Último Vampiro

Último Vampiro (Spanish for "Last Vampire") is a wrestling gimmick or character played by at least five people over the years. The character has always started out as an enmascarado, or masked wrestler and only on one occasion has the person playing the Último Vampiro lost his mask. The character is a portrayed as a Vampire and included a mask with stylized bat ears and generally using a black and gray color scheme on the mask and full body suit. The character has primarily been used in International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and on some locally promoted events. The only exception was the third Último Vampiro who used it while working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) one of Mexico's largest promotions.

Último Vampiro Version 1

Main article: Negro Navarro

The original Último Vampiro was designed in the mid-1990s by the promoters who would later found International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) as one of their many "concept gimmicks" where the promotion comes up with the character and mask and gives it to a wrestler. The promotion hired Negro Navarro, veteran wrestler who had been highly successful in the early to mid-1980s as part of the Los Misioneros de la Muerte ("Missionaries of Death") trio along with El Texano and El Signo. In 1995 Navarro worked primarily on the independent circuit, especially after the Universal Wrestling Association closed that year. He was given the character to work on the early IWRG shows, but only appeared as Ultimo Vampiro for a short period of time. The only major match Navarro worked as Último Vampiro was a Relevos Suicidas tag team, a match where the losing team would have to wrestle each other in a Luchas de Apuestas, or bet match for their mask or hair. Último Vampiro and El Mexicano defeated the team of El Canek and Scorpio, Jr. keeping their mask and hair safe as El Canek defeated Scorpio, Jr. in the match and had him shaved bald afterwards.

Último Vampiro Version 2

Following Negro Navarro's stint under the mask the character was briefly given to Bogar Alejandro Ramirez Orosco but was abandoned as he was given the masked character Guardia in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) instead.

Último Vampiro Version 3

The third incarnation of Último Vampiro was performed by Manuel Segura and due to the previous two version only working for a short period of time under that name and not achieving a great deal the third incarnation is often mistakenly identified as "Último Vampiro I". XXX had previously worked under the masked identities of Halcón de Plata ("Silver Falcon") and Halcón 2000 for various promoters in and around Mexico City. IWRG reintroduced the Último Vampiro character in 1997, initially working low to mid-card matches on early IWRG shows. On December 12, 1999 Último Vampiro defeated Shiima Nobunaga to win the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championshipmaking him the first Último Vampiro to win a title.[1] Only four days later he added another Championship to his collection as he defeatedÚltimo Vampiro defeated Bombero Infernal to win the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship on December 16, 1998 .[2] The run with the Middleweight ended less than a month after it began when Black Dragon won the championship on January 9, 2000.[3] He ended up holding the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship for just under five months, losing the championship to Dr. Cerebro on May 11, 2000.[3]

In 2001 Segura was given a new ring character, he became known as "Super Mega" and joined up with Mega and Ultra Mega to form the Los Megas Trio. The Último Vampiro character was given to a fourth and then a fifth person later on, but when Segura began working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) he assumed the ring character once more. In CMLL he worked mainly low and mid-card matches but never won any championships while working under the ring character.[4][5]

Último Vampiro Version 4

Once the third incarnation of Último Vampiro became Super Mega the Último Vampiro character was briefly performed by a wrestler known as Principe Calavera, but that only lasted a very short while.

Último Vampiro Version 5

The fifth Último Vampiro took over around 2001 and in number of title reigns became the most successful Último Vampiro performer. He held the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship a total of four times between March 25, 2001 and 2004 when he lost the championship. Officially title records do not distinguish between the third and fifth version holding the championship, making it possible that it was version three that won the championship in March, 2001, but it was definitely version five that lost the championship later that year as version three was working as Super Mega at this point. On January 24, 2002 Último Vampiro V lost the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship to Pantera in a match where Pantera and the third participant Pentagon both risked their masks on the outcome of the match while Último Vampiro V risked his championship.[4] Último Vampiro V won the first ever IWRG Rey del Ring tournament on June 6, 2002 when he eliminated Bombero Infernal as the last participant in the 30-man elimination match.[6][7] He would later defeat Tony Rivera to regain the Middleweight title but would lose it to Dr. Cerebro at some point in 2002.[4] Último Vampiro V became the only Último Vampiro to lose a Luchas de Apuestas match and thus be forced to unmask, as he was defeated by Hijo de Anibal and had to unmask.[8] After the unmasking it was impossible to give the Último Vampiro character to someone else and pretend it was the same person in IWRG. The third Último Vampiro would actual work as a masked Último Vampiro in CMLL after this, which may have also been the reason for IWRG to umask this version of Último Vampiro. The fifth version of Último Vampiro only worked sporadically for IWRG after losing his mask, winning the Middleweight title for a fourth and final time in 2004, but would later vacate the title as he stopped working for IWRG.[5] Since leaving IWRG Último Vampiro has worked on the Mexican independent circuit including promotions such as Alianza Universal de Lucha Libre (AULL), NWA Mexico, International Wrestling League (IWL) and Los Perros del Mal.

Championships and accomplishments

Only championships won under the "Último Vampiro" character are listed.
  • AULL Trios Championship (1 time) – with Robin Maravilla and Yakuza

Lucha de Apuesta record

Only Luchas de Apuestas under the "" character are listed.
Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Mask Último Vampiro (III) Oficial Naucalpan, Mexico State December 17, 2000 [3]
Hair Mike Segura and Último Vampiro (III) NOZAWA and MAZADA Naucalpan, Mexico State May 31, 2001 [9]
Mask Último Vampiro (III) Guardia Naucalpan, Mexico State November 1, 2001 [Note 1][9]
Mask Último Vampiro (IV) El Enterrador Naucalpan, Mexico State December 20, 2001 [9]
Championship Pantera Último Vampiro (IV) January 24, 2002 Naucalpan, Mexico State [Note 2][4]
Hair Último Vampiro (IV) Bombero Infernal Naucalpan, Mexico State January 1, 2003 [8]
Mask Último Vampiro (IV) Hijo de Aníbal Naucalpan, Mexico State March 13, 2003 [8]
Hair Último Vampiro (IV) Anticristo Coacalco, Mexico State June 15, 2003 [8]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Last two men in a 10-man steel cage match.
  2. ↑ Pantera put his mask on the line for the match. The match also included Pentagon who also risked his mask if he was pinned.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(Mexico) Mexico: IWRG Welterweight title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications (4th Edition). p. 402. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "MEXICO: IWRG Intercontinental World Middleweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 402. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Box y Lucha staff (January 9, 2001). "2000 Especial!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). pp. 2–20. issue 2488.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Box y Lucha staff (January 19, 2003). "2002: considerar detrás". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). 2593.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 SuperLuchas staff (January 24, 2005). "Número Especial - Lo mejr de la lucha ilbre mexicana durante el 2004". Super Luchas (in Spanish). 91.
  6. ↑ "Rey del Ring". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ Box y Lucha staff (January 9, 2001). "2000 Especial!". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). pp. 2–20. issue 2488.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 SuperLuchas staff (January 5, 2003). "Número Especial - Lo mejr de la lucha ilbre mexicana durante el 2003". Super Luchas (in Spanish). 40.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Box y Lucha staff (January 13, 2002). "2001: Los Campeones". Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). pp. 15–17. issue 2540.