John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American

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 o ...

and former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. He is currently signed non-exclusively to

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, 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 ...

(NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッキー・ロメロ　''Rokkī Romero''). Rivera is known for his tenure as the fourth incarnation of

Black Tiger A black tiger is a rare colour variant of the tiger, and is not a distinct species or geographic subspecies. Description There are reports and one painting (now lost) of pure black non-striped tigers (true melanistic tigers). Most black mammal ...

and for his accomplishments as a tag team wrestler. He was member of tag teams like The Havana Pitbulls/Los Cubanitos,

No Remorse Corps No Remorse Corps (often abbreviated to N.R.C.) was a professional wrestling stable, made up of Davey Richards, Rocky Romero and Roderick Strong. The stable worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) between 2007 and 2008, with Richards and Romero capturing t ...

Forever Hooligans Forever Hooligans was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero. They are best known for working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where they are former two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. They have al ...

, and

Roppongi Vice Roppongi Vice (sometimes stylized as RPG Vice) is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Baretta and Rocky Romero who currently compete for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They are best known for their work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (N ...

. Rivera made his in-ring debut on September 13, 1997 and over the years portrayed several different characters, including the masked characters Havana Brother I, Black Tiger and Grey Shadow and has wrestled extensively in Mexico (for both

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 ...

and Lucha Libre AAA World Wide). In the United States he is most known for his work with

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

and was one of the featured wrestlers for

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 ...

. As a singles wrestler, Romero won the

CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship The CMLL World Lightweight Championship ( es, Campeonato Mundial de Peso Ligero del CMLL) is a professional wrestling world championship promoted by the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), a Mexican '' Lucha Libre'' wrestling promotion (fran ...

on three occasions, 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 ...

(as Black Tiger) and the

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Created in 1945, the title is competed for by junior heavyweight wrestlers. History The first NWA World Junior ...

. In the tag team division, he is a former three-time

ROH World Tag Team Champion The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...

and a record eight-time

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junior ...

. Romero's wrestling style incorporates stiff shoot-style kicks and multiple armlock variations resembling

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

, competing in lucha libre style events in Mexico early in his career.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1997–2009)

Rivera made his wrestling debut in 1997, using the ring name Rocky Romero. He was trained by Antonio Inoki at the NJPW Dojo in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His career has taken him through promotions in the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

region to Mexico, where he competed successfully for

(CMLL), the world's oldest wrestling promotion, and in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

where he has worked most notably in

, (NJPW) where he was chosen to become the fourth incarnation of

, the villainous

gaijin is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese citizens in Japan, specifically being applied to foreigners of non-Japanese ethnicity and those from the Japanese diaspora who are not Japanese citizens. The word is composed of two kanji: and ...

opponent of

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 ...

(in this case

Tiger Mask IV is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for being the fourth man to portray . He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he is a former 6-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and 2-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team ...

). On October 8, 2005, Romero, as Black Tiger, defeated Tiger Mask for the

. After a four-month reign, Tiger Mask regained the title from his nemesis. Romero made his debut in

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...

on March 4, 2007, versus Mushiking Terry, casting into doubt the future of the Black Tiger persona. Romero, however, did compete as Black Tiger in August 2007 in Chikara to compete for the

against champion

Mike Quackenbush Michael Spillane (born March 18, 1976), is an American podcaster, author, professional wrestling trainer, professional wrestling promoter, and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mike Quackenbush. He has hosted several ...

. At NJPW's Resolution '09 on April 5, Romero lost in a mask vs. title match against Tiger Mask, thus ending his role as Black Tiger.

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2003–2004, 2008)

In late-2003, Romero began working for

in Mexico, using the name "Havana Brother I, he would team up with Havana Brother II and Havana Brother III to form a three-man team known as ''Los Havana Brothers''. A few months later ''Los Havana Brothers'' began working as Rocky Romero, Pinoy Boy and Bobby Quance respectively. On September 12, Romero became CMLL's first-ever World Super Lightweight Champion after defeating Volador Jr. in a tournament final. On November 14,

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 ...

defeated Romero to win the championship, signaling the exit of ''Los Havana Brothers'' for the time being. In late 2004 Romero made a surprise return to CMLL and defeated Virus to regain the championship. After the title win he left CMLL again, occasionally defending the championship in Southern California. In 2005, local wrestler Tommy Williams won the Super Lightweight Championship but Romero regained it in January 2006. At that point the championship became inactive, with no mention of it. In early-2008, Romero returned to CMLL and began working under the name "Grey Shadow", a masked gimmick, without CMLL openly acknowledging that it was Romero under the mask. No official references were given to his past with CMLL, nor any mention of the fact that Romero was a CMLL World Super Lightweight Champion.

Ring of Honor (2004–2005, 2007–2010)

Romero's main exposure in the United States came while he was one-half of the

Havana Pitbulls The Havana Pitbulls was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Rocky Romero and Ricky Reyes, who worked for Ring of Honor as a member of The Rottweilers. They also worked for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Empire Wrestling Federation, Ultimate ...

tag team, with partner

Ricky Reyes Reyes Nunez (born August 28, 1978), better known by the ring name Ricky Reyes, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is known for his appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, World Wrestling Council, Lucha Underground and va ...

, in

where he and Reyes set a record for the longest reign as

ROH Tag Team Champions The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. The championship was created and debuted on September 21, 200 ...

at 196 days, a record they held until 2005 when it was eclipsed by the team of

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...

and

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...

. While in ROH, he and Reyes were also members of

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

's stable,

The Rottweilers The Rottweilers were a professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor led by Homicide. The Rottweilers were known for their disrespect towards the Code of Honor and often used cheap tactics to win matches. History The Rottweilers started out as ...

. He left the company at the end of 2005 to focus on working in Japan. He returned on January 26, 2007 by defeating Davey Richards. The following evening, Romero walked out on his longtime partner Reyes in the midst of a match against the

Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin "Jay" Pugh) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh). They are known for their 19-year tenure with the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). and ...

. On March 31, Romero was introduced as the newest member of the

. Romero and new stablemate Davey Richards lost to Jack Evans and

Naruki Doi is a Japanese wrestler for Dragon Gate. He also wrestled for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA); in the former promotion, he was a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Shingo Takagi. Career Toryumon Doi debuted in ...

. Rocky Romero has been touring with Noah recently and is currently teaming with

Atsushi Aoki was a Japanese professional wrestler who worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as a wrestler, president of talent relations and head trainer at their dojo. Aoki began his career in Pro Wrestling Noah in 2005, where he went on to become a two ...

in the NTV Jr Heavyweight Cup. He also made his debut for Antonio Inoki's new promotion the Inoki Genome Federation defeating El Blazer. On January 26, 2008, Romero teamed with Davey Richards and defeated the teams of

The Age of the Fall The Age of the Fall was an American professional wrestling stable, primarily in Ring of Honor and its sister promotion Full Impact Pro, but also in other independent promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. History Ring of Honor 2007 ...

(

Tyler Black Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...

and

Jimmy Jacobs Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He was recently signed to Impact Wrestling as a member of the creative team and producer. He is best known for his 1 ...

), Austin Aries and

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...

, and

Brent Albright Brent Albright (born November 28, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, during which he appeared on ''SmackDown!'' as Gunner Scott. Aside from WWE, Albright is a o ...

and

B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestler, producer, trainer, and color commentator. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. He is bes ...

in an Ultimate Endurance match to capture the World Tag Team Championship. Romero and Richards later lost the titles to the Briscoe Brothers, and Romero later left ROH in mid-2008 to once again compete in Mexico. He returned at

Final Battle 2009 Final Battle 2009 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which was only available online. It took place on December 19, 2009 from the Manhattan Center in New York City. Nine matches were aired live ...

, where he won a match against rival Alex Koslov. They had a rematch on March 26, 2010, in Arizona during

WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...

weekend, which Koslov won.

Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (2008–2010)

On October 5, 2008, Romero jumped from CMLL to rival promotion Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA). He made his surprise debut at the promotion's television taping in

Puebla, Puebla Puebla de Zaragoza (; nah, Cuetlaxcoapan), formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, formerly Puebla de los Ángeles during colonial times, or known in English simply as Puebla, is the seat of Puebla Municipality. It is the capital and largest city ...

and was announced as a member of

Sean Waltman Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names 1–2– ...

's D-Generation MEX stable at the show. On July 4, 2010, Romero turned ''

rudo Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants. It is f ...

'' and joined ''

La Legión Extranjera La Legión Extranjera (Spanish for "The Foreign Legion") was the main Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración heel group, though loosely affiliated. It was a catch all for one time and irregularly scheduled foreign heels, working as Konnan's hired ...

'' instead. However, just four days later it was reported that Romero had left AAA, after the company had asked him to take a pay cut.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (2010–present)

Return; No Remorse Corps (2010–2012)

On October 12, 2010, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that Romero would return to the promotion in November, teaming with Davey Richards in the Super J Tag League, as a member of the promotion's top heel stable, Shinsuke Nakamura's

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 ...

. The five-day-long tournament ended on November 13, with Romero and Richards winning their block and advancing to the finals, where they were defeated by their Chaos team mates

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 ...

and

Gedo Gedo ( so, Gedo, Maay Maay, Maay: ''Gethy'', ar, جيذو, it, Ghedo or ''Ghedu'') is an administrative region (''States and regions of Somalia, gobol'') in Jubaland, southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. It was created in ...

. On May 3, 2011, Romero and Richards unsuccessfully challenged

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 ...

and

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 ...

for the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Juni ...

. On October 10, 2011, at

Destruction '11 Destruction '11 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on October 10, 2011, in Tokyo, at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event featured eleven matches (including one dark mat ...

, Romero and Richards defeated Devitt and Taguchi in a rematch to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the first time. Romero and Richards made their first successful title defense on November 12 at

Power Struggle In political science and political history, the term power vacuum, also known as a power void, is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has repla ...

, defeating the team of

Kushida is a Japanese professional wrestler and former 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 Wrestling. He is best known for his tenure in NJP ...

and Tiger Mask. On December 23, Romero unsuccessfully challenged Prince Devitt for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. On January 4, 2012, 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 ...

, Romero and Richards lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to Devitt and Taguchi.

regained the title from

Apollo 55 was the professional wrestling tag team of Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi. One of the most accomplished junior heavyweight tag teams in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) history, the team held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship ...

on February 12 at The New Beginning. On May 2, Romero and Richards were stripped of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, after travel issues forced Richards to miss the following day's Wrestling Dontaku 2012 event, where the two were scheduled to defend the title against

Jyushin 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 Tiger Mask.

Forever Hooligans (2012–2015)

Romero soon reunited with his former AAA partner

Alex Koslov Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovan-born retired professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov. Koslov has mainly worked in Mexico from 2005 until 2008 ...

. On July 22, the team, dubbed "

", defeated Liger and Tiger Mask to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Romero and Koslov made their first successful title defense on August 26 at a Sacramento Wrestling Federation (SWF) event in

Gridley, California Gridley is a city in Butte County, California, United States, south of Chico, California and north of Sacramento, California. The 2019 State of California population estimate was 7,224. California State Route 99 runs through Gridley and Inters ...

, defeating the team of A.J. Kirsch and Alex Shelley. Forever Hooligans made their second successful title defense on October 8 at

King of Pro-Wrestling King of Pro-Wrestling is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally as ...

, defeating the Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida). On October 21, Forever Hooligans entered the 2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament, defeating Jyushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask in their first round match. On November 2, Romero and Koslov were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by Apollo 55. On November 11 at

, Forever Hooligans lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to the winners of the Super Jr. Tag Tournament, the Time Splitters, ending their reign at 112 days. On May 3, 2013, at

Wrestling Dontaku 2013 Wrestling Dontaku 2013 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2013, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center. The event featured ten matches (includ ...

, Romero and Koslov regained the title from the Time Splitters. They lost the title to Suzuki-gun (

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. T ...

and

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 t ...

) on October 14 at

. On July 27, 2013, Romero and Koslov, returned to ROH, through NJPW's close working relationship, and defeated 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 E ...

and

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian 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 Honor (ROH) from 2009 to 20 ...

) to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions. They lost the title to

The American Wolves The American Wolves are a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. They are seven-time world tag team champions being five-time TNA World Tag Team Champions and two-time ROH World Tag Team Champions. ...

(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) in their first defense on August 3. On September 20 at Death Before Dishonor XI, the Forever Hooligans defeated the American Wolves in a rematch to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. For the first half of 2014, Forever Hooligans received several new shots at the NJPW Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, held by

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...

(Matt and Nick Jackson), but were defeated each time, including in a three-way match, also involving the Time Splitters, on May 10 at Global Wars, a special event co-produced by NJPW and ROH in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Roppongi Vice (2015–2017)

Forever Hooligans broke up in January 2015, when Koslov announced he was taking an indefinite break from professional wrestling. On March 1, Romero revealed he and

Trent Baretta Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta or Trent?, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring ...

were forming a new tag team named

. On April 5 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 ...

, the team captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship from The Young Bucks. They lost the title back to The Young Bucks on May 3 at

Wrestling Dontaku 2015 Wrestling Dontaku 2015 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2015, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka at Fukuoka Kokusai Center and featured nine matches, three of which w ...

. In early 2016, it was reported that

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 vari ...

was interested in signing Romero as both a trainer and a wrestler. However, on January 9, Romero announced he had instead signed a new two-year deal with NJPW. On March 14, 2016 at an ROH television taping, Roppongi Vice won a seven tag team gauntlet match to determine the #1 contenders for ROH World Tag Team Championships by defeating The Young Bucks after entering the match as the seventh team. On April 10 at

Invasion Attack 2016 Invasion Attack 2016 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on April 10, 2016, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan, and featured nine matches, six of which were contested fo ...

, Roppongi Vice defeated

Matt Sydal Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...

and

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for the second time. They lost the title back to Sydal and Ricochet on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2016. On November 5 at

, Roppongi Vice defeated

A. C. H. Albert Christian Hardie Jr. (born December 7, 1987), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently known by his ring name A. C. H. He has wrestled for several American promotions, like Ring of Honor, Ring of Honor Wrestl ...

and

Taiji Ishimori is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he wrestles as part of the Bullet Club. He is the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in his third reign, and is also a one-time NEVER Openweight ...

in the finals to win the 2016 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. On January 4, 2017, at

Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2017, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 26th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, which is NJPW's ...

, Roppongi Vice defeated The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship for their third time together. Individually, Romero set a new record by winning the title for the seventh time. They lost the title to Suzuki-gun (Taichi and

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he also works as a backstage producer. Kanemaru is best known for his work in Pro Wrestling Noah, where he holds the records for the most reigns with the GHC ...

) at NJPW's 45th anniversary show on March 6, before regaining it on April 27. They lost the title to The Young Bucks on June 11 at

Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 11, 2017, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka-jō Hall and was the ninth event under the Dominion name and third i ...

. On July 2 at

G1 Special in USA G1 Special in USA was a two-day professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The two shows took place on July 1 and 2, 2017, in Long Beach, California, United States at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. ...

, Roppongi Vice unsuccessfully challenged The Young Bucks for the title in a rematch. Afterwards, Romero brought up a five-year plan he and Beretta had made three years earlier, which included them winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship and the Super Jr. Tag Tournament, both of which they had already done, as well as Beretta's eventual transition into the heavyweight division. Having failed to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, Romero gave Beretta his blessing to move to the heavyweight division, effectively disbanding Roppongi Vice. Roppongi Vice's farewell match took place on September 16 at Destruction in Hiroshima, where they defeated

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 co ...

Chase Owens Chase Owens (チェーズ・オーエンズ ''Chēzu Ōenzu'', born March 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club. He is a former IWGP Tag Team Champi ...

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 ...

Manager of Roppongi 3K (2017–2021)

Later that same day, Romero announced he was transitioning into the role of a manager and bringing in a new tag team named "

Roppongi 3K Roppongi 3K was a professional wrestling tag team made up of Japanese wrestlers Sho Tanaka, Sho and Yohei Komatsu, Yoh, active from 2013 to 2021 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team division. They were managed by R ...

" to take on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi. On October 9 at

, Romero revealed his new team as

Sho Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...

and Yoh, who defeated Ricochet and Taguchi to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Over the subsequent years Romero managed Roppongi 3K to a second reign with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, as well as Sho and Yoh winning the 2018 Super Junior Tag Tournament. Romero also teamed up with Roppongi 3K for various multi-man matches while representing Chaos, for tours such as the CMLL/NJPW Fantastica Mania 2018 tour. On February 10, 2019 Romero wrestled

Jeff Cobb Jeffrey Cobb (ジェフ・コブ　''Jefu Kobu'', born July 11, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he is a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with United Emp ...

for the

ROH Television Championship The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. With the introduction of the ROH World Television Championship, the television type championship returned to n ...

as part of ROH's

Bound By Honor ''Blood In Blood Out'' (also known as ''Bound by Honor'' and ''Blood In Blood Out: Bound By Honor'') is a 1993 American epic crime drama film directed by Taylor Hackford that has become a cult-classic film with a cult following among the Mexic ...

PPV, but was defeated.

All Elite Wrestling (2021–Present)

On the May 24, 2021 episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, as part of the on-going relationship between

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...

(AEW) 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 o ...

, Romero made his debut for the promotion defeating JD Drake. After the match, Romero briefly reunited with his former Roppongi Vice partner Beretta as he saved Romero from an attack by

Ryan Nemeth Ryan Nemeth (born November 4, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, writer, actor, and comedian who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Briley Pierce in WWE, where he wr ...

Peter Avalon Peter Hernandez (born June 14, 1989), better known by the ring name "Pretty" Peter Avalon, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his appearances in Championship Wrestling from Hollywo ...

and

Cezar Bononi Cezar Bononi (born June 15, 1986) is a Brazilian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is also known for his time in WWE NXT from October 2015 to April 2020. Early life Prior to his wrestling career Bononi played Amer ...

as their theme music played and they embraced in the ring. Romero also wrestled a singles match against Bryan Danielson on the November 10, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite.

Impact Wrestling (2021–2022)

At Bound for Glory on October 23, 2021, Romero made an unannounced appearance as a participant in the

Call Your Shot Gauntlet match A Gauntlet for the Gold match is a professional wrestling match used in Impact Wrestling. Match format Different from the other gauntlet matches, in which one competitor faces several others in turn, the Gauntlet for the Gold match is very simi ...

, which he failed to win as he was eliminated by

Rohit Raju Rohit Raju is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with Impact Wrestling, where he is a former one-time Impact X Division Champion. Before working for Impact Wrestling, he worked over 10 years on the independent circuit in ...

. On the October 28 episode of '' Impact!'', Romero failed to win the

Impact X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...

from

Trey Miguel Trey McBrayer (born August 30, 1994) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs under the ring name Trey Miguel, and is the current Impact X Division Champion in his second reign. Early life ...

. In 2022, Romero returned for a match against Eddie Edwards which he failed to win.

Championships and accomplishments

Roppongi Vice Super Junior Tag Tournament Winners

Championship Wrestling From Hollywood Championship Wrestling from Hollywood (CWFH) is an American professional wrestling promotion and television program that airs on KDOC-TV Los Angeles and carried in first-run syndication in the United States. The television series premiered ...

UWN Television Championship The United Wrestling Network (UWN) Television Championship is a title controlled by, and defended in Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, sanctioned by the governing body United Wrestling Network. On July 10, 2011, Scorpio Sky pinned So Cal ...

(1 time) **Percy Pringle Memorial Cup (2016) *

( 3 times) **Copa Bicentenario (2022) - 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 ...

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) *

Empire Wrestling Federation The Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF) is an independent wrestling promotion based in Covina, California. It is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez. The EWF is also tied to Hernandez's wrestling school, ''The School Of Hard Knocks''. The EWF is ...

EWF Tag Team Championship The EWF Tag Team Championship is the tag team professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), title in the Southern California-based Empire Wrestling Federation independent circuit, independent Professional wrestling promotion, prom ...

( 5 times) – with

*International Wrestling Council **IWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Lucha Libre Internacional Independiente **LLII Championship (1 time) *Mach One Pro Wrestling **M1W The Hall Of Fame Cup (2011) *Millennium Pro Wrestling **MPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Reyes * National Wrestling Alliance **

( 1 time) *

( 1 time) **

( 8 times) – with Davey Richards (2)

(2), and

Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and milita ...

(4) **Best of the American Super Juniors (2006) ** Super Jr. Tag Tournament ( 2016) – with Beretta *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' **Ranked No. 11 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

in 2002 *

ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...

( 3 times) – with Ricky Reyes (1), Davey Richards (1), and Alex Koslov (1) ** Trios Tournament (2005) – with Ricky Reyes and

SoCal Uncensored SoCal Uncensored (SCU) was an American professional wrestling collective that consisted of Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Daniels and Kazarian are no longer able to team toge ...

**Tag Team of the Year (2001) with Ricky Reyes * Toryumon **Young Dragons Cup Tournament (2004) *

Ultimate Pro Wrestling Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) was a California-based independent pro wrestling company owned and operated by Rick Bassman, that operated from 1999 to 2007. The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and World Wrestling Entertai ...

** UPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Reyes *WrestleCircus **Big Top Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Beretta * ''Other titles'' ** Talk 'N Shop A Mania 24/7 Championship (1 time)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0-1 ,

Masahito Kakihara is a former Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, who is known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and UWF International (UWFI). Professional wrestling career Union of Wrestling Forces International (1991–1996) Ka ...

, Submission (

kneebar A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are f ...

) , JF 3 - Jungle Fight 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

References

Media

*''Let the Gates of Hell Open: The Best of The Rottweilers'' – ROH DVD

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Rocky 1982 births American male professional wrestlers American male mixed martial artists American mixed martial artists of Cuban descent Chaos (professional wrestling) members Cuban male professional wrestlers Cuban male mixed martial artists Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan IWGP Junior Heavyweight champions Living people Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Professional wrestling announcers ROH World Tag Team Champions IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions CMLL World Lightweight Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions