Professional wrestling wouldn’t be what it is today without the Latino influence that has frequently been a part of it. Mexican wrestling (a.k.a. lucha libre, which basically translates to “freestyle wrestling”) is over a century old, and the high flyers that you currently love today definitely owe a lot of credit to the Latino wrestlers of yesterday. We’ve already covered the most influential Hispanic WWE stars, but today, I want to talk about the current rosters of both WWE and their rival, AEW.
Both wrestling promotions currently have some outstanding Latino talent. Although we no longer have the “Latino heat” himself, Eddie Guerrero (You remember that Dominik Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero paternity storyline back in the early 2000s? So weird!), there’s still plenty of Latino heat to burn up the ring at least a few times a week. So, with that being said, here are the best Latino wrestlers currently working in the WWE and AEW!
Rey Mysterio (WWE)
Master of the 619, Rey Mysterio is probably one of the most famous lucha libre wrestlers in the entire world. He's actually kind of an anomaly in the WWE as he’s a pretty small guy (billed at being 5'6") but won the World Heavyweight Title on two separate occasions as well as a myriad of other titles. This is despite former WWE CEO, Vince McMahon, usually having a penchant of only putting over beefy bruisers like Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns. Just further proof of Rey’s wild popularity.
He’s also performed some deft-defying stunts, like getting thrown off of WWE headquarters, as well as other high-risk maneuvers. As of a few months ago, he was working with his son in a tag team. But, that was until Dominik turned on his father at the recent PPV, Clash at the Castle. Oh, wrestling. How I love you.
Dominik Mysterio (WWE)
As just mentioned, Dominik turned heel recently by joining The Judgment Day and severing ties with his dad, who never turned heel in the WWE. He shares a lot of the same high-flying maneuvers as his father, but he’s had some memorable matches of his own, including ones with Seth Rollins, as well as an entrance in the 35th Royal Rumble.
That said, a lot of his time was spent doing tag matches with his dad, one of which had them losing to The Miz and seeming WWE-mainstay, Logan Paul (it was pretty sweet to see the father and son duo hit Paul with a 619, though). But, a heel turn might be just what Dominik needs to step out of his father’s massive shadow and come out on his own.
Thunder Rosa (AEW)
La Mera Mera herself, Thunder Rosa, with half her face painted and waving the Mexican-American flag (even entering to an all-female Mariachi band for a steel cage match), pretty much wears her heritage on her sleeve, and we love her all the more for it.
Formerly the AEW Female World Champion (she had to temporarily vacate the title due to an injury), she isn’t afraid to get bloody in order to snag a victory. Though I didn’t mention her in my article, Rosa is one of the reasons why this lapsed wrestling fan is now a weekly watcher. She’s just that good, and I hope she comes back soon. I miss her.
Penta El Zero Miedo And Rey Fenix (AEW)
You know, when I did my article of the top ten two-man tag teams in AEW, real life brothers, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix were noticeably absent from that list. But, that’s only because Rey was injured at the time. Now that he’s back, Penta and Rey are undoubtedly the best tag team in AEW (especially since The Young Bucks are currently on probation after their fight with CM Punk).
Actually, Penta and Rey are not only the best two-man tag team, but also the best three-man tag team as well, since they currently hold the title with Pac. They're high-flyers through and through, but they also have an electric ground game that can’t be beat. Both brothers exhibit "zero miedo" (zero fear) in the ring, and every match they’re in is a heartstopper. No doubt.
Damian Priest (WWE)
Current member of The Judgment Day, Damian Priest has a background in Goju-ryu karate, and it shows in his hard-hitting style of wrestling, where he often throws his opponents around like they’re laundry. Starting out with the WWE in NXT, he looked like a monster early on when he defeated Keith Lee in one of his early matches.
When he moved up to the Raw Brand, Priest continued to be a badass, beating the likes of The Miz, Sheamus (earning him the United States Championship belt), and Drew McIntyre. As I said earlier, he’s now in the Judgment Day, but he turned on Edge, who he originally cofounded The Judgment Day with. Again, might I just say that I love wrestling!
Bayley (WWE)
Leader of the villainous faction, Damage Control, Bayley is one of those extremely rare wrestlers who is equally good as both a face and a heel (unlike, say, somebody like AEW’s MJF, who could likely never play a convincing babyface since he’s 100% a heel). Starting out with the WWE on NXT (where she actually wore a Luchadora mask in her first match), Bayley went from a loveable fangirl persona to the badass that she is today. Now that’s talent.
Some of her best feuds included the likes of fights between Emma, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss. But, my favorite era of hers was undoubtedly when she was in the tag-team, the Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection with Sasha Banks. Bayley had an injury that took her out of commission for a while, but she’s back in business now and a true heel. You can’t get any better than that.
Sammy Guevara And Tay Melo (AEW)
When you go by the moniker, “The Spanish God,” you better be damn good at your job. Luckily, Sammy Guevara lives up to that title, as he’s one of the most exciting wrestlers that AEW has to offer. There from the very beginning, he's often seen roaming around with Chris Jericho, first in his original stable, The Inner Circle, and now in his new faction, the Jericho Appreciation Society, better known as JAS.
But, when he’s not with Jericho (who actually has quite a few thoughts on Vince McMahon’s retirement), he’s often seen sucking face with his real-life wife, Tay Melo, formerly Tay Conti. She's great with him, but she’s also a genuine threat on her own, having some great matches against the likes of Serena Deeb, Hikaru Shida, and Dr. Britt Baker.
She currently wrestles in mixed-tag team matches with her husband, and is often a foil for other wrestlers so that he can steal his wins. Both of them are equally talented wrestlers, though, and their partnership makes them a double threat.
Andrade El Idolo (AEW)
Like a few other AEW stars on this list, Andrade once called the WWE home before he moved over to AEW. Unfortunately, and this is just me talking, he's criminally underused there, as he is the perfect mixture of pure strength and outright athleticism, and I really think they need to give the man a major push soon, or I can see him finding greener pastures somewhere else once his contract expires.
That said, it hasn’t been a complete wash for him, as Andrade had a great feud with Pac, and a phenomenal coffin match with Darby Allin. Seriously, please put this man on television more, Tony Khan. He’s a star!
Zelina Vega (WWE)
Zelina Vega – I’m sorry, Queen Zelina – has had an interesting career ever since she entered the WWE back in 2017. At first, she rolled with and managed Andrade back in his WWE days, often getting in the middle of matches and delivering hurricanranas whenever possible. She then separated from him and went her own way, getting into feuds with the likes of Asuka and Mickie James. Unfortunately, the WWE released her, or rather, as the they like to call it, “future endeavored” her just as she was hitting her stride.
Thankfully, she returned several months later, and was crowned Queen at the Crown Jewel PPV after defeating Doudrop. The cool thing about Zelina, though, is that she’s such a great heel, and continues to be so. A regal one at that.
Raquel Rodriguez (WWE)
First appearing on the main roster this year, Raquel Rodriguez mostly made a name for herself on the black and gold, NXT brand as Raquel Gonzalez. She was notably a bodyguard for Dakota Kai (similar to how Diesel was a bodyguard for Shawn Michaels a few years before the Attitude Era kickstart) before getting into a feud herself with Rhea Ripley.
Rodriquez is a big, strong woman, who is able to easily lift Ronda Rousey (but, unfortunately, not beat her) up in the air, and she also proudly emphasizes her Latina heritage, easily making her an absolute winner in my book.
Santana And Ortiz (AEW)
Formerly Proud & Powerful, you don’t really see Santana much anymore in AEW, though he’s still listed on the AEW roster, but we’ve been seeing a lot of Ortiz, who usually tag teams with Ruby Soho these days.
When they were together though, they were a pretty potent tag team, going toe-to-toe with the likes of the JAS, and usually siding with Eddie Kingston (who also identifies as half-Latino), when they would get inside the squared circle. Ortiz even had to shave his beautiful hair in a haircut match with “The Wizard” Chris Jericho. Who said there aren’t high stakes in professional wrestling?
Angel Garza (WWE)
Oh, Angel Garza and his roses. Like a number of wrestlers on this list, he got his start in the WWE for NXT, where he had some great matches with Joaquin Wilde and Tony Nese, before he was then moved up to the main roster. Once there, he connected with Zelina Vega (then not yet a queen), and my man Andrade.
He and Andrade made a good tag team, though they couldn’t defeat The Street Profits (oh, well). Unfortunately, the WWE weighed down Garza with the (I’m sorry) useless 24/7 Championship title, which he lost to R-Truth because of (sigh) The Boogeyman scaring him. Still, Garza is a really fun character, and even more fun when he was in Los Lotharios with his cousin, Humberto Carrillo. Just fun stuff all around.
There are other great Latino wrestlers in other promotions, but I mostly wanted to spotlight the two main ones. For more news on everything wrestling, make sure to swing by here often.
