405: Was for the NXT Tag Team Championship on the December 11 NXT , where they lost to the defending champions The Ascension . On the December 2, 2013, the Sin Cara character returned to Raw , with Arriaga reprising the character and defeated Alberto Del Rio , and the character experienced a resurgence as he embarked on a winning streak throughout the month. Sin Cara's streak was ended by Del Rio on
14986-563: Was given a new ring persona, an enmascarado (masked) character called "Dos Equis" (after the Dos Equis beer), which was later changed to "Epico", and the team was named Los Aviadores (Spanish for "The Aviators"). On June 3, 2010 Los Aviadores defeated The Uso Brothers to win the Florida Tag Team Championship. On July 15 Los Aviadores lost the tag team titles to Kaval and Michael McGillicutty , but regained
15113-687: Was moved to the SmackDown brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up . On the October 17 episode of SmackDown Live , Sin Cara started a feud with the United States Champion Baron Corbin , but on November 6, Sin Cara revealed on Twitter that he suffered a legitimate leg injury during the European tour against Baron Corbin. However, the injury was not severe and he was cleared to compete shortly afterwards. On
15240-415: Was originally modelled on the NWA and later amalgamated into a single company. Nonetheless, throughout this period, untelevised alternative promotions flourished with at least one significant competitor to Joint for live shows. Initially the main rival was the former dominant promotion in the territory, Atholl Oakley 's BWA. By the time of its demise, wrestler/promoter Paul Lincoln had established himself as
15367-570: Was part of an eight-man team consisting only of masked wrestlers ( Equinox , Las Chivas Rayadas, Lince Dorado , Los Ice Creams and Magno ). The team lost to The Kings of Wrestling . Incognito returned to Chikara in 2008 for a series of appearances. He teamed with El Pantera and Lince Dorado to form the team Los Luchadores de Mexico (Spanish for "the Wrestlers from Mexico") winning Chikara's 28-team King of Trios 2008 tournament when they defeated BLKOUT ( Eddie Kingston , Joker and Ruckus ) in
15494-650: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
15621-526: Was reported that Sin Cara underwent knee surgery. In March 2019, he was cleared to return to in-ring action. At Super ShowDown on June 7, 2019, Sin Cara competed in the 51-man battle royal, but failed to win. As part of the 2019 draft , Sin Cara was drafted to Raw and restarted his feud with Andrade, where he lost against him on the October 21 and 28 episodes of Raw . Sin Cara also allied with NXT wrestler Carolina to face Andrade and Andrade's manager Zelina Vega , but they were defeated by Andrade and Vega on
15748-404: Was sent to NXT , where he formed a tag team with Kalisto known as " The Lucha Dragons ". At NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way , Sin Cara and Kalisto defeated The Ascension ( Konnor and Viktor ) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship , and Arriaga' first title in WWE. After defeating Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett in a non-title match on the January 9, 2015, episode of SmackDown , Sin Cara
15875-602: Was signed to AAA for over a year, Incognito made few wrestling appearances, spending most of his time training in AAA's school to improve his wrestling skills. In 2005, he had left AAA and began working for various independent wrestling promotions on both sides of the US/Mexico border, exploiting the fact that he was a US citizen and spoke English well to get more bookings in the US than most luchadors typically can. Incognito first made
16002-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
16129-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
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