An AEW-CMLL dual contracted star has addressed previously taking over a character from a former WWE talent.
In January, CMLL’s Mascara Dorada was one of the stars announced to be joining AEW with a dual contract.
This version of Mascara Dorada is the second iteration of the character, not to be confused with former WWE star Gran Metalik, who wrestled as Mascara Dorada in CMLL from 2008 to 2016, ahead of his WWE stint.
With Panterita del Ring Jr taking over the Mascara Dorada character in June 2023, the luchador has told Denise Salcedo that he did feel a lot of pressure to live up to the former iteration.
Noting that he considers this version new because he’s telling his story, Dorada said:
“Yes, (there was) a lot of pressure, since, as we know, (Metalik) was a fighter who also left a mark here in Mexico.
“He was a complete wrestler and, of course, I had the pressure to take this character and be able to be as good or better than him. Right now, I don’t consider myself a person who says that I’ve surpassed him or reached him, but what I will tell you is that I really enjoy what I do.
“I love this, I’ve loved wrestling since I was very young, it has been instilled in me. Sometimes I don’t think about the other characters, because for me, this is my story, and I’m creating this from scratch, so for me, this is new and I’m enjoying it a lot.”
(Translated from Spanish)
Metalik has wrestled for AEW a number of times, confusingly also having wrestled for the company as Mascara Dorada, on three episodes of Dark from September 2022 to January 2023.
He wrestled as Metalik during his four AEW TV appearances, with his most recent seeing him and Komander lose to Private Party on the June 21, 2024 Rampage episode.
Taking on existing names and characters is more common in lucha libre in Mexico than it is in the US wrestling scene, with many characters being legacy roles.
While a lot of wrestlers keep a name in their family lineage by adding Jr or “Hijo de” (which means “son of”), there are many instances where new wrestlers fully take on an existing character, including Black Tiger, La Parka and Místico.
Notably, WWE’s Rey Mysterio is not the first person to wrestle under that name, with his late uncle competing as the slightly differently spelled “Rey Misterio.”
Prior to Dominik Mysterio joining the Judgment Day and feuding with Rey Mysterio in 2022, there was a lot of speculation about Dominik potentially taking on his father’s mask and wrestling under his great uncle and father’s famous moniker.
With Dominik previously recalling scrapped plans for him to wrestle with his own mask, at this point it would make sense for him to continue to wrestle under his own name, given his recognisability and achievements on the US wrestling stage.
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