5: Rico’s career was tempered with homosexual undertones
Rico made his debut as a stylist for Billy and Chuck in 2003. A suave character drawn in the same homoerotic vein as the tag team he styled, Rico brought a slew of entertaining moments to the mix through his goofiness outside the ring and grappling skills inside. He managed Billy and Chuck till their infamous wedding when he jumped ship to Raw by assaulting Chuck after Eric Bischoff had sabotaged their elaborate matrimonial set up (which was coincidentally planned by GLAAD).
Now sporting sideburns and face paint, Rico maintained the exótico essence while alternating between managerial jobs and ring performances. He began stretching his gay character for cartoonish effect, a move that soon endeared him to the audience.
By 2004, Rico had adopted a personality, not unlike Adrian Street. He would kiss his opponents mid-match, grab their behind, or turn a bear hug into a seductive embrace to the utter disgust of his opponents and mirth of the spectators. Often, they would be so flustered as to not enter the ring, thus earning Rico a win through being counted out.
Described as a “metrosexual” by Josh Matthews, Rico was not only a showman who squared his over the top gimmick seamlessly but was also an incredibly talented in-ring performer. Sadly, his limited tag team championship runs did nothing to propel him beyond the stock comic relief that he had morphed into during his latter days.
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