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In 1997, WWE entered a partnership with Mexico's AAA to share talent. The Royal Rumble was the first appearance of wrestlers from Lucha Libre. They appeared in multiple matches during the event, including the Royal Rumble itself.
Mil Máscaras
Mil Máscaras is well-known as the wrestler who eliminated himself in the 1997 Royal Rumble. But who is Mil Máscaras and why is he important to Lucha Libre?
Before appearing in WWF/WWE, Máscaras worked all over Mexico, Japan, and the US establishing himself as a luchador not to be messed with. In 1960s, he starred in 20 films. He's considered one of the greatest wrestlers of Lucha Libre along with El Santo and Blue Demon. He's been inducted into both the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (2010) and the WWE Hall of Fame (2012).
He's a part of a prominent wrestling family in Mexico, which includes his brothers, Dos Caras and Sicodélico as well as his nephews Alberto El Patron, El Hijo de Dos Caras, and Sicodélico Jr.
Máscaras appeared for WWF/WWE in 1970s, becoming the first masked wrestler to work at Madison Square Garden. He feuded with The Spoiler and Superstar Billy Graham. He returned to the company for the 1997 Royal Rumble, marking his first appearance on pay-per-view, eliminating Pierroth Jr and himself.
Cibernético
Debuting in 1992, Cibernético wrestled all over Mexico at CMLL and AAA before heading to WWE/WWF in 1996. Due to AAA’s relationship with the WWF, Cibernético showed up at In Your House 12: It’s Time (along with Pierroth Jr.) to feud with WWF Tag Team Champions, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog.
Cibernético and Pierroth Jr. went on a winning streak, defeating most of the tag division. As with WWE/WWF, plans changed and the pair never fully explored their feud with Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. Cibernético made his last appearance for WWE/WWF at the 1997 Royal Rumble.
Fuerza Guerrera
Fuerza Guerrera is a Luchador enmascarado who has wrestled all over Mexico and held championships in both CMLL and AAA. His name translates to “Warrior Strength” and he has some well-known children in professional wrestling: El Hijo Fuerza Guerrera, Hija de Fuerza Guerrera, and Juventud Guerrera.
He appeared for WWF/WWE at the 1997 Royal Rumble. He teamed up with Jerry Estrada and Heavy Metal to face off against Hector Garza, Perro Aguayo, and El Canek. His team lost to Garza’s team that night. This was his only appearance for WWF/WWE.
Histeria/Super Crazy
Histeria, better known as Super Crazy, has wrestled all over the world. He has worked for AAA, ECW, WWE, NJPW, Zero-1, AJPW, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. He has worked for WWF and the WWE under both names, with an almost ten-year break between the two stints.
His first run with the company was short, going by the name Histeria. He appeared on RAW is WAR and Shotgun for WWF/WWE in 1997. He worked matches against the Los Cadetos del Espacio stable, feuding with Venum. Upon leaving AAA, he changed his name to Super Crazy while simultaneously handing over the costume and name of Histeria to another wrestler.
Super Crazy returned for a full run in WWE in June 2005 during the ECW-branded One Night Stand pay-per-view. He moved to SmackDown and WWE Velocity, forming a group with Psicosis and Juventus Guerrera, known as The Mexicools. The group became more popular as 2005 neared its end but, by the start of 2006, Guerrera was released from his contract, leaving Super Crazy and Psicosis to continue without him.
In 2006, Super Crazy and Psicosis had split before entering a short-lived feud. Neither was seen on WWE TV for some time. Super Crazy returned to RAW and feuded with Chris Masters and Johnny Nitro.
In 2007, he suffered a knee injury at a house show in Germany. In 2008, he performed on both ECW and SmackDown but, by November, was granted release from WWE.
Héctor Garza
Hector Garza is a second-generation Mexican wrestler. He has worked in popular premotions in both Mexico and the United States.
His time in WWE/WWF was short-lived but he made an impact defeating T.L. Hopper on an episode of Superstars before taking part in the 1997 Royal Rumble. Carza teamed with El Canek and Perro Aguayo to defeat Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal and Jerry Estrada.
After several more appearances, his last match was on the 10th of March 1997 where he teamed up with Latin Lover and Octagón in a losing bout against Pentagón, Heavy Metal, and Pierroth on the 200th episode of RAW.
Héctor Garza sadly passed away at the age of 43 on 26th March 2013 after being diagnosed with Lung Cancer. His legacy lives on within the Garza family. His son is El Sultán while his two nephews, Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo, have signed with the WWE, reforming their tag team from their days in Mexico. He was inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame in 2015.
