Mephisto (born December 10, 1968) is the ring name of a Mexican professional wrestler that works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). His real name is not a matter of official record as he is masked, which by Mexican wrestling traditions means that his personal life is kept secret from the general public.
The son of Luchador Astro Rey/Kahoz, he has previously worked both as Astro Rey Jr. and Kahoz Jr. before rising to prominence under the gimmick of Mephisto. He has been associated with the group Los Infernales ("The Infernal Ones") and later on Los Hijos del Averno ("The Sons of Hell"), especially working closely with Averno as his regular tag team partner for years. Mephisto and Averno are considered one of the top teams in Mexico between 2000 and 2010. He was also the leader of Los Hijos del Infierno ("The Sons of the Inferno"), which includes Ephesto and Luciferno.
While working as Mephisto, he has won multiple individual CMLL championships and held the Mexican National Trios Championship with the other Hijos del Infierno. Previously, he has held the CMLL World Tag Team Championship (3 times), CMLL World Trios Championship, CMLL World Welterweight Championship, Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, Mexican National Welterweight Championship, NWA World Welterweight Championship, and was the first ever holder of the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship.
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Personal life
The man who would grow up to wrestle as Mephisto was born on December 12, 1968, in Mexico City, the son of Alberto Leonel Hernández López, better known as the professional wrestler "Astro Rey" (Spanish for "Astro King") and later on as "Kahoz". By 1971, his father had started wrestling, which meant that the future Mephisto grew up around wrestlers, wanting to become one himself from a very early age.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1988–1992)
After training under his father and uncle, a luchador known as "El Gallo Giro", he made his debut in 1988 under the ring name "Kahoz Jr.", a tribute to his father's final wrestling character, working for various promotions in Mexico and Japan. His father, however, urged him to change gimmicks to the one that got his father the most fame, "Astro Rey Jr." (or simply "Astro Jr.").
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (1992–present)
Astro Rey Jr. made his debut for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) on October 4, 1992, at their main venue, Arena México, teaming with Aguila de Plata to defeat Bufalo Salvaje and El Cortado. He received his first major opportunity on April 7, 1995, when he teamed with veteran Dr. Wagner Jr. for the Torneo Gran Alternativa ("Great Alternative Tournament"). They defeated Guerrero de la Muerte and Mocho Cota and Atlantico and Atlantis to advance to the finals, which they lost to Shocker and Silver King.
From late 1997 to 1998, he wrestled under the name Sendero, which earned him a spot at the CMLL 65th Anniversary Show on September 18, 1998, where he and El Oriental lost to Halcon Negro Jr. and Virus. Upon his return as Astro Rey Jr., on March 22, 1999, he won the Mexican National Welterweight Championship from Arkangel de la Muerte. On April 2, he was paired with Shocker in that year's Torneo Gran Alternativa, defeating Apolo Dantés and Karloff Lagarde Jr. in the first round, before losing to Atlantico and Mr. Niebla in the second round. Astro Rey Jr. lost the title to Karloff Lagarde Jr. on October 23, 2000, leading to a mask vs. hair Lucha de Apuestas ("bet match") between the two seven days later, which Astro Rey Jr. won, forcing his opponent to have his hair shaved off.
Over the summer of 2001, El Satánico, the leader of a team known as Los Infernales ("The Infernal Ones"), was involved in a storyline with former team members Último Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Tarzan Boy, who had turned on him. CMLL paired Satánico with two other wrestlers, both of whom were repackaged to fit with his "infernal" image. On television, it was presented as if Satánico used his supposed "satanic powers" to turn tecnico (face) Rencor Latino into one of his "minions", the rudo (heel) known as "Averno" ("Hell"), while Astro Rey Jr. became Mephisto; unlike Averno, no references to his previous identities were made at the time. Together, the three became the new version of Los Infernales and feuded with the splinter group, consisting of Guerrero, Bucanero, Tarzan Boy and Máscara Mágica. On September 28, at the CMLL 68th Anniversary Show, the two groups faced off in a steel cage match to determine who had the rights to the "Los Infernales" name. In the end, Satánico made Mágica submit, gaining the rights for his own group and taking the mask of Mágica. Following the event, the splinter faction changed their name to Los Guerreros del Infierno ("The Warriors of the Inferno").
On June 23, 2002, Los Infernales won the Mexican National Trios Championship from Olímpico, Mr. Niebla and Safari, which they lost to La Familia de Tijuana (Nicho el Millonario, Halloween and Damián 666) on September 27. When Nicho stopped appearing for CMLL during their feud, the trios championship was vacated, but Los Infernales refused to take them without a match. This storyline led to an eight-team trios title tournament that Los Infernales lost. Instead, they won a tournament to become the number one contenders for the CMLL World Trios Championship, but lost to champions Black Tiger III, Dr. Wagner Jr. and Universo 2000 on August 1. At the end of the year, Averno and Mephisto turned on Satánico and split from the group, venturing out on their own. On February 4, 2004, Mephisto defeated El Satánico to win the CMLL World Welterweight Championship, which he successfully defended against the likes of Volador Jr., Zumbido, Felino and Neutrón.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2009–2017)
On February 15, 2009, Mephisto made his New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut, unsuccessfully challenging Místico for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship in Sumo Hall, Tokyo.
Mephisto took part in the three-day Fantastica Mania 2013 event, co-promoted by CMLL and NJPW, in January 2013. During the first night on January 18, he teamed with Gedo and Jado to defeat Atlantis, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask in a six-man tag team match. The following night, Mephisto and Okumura defeated Diamante and Máscara Dorada in a tag team match. During the third and final night, Mephisto teamed with Euforia and Kazuchika Okada in a six-man tag team main event, where they were defeated by Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Prince Devitt.
In January 2014, Mephisto returned to Japan to take part in the five-day Fantastica Mania 2014 tour. In the main event of the fourth show on January 18, he successfully defended the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship against Místico. In January 2015, Mephisto returned to Japan to take part in the Fantastica Mania 2015 tour, during which he joined Bullet Club and successfully defended the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship against Stuka Jr. However, when he returned for the Fantastica Mania 2016 tour in January 2016, no reference was made to his association with Bullet Club. In the main event of the tour's final show, Mephisto unsuccessfully challenged Volador Jr. for the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship.
Championships and accomplishments
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
NWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time)
NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship (1 time, inaugural)
CMLL World Welterweight Championship (2 times)
CMLL World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Averno
CMLL World Trios Championship (3 times) – with Averno and Ephesto (1), with Hechicero and Euforia (1), with Averno and Euforia (1)
Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)
Mexican National Trios Championship (2 times) – with El Satánico and Averno (1 time), with Ephesto and Luciferno (1 time)
Reyes del Aire VIP (Puebla) - 2017
CMLL Torneo de Parejas Increíbles (2016) – with Místico
Copa Bobby Bonales 2023
International Wrestling Revolution Group
Copa Higher Power (1999) – with Máscara Mágica, Rey Bucanero, El Satánico, and Último Guerrero
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked him # 54 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2006.