Negro Casas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Negro Casas
Birth name José Casas Ruiz
Ring name(s) Negro Casas
Billed height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Billed weight 79 kg (174 lb)[1]
Born (1960-01-10) January 10, 1960[2]
Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Billed from Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Trained by Pepe Casas[3]
Raúl Reyes[3]
Tony Sugar[3]
Rodolfo Ruiz[3]
Debut October 19, 1979[3]

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 turned referee Pepe Casas, and brother of professeional wrestlers El Felino and Heavy Metal. Casas has trained several wrestlers, including Mephisto, Kazushige Nosawa, T.J. Perkins, Rocky Romero, and Ricky Marvin.

Casas has worked all over the world, making appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the United States of America as well as touring with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan for over a decade. In Mexico Casas has worked for CMLL since the 1990s but has also wrestled for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), World Wrestling Association (WWA) and International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). In 2008 Negro Casas joined with Mr. Niebla and Heavy Metal to form the group La Peste Negra (Spanish for "the Black Plague), a group that would later be joined by El Felino.

Biography

Casas was born in 1960, the son of professional wrestler Pepe "Tropi" Casas, and grew up around Tlalpan. Casas described his childhood as a happy and normal one, even though his father would be away from home for long stretches as he wrestled all over Mexico and the United States. Casas' father first took him to a wrestling show when Casas was five years old, bringing him to an event across the border in the United States.[3][4] Casas became hooked on wrestling from the moment he saw the first match, with his first idols being his father, Aníbal and El Solitario. Casas played football, soccer, volleyball and baseball while still in school and even started training in professional wrestling classes taught by his father and Raúl Reyes.[3] José and his brothers, Erick and El Felino, often sat at ringside during their father's matches, pretending to be upset or cry whenever their father looked like he was getting beat up in the ring, a ploy that their father had taught them to help gain crowd sympathy.[4]

Professional wrestling career

Casas debut came in 1979 as a bit of a strange turn of events. José Casas was in an arena where his father was supposed to compete when the promoter told Casas that his father had not shown and that he needed the young Casas to fill in for him or he would have Pepe Casas banned from wrestling. Casas wrestled and won his first match, wearing street clothes only to discover Pepe Casas and Raúl Reyes waiting in the dressing room. The two had played a joke on Casas to see how he handled himself in the ring.[3] Casas chose the name "Negro Casas" ("Black Casas") as his ring name and decided not to wear a mask. In 1980 Casas worked a low card match at a "Coliseo Naucalpan" against an equally young Fuerza Guerrera, the match was so well liked by the audience that they threw money into the ring to show their preparations. Promoter Paco Alonso even entered the ring and asked the crowd to show their appreciation for the match they just saw, earning both Negro Casas and Fuerza Guerrera a regular job with Empressa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL). By 1984 Casas had begun working for Universal Wrestling Association, winning the UWA World Lightweight Championship from Black Terry on January 1, 1984.[5] Casas held the championship for 301 days before losing it to El Hijo del Santo.[5] The loss to El Hijo del Santo was part of a long running, very intense storyline between Casas and Hijo del Santo that drew favorable reviews and helped establish both wrestlers as future main eventers. The storyline included Hijo del Santo forcing Negro Casas to be shaved bald after losing a Luchas de Apuestas, or bet match.[6]

In the late 1980s Negro Casas began working for the Mexican based World Wrestling Association (WWA) where he became the first man to hold the WWA Welterweight Championship, holding it from sometime in 1987 until he was defeated by Tornado Negro on April 14, 1989.[7] Casas regained the title, but only held it briefly before losing again as he was leaving the WWA.[7] Casas returned to the UWA in 1990 and on January 29, 1991, he won the UWA World Middleweight Championship from Super Astro.[8] Casas held the title for 787 days, finally losing it to Último Dragón.[8]

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

By the mid 1990s Casas worked regularly for CMLL and toured Japan several times a year, wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). In April 1994 Casas took part in the first Super J Cup tournament; he lost to Ricky Fuji in the first round. On December 1, 1995, Negro Casas defeated longtime rival Hijo del Santo in the finals of a tournament to crown a new NWA World Welterweight Championship.[9] Casas held the title for over 200 days, rarely defending until he participated in a tournament to unify 8 lightweight titles in NJPW's J-Crown tournament. Casas put the Welterweight title on the line but lost to Shinjiro Otani in the first round.[9] Casas and El Hijo del Santo resumed their feud in 1997, culminating in another Lucha de Apuestas between the two. Negro Casas once again ended up on the losing side, losing two falls to one in the main event of the CMLL 63rd Anniversary Show.[6] Negro Casas would later state that El Hijo del Santo was one of his favorite rivals and good friends backstage.[4] Following the Apuesta loss Negro Casas and El Hijo del Santo began teaming together in 1998 and in early 1999 the team defeated Bestia Salvaje and Scorpio, Jr. by disqualification, but refused to accept the CMLL World Tag Team Championship as they did not win by pinfall.[10] After the refusal the title the two teams faced a few weeks later and this time Casas and Hijo del Santo won by pinfall to claim the title.[10] The team reigned for over 400 days, until El Hijo del Santo left CMLL; forcing Negro Casas to vacate the title. When El Hijo del Santo returned in 2001 the duo picked up where they left off by defeating Último Guerrero and Rey Bucanero to win the tag team championship once again.[11] After 210 days and several title defenses Guerrero and Bucanero finally regained the titles, ending the third and final reign of the Casas/Hijo del Santo team. Following the loss of the tag team title Negro Casas began focusing on his singles career once again, winning the CMLL World Middleweight Championship from Emilio Charles, Jr. on April 26, 2004.[12] On August 28, 2005, Negro Casas became a double champion when he won the IWRG Intercontinental Trios Championship, teaming with his brothers El Felino and Heavy Metal to defeat Black Tiger III, Pentagon Black, and El Pantera to win the title.[13] The trios title reign lasted 129 days, ended by the team of Cerebro Negro, Veneno, and Scorpio, Jr.[13] In 2006 Negro Casas was teamed up with CMLL's rising star Místico, working together in a style very similar to Casas and Hijo del Santo. The two defeated Averno and Mephisto to win the CMLL Tag Team Championship, Casas' fourth and Místico's first, on April 14, 2006.[14] On September 17, 2006, Negro Casas' 874 day CMLL World Middleweight Championship reign ended at the hands of Averno.[7] Casas and Místico lost the tag team titles to Último Guerrero and Dr. Wagner, Jr. on July 13, 2007 but quickly regained them a week later.[14] The team of Último Guerrero and Atlantis finally dethroned the duo, keeping them away from the title in subsequent rematches.[14] On November 11, 2007, Negro Casas won the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship by defeating Villano III in the finals of a tournament to find a new champion. Casas has not lost the title, but since CMLL and IWRG stopped working together in 2008 he is no longer promoted as the champion with the title technically being inactive.[15]

La Peste Negra

In July 2008 Mr. Niebla returned to CMLL, forming a group with Negro Casas and Heavy Metal called La Peste Negra (Spanish for "the Black Plague), a Rudo group that had a more comical approach to wrestling. The trio started wearing large afro wigs, painting their faces black and dancing during their entrances and generally worked a less serious style of match than was unusual, especially for a serious wrestler like Negro Casas.[4] On September 2, 2008, the last Casas brother, El Felino turned Rudo as well and joined La Peste Negra. After Felino joined the group Heavy Metal was quietly phased out as he was not comfortable working the comedic style.[4] Felino's wife Princesa Blanca joined the group in early 2009, turning Rudo to work with La Pestra, the turn led to Princesa Blanca winning the Mexican National Women's Championship from Marcela on January 30, 2009.[16] La Pesta Negra's biggest triumph to date is Negro Casas' title win over Místico that brought the CMLL World Welterweight Championship into the group.[17] After the title win, La Peste Negra continued their feud with Místico and his various allies. The feud led to Místico and Negro Casas facing off in a Lucha de Apuesta on the CMLL 76th Anniversary Show, where Casas lost two falls to one and had his hair shaved off. After the match Místico challenged El Felino, Casas' cornerman, to an Apuesta some time in the future.[18]

On January 29, 2010, Negro Casas teamed up with La Máscara to participate in CMLL's "Torneo Nacional de Pareja Increíbles" ("National Amazing Pairs tournament"), a tournament where CMLL teams up a Tecnico (La Máscara) and a Rudo (Casas) for a tournament. The two defeated El Texano, Jr. and Rouge in the opening round, El Sagrado and Shocker in the second round, and Héctor Garza and Toscano in the semi-final to earn a spot in the final of the tournament.[19] On February 5, 2010, Casas and La Máscara lost to Máscara Dorada and Atlantis in the finals.[20] On February 14, 2010, Casas defeated El Hijo del Fantasma to win the CMLL World Middleweight Championship for the second time.[21] During most of April and into May Negro Casas tourned with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan. On May 3, 2010 Casas lost the CMLL World Middleweight title to Jushin Liger during NJPW's Wrestling Dontaku 2010 show.[22] On October 15, 2010, Charly Manson defeated Negro Casas in a Lucha de Apuesta to take his hair.[23] On February 14, 2012, Casas defeated La Sombra to win the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship for the first time.[24] On March 2 at Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, Casas and Blue Panther wrestled to a draw in a Lucha de Apuesta and were, as a result, both shaved bald.[25] On October 21, Casas returned to NJPW, when he and Bushi entered the 2012 Super Jr. Tag Tournament as "Grupo Cibernetico".[26] The team was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by Suzukigun (Taichi and Taka Michinoku).[27] On December 25, 2012, Negro Casas successfully defended the NWA Historic Welterweight Championship against Guerrero Maya, Jr. on a special Christmas show in Arena Mexico after Maya, Jr. had defeated Casas in a series of matches leading up to the show.[28] In early 2013 Negro Casas and Guerrero Maya, Jr. were teamed up for the 2013 CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles, a tournament where the concept was that rivals or at least wrestlers from opposite sides of the tecnico/rudo divide. The team lost in the first round to eventual tournament winners La Sombra and Volador, Jr.[29][30] On June 2, Casas lost the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship to Máscara Dorada, ending his reign at 475 days, the longest in the title's history.[31] On January 3, 2014, Casas defeated Titán in the finals to win the 2014 Leyenda de Plata.[32]

Personal life

José Casas is a member of an extensive wrestling family, founded by his father Pepe "Tropi" Casas and also consists of his brothers Erick, who wrestles as "Heavy Metal" and El Felino (real name unrevealed), and a brother who is not a professional wrestler. Casas' sister-in-law (Felino's wife) is Mexican National Women's Champion Princessa Blanca.[3] Casas' wife is the daughter of a Panamania wrestling promoter that Casas once worked for and she has been training for a professional wrestling career. His two daughters are training in Olympic style wrestling, also hoping to turn professional one day. José Casas does not train his daughters, entrusting that task to Ringo Mendoza, Tony Salazar, Arturo Beristain and Franco Colombo.[3][4] One of Casas' daughters is married to professional wrestler Diamante who works for CMLL. Casas also has two nephews who work as Kid Tiger and Puma King, the sons of El Felino.

In wrestling

  • Signature moves
    • Arm trap crossface
    • Black Fantasy (Matrix evasion)
    • Black Pain (Casas applies an Ankle lock and then drops and smashes the leg onto his knee)
    • Jab
    • Kneeling jawbreaker
    • La Silla (seated senton onto the shoulders of a standing opponent at ringside)
    • Multiple kick variations:
      • 4:40 Volada (Running corner drop to a seated opponent)
      • Drop
      • Missile drop
      • Patada a la Rodilla (Low-angle drop to the opponent's knee)
      • Savate
      • Shoot
      • Soccer
      • Spinning back
    • Multiple knife–edged chops & overhand slaps to the chest of a cornered opponent
    • Running ankle pick
    • Senton

Championships and accomplishments

  • Mexican Provincial Championships
    • Estado de Guerrero Lightweight Championship (1 time)
    • Estado de México heavyweight championship (42 times)

Lucha de Apuesta record

Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Hair Eddy Guerrero Negro Casas Juarez, Chihuahua 1980s  
Hair Negro Casas Aristos Mexico City, Mexico December 6, 1981 Relevos suicidas[36]
Hair Negro Casas Diamante Blanco Mexico City, Mexico February 28, 1983 [36]
Hair Negro Casas Tony Ledesma Tlalnepantla, Mexico State December 4, 1983 [36]
Hair El Hijo del Santo Negro Casas Los Angeles, California July 18, 1987 [6][36]
Hair Negro Casas Black Man Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State February 5, 1991
Hair Negro Casas Valente Fernández Puebla, Puebla, Puebla January 27, 1992 [36]
Hair Negro Casas La Fiera Mexico City, Mexico October 1, 1993 [4][36]
Hair Negro Casas Mocho Cota Mexico City, Mexico September 23, 1994 [4][36]
Hair Negro Casas Bestia Salvaje Mexico City, Mexico October 18, 1996 [4][36]
Hair El Hijo del Santo Negro Casas Mexico City, Mexico September 19, 1997 [6][36]
Hair Negro Casas El Satánico Puebla, Puebla, Puebla October 19, 1998 [36]
Hair / Mask Negro Casas and El Hijo del Santo Bestia Salvaje and Scorpio, Jr. Mexico City, Mexico March 19, 1999 [Note 2][36][38]
Hair Negro Casas Bestia Salvaje Guadalajara, Jalisco June 26, 1999 [4][36]
Hair Negro Casas Bestia Salvaje Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas November 6, 2000 [4][36]
Hair Negro Casas Halcón de Oro Reynosa, Tamaulipas June 10, 2001
Hair Negro Casas Mosco de la Merced Tijuana, Baja California May 9, 2002 Part of a six man match
Hair Tarzan Boy Negro Casas Mexico City, Mexico September 13, 2002 At the CMLL 69th Anniversary Show[39]
Hair El Satánico and Negro Casas Nosawa and Masada Mexico City, Mexico May 16, 2003
Hair Perro Aguayo Jr. Negro Casas Mexico City, Mexico June 18, 2004 Cage match that also included Tarzan Boy, Vampiro, Pierroth, Jr. and Shocker.
Hair Negro Casas Okumura Mexico City, Mexico December 5, 2004 Cage match that also included Rey Bucanero and Tarzan Boy.[36]
Hair Místico Negro Casas Mexico City, Mexico September 18, 2009 [18]
Hair Charly Manson Negro Casas Mexico City, Mexico October 15, 2010 [23]
Hair N/A Negro Casas and Blue Panther Mexico City, Mexico March 2, 2012 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas[Note 3][25]

Footnotes

  1. CMLL promotes three championships carrying the "NWA" label but they have not been endorced by the National Wrestling Alliance since the late 1980s
  2. In the main event of the 1999 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas: El Santo y Salvador Lutteroth show.
  3. The match ended in a draw.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Statistics for Professional wrestlers". PWI Presents: 2008 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts (Kappa Publications). pp. 66–79. 2008 Edition. 
  2. Arturo Rosas Plata (September 18, 2009). "La Hora Cero!". Ovaciones (in Spanish) (Mexico, D.F.: Editorial Ovaciones, S. A. de C.V.). pp. 17–18. Número 21713 Año LXII. Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Muñoz, Javier (August 19, 2009). ""Siempre me he divertido luchando": Negro Casas". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2009. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 Gutiérrez, Ana (July 13, 2009). "La Vision del Negro Casas". Fuergo en el Ring (in Spanish). Retrieved August 21, 2009. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: UWA Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 398. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Santo, Hijo (in Spanish) (Mexico). October 2007. pp. 31–32. Tomo IV. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Manuel Flores and Manuel Rivera (March 23, 2009). "Cayó la máscara de Villano V". SuperLuchas (Mexico). pp. 3–7. 307. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: UWA Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 398. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA Welterweight Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 390. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: EMLL CMLL Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 396. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 "2001: Los Campeones". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 13, 2002. pp. 15–17. Issue 2540. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Número Especial – Lo mejr de la lucha ilbre mexicana durante el 2004". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). January 24, 2005. pp. 4–5. Issue 91. 
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 "2005 Lo Mejor de la Lucha Mexicana". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). January 3, 2006. issue 140. 
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Lo Mejor de la Lucha Libre Mexicana duranted el 2006". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). December 23, 2006. pp. 2–6. Issue 192. Retrieved August 21, 2009. 
  15. 15.0 15.1 "2007 Lo Mejor de la Lucha Mexicana". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). December 26, 2007. pp. 24–25. issue 244. Retrieved July 11, 2009. 
  16. polazky (January 31, 2009). "Resultados Arena México (30 en 08)". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved August 21, 2009. 
  17. Manuel Flores and Manuel Rivera (March 23, 2009). "Cayó la máscara de Villano V". SuperLuchas (in Spanish) (Mexico). pp. 3–7. 307. 
  18. 18.0 18.1 Marquina, Alva (September 18, 2009). "76 Aniversario del CMLL (Cobertura y Resultados en vivo 18 septiembre 2009) – Místico vs Negro Casas – Máscara vs Cabellera". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved September 19, 2009. 
  19. Ocampo, Jorge (January 30, 2010). "CMLL en la Arena México 20 enero 2010 – Negro Casas y La Máscara avanzan a la siguente ronda". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved February 7, 2010. 
  20. Ocampo, Ernesto (February 6, 2010). "Resultados Arena México 5 February 10 – áhora si Místico Súper Rudo! – Atlantis y Máscara Dorada ganadores de tornero de parejas incredibles". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved February 7, 2010. 
  21. Ruiz Glez, Alex (February 15, 2010). "Negro Casas nuevo campeón Mundial Medio del CMLL". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved February 16, 2010. 
  22. Flores, Manuel (May 3, 2010). "Jushin Liger, nuevo campeón mundial medio del CMLL – Nakamura pierde el título IWGP". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  23. 23.0 23.1 Velazquez, Israel (October 16, 2010). "Resultados Arena México: "Entre el cielo y el infierno" (15 de octubre 2010): ¡Gracias a Tirantes, el Negro pelón!". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved October 16, 2010. 
  24. 24.0 24.1 Blanco, Alejandro (February 14, 2012). "Negro Casas Nuevo Campeón Mundial Welter". Cinco Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved February 14, 2012. 
  25. 25.0 25.1 Valdés, Apolo (March 3, 2012). "Blue Panther y Negro Casas rapados". Medio Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved March 3, 2012. 
  26. "【いよいよ開幕!!】10.21&11.2後楽園で 「Super Jr.Tag Tournament」!! あのネグロ・カサスも来日!!" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012. 
  27. "NJPW 40th anniversary Tour Road to Power Struggle" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. Retrieved October 21, 2012. 
  28. "Negro Casas retuvo el Campeonato Histórico NWA". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). December 26, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2013. 
  29. "Volador y la Sombra a la Final del Torneo de Parejas Increíbles". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). March 2, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013. 
  30. Salazar López, Alexis A. (March 1, 2013). "Atlantis y Último Guerrero ¿Estaremos frente a un duelo candidato para conmemorar el 80 Aniversario del CMLL?". Estrellas del Ring (in Spanish). Retrieved March 2, 2013. 
  31. Salazar López, Alexis A. (June 3, 2013). "Resultados Arena México Domingo 2 de Junio '13" (in Spanish). Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013. 
  32. 32.0 32.1 Salazar López, Alexis A. (January 4, 2014). "Resultados Arena México Viernes 3 de Enero '14". Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014. 
  33. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 2008: 112 Negro Casas". Pro Wrestling Illustrated (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC). August 2008. p. 79. October 2008. 
  34. Arturo Rosas Plata (August 5, 2008). "Garza y sus Ángeles, por una defensa mas". Ovaciones (in Spanish) (Mexico, D.F.: Editorial Ovaciones, S. A. de C.V.). p. 16. Número 21307 Año LXI. Retrieved July 9, 2009. 
  35. Flores, Manuel (July 18, 2008). "Histórico de ganadores del torneo: La Gran Alternativa". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved September 5, 2009. 
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 36.5 36.6 36.7 36.8 36.9 36.10 36.11 36.12 36.13 36.14 Muñoz, Javier (September 19, 2009). "Místico contra Negro Casas: ¡Por el honor!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). 
  37. Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: WWA Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 400. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  38. "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Scorpio Jr. (in Spanish) (Mexico). October 2007. p. 35. Tomo IV. 
  39. "69th Anniversary Show". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved October 30, 2009. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.