Kalisto (wrestler)
Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez (born November 14, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Samuray Del Sol.In 2006, Rodriguez made his professional wrestling debut on the Midwestern United States independent circuit, working under a mask and the ring name Samuray del Sol (Spanish for "Samurai of the Sun").[9][15] Rodriguez grew up a fan of Mexican professional wrestling, or lucha libre, especially workers like Tinieblas, whose mask and physique caught his attention, and Octagón, whose in-ring style impressed him.[4] In 2010, Samuray began branching out of the Midwest, making his debuts for Pennsylvania-based International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) and New York-based East Coast Lucha Libre (ECLL).[4] During another tour of Mexico in April 2011, Rodriguez suffered a serious injury at an event held by independent promotion Desastre Total Ultraviolento (DTU), when he landed on the concrete floor and hit his head on a guardrail after diving out of the ring onto his opponents.[9][16][21] In the aftermath of the injury, Rodriguez began suffering from post-concussion syndrome and fell into depression and contemplated retiring from professional wrestling before receiving a call to take part in a three-day tryout camp for WWE.[29][30] While training with Teddy Hart in Canada, Samuray received a call from AAA booker Konnan, who offered him a regular spot on the promotion's roster.[16] On October 7, 2012, at Héroes Inmortales, Samuray was placed in his first storyline in AAA, when he (was not identified, referred to only as a "mysterious fighter") approached Octagón backstage after a match.[31] On November 15, Octagón was ambushed during an in-ring interview by El Consejo members Silver King and Toscano, who were quickly chased out of the ring by Samuray del Sol.[37][38] In May 2013, it was reported that AAA was looking to replace Samuray del Sol as Octagón Jr. due to his busy independent schedule preventing him from appearing for the promotion.[44][45] On March 29, Samuray made his Dragon Gate USA main card debut at an event co-promoted by DGUSA and CZW, appearing as Masato Yoshino's surprise opponent and defeating him in the following singles match.[45][46] On the third and final day of the triple shot weekend, Samuray wrestled in a six-way match at Mercury Rising 2012, which was won by El Generico.[45][47] On April 13, Samuray made his debut for Evolve, a promotion closely affiliated with Dragon Gate USA, losing to Chuck Taylor in a three-way match, which also included Johnny Gargano.[55] Samuray then qualified for the Evolve Championship tournament, but was eliminated by Sami Callihan in his first round four-way match, which also included Jigsaw and Rich Swann.[57][58] On December 14, 2012, Samuray del Sol entered the 2012 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup, defeating Eddie Rios in his first round match.[60] On January 18, 2013, Samuray del Sol worked on the Hart Legacy Wrestling (HLW) promotion's inaugural event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.[66] On March 24, Samuray del Sol defeated Paul London, A. R. Fox and Ricochet during a one night single-elimination tournament to become the 2013 King of Flight.[68][69] On May 25, Samuray del Sol appeared at English promotion Southside Wrestling Entertainment's (SWE) Speed King 2 tournament, losing to Marty Scurll in his first round match.[95] After Sin Cara had been sidelined with a shoulder injury,[96] Kalisto defeated United States Champion Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match with John Cena in his corner on the January 7 episode of SmackDown.[104] On the April 11 episode of Raw, Kalisto and Sin Cara entered a tournament to determine number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were eliminated in the first round by The Dudley Boyz.[111] On the August 2 episode of SmackDown, Kalisto participated in a three-way match to determine the number one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, which was won by Apollo Crews and also included Baron Corbin.[129] He lost the title back to Amore on October 22 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[130] failing to regain it in a rematch on November 19 at the Survivor Series kickoff show.[132] After failing to regain the title, Kalisto would begin a partnership with fellow luchadors Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado, with the trio dubbing themselves "Lucha House Party".[135] 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 and Chad Gable, The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel), Heath Slater and Rhyno, The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor), and The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson).
United States ChampionChicago, IllinoisProfessional wrestling careerRing name(s)Pilsen, IllinoisMexico CityBilly GunnDusty RhodesGran ApacheNorman SmileySara AmatoWindy City Pro Wrestlingprofessional wrestlerindependent circuitring nameLucha DragonsNXT Tag Team ChampionshipSin CaraLucha House PartyMidwestern United StatesSpanishSamuraihigh-flyersDragon Gate USAluchadorOctagónCombat Zone WrestlingIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-SouthNational Wrestling AllianceEvolve WrestlingPro Wrestling GuerrillaWWE United States ChampionshipCruiserweight ChampionshipGran MetalikLince DoradoPilsenChicagoprofessional wrestlinglucha libreTinieblasWorld Wrestling FederationWorld Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship WrestlingRey MysterioRob Van DamCurie Metropolitan High SchoolindependentRing of Honorgymnasticstaekwondojujutsuamateur wrestlingAmerican footballPennsylvaniaNew YorkBerwyn, IllinoisGran Akumapost-concussion syndromeCrazy Boyreality televisionJoe LíderJuventud GuerreravillainousLa SociedadDark DragonPsicosisSoul RockerTeddy HartCanadaKonnanHéroes InmortalesSilver KingToscanoAAA Mega ChampionEl MesíasEl Texano Jr.Guerra de TitanesLa ParkaPentagón Jr.La Parka NegraA. R. FoxUhaa Nationpay-per-viewChuck TaylorJohnny GarganoMasato YoshinoEl GenericoEvolveGenki HoriguchiRyo SaitoPlayer UnoStupefiedEvolve ChampionshipSami CallihanJigsawRich SwannOpen the Freedom Gate Championship2012 Jeff Peterson Memorial CupJonathan GreshamJon DavisHart Legacy WrestlingCalgary, AlbertaBrian CageTrent BarretaRyan RollinsDavey Boy Smith Jr.Jack EvansFull Impact ProFIP World Heavyweight ChampionshipSouthern CaliforniaRicochetT. J. PerkinsPaul Londonsingle-elimination tournamentPuerto RicanSicodélico Jr.EnglishMarty ScurllColt CabanaThe Irish Airbornelive eventBaron CorbinEl Localthe LegionnairesMarcus LouisSylvester Lefort