Máscara Dorada (born August 24, 1988) is the ring name 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'' (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 ...
) currently working 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). He is best known for his time in
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
where he performed under 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 ...
Gran Metalik.
His real name has not been officially documented, a tradition in Mexican lucha libre where masked wrestlers' real names often are not a matter of public record. In Mexico and Japan, he is best known for his decade-long stint in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre under 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 ...
"Máscara Dorada". He made his debut in 2005, originally using the masked persona Plata II. He later used the ring name Metalik, holding the local Occidente Welterweight Championship, but abandoned the championship when he adopted the Máscara Dorada character. The "Máscara Dorada" character was the first instance of a regular-sized ''luchador'' being given a character based on a ''
Mini-Estrella
The term ''Mini-Estrella'' (Spanish for "Mini-Star") is used in lucha libre to describe a division of short professional wrestlers or ''luchadors'', some of whom have dwarfism. The Mexican ''Mini-Estrellas'' is comparable to Midget wrestling prac ...
'' as he was introduced after CMLL introduced
Mascarita Dorada
Mascarita Dorada (Spanish: ''Little Golden Mask''; born February 19, 1982), is the ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, who works in the ''Mini-Estrella'' division, comparable to midget wrestling. He ...
in 2007. At one time, Dorada was a quadruple CMLL champion, holding the
Mexican National Trios Championship
The Mexican National Trios Championship (''Campeonato National Trios'' in Spanish) is a three-man tag team professional wrestling championship, sanctioned by the "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (''Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling ...
, the
CMLL World Trios Championship
The CMLL World Trios Championship (Spanish: "''Campeonato Mundial de Trios''") is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico. The title has existed since 1991 and is contested for by teams ...
, the
CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship
The CMLL World Lightweight Championship ( es, Campeonato Mundial de Peso Ligero del CMLL) is a professional wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (professional wrestling)#Nomenclature, world championship promoted by the Consejo Mundial de Luc ...
, and the
CMLL World Welterweight Championship
The CMLL World Welterweight Championship (Spanish: ''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Welter del CMLL'') is a professional wrestling world championship in the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The official ...
at the same time. He has held the CMLL World Welterweight Championship four times. After a decade of working for CMLL in his native Mexico, Dorada worked full-time for the Japanese promotion
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
(NJPW) from January 2015 until returning to CMLL a year later in February 2016.
In the summer of 2016, he competed in the American promotion WWE's
Cruiserweight Classic
The Cruiserweight Classic, formerly the Global Cruiserweight Series, was a professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE. All participants were billed at a weight of 205 lbs or less to determine the inaugural WWE Cruiserw ...
tournament. After the tournament, he signed with WWE and was assigned to their brand
205 Live
''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired exclusively on the WWE Network until March ...
, he has since teamed with
Kalisto and
Lince Dorado
José Cordero (born May 11, 1987) is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent currently signed to Major League Wrestling, where he competes under the ring name Lince Dorado (Spanish for Golden Lynx), and is the current MLW Midd ...
as part of
Lucha House Party
Lucha House Party was a professional wrestling stable and later tag team that consisted of Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado.
It was originally formed as a trio consisting of cruiserweights Kalisto, Metalik and Dorado on the 205 Live brand in 2018. ...
. They were promoted to the ''Raw'' brand in November 2018, but was moved to the
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
brand in October 2019. He would depart WWE in November 2021 after requesting his release and subsequently returned to the independent circuit.
Early life
He was born on November 3, 1988, in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
,
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.
[ Since he has not been unmasked by losing a '']Lucha de Apuestas
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 ...
'' ("Bet match"), his given name is not a matter of public record. The secrecy around masked wrestlers is a large part of ''lucha libre
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 ...
'' tradition, with Mexican newspapers not reporting masked wrestlers real names.
Professional wrestling career
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2005–2016)
Early career (2005–2008)
He made his professional wrestling debut on July 14, 2005,[ after training with ]Gran Cochisse
Juan José Barrón Medina (born September 22, 1952) is a retired Mexican ''Luchador'', or professional wrestler, under the ring name Gran Cochisse. Barrón is currently working as one of the head trainers at the ''Gimnasio del Diablo Velazco'' w ...
and 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 l ...
.[ His initial ring persona was that of Plata II,] a copy of the original Plata that wrestled in the early to mid-1990s. His run as Plata II was brief as he was repackaged as ''Metalik'', a variation of the "metal-based" look that he had used as "Plata II". As Metalik he worked mainly 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 ...
's (CMLL; Spanish for "World Wrestling Council") Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
branch, getting experience while working on a local level. On April 13, 2008, the CMLL bookers had Metalik defeat El Depredador to become the Occidente Welterweight Champion. About a month later, Metalik won his first-ever Luchas de Apuestas
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 ...
match, winning the hair of Jeque.[ Metalik was entered in the 2008 '' Torneo Gran Alternativa'', where a newcomer teams up with a veteran, and he teamed up with ]Dos Caras Jr.
José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
to make it to the finals before losing to Último Guerrero
José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexico, Mexican (or Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...
and Dragón Rojo Jr.
Máscara Dorada (2008–2016)
In 2007, CMLL signed Mascarita Sagrada 2000 but were not allowed to call him that as a rival promotion owned the trademark to the name. Instead, CMLL chose to repackage the mini luchador as ''Mascarita Dorada''. The gimmick and the wrestler proved so successful, that in the fall of 2008, CMLL announced that they were creating a "large" version of Mascarita Dorada. Traditionally the minis were often patterned after existing Luchadors, but this time the mini was created before the "regular-sized" luchador.[ On November 7, 2008, Metalik was repackaged and made his debut as Máscara Dorada ("Golden Mask"), helping his team defeat the trio of Averno, ]Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.
Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film
* Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...
, and Ephesto
Ephesto (born June 10, 1965) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado (Spanish for "masked professional wrestler"). Ephesto's real name has not been officially documented, a tradition in Mexican lucha libre where masked wrestlers' real names often are n ...
. CMLL stripped Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...
of the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship
The CMLL World Lightweight Championship ( es, Campeonato Mundial de Peso Ligero del CMLL) is a professional wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (professional wrestling)#Nomenclature, world championship promoted by the Consejo Mundial de Luc ...
and announced that a tournament to crown the new champion would take place on April 7, 2009. On the night Máscara Dorada won a '' Tornero Cibernetico'' outlasting nine other wrestlers to become the CMLL Super Lightweight Champion. Since he held a CMLL title, Dorada was entered into CMLL's inaugural "Universal Championship" tournament but was eliminated in the first round by Black Warrior. On December 19, 2009, it was announced by the ''Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F.'' that ''Poder Mexica
Poder Mexica (Spanish for "Mexican Power") is a professional wrestling stable currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The stable was founded in December 2008 and consists of Sangre Azteca and Misterioso, Jr. Black Warrior an ...
'' (Black Warrior, Sangre Azteca
Sangre Azteca (Spanish for "Aztec Blood") (born October 5, 1975) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler is primarily known for his work for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Sangre Azteca's real name is not ...
, and Dragón Rojo Jr.) had been stripped of the Mexican National Trios Championship
The Mexican National Trios Championship (''Campeonato National Trios'' in Spanish) is a three-man tag team professional wrestling championship, sanctioned by the "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (''Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling ...
because Black Warrior had left CMLL. At the same time, they announced an eight-team tournament to crown a new trios champion. The top half of the bracket took place on December 22, 2009, and the bottom half of the bracket took place on December 29. In the top bracket, Máscara Dorada teamed with Stuka Jr.
Omar Alvarado García (born July 17, 1974) better known by his ring name Stuka Jr. is a Mexican second-generation ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, who works for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mund ...
and Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
for the first time and defeated ''Los Guerreros Tuareg
''Los Guerreros Tuareg'' (Spanish for "The Tuareg Warriors") was a Mexican professional wrestling group, called a stable that worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as a ''rudo'' (term used for wrestlers who portray the "Bad guys") facti ...
'' (Arkangel de la Muerte
Alfredo Pasillas (July 16, 1966 – June 13, 2018) was a Mexican luchador and enmascarado (masked) professional wrestler, best known for his work in the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the rin ...
, Loco Max
Edgar Gabriel Morales Correa, better known under the ring name Loco Max (born March 10, 1972, in Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'', or masked professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently on the Me ...
, and Skándalo
Skándalo (Born in 1982 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) portraying a ''rudo'' ...
) in the first round and ''Los Cancerberos del Infierno
''Los Cancerberos del Infierno'' (Spanish for "The Infernal Cerberusses" or "Infernal Hellhounds") is a villainous Mexican professional wrestling stable, currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The group works as a ''rudo'' ( ...
'' (Virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...
, Euforia, and Pólvora
Pólvora (born July 19, 1979) is the ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador'' '' Enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler best known for his work in the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Pólvora's r ...
) in the second round to qualify for the finals. The bottom bracket took place on December 29, 2009, and the team of the new ''Poder Mexica'' (Sangre Azteca, Dragón Rojo Jr., and Misterioso Jr.
Misterioso Jr. (Birthdate unknown) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, who is also referred to as Misterioso II. Misterioso Jr. is the nephew of Misterioso who wore a similar mask until losing it in 1997. Mist ...
) qualified for the final.
Máscara Dorada, Stuka Jr., and Metro defeated ''Poder Mexica'' in the finals of the tournament to become the new Mexican National Trios Champions, making Dorada a double champion. Later that month Máscara Dorada teamed up with Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
to participate in CMLL's '' Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles'' ("National Amazing Pairs tournament"), a tournament where CMLL teams up a ''Tecnico'' (Dorada) and a ''Rudo'' (Atlantis) for a tournament. The two defeated Dragón Rojo and La Sombra
La Sombra de Chicago or La Sombra de Tony Guerrero or even the Windy City Boys is a Tejano band founded by Tony Guerrero. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, the group gained national acclaim and success after moving to Corp ...
in the opening round, 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 ...
and Máximo in the second round, and Místico
Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...
and Averno in the semi-final to earn a spot in the final of the tournament. During the tournament Atlantis wore his old ''Tecnico'' white mask, acting and wrestling a tecnico style. Dorada and Atlantis defeated Negro Casas
José Casas Ruiz (born January 10, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler (called a ''Luchador'' in Spanish) and trainer working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Negro Casas. He is the son of former wrestler turn ...
and La Máscara
Felipe de Jesús Alvarado Mendoza (born January 8, 1982) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler best known by the ring name La Máscara for his time working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) and was the co-founder and leader of '' ...
in the finals two weeks later to win the tournament.
On May 14, 2010, Máscara Dorada teamed up with La Sombra and La Máscara to defeat the then CMLL World Trios Champions
The CMLL World Trios Championship (Spanish: "''Campeonato Mundial de Trios''") is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico. The title has existed since 1991 and is contested for by teams ...
''La Ola Amarilla
''La Ola Amarilla'' (Spanish for "The Yellow Wave") was a professional wrestling group, also known as a stable in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The group was founded in 2005 for Japanese-born wrestlers, often wrestlers touring CMLL thro ...
'' (Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...
, Okumura, and Taichi
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Ta ...
) in a non-title match to earn a shot at the titles the following week. One week later the trio defeated ''Ola Amarilla'' again, ending the Japanese trios title reign after just two weeks.[ By virtue of holding three CMLL championships, Máscara Dorada participated in the 2010 Universal Championship tournament. Stuka Jr. was part of "Block A" that competed on the July 30, 2010, Super Viernes show. He was the first wrestler eliminated in the seeding battle royal and then defeated his Mexican National Trios Championship partner Stuka Jr. in the first round of the actual tournament. Máscara Dorada was eliminated in the second round, losing to Último Guerrero.] On September 7, 2010, Dorada defeated Negro Casas to win the CMLL World Welterweight Championship
The CMLL World Welterweight Championship (Spanish: ''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Welter del CMLL'') is a professional wrestling world championship in the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The official ...
, making him a quadruple CMLL champion, the first-ever in the history of the promotion.[ On November 18, 2010, Dorada announced that he was relinquishing his hold of the Mexican National Trios Championship, which Metro and Stuka Jr. would continue to hold with a new partner.
Máscara Dorada's reign as CMLL World Welterweight Champion ended during the 2011 '']Fantastica Mania
''Fantastica Mania'', sometimes spelled as ''Fantasticamania'', is a series of annual professional wrestling major show co-promoted by Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wre ...
'', a CMLL and New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
co-promoted event, as he lost to Ryusuke Taguchi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, seven-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and three-time NEVER Op ...
. A month later Máscara Dorada and Atlantis defeated Blue Panther and Dragón Rojo Jr. in the finals to win the '' Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles'' for the second year in a row. On April 7 Dorada vacated the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship to move up to the middleweight division. After Dorada returned from Japan with the CMLL World Welterweight Championship, ''La Generación Dorada'' lost the CMLL World Trios Championship to ''Los Hijos del Averno'' (Averno, Ephesto and Mephisto), On November 11, 2012, Dorada lost the CMLL World Welterweight Championship to Pólvora during CMLL's Sunday night event in Arena Mexico
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
.
Dorada defeated Negro Casas to win the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship
The NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Historico de Peso Welter de la NWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship governed by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). CMLL had held the NWA World Welte ...
for the first time during the summer of 2013. On June 16, Dorada and his new ''Los Estetas del Aire'' ("Air Aesthetes") stable, formed with Místico
Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...
and Valiente, won the CMLL World Trios Championship. Dorada's reign as the NWA World Historic Welterweight Champion ended in the fall of 2013 as he lost the championship to Volador Jr. On March 28, 2014, ''Los Estetas del Aire'' also lost the CMLL World Trios Championship.
In January 2015, Dorada defeated Negro Casas in the finals of a tournament to win the CMLL World Welterweight Championship for the third time. Later in the month, through CMLL's relationship with NJPW, Dorada signed a one-year contract with NJPW, leaving his Mexican home promotion.[ He returned to CMLL and had his first match in Mexico in over a year in February 2016. Three months after his return to CMLL Dorada's fourth reign as the CMLL World Welterweight Champion ended when Mephisto defeated him for the championship.] On November 11, 2016, Dorada wrestled his last match for CMLL, teaming with Atlantis and Diamante Azul
DMT Azul (born December 20, 1982) is the best known ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador Enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. Azul is best known for his time in Mexican professional w ...
to defeat Bárbaro Cavernario
Leonardo Moreno Ayala (born November 6, 1993), better known by his ring name Bárbaro Cavernario, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler), currently working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He po ...
, El Felino
Jorge Luis Casas Ruiz (born March 22, 1964), better known by his ring name El Felino ("The Feline"), is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler) working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Casas started ...
and Negro Casas.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2010–2016)
Various appearances (2010–2014)
In May 2010 Máscara Dorada and Valiente traveled to Japan to participate in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's first-ever Super J Tag Team tournament, marking Máscara Dorada's Japanese debut. In the first round of the tournament, they lost to Ryusuke Taguchi and Prince Devitt
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
in just under eight minutes. In November 2010 Máscara Dorada and La Sombra took part in New Japan's five-day-long Super J Tag League. After winning two out of their four matches in the group stage, Sombra and Dorada finished third in their block, missing the finals of the tournament. Dorada and Sombra returned to New Japan on January 4, 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, where they defeated Jushin Thunder Liger
, better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...
and Héctor Garza
Héctor Solano Segura (June 12, 1969 – May 26, 2013) was a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Héctor Garza. During his career he worked for various major Mexican professional wrestling promotions such as Consejo ...
in a tag team match.
Dorada returned to New Japan in April of that year teaming with Tama Tonga
Alipate Aloisio Leone (born October 15, 1982) is a Tongan-American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tama Tonga (タマ・トンガ ''Tama Tonga''). He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known a ...
to defeat Liger and King Fale
Simi Taitoko Fale (born 8 January 1982) is a Tongan-New Zealand Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former rugby union player. He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as . In NJPW, he is a List of NEVER Openweight 6-M ...
in a tag team match. Dorada worked a majority of the tour as a ''rudo'', teaming with members of the Chaos
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional elements
* Chaos (''Kinnikuman'')
* Chaos (''Sailor Moon'')
* Chaos (''Sesame Park'')
* Chaos (''Warhammer'')
* Chaos, in ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy''
* Cha ...
stable. At Wrestling Dontaku 2011
Wrestling Dontaku 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2011, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center. The event featured 10 matches, 4 of ...
, Dorada unsuccessfully challenged Liger for the CMLL World Middleweight Championship. Dorada's extended tour of New Japan also included participation in the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors tournament in late May-early June. Dorada managed to win four out of his eight matches in the round-robin stage of the tournament, which included wins over Liger and CMLL World Welterweight Champion Ryusuke Taguchi and finished sixth out of the nine wrestlers in his block. On June 18 at New Japan's Dominion 6.18 show, Dorada defeated Taguchi to regain the CMLL World Welterweight Championship. Three days later Dorada entered the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament, teaming with IWGP Heavyweight Champion
The was a professional wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's gov ...
Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, better known by his mononymous ring name Kushida. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as Impact Wrestl ...
, with the team defeating Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrestli ...
, Gedo
Gedo ( so, Gedo, Maay: ''Gethy'', ar, جيذو, it, Ghedo or ''Ghedu'') is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in Jubaland, southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. It was created in 1974 and is bordered by the Ogaden in E ...
, and Jado
(born September 28, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as part of a tag team with his partner Gedo. Jado and Gedo's careers have largely para ...
in their first-round match. The following day the trio was eliminated from the tournament in the second round by Giant Bernard
Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and American football, professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando ...
, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Karl Anderson
Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980), better known by the ring name Karl Anderson, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), whe ...
. Dorada's tour of New Japan ended the following day, when he, Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G ...
, Tiger Mask
is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...
, and Wataru Inoue
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Professional wrestling career
Inoue made his debut on New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1999. He aligned himself with New Japan Junior Seikigun, a face ...
were defeated in a ten-man tag team match by Chaos (Dick Togo
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable, and its sub-group House of Torture.
Togo has spent the majority of ...
, Gedo, Jado, Masato Tanaka
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) in Japan where he was a one-time FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WEW World Heavyweight Champion and in Ext ...
, and Yujiro Takahashi
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its sub-group House of Torture.
Takahashi entered New Japan in November 2003 with an extensive amateur backgr ...
).
On January 4, 2012, Dorada returned to New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome
was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2012. It was the 21st January 4 Toky ...
, where he teamed with Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA and Tiger Mask to defeat Atlantis, Taichi, Taka Michinoku
(born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for the ...
and Valiente in an eight-man tag team match. Dorada returned to Japan to take part in the ''Fantastica Mania 2012
''Fantastica Mania'' 2012 was the name of two professional wrestling major shows produced that took place on January 21 and January 22, 2012 in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event was the second ever co-promoted events between Japanese New J ...
'' events, teaming with Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
losing to the team of Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii and ...
and KUSHIDA on the first night. The second night, Dorada successfully defended the CMLL World Welterweight Championship against KUSHIDA.
In January 2013, Dorada returned to Japan to take part in the three-day ''Fantastica Mania 2013
''Fantastica Mania'' 2013 is the name of three professional wrestling major shows that took place on January 18, 19 and 20, 2013 in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event was the third ever co-promoted events between Japanese New Japan Pro-Wres ...
'' event. During the first night on January 18, he teamed with La Máscara and Máximo in a six-man tag team match, where they were defeated by Taichi, Taka Michinoku, and Volador Jr.
Ramón Ibarra Rivera (born January 26, 1981), better known by his ring name Volador Jr., is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'' (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ''Face (professional ...
The following night, Dorada and Diamante
A diamanté (also spelled diamante) is a glittering ornament, such as an artificial jewel (e.g. a rhinestone) or a sequin.
Diamante may also refer to:
Places
Argentina
* Diamante, Entre Ríos, a ''municipio'' in Diamante Department
* Diamante ...
were defeated in a tag team match by Mephisto and Okumura. During the third and final night, Dorada took part in a twelve-man ''torneo cibernetico
A ''torneo cibernetico'' is a multi-man professional wrestling elimination match that was created and primarily used in Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotions, especially in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The match format ...
'', from which he was the eighth man eliminated by Yoshi-Hashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as Yoshi-Hashi (stylized in all capital letters), where he is a former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion alongside Hirooki Goto. As well as a former NE ...
and which was eventually won by Tomohiro Ishii
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He also makes additional appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work with the independent Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling ( ...
. Dorada returned to New Japan on September 23, 2013, working the entire tour opposite the Bullet Club
(stylised as BULLET CLUB), sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In the United States, the group currently appears on NJPW events run by the c ...
stable, which also included his fellow CMLL worker Rey Bucanero
Arturo García Ortiz (born July 19, 1974) is a Mexican ''luchador'' or 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 ki ...
. Dorada's tour concluded on September 29 at the Destruction
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger
* Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism
* Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
, where he pinned Bucanero in an eight-man tag team match, where he teamed with Captain New Japan
is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He is best known for his two stints with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and a brief stint with World Wrestling Council (WWC).
Hirasawa wrestled as a fall guy, under the mask superhero, .[Togi Makabe
, better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time ...]
, and Tomoaki Honma
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a former one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time World Tag League winner with Togi Makabe.
Professional wrestling career
Big Japa ...
against Bucanero, Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, and Tama Tonga. Dorada returned to Japan in January 2014, when he took part in the five-day ''Fantastica Mania 2014
''Fantastica Mania'' 2014 was a series of five professional wrestling events co-produced by Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) taking place between January 15 and 19, 2014 ...
'' tour. The tour concluded on January 19 with a main event, where Dorada unsuccessfully challenged Volador Jr. for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship. From April to July 2014, Dorada worked an extended tour with New Japan, which included a two-day tour of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, the Wrestling Dontaku 2014
Wrestling Dontaku 2014 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2014, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center. The event featured ten matches (incl ...
tour, the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors, where he finished with a record of three wins and four losses and thus missed the semifinals of the tournament, and the Kizuna Road 2014 tour. On October 25, 2014, Dorada returned to NJPW, teaming up with Bushi for the 2014 Super Junior Tag Tournament. The team lost to reDRagon (Bobby Fish
Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed Era ...
and Kyle O'Reilly
Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Hono ...
) in the first round. Dorada remained with NJPW until November 8.
Full-time contract (2015–2016)
In January 2015, Dorada returned to Japan to take part in the ''Fantastica Mania 2015
The ''Fantastica Mania'' 2015 event was a series of six professional wrestling events in Japan, co-produced by the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and took place bet ...
'' tour, during which he and Atlantis won the Fantastica Mania 2015 Tag Tournament. Dorada's participation in the tour was built around a rivalry with La Sombra, which culminated in a singles match between the two on January 19, where La Sombra was victorious. During the final event, Dorada announced he had signed a one-year contract with NJPW. After doing interviews suggesting the unification of his CMLL World Welterweight Championship and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may ho ...
, Dorada entered the IWGP title picture by challenging reigning champion Kenny Omega
Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...
on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka
The New Beginning is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2011 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view ...
. He received his title shot at Invasion Attack 2015
Invasion Attack 2015 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on April 5, 2015, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan and featured nine matches, four of which were contested f ...
but was defeated by Omega. The following month, Dorada entered the 2015 Best of the Super Juniors. He finished third in his block with a record of five wins and two losses, failing to advance to the finals of the tournament. On December 19, Dorada lost the CMLL World Welterweight Championship to Bushi following outside interference from Bushi's ''Los Ingobernables de Japón
(Spanish for "The Ungovernables of Japan" and often spelled without the accent as ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' in English-speaking countries), also shortened to ''L.I.J.'', is a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based in the New Japan ...
'' stablemate Evil
Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...
. He regained the title from Bushi on January 22, 2016, at ''Fantastica Mania 2016
''Fantastica Mania'' 2016 was a series of six professional wrestling events in Japan, co-produced by the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which took place between J ...
''. Dorada's final match under his NJPW contract took place two days later.
WWE (2016–2021)
Cruiserweight division (2016–2018)
On June 13, 2016, WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
announced Dorada, under the ring name Gran Metalik, as a participant in the upcoming Cruiserweight Classic
The Cruiserweight Classic, formerly the Global Cruiserweight Series, was a professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE. All participants were billed at a weight of 205 lbs or less to determine the inaugural WWE Cruiserw ...
tournament. In a subsequent interview, he revealed that he was only working the Cruiserweight Classic matches with WWE and was still full-time with CMLL beyond that and he credited Finn Bálor
Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (), and is a member of The Judgment Day.
Devitt is widely known for his ten ...
, who worked as Prince Devitt in NJPW, as being the reason he was invited to the tournament. The tournament began on June 23 with Metalik defeating Alejandro Saez in the first round match. He later defeated Tajiri in the second-round match. The following day, it was reported that he had signed a full-time contract with WWE. On August 26, Metalik defeated Akira Tozawa
Akira Tozawa (戸澤 陽, ''Tozawa Akira'', born July 22, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and WWE 24/7 Champion, winning the ...
to advance at the semifinals. On the last day of the tournament, Metalik defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
Lucas Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), better known by his ring name Zack Sabre Jr. (Katakana: ザック・セイバーJr, ''Zakku Seibā Jr.''), is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Outsid ...
to advance to the finals, before losing to T.J. Perkins in the finals.
Following the tournament, Metalik began working in the cruiserweight division, appearing on the Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
shows. On the September 19 episode of ''Raw'', Metalik worked his first match on the main roster, competing in a fatal four-way match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, also involving Cedric Alexander
Cedric Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand.
Alexander worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010 until 2016. He started as part of C&C Factory, a ...
, Rich Swann
Richard Allen Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Cham ...
, and The Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrestl ...
to determine the number one contender for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at Clash of Champions
''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). ...
, which Kendrick won. On the February 14, 2017 episode of ''205 Live
''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired exclusively on the WWE Network until March ...
'', Metalik made his debut the on the brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
, defeating Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and an eight-time ...
. On the September 5 episode of ''205 Live'', Metalik competed in a number one contender's five-way elimination match for the Cruiserweight Championship, but was the second person eliminated from the match. On the October 31 episode of ''205 Live'', Metalik was part of a Halloween Fright Night Fatal Four Way match that was won by Mustafa Ali
Adeel Alam (born March 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Mustafa Ali.
Prior to signing with WWE, Alam worked on the independent circuit after ...
.
Lucha House Party (2018–2021)
In early 2018, WWE decided to have the three masked luchadors of the 205 Live roster, Metalik, Kalisto, and Lince Dorado
José Cordero (born May 11, 1987) is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent currently signed to Major League Wrestling, where he competes under the ring name Lince Dorado (Spanish for Golden Lynx), and is the current MLW Midd ...
, band together and become a regular team, later dubbed the Lucha House Party. As part of their gimmick, the luchadors started to carry brightly colored noisemakers
A noisemaker is something intended to make a loud noise in music, noise, usually for fun. Instruments or devices commonly considered "noisemakers" include:
* pea whistles
* air horns, composed of a pressurized air source coupled to a horn, design ...
and vuvuzela
The vuvuzela is a horn, with an inexpensive injection-molded plastic shell about long, which produces a loud monotone note, typically around B♭ 3 (the first B♭ below middle C). Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and ...
horns with them, using them to celebrate after a victory. They also carried a brightly colored Piñata
A piñata (, ) is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico. The idea of breaking a container filled ...
donkey with them to the ring, which they referred to as "Penelope". Their first match as a full trio took place on January 23, 2018, episode of ''205 Live'', as they defeated Ariya Daivari, TJP, and Tony Nese
Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Professional wrestling career
Indep ...
. At the Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
, Lucha House Party defeated TJP, Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and an eight-time ...
, and Gentleman Jack Gallagher
Oliver Westfield Claffey, better known by the ring name Jack Gallagher, is an English professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed on the NXT and 205 Live brands, mostly under the ring ...
. In early 2018, WWE held a tournament for the vacant WWE Cruiserweight Championship, where Metalik was eliminated in the opening round by eventual tournament winner Cedric Alexander.
On the November 12 episode of ''Raw'', Lucha House Party competed against a number of non-Cruiserweight teams for the first time since WWE put them together, as they competed in a battle royal against Raw tag teams such as Bobby Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery.
Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...
and Chad Gable
Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chad Gable. He is a four-time tag team champion in ...
, The B-Team (Bo Dallas
Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
and Curtis Axel
Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...
), Heath Slater
Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...
and Rhyno
Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his second ...
, The Ascension (Konnor (wrestler), Konnor and Viktor (wrestler), Viktor), and The Revival (professional wrestling), The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson (wrestler), Scott Dawson). At the Survivor Series (2018), Survivor Series, Lucha House Party was part of Team Raw in a five on five team elimination match, that was won by Team SmackDown. In subsequent weeks, Lucha House Party was part of a storyline with The Revival, where the latter claimed to be "tag team purists" and as such objected to Lucha House Party being allowed to compete as a tag team when there was three of them. In the following weeks, Lucha House Party defeated The Revival in various three-on-two, or three-on-one matches billed as "Lucha House Rules" matches as part of the storyline. On the February 4, 2019 episode of ''Raw'', The Revival finally defeated Lucha House Party as part of a fatal four-way match to earn a match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship at a later date. In June, Lucha House Party began a feud with Lars Sullivan, with the trio losing to Sullivan via disqualification in a three-on-one handicap match at Super ShowDown (2019), Super ShowDown. The following night on ''Raw'', Lucha House Party was again defeated by Sullivan, this time in a three-on-one handicap elimination match. Later that month, Lucha House Party returned to 205 Live, losing to The Singh Brothers (Sunil and Samir) when the brothers cheated to win the match. The illegal actions led to a "Tornado tag team match" the following week between the two teams. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorada defeated the brothers to even the score. Metalik and Dorado were one of eight teams that competed in a Gauntlet match to determine who would get a match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode won the match, with the Lucha House Party being the third team eliminated from the match. The Lucha House Party's next major show appearance was on October 31, 2019. as they participated in the World Cup Tag Team Turmoil match at the 2019 Crown Jewel (2019), Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia. The duo was the first team eliminated from the match, just under six minutes after the opening bell.
On October 11, Lucha House Party was drafted to SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand as part of the 2019 WWE Draft. Their first appearance under the Smackdown brand was on November 24, as they participated in a pre-Survivor Series (2019), Survivor Series tag team Battle royal (professional wrestling), battle royal, where they were the second team eliminated. In March 2020, Lucha House Party became involved in the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship picture, as they were one of six teams in a tag team Elimination Chamber match at the 2020 Elimination Chamber (2020), Elimination Chamber PPV. While the team did not win, they were able to perform several high risk, high flying moves to make them stand out. The following month Gran Metalik and Lince Dorada defeated former tag team champions The Miz and John Morrison on Smackdown as part of a storyline that led to a Fatal 4-way match, Fatal 4-Way championship match at the 2020 Money in the Bank (2020), Money in the Bank show, with Lucha House Party, The Forgotten Sons and the Miz and Morrison challenging reigning champions The New Day (professional wrestling), The New Day (Big E (wrestler), Big E and Kofi Kingston). On the July 24 episode of ''SmackDown'', Metalik won a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Intercontinental Championship, but failed to capture the championship after was defeated by A.J. Styles, AJ Styles the following week.
As part of the 2020 WWE Draft, 2020 Draft in October, both Metalik and Dorado were drafted to the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand, splitting them from Kalisto, who remained on the SmackDown brand. On the 30 December episode of ''NXT'', Metalik and Dorado appeared and defeated Legado del Fantasma. He issued a challenge to NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar following the match. Their match was scheduled for NXT: New Year's Evil (2021), NXT: New Year's Evil with the Cruiserweight title on the line. At the event, Escobar beat Metalik. On January 13, it was announced that Dorado and Metalik would be competing in the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated Imperium (professional wrestling), Imperium in the first round, but were eliminated in the second round by Legado del Fantasma.
On September 22, it was reported that Metalik requested for his release from the company due to "lack of opportunities". On November 4, Metalik was officially released from WWE.
All Elite Wrestling (2022)
On 19th September 2022 Metalik (under the name Mascara Dorada) appeared on All Elite Wrestling, AEW AEW Dark: Elevation, Dark Elevation where he defeated Serpentico in a singles match.
Ring of Honor (2022)
On December 10, 2022 Dorada was defeated by Jeff Cobb during the Final Battle (2022), Final Battle Pre-show.
Professional wrestling style
Whether working as Metalik, Máscara Dorada, or Gran Metalik, he generally portrays a Face (professional wrestling), face, the professional wrestling term for the protagonists of the storylines.[ He is known for performing a high-risk, high-flying version of '']lucha libre
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 ...
'',[ exemplified by his frequent use of dives out of the wrestling ring. One such dive is the ''Brillo Metalik'', which is a Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Somersault, somersault Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Suicide, suicide Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Diving senton, senton, where he leaps through the top rope and flips onto an opponent on the floor.] During his time in Mexico, he used a variation of the dive known as the ''Brillo Dorada'', where he would springboard off the second rope and jump over the top onto an opponent on the floor.[ Despite his accustomed style, his finishing move is a Professional wrestling throws#Samoan driver, Samoan driver, where he lifts an opponent up on his shoulders before slamming them down to the ground, referred to as the ''Metalik Driver'' in WWE,] and the ''Dorada Screwdriver'' previously.
Other media
As Gran Metalik, he made his video game debut as a playable character in ''WWE 2K18'' and has since appeared in ''WWE 2K19'', ''WWE 2K20''. and WWE 2K22
Personal life
During a 2016 interview with ''Lucha World'', he revealed that he was the father of two young girls. His immediate family still resides in Guadalajara, Jalisco. He has relatives living in Los Angeles, California while Dorada himself lived in Mexico City.[ He welcomed his third daughter on November 5, 2018.
]
Championships and accomplishments
* 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 World Super Lightweight Championship
The CMLL World Lightweight Championship ( es, Campeonato Mundial de Peso Ligero del CMLL) is a professional wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (professional wrestling)#Nomenclature, world championship promoted by the Consejo Mundial de Luc ...
(CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship, 1 time)
** CMLL World Trios Championship
The CMLL World Trios Championship (Spanish: "''Campeonato Mundial de Trios''") is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico. The title has existed since 1991 and is contested for by teams ...
(List of CMLL World Trios Champions, 2 times) – with La Sombra
La Sombra de Chicago or La Sombra de Tony Guerrero or even the Windy City Boys is a Tejano band founded by Tony Guerrero. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, the group gained national acclaim and success after moving to Corp ...
and La Máscara (wrestler), La Máscara (1) and Místico
Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...
and Valiente (1)[
** ]CMLL World Welterweight Championship
The CMLL World Welterweight Championship (Spanish: ''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Welter del CMLL'') is a professional wrestling world championship in the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The official ...
(List of CMLL World Welterweight Champions, 4 times)
** Mexican National Trios Championship
The Mexican National Trios Championship (''Campeonato National Trios'' in Spanish) is a three-man tag team professional wrestling championship, sanctioned by the "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (''Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling ...
(List of Mexican National Trios Champions, 1 time) – with Diamante Azul, Metro and Stuka Jr.
Omar Alvarado García (born July 17, 1974) better known by his ring name Stuka Jr. is a Mexican second-generation ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, who works for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mund ...
** NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship
The NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Historico de Peso Welter de la NWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship governed by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). CMLL had held the NWA World Welte ...
(NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship#Title history, 1 time)
** Occidente Welterweight Championship (1 time)
**CMLL World Trios Championship Tournament
** CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles (CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles (2010), 2010, CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles (2011), 2011) – with Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
**CMLL World Welterweight Championship Tournament
** Torneo Corona – with La Sombra
La Sombra de Chicago or La Sombra de Tony Guerrero or even the Windy City Boys is a Tejano band founded by Tony Guerrero. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, the group gained national acclaim and success after moving to Corp ...
** CMLL Trio of the Year (2010) – with La Sombra and La Máscara
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
** Fantastica Mania Tag Tournament (2015) – with Atlantis
*''Pro Wrestling Illustrated''
**Ranked No. 130 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2018
*WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
**WWE 24/7 Championship (List of WWE 24/7 Champions, 1 time)
''Luchas de Apuestas'' record
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gran Metalik
1988 births
Living people
Mexican male professional wrestlers
Masked wrestlers
Unidentified wrestlers
Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan
Professional wrestlers from Jalisco
People from Guadalajara, Jalisco
WWE 24/7 Champions
21st-century professional wrestlers
Mexican National Trios Champions
CMLL World Lightweight Champions
CMLL World Trios Champions
CMLL World Welterweight Champions
NWA World Historic Welterweight Champions