Black Warrior

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Black Warrior

Name Black Warrior Real name Jesus Toral Lopez Nicknames El Black, el Dennis Rodman de la lucha libre, El Rey del Tope, La Saeta del Ring Name history Destroyer (G. Palacio, debut - 85), Camorra (EMLL, 85 - 88), La Máscara (UWA, 88 - 91), Bronce (EMLL, 91 - 05/92), Super Star (AAA, 05/92 - 10/92), Dragón de Oro (AAA/PROMELL, 10/92 - 07/94, 02/95 - 08/95), Bali (AAA, 07/94 - 02/95), Vegas (I; AAA, 09/95), Black Panther (EMLL, 10/95 - 05/96), Black Warrior (05/96 - ) Family Warrior Jr. (son), Blue Panther (uncle), Héctor López (uncle), Blue Panther Jr. (cousin), The Panther (cousin), Mano Negra (father-in-law), Mano Negra Jr. (brother-in-law), Zanelly (sister-in-law) Maestro(s) Halcón Suriano, Asterión Birth date, location January 7, 1969 - Torreón, Coahuila Obituary date January 10, 2023 (aged 54) Debut, location January 22, 1984 - Gómez Palacio, Durango Lost mask to Mistico - September 29, 2006 - Arena Mexico Height 5'11"/180 cms Weight 198 lbs/90 kg Signature moves El Nudo Lagunero, Catapult Facebuster, Tope of Death, Asai Moonsault(inside ring), Flying Legdrop, Top Rope Frankensteiner, flying elbowdrop, Slingshot Legdrop Titles: Distrito Federal Trios Titles (as Bronce, w/ Oro & Plata), NWA World Light Heavyweight Title (2), CMLL World Trios Titles (3, w/ Blue Panther & Dr. Wagner Jr. - Los Laguneros, w/ Atlantis & Mr. Niebla, w/ Rayo de Jalisco Jr. & Canek), 4th Annual Leyenda de Plata Tournament Champion, NWA World Middleweight Championship, Mexican National Trios Championship (2) (1 w/Dragon Rojo Jr. & Sangre Azteca and 1 w/Volador Jr. & Mr. Águila), IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (w/Warrior Jr.)

Notes

Began his career as a local wrestler in Torreon and eventually made it to Mexico City where he (jokingly) became the man of 1,000 gimmick as over his first 4 years he managed to use at least 8 different gimmicks. They included some over-the-top hilarious ones like Bali (a flying monkey from India - given to him because AAA had conquered a time slot on a hindi sport network and needed some "local" stars), Vegas (a ripoff half-Million Dollar Man, half-gambler gimmick he inherited from Mr. Mexico) and Black Panther (since he was Blue Panther's nephew). It wasn't until he became Black Warrior that he achieved any sort of success. He won the mask of the original Bronco and cemented his status as one of the top midcard youngsters in CMLL along with Shocker (his main rival), Mr. Niebla & Rey Bucanero. The group got over huge on CMLL's first tour of Japan in early 1997 and were invited back many times. Warrior also worked for Michinoku Pro Wrestling in their mask tournament in 1999.

He made his first of many tecnico turns in September of 2001 after winning the Leyenda de Plata over Black Tiger. Warrior's tecnico turns were many and usually didn't last long as they always suffered from the same problem - he would be getting cheers as a rudo because he worked a very tecnico style so the company would turn him tecnico except the fans didn't want to see him as a tecnico, they only wanted to cheer him as a rudo. This mistake would be repeated by CMLL at least three times between 2001 and 2006.

Warrior was CMLL World Trios Champion twice as a tecnico, but neither reign had much value. The Leyenda de Plata win was part of his tecnico turn, but the final was a disappiontment.

After a mostly forgettable tecnico period - big push to start, but got lost in the shuffle - Black Warrior returned to the rudo side in 2006. Warrior, at least under that name, had much more career success as a rudo, and actually stepped out of character and requested the promotion allow him to go rudo in the pages of the Box Y Lucha magazine in 2005.

Warrior turned rudo after two failed chances at the Averno's & Mephisto's CMLL World Tag Team Championship with partner Mistico early in 2006. In the first match, Mistico accidently collided with Black Warrior on a dive in the third fall of the match, causing Warrior to get eliminated. Warrior was still angry about that weeks later, during the second title match, and ended up snapping on Mistico during the match, costing his team the match.

Black Warrior was able to snatch the NWA World Middleweight Championship from Mistico (on the second try). They would feud for the better part of a year, culminating in a mask vs mask match. At the CMLL 73rd Anniversary show, in September 2006, Black Warrior would lose his mask to Mistico. In his post-match unmasking he claimed to be born in 1971.

Warrior's career has leveled off since his unmasking. He had many follow-up matches with Mistico and established himself as a main eventer but that's about it. He soon developed a reputation for no-showing matches and was used less regularly. In late 2007 he lost his hair for the first time in his career in a bizarre tag match involving Shocker, Lizmark Jr. and Rey Bucanero. Whereas most wrestlers are disapointed to lose their hair, Warrior was visibly happy and actually celebrated after the match.

2008 was not a good year for Warrior as he works less and less main events and eventually got suspended in the middle of the year for no-showing a string of events. The feud with CMLL management hit the press as Warrior complained about lack of opportunities in the promotion. He was eventually brought back near the end of the year and formed a seemingly random trio with Dragon Rojo Jr. and Sangre Azteca - the Poder Mexica. The group got a huge push right off the bat and within 2 months of forming managed to capture the Mexican National Trios Titles. However, in typical CMLL fashion, after winning the belts they rarely teamed up and his partners even teamed up with Misterioso II for a shot at the CMLL World Trios Titles during another short suspension for Warrior. The group seems to team up more often these days and are especially over in Arena Puebla where they have their own cheering section.

Left CMLL in 2009, frustrated with the lack of promotion, and appeared with the Perros del Mal on that year's TripleMania. (Everyone else wore black, Warrior wore the whitest outfit he could find.) Wrestled a bit for Perros and AAA before just disappearing off the radar. Made a return as a rudo to CMLL in 2011 and was pushed for a time as an ally of Los Invasores, again winning the Mexican National Trios Titles. Seemed to lose enthusiasm after that title reign came to an end and was slowly phased out. Announced his retirement in 2013 after an indy show, though it's always possible he could return.

Black Warrior's signature bullet tope - fast and hard - is as self-identifying as any move in CMLL. Everyone does topes, but Warrior clearly has the best. The rest of Warrior's work is inconsistent as best; he seems to be a fine trios wrestlers, but has problems keeping the story of a singles match together.

Luchas de apuestas record

Date	Apuesta	Winner(s)	Loser(s)	Arena and/or Place
??/??/??	hair	Black Warrior	Impala	unknown
1996/07/19	mask	Black Warrior	Bronco	Arena México - Mexico City
1997/??/??	mask	Black Warrior	Super Elektra	Los Angeles, CA, USA
2000/09/30	mask (1)	Black Warrior	Brazo de Platino	Salon-Arena México - San Luis Potosí, SLP
2006/09/29	mask	Místico	Black Warrior	Arena México - Mexico City
2007/12/07	hairs	Shocker & Lizmark Jr.	Black Warrior & Rey Bucanero	Arena México - Mexico City
2009/10/16	hair	Yujiro	Black Warrior	Arena Mexico
2012/06/01	hair	Rey Escorpión	Black Warrior	Arena Mexico
17/06/25	hairs	Pirata Morgan, Hijo del Pirata Morgan & Black Warrior	Oficial 911, Oficial Fierro, Oficial AK-47	Arena Naucalpan
17/07/23	hair	Carístico	Black Warrior	Arena Naucalpan
(1) Cage match

Gallery

as Destroyer

as Cammora

as La Mascara

as La Mascara

vs Blue Panther

as Bronce

as Bronce vs. Felino 1992

as Superstar

as Dragon de Oro

on bottom as Bali

as Bali

Dragon de Oro

as Vegas

as Black Panther

as Superstar

2000

2006, masked

Diseño Luchas 2000