Vampiro is notoriously known for his feud with Sting at WCW but other than that, he wasn't given much of a push for stardom. In fact, he stated he was mistreated in WCW. He also tried applying for WWE but was turned down.
Before his career, he worked setting up rings and training with wrestlers. He was trained by Abdullah the Butcher and at age 16, became a pro-wrestler. The inspiration behind his character was based on the character "Dracula" who was misunderstood by all and alternative music.
He began his early career as a jobber at CMLL but the promotion didn't take him seriously due to his look. Surprisingly, he became popular among fans despite his limited moves. He soon participated in hair vs. hair matches.
Realizing his popularity would not last long unless his ring performance improved, he combined his martial arts with Lucha Libre style wrestling.
At WCW, he was known for his memorable feud with Sting, the Great Muta, Konnan, the Demon, and Eddie Guerrero. Due to WCW going out of business, Vampiro returned to CMLL then traveled to many other promotions worldwide.
More importantly, he participated in many hardcore matches namely in AAA. He was one of the few pro-wrestlers willing to take pro-wrestling to the extreme. He had his back hit with fluorescent lamps and was legitimately set on fire.Most recently, he's been successful in a new wrestling promotion: Lucha Underground when he was booked to face Pentagon Jr. in place of another wrestler who backed out. He also serves as a color commentator for both the English and Spanish airings of Lucha Underground.
Vampiro could have been a major legend in mainstream american promotions like WWE and TNA if they booked him properly. In my opinion, he wasn't pushed because of his "scrawny" and unprofessional appearance compared to other "professional" wrestlers. For whatever the reason was, we cannot deny his uniqueness as a talented pro-wrestler. Despite the opportunities lost, my hope is that new ones will arise during his time in Lucha Underground.
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