Gran Metalik, the luchador formerly known as Máscara Dorada, is currently competing in the Cruiserweight Classic and recently signed a full-time contract with the WWE.
Fans will be excited with his signing, especially after his impressive first round match in the CWC against Chilean wrestler Alejandro Saez. Metalik showed that he’s a luchador of the highest ccalibre, pulling off some high-flying moves in the match and he finished Saez off with a devastating looking Michinoku Driver.
#5 CMLL & New Japan
Born in Guadalajara, Gran Metalik is the most accomplished luchador taking part in this year’s Cruiserweight Classic. He made his professional debut in 2005 for Mexican promotion, CMLL, the oldest wrestling promotion in the world.
He faced a number of big stars early into his wrestling career like Ultimo Dragon and Alberto Del Rio and went on to have a successful career in Mexico.
In 2010, Metalik dipped his toe into the Japanese wrestling scene when he took part in NJPW’s first ever Super J tag-team tournament along with fellow luchador Valiente. He continued to wrestle for NJPW till the end of 2015.
His time in NJPW was underwhelming and it often looked like bookers didn’t have any concrete plans for him. The highest point of his NJPW career was when he challenged unsuccessfully for Kenny Omega’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
#4 Wrestling Style
Gran Metalik is a luchador of the classical mould. His offense is a mixture of breathtaking high-flying offence ranging from Corkscrew Dives and plenty of variations of the Hurracanrana to a variety of springboard based maneuvers.
Metalik is also adept in using the ropes as a part of or to help with his offence and is nicknamed “el ray de las cuerdas” (the king of the ropes), in his native Mexico. As he showed in his Cruiserweight Classic debut, Gran Metalik is not afraid of taking risks and is no stranger to performing under pressure.
#3 His real name is unknown
As is traditional in Mexican lucha libre culture with masked wrestlers, Gran Metalik’s real name isn’t a matter of public record and hasn’t been officially documented.
All that is known about is personal life is that he hails from Guadalajara in Mexico and currently resides in Mexico with his family, which will probably change now that he has signed with the WWE.
He has stated in interviews that he has two daughters.
Such mystique has all but disappeared from modern wrestling in the era of the internet, but Gran Metalik is a throwback to tradition.
#2 He’s already faced a host of current and former WWE Superstars
Gran Metalik has wrestled all over the world from small arenas to sold out stadiums. During his time out on the independent scene, he has faced a host of current and former WWE Superstars like Alberto Del Rio, Ultimo Dragon, Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor and NXT Head Trainer Matt Bloom.
He has also teamed up with current NXT Superstar Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas during his time in Japan.
In fact, it has been reported that Finn Balor was the person who recommended Gran Metalik for the Cruiserweight Classic.
#1 Accolades
Gran Metalik has had a very successful career in his native Mexico and has won almost everything that there is to win in CMLL. He is a former CMLL World Super Lightweight Champion, 2-time CMLL World Trios Champion and CMLL World Welterweight Champion amongst others.
Metalik also was a quadruple CMLL champion, holding the Mexican National Trios Championship, the CMLL World Trios Championship, the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship and the CMLL World Welterweight Championship at the same time.
His run in Japan was less successful but he still won the Fantastica Mania Tag Tournament (2015) along with Atlantis.
With all this success behind him, Gran Metalik looks like he has the championship pedigree to pull off an upset at the Cruiserweight Classic and go on to have a successful run in WWE, especially with the new cruiserweight division being announced for Raw.
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