Kalisto: 7 Little known facts about him you probably didn't know

Destined for greatness akin Rey MysterioThe latest edition of Monday Night Raw witnessed a great upset when Kalisto became the United States Champion. He was clearly the underdog heading into the match against Alberto Del Rio, but when the final bell rang, the arena erupted.A portion of the WWE Universe expected a downfall in his momentum when Sin Cara was injured, but this injury proved to be a blessing for the young Luchador. The championship win underlines WWE’s faith in Kalisto to be the next Rey Mysterio and the fans are accepting him as well.However, there are some little-known facts about the new United States Champion Kalisto and here is a look at them.

#7 A decade of experience

A seasoned grappler of the business

The WWE fans started seeing Kalisto just a couple of years back, but he is pretty experienced. Kalisto, who was trained by the likes Windy City Pro Wrestling, made his debut in 2006. His debut happened after just three weeks of training.

Later, Kalisto made a huge move to AAA where he increased his star power.

Kalisto did not win any title in the promotion, but he did catch the attention of many people. He wrestled for Evolve and Combat Zone Wrestling as well before making it into NXT. There, he was trained by big names like Billy Gunn, and Dusty Rhodes.

#6 Kalisto\'s first major singles title

How would his first singles title reign pan out to be?

Kalisto’s win over Alberto Del Rio on Monday Night Raw was the inspiration for this list. Kalisto became the United States Champion in the process and it would be interesting to see how his reign turns out to be.

An interesting part about his title win is that this is his first ever singles title in the wrestling business. Earlier, Kalisto had won the NXT Tag Team championship with Sin Caraand won some tournaments like Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup and King of Flight Tournament.

Winning his first major singles title in WWE is certainly going to be a memory to cherish for Kalisto.

#5 Kalisto\'s old ring names

‘The Samurai of the Sun’

Before coming to WWE, Kalisto spent some quality time in the independent circuit. He wrestled under a mask with the name Samuray Del Sol. He had a solid reputation and his choice of name helped big time.

Instead of choosing the regular spelling of Samurai, Kalisto chose Samuray, to distinguish himself from the other wrestlers. This name has a deep meaning as well. It is Spanish for ‘Samurai of the Sun’.

However, when he came into WWE, the company decided to repackage him and branded him as Kalisto. Kalisto had also wrestled under the names Samuray and Octagon Jr as he was heavily inspired by Octagon during his childhood days.

#4 The successful stay in Mexico

A big name in Mexico

Kalisto grew up as a fan of Mexican wrestling. Born in Chicago, Kalisto spent his initial years in Mexico City. It was here where he developed his love for the Lucha Libre style. As a youngster, Kalisto followed the likes of Tinieblas and Octagon.

When it was the mask and physique of Tinieblas that caught Kalisto’s attention, it was the in-ring style of Octagon that impressed him. Once Kalisto moved back to the United States, he was exposed to the promotions like WWE, WCW, and ECW.

This change brought influence from the likes of Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio and Sabu. He wanted to fly when he was young just like his favorite superhero – Superman.

#3 His childhood heroes and Superman

Kalisto had high flying ambitons since his childhood days

After making his debut in 2006, it took Kalisto 4 years to make his debut in Mexico. Thanks to his success in the mid-western independent promotions, Kalisto had a huge reputation in Mexico and his debut in the country had high expectations.

The fans reacted positively to the same and this proved to be a launching pad for Kalisto. He was featured in Mexico’s largest television network Televisa and many other media sources. All this media coverage helped Kalisto to increase his reach and finally, he fell under the radar of WWE talent scouts.

Just three years after his Mexico debut, Kalisto was snatched by WWE.

#2 Kalisto\'s personal life

A combat sports fanatic

The personal life of a masked wrestler remains a mystery for most of the time. The case of Kalisto, though, is different. He was born on November 14, 1986 and was named Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez.

As a child, Kalisto enjoyed playing a wide array of sports including taekwondo, gymnastics, jujutsu, amateur wrestling, and football. All these mixed martial arts and athletics training helped him later in his career.

Kalisto is married to Abigail Rodriguez and has two dogs and a cat in his house, and if you want to get more personal, he is someone who enjoys eating Captain Crunch berries.

#1 Kalisto almost died once

Close shave with death

The life of a professional wrestler is filled with risks, period. And when the style of wrestling is hardcore, the risk doubles. During 2011, Kalisto landed in a hardcore wrestling promotion named Desastre Total Ultraviolento.

Working there took a lot out of Kalisto and once he injured himself badly. Once, he was trying to pull off a flip from the ring to the floor but unfortunately, his head hit the guard rail. This left him with a concussion and if the jump was a bit more misplaced, it would have taken the life of Kalisto.

“It literally felt like I was drunk every day,” Kalisto once said about his near-death experience.