The Top Ten 5.29.07: Latino Wrestlers

Morning people, how are you all doing? Good, I hope. Welcome back to another edition of The Top Ten and I hope you all took a little time yesterday to remember all the brave men and women who gave up their lives to protect this country. This week we’re going to look at The Top Ten Latino Wrestlers of all-time. I got the idea to do it due to WWE 24/7 having Latino Legends month all throughout May. WWE 24/7 is seriously the greatest channel ever invented by man. If they took away ever other channel in the world, but left 24/7, I’d be perfectly fine with that. Ok, enough of me blowing 24/7, let’s get into this week’s list. There’s no feedback this week due to me wanting to go get some BBQ grub, but it’ll be back next week. List Time!

The Top Ten Latino Wrestlers

Honorable Mention: Mistico
Mistico may be fairly new to the wrestling industry, but there have been few people who have become so insanely popular in such a short span of time as Mistico. He has become the #1 draw in all of Mexico and is almost single-handedly pulling in huge crowds to see him perform. His popularity is so huge that at a recent show that he was unable to perform in due to injury, the people in the crowd almost rioted until Mistico drove in to make an appearance to calm them down. That’s absolutely crazy because I doubt you would see any WWE fans riot because John Cena couldn’t make a show. Mistico’s in-ring ability and connection with the fans are sure to keep him a mainstay for years to come and if (or rather when) he joins up with the WWE, it’s only going to be a matter of time until he achieves worldwide recognition ala Rey Mysterio.

Honorable Mention: Juventud Guerrera
When you talk about Juventud Guerrera, one of the first things that might come to your mind is wasted potential. As the son of Mexican wrestling legend, Fuerza Guerrera, Juventud was even better in the ring than his pops and many even considered him to be the best new talent in the early 90’s, even more so than Rey Mysterio. His unforgettable matches against the likes of Ultimo Dragon, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Billy Kidman and Blitzkrieg demonstrated just how supremely talented The Juice was. Unfortunately, attitude problems frequently stunted Juvi’s growth and that’s a damn shame because he had all the talent to be much higher up on this list.

10) Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales may not have been one of the most talented in-ring performers to ever come from Latino decent, but his popularity with the fans and success in the ring were undeniable. Pedro was the first Latino to ever win the WWE Title and was also the first Triple Crown winner in the WWE (winning the WWE Title, Intercontinental Title, and Tag Team Title). He was frequently one of, if not the, most popular wrestler on any wrestling card during the 70’s and early 80’s. The pop that Pedro got when he defeated Ivan Koloff for the WWE Title in 1971 is still one of the loudest I’ve ever heard to this day. You can say all you want about Pedro’s wrestling abilities, but when it came to garnering the public’s interest and giving the crowd what they wanted, few did it better than Pedro Morales.

9) Tito Santana
Arriba! Tito Santana’s popularity with the fans was off-the-charts and he could put on one hell of a show in the ring. He was the first ever WWE Intercontinental Champion of Mexican decent and his battles over that IC Title with the likes of Don Muraco, Greg Valentine and Macho Man Randy Savage are classic. He also was a tag team specialist and won the tag titles on two occasions with different partners, one being Ivan Putski in 1979 and the other being Rick Martel in 1987. Tito’s success in the ring and popularity outside of it made him one of the most beloved superstars in WWE history and he will be remembered fondly for a long time by anybody who has ever seen him perform.

8) Blue Demon
The Blue Demon is a certified legend in the annals of Mexican wrestling and is often referred to as one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers to ever live. He started his career in 1948 and had many memorable showdowns with other legends like El Santo and Rayo de Jalisco. He was also part of one of the most famous tag teams in Mexican wrestling history, along with The Black Shadow. The Demon was also able to expand in other ventures outside of wrestling and became pretty successful from starring in horror and action films. The Blue Demon is probably the least well-known out of all the early Latino legends of wrestling, but there is no denying that his contributions to the sport were just as important as his more famous counterparts.

7) Konnan
If you only know Konnan from his WCW and TNA days, you’re probably thinking why the hell is Konnan on this list. If you know about all his contributions in CMLL, AAA and other Hispanic promotions, you’d fully understand why Konnan is placed so highly on this list. Konnan was the first ever CMLL Heavyweight Champion and helped to bring prestige to the Heavyweight division in an era where luchadors were the featured attraction. He also became the first ever AAA Heavyweight Champion and his popularity in Mexico was so immense that he was also a television and recording star on top of being a wrestler. Even to this day, when Konnan returns to Mexico, he draws huge crowds and gets a tremendous amount of respect from the fans. Konnan was frequently thought of to be the Hulk Hogan of Mexican wrestling due to his crossover appeal and unbelievable popularity with the crowd (whether he was a heel or face).

6) Perro Aguayo
Perro Aguayo was one of the biggest draws in Mexican wrestling during the 70’s and 80’s and even had some great feuds in the 90’s. He spent the majority of his career as a heel (or rudo) and was one of the most despised men in all of wrestling. That hatred soon turned to respect after fans realized all the entertainment that Perro had provided for them over the years and he soon became one of the most beloved figures in Lucha Libre. During his career, Aguayo held various titles including the AAA Heavyweight Championship, the UWA Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Championship as well as the WWA Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Championship. He also trained his son, Perro Aguayo, Jr., who is now one of the biggest stars in Lucha Libre. Perro’s contributions to the world of Mexican wrestling have been well-documented and there is good reason why he is so revered by many other wrestlers to this day.

5) Gory Guerrero
When you talk about men who are respected throughout the entire wrestling industry, Gory Guerrero has to be one of the first names mentioned. He made his debut in 1943 as a part of the EMLL promotion and was named Rookie Of The Year after having many classic matches. His feud with Cavernario Galindo in 1945 is considered to be one of the first great feuds in professional wrestling. Gory’s contributions inside the squared circle are legendary enough, but the fact that his sons became such great wrestlers only increase his legend. Mondo, Hector, Chavo Sr, Chavo Jr, and Eddie helped to continue the Guerrero legacy and made it into one of the most respected families in all of pro wrestling. Just the fact that Gory gave us Eddie Guerrero makes him deserve a spot on this list, but the man was no slouch himself when it came to getting it done in the ring.

4) Rey Mysterio, Jr.
Rey Mysterio is one of the wrestlers to be most accredited for bringing the high-flying, lucha libre style of wrestling to America. Rey was a huge star in Mexico, wrestling under the ring name Colibri, until he eventually was discovered in The States by Paul Heyman and brought to ECW. In ECW, he instantly gained popularity with the fickle ECW crowd by putting on some wild, high-flying contests against Psicosis. His matches in ECW got him noticed by WCW and in 1996, he joined Turner’s clan and put on some absolutely breathtaking matches with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Ultimo Dragon, and Juventud Guerrera. He stayed with the company until it was bought out in 2001 and joined with the WWE a year later. In the WWE, Rey attained his greatest successes by becoming a multiple time Cruiserweight Champion, Tag Team Champion and even World Heavyweight Title. His classic matches with great wrestlers like Chavo Guerrero Jr, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Eddie Guerrero further cemented his superstar status. Rey Mysterio helped prove that size doesn’t matter and he has become an inspiration to many smaller wrestlers to show them that anything is possible through hard work.

3) Mil Mascaras
The Man Of A Thousand Masks is one of the most influential and important wrestlers in the history of Mexican wrestling. If you ask any Latino wrestler nowadays who one of their biggest influences were, I think that Mil Mascaras would be one of the first names out of their mouths. He debuted in 1965 and had many memorable feuds early in his career with the likes of Ernie Ladd, John Tolos, The Destroyer, and Kantaro Hoshino. He would compete for the WWE in the 1970’s by facing men like Superstar Billy Graham and was the first man ever allowed to compete in Madison Square Garden wearing a mask since there was a ban at the time against masked wrestlers. He would continue wrestling all the way into the 90’s and even competed in the 1997 Royal Rumble. Few wrestlers have ever been to influence as many people as Mil Mascaras and I believe it’s only a matter of time until this man gets the recognition he deserves and gets inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

2) El Santo
When you talk about iconic, legendary figures, you really don’t have to look any further than El Santo. The man has often been referred to as the biggest legend in Mexican sports history which is a huge compliment considering the amount of great baseball and soccer players that have come out of Mexico. He made his wrestling debut in 1934 and began wrestling under the name El Santo in 1942. He soon became the biggest draw all throughout Mexico. His popularity became so vast that he soon had his own comic book and became a bona fide movie star. He would continue wrestling and doing movies until 1982 and would die two years later, buried with his famous silver mask on. El Santo was one of the first crossover stars in the world of pro wrestling and his popularity within Mexico is rivaled by very few people.

1) Eddie Guerrero
Even before his untimely death, I always felt that Eddie Guerrero was not only one of the best Latino wrestlers I’d ever seen, but one of the best wrestlers I’d ever seen PERIOD. Eddie had it all, he had the charisma, the mic skills, the humor, the intensity, and the in-ring ability. He could make you love him one second and then hate him the next. Even if you wanted to boo him you couldn’t because his in-ring skills were so phenomenal, that you had to give the man props. Eddie debuted in 1987 and wrestled for various promotions including NJPW, AAA, ECW, WCW, ROH and finally WWE. He has had so many classic matches over the years that it is virtually impossible to list them all. His bouts with Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, El Hijo Del Santo, RVD, Edge and Kurt Angle have become the stuff of legend. The man was a god in the ring and commanded it with the kind of confidence that only someone as skilled as him deserved to have. Even a bad Eddie Guerrero match was still highly entertaining. The “Lie, Cheat, Steal” gimmick was one of the best during the modern age of wrestling and everytime I saw Eddie try to steal a match by framing his opponent, I would laugh my ass off. He is truly missed, but at least he gave us all those great memories before his passing for us to remember him forever by.

Drive-By Pimpin’

Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:

-Andy Clark’s “Shimmy”
-Ari’s “Column Of Honor”
-Sean, Alex and David’s “Triple Threat”
-Bayani’s “Truth B Told”
-Weyer’s “Shining The Spotlight”
-Byers’ “Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People”
-Larry and Geoff’s “4R’s”
-Fact Or Fiction
-O’Dog’s ” Goodness”
-Sat and Uncle Trunx’s “High Road/Low Road”
-Phill Feltham’s “Quick Talkdown”
-Sarnecky’s “Piledriver Report”
-Slimmer’s News Report
-Hidden Highlights
-Carapola’s “That Was Then” and “Friendly Competition”
-The Fink’s Payload
-Gamble’s “Just ‘Spose”
-Cook’s “Ask 411”
-Meehan’s “Meethinks”
-Sforcina’s “Evolution Schematic”
-Prag’s “In Defense Of?.”
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Sullivan’s “Crystal Ball”
-Randle’s “Wrestling News Experience”
-Joe Boo’s “Ringside Or Cheap Seats”
-Linkous’ “Why I Love Wrestling”
-Double M’s Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn’s Rawtopsy, Smackdown Breakdown, & ECW eXperience
-Your News, Larry’s Views
-Zac Calhoun’s “The Ripple Effect”
-Joe Estee’s “Keys To The Game”
-Halden’s “You’re An Idiot And Here’s Why”
-Buy……OR SELL!!

The Sign-Off

We’re done here folks. Be sure to send in all your feedback and come back next week when the topic will be The Top Ten Hardcore Matches. Until then, go wash your ass!