El Solar (born May 26, 1956 in
Zacoalco de Torres
Zacoalco de Torres, formerly Zacoalco ( nah, Tzacoalco; "place of closed water"), is a town and municipality in Jalisco, Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 491.27 km2. It is the primary production region of the ''equipal''-style wood a ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
) is the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
of a Mexican ''
Luchador
Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...
enmascarado'', or masked
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
who has been working in Mexico since 1975. El Solar'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.
His brother works as El Solar II and his son has been wrestling as
El Hijo del Solar since 2008.
Professional wrestling career
El Solar trained under Toño Cruz and the brother team known as Los Calaveras prior to his in-ring debut in 1975.
The masked Solar quickly gained a reputation for being a very talented mat wrestler and was noted for his innovative and complex submission holds that he would employ during matches.
Early in his career he worked for
Universal Wrestling Association
The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Lucha Libre Internacional (LLI) ...
(UWA), one of the two main wrestling companies in Mexico at the time. On May 29, 1977 El Solar defeated
Villano III
Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler who performed under the ring name Villano III (in Spanish Villano Tercero). Díaz was a second-generation wrestler, son of ''luchador'' Ray Mendoza an ...
to win the
UWA World Welterweight Championship
The UWA World Welterweight Championship is a championship in professional wrestling that is primarily contested for in various Lucha Libre promotions in Mexico. In 1993, the championship was recognized by the Japanese professional wrestling promoti ...
, his first professional wrestling championship.
[ During that period of time the UWA teamed El Solar up with Súper Astro and Ultramán to form a very popular high flying trio known as ''Los Cadetes del Espacio'' ("The Space Cadets").] On July 16, 1978, 413 days after he won the UWA World Welterweight Championship, El Solar lost the title to Bobby Lee.[ In 1978 or 1979 El Solar's younger brother made his wrestling debut as "Solar II", wearing almost identical ring gear and mask of his brother, with the debut El Solar often became known as "Solar I" to reduce confusion, even when he did not work in the same wrestling promotion as his brother.][ On May 29, 1981 El Solar won a tournament for the vacant ]Mexican National Middleweight Championship
The Mexican National Middleweight Championship ''()'' is a professional wrestling championship controlled by the ' (Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission). The official weight definition of the middleweight division in Mexico is from . The ...
, holding the title for 147 days before losing it to El Satánico
Daniel López López (born October 26, 1949) is a Mexican '' luchador'' (professional wrestler) and trainer, best known under the ring name El Satánico (Spanish for "The Satanic One"). He was originally an ''enmascarado'' (masked wrestler), but ...
.[ On November 2, 1985 he defeated ]Cachorro Mendoza
Pedro Jacobo Contreras (born October 10, 1955) is a semi-retired Mexican ''Luchador'' or professional wrestler best known under the ring name Cachorro Mendoza. Cachorro Mendoza means "Cub Mendoza" in English and refers to the fact that he is the ...
to win the UWA World Middleweight Championship
The UWA World Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship originally created and sanctioned by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) fro ...
, a title he would vacate in 1986 due to an injury.[ He would later also hold the ]UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
The UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundia de Peso Semicompleto Junior UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship that was originally promoted by the Mexican lucha libre professional wrestling) promot ...
in the UWA, his last championship with the promotion before it closed.[ In 1992 he became the first ever UWF Super Middleweight Champion, but only held the title for four days before losing it to ]Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
.
In 1994 El Solar began working for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre ( professional wrestling) promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply AAA (pronounced "triple A"; an abbreviation of its ...
(AAA), which had taken over the UWA's position as one of the two largest promotions in Mexico. In AAA he was given a new ring character, outfit and mask, becoming "El Mariachi" complete with a traditional sombrero and playing the trumpet as part of his entrance. He was teamed up with El Charro and El Mexicano to form the trio ''Los Folkloricos'' in AAA. The trio worked together in AAA before all three left AAA.[ Following his stint at El Mariachi he resumed working as El Solar, working regularly for ]Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...
(CMLL), Mexico's other major promotion. In CMLL he formed a team known as ''Los Soles de la Maldad'' ("The Evil Suns") teaming with El Hijo del Solitario
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...
.[ In the early 2000s El Solar worked primarily on the Mexican ]Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
, especially wrestling against another seasoned pro, Negro Navarro
Negro Navarro (born June 12, 1957) is the ring name of Miguel Calderón Navarro, a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler. Navarro works as a Freelancer on the Mexican independent circuit as well as making regular appearances for Inter ...
, wrestling in a "Maestro Series" all over Mexico, drawing crowds with their "old school" matches.[ As part of their "Maestro Series" Solar introduced the South America Championship, a championship not backed by a promotion as such, but used to give an added air of prestige to matches between himself and El Solar. In 2008 El Solar was instrumental in the debut of his son, working as El Hijo del Solar (The Son of Solar). In 2011 Negro Navarro and El Solar began fighting over the FLMM Masters Championship, trading it back and forth on several occasions. El Solar was also one of the featured wrestlers in the short lived ]Lucha Libre USA
''Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors'' is an American Lucha Libre promotion and television program on the MTV2 broadcast channel, chronicling the rise of Mexican-style wrestling, or lucha libre, in the United States. The first episode was aired on ...
show that ran for two seasons on MTV2
MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global.
The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
, including winning the Lucha Libre USA Heavyweight Championship.[ On January 18, 2013 El Solar worked for ]International Wrestling Revolution Group
International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish; the Spanish name is used for the promotion while the English initials are used for the title governing body) is a Lucha Libre promotion based in Naucalpan, S ...
(IWRG) and participated in their annual '' El Protector'' tournament, a tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
tournament where an experienced veteran is teamed up with a rookie wrestler for the night. El Solar teamed up with Saruman, losing to Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
and his son El Hijo del Pantera
El Hijo del Pantera[El Hijo del Pantera](_blank)
CAGEMATCH 2014年7月12日閲覧 (born 18 December 1991) is a ...
in the first round. On May 3, 2015 he was part of IWRG's 2015 ''Festival de las Mascaras'' show, a show honoring legends of Lucha Libre, where he teamed up with Pantera I and Pantera II to defeat Canis Lupus
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
, Eterno and Negro Navarro. In early May it was announced that El Solar would be the third member of "Team MexLeyendas" in AAA's Lucha Libre World Cup
The ''Lucha Libre'' World Cup was an annual professional wrestling tournament and event organized by Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) from 2015 until 2017. The first two tournaments, which featured three-man ...
tournament, teaming up with Blue Demon Jr.
Blue Demon Jr. (born July 19, 1966) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is the adopted son of the original Blue Demon and is the first Mexican and the second masked wrestler to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship thus making him a one- ...
and Dr. Wagner Jr.
Juan Manuel González Barrón (born August 12, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador'' (Spanish for "professional wrestler") who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner Jr., having used that name since 1987. He is the son of Manuel González Rivera ...
Championships and accomplishments
*Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...
:*Mexican National Middleweight Championship
The Mexican National Middleweight Championship ''()'' is a professional wrestling championship controlled by the ' (Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission). The official weight definition of the middleweight division in Mexico is from . The ...
( 1 time)
*International Wrestling Revolution Group
International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish; the Spanish name is used for the promotion while the English initials are used for the title governing body) is a Lucha Libre promotion based in Naucalpan, S ...
:*Copa Higher Power
The ''Copa Higher Power'' (Spanish for "Cup of Higher Power") is an annual tournament promoted by the Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group
International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grup ...
: 1998 - with Mr. Niebla
Efrén Tiburcio Márquez (February 22, 1973 – December 23, 2019), known under the ring name Mr. Niebla, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado ( Spanish for masked professional wrestler) who worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). "Ni ...
, El Pantera
''El Pantera'' (English: ''The Panther'') is a Mexican television series that aired on Canal 5 from May 14, 2007 to November 26, 2009. It is based on a comic book of the same name. It narrates the life of Gervasio, a young man who fights crime ...
, Shocker, Star Boy and Mike Segura
Miguel Angel Nava (born July 29, 1969) is a Mexican Luchador, or professional wrestler best known under the ring name, Mike Segura. North American fans knows Nava under the name Super Nova from his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
*Lucha Libre USA
''Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors'' is an American Lucha Libre promotion and television program on the MTV2 broadcast channel, chronicling the rise of Mexican-style wrestling, or lucha libre, in the United States. The first episode was aired on ...
:* Lucha Libre USA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Mexican Independent Circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
:*Americas Middleweight Championship (1 time)
:*FLLM Masters Championship (3 times, current)
:*UWF Super Middleweight Championship (1 time)
*Universal Wrestling Association
The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Lucha Libre Internacional (LLI) ...
:*UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
The UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundia de Peso Semicompleto Junior UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship that was originally promoted by the Mexican lucha libre professional wrestling) promot ...
( 1 time)
:*UWA World Middleweight Championship
The UWA World Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship originally created and sanctioned by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) fro ...
( 1 time)
:*UWA World Welterweight Championship
The UWA World Welterweight Championship is a championship in professional wrestling that is primarily contested for in various Lucha Libre promotions in Mexico. In 1993, the championship was recognized by the Japanese professional wrestling promoti ...
( 1 time)
*World Wrestling Association
The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ''luchadores'' a ...
:*WWA Middleweight Championship
The WWA Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato de peso Medio WWA'' in Spanish) is a secondary professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling-based promotion World Wrestling Association (WWA) since 1987. The off ...
( 1 time)
''Luchas de Apuestas'' record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solar, El
1956 births
Mexican male professional wrestlers
Masked wrestlers
Living people
Professional wrestlers from Jalisco
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
Mexican National Middleweight Champions
UWA World Welterweight Champions
UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Champions
UWA World Middleweight Champions