Mistico II leaves behind Mistico, Caristico regains the Mistico gimmick

Two luchadors who will forever be connected in lucha libre separated on Wednesday. Mistico II, the Munoz family member, filmed a video in Arena Mexico announcing he was leaving immediately and then informed CMLL of his decision. CMLL decided, in a matter of minutes, to keep the Mistico gimmick alive by putting the original luchador back inthe mask. Caristico, who famously wrestled as Mistico and is the wrestler most fans identified as the authentic Mistico even after the character was passed on, received the Mistico mask on CMLL’s Informa show that afternoon. CMLL host Julio Cesar Rivera strenuously pointed out that the promotion will maintain ownership of the Mistico name; Caristico received the right to use the mask and name only as long as his relationship with CMLL stays intact. Caristico’s first match back as Mistico will take place Friday night, replacing Mistico II’s scheduled booking.

CMLL’s decision to give Caristico back the Mistico decision seems to have come rashly. The idea had been floated since Caristico returned to the promotion in 2015, with various big ideas of name versus name battles. It never seemed like CMLL was interested in going in that direction. Guadalajara luchador Fugaz seemed to be in line for the spot, with talk he had been instructed to start learning the big Mistico moves. It ultimately feels like Caristico got the name back partly because of an emphasis of bringing back ideas from the past and partly to make sure the story of the day would be the original Mistico returning to his thrown and not the second Mistico joining other names in leaving CML this year.

Mistico II’s CMLL career is a handy encapsulation of CMLL’s issues in the last decade. The creative forces at the promotion believed they could get sell the fans on any idea they wanted for themselves and lacked the ability to actually do so. Mistico II, upon being offered the Mistico gimmick at a press conference in 2012, declared it both a great honor and a great burden. He was proven correct on both points. “Mistico II” was part of a shift in the marketing of wrestling based more around recognizable brands and less around what they actually did. He’s the symbol of a promotion that turned their luchadors into interchangeable action figures, with the actual people in the gimmicks meaning less and less. It’s a strategy that’s appeared to actively harm CMLL, reducing interest over time as fans become disinterested in seeing familiar match time over time. Returning the Mistico gimmick to Caristico will be very well received by the longtime Arena Mexico fans – they never stopped chanting for him as Mistico – but is a sign that nothing’s going to change. It’s not as blatant as Yago & Drone taking on old gimmicks Enfermero Jr. & Hombre Bala Jr., but it’s just another part of the nostalgia vortex CMLL’s willing trapped themselves in. CMLL is where new ideas go to die, where the only good things in wrestling happened far in the past. Current CMLL is somehow the sort of reunion promotion seen popping up after a big group dies, only they’re still the original group and have not died yet.

“Mistico II” was doomed from conception. It would have been near impossible for any wrestler to be put in that spot and not be rejected by the fans. Mistico I/Caristico was a mainstream star responsible for a wrestling boom, the biggest reason a generation of fans became interested in lucha libre. The guy who would replace him could be more spectacular – and at times Mistico II could be – and it wouldn’t matter. CMLL inadvertently asked their fans to decide between the Mistico they knew and grew up with and hated tecnico Rush’s kid brother. It wasn’t a fair battle. Mistico II got chants of “Mistico Pirata” (pirate/fake Mistico) from the moment he took over the character. CMLL’s presentation of the new character didn’t help the situation. They made noise about how the new Mistico wasn’t going to get anything handed to him, would start in the middle and earn it his way to the top, and might not even use La Mistica. CMLL then did the opposition, pushing Mistico into main events hoping to boost slumping attendance and having him wrestle as closely to the previous Mistico as possible. A few moves from his previous Dragon Lee gimmicks remained, most noticeably the Operacion Dragon ramp dive, but he was a man whose identity was taken away by forcing a new one upon him. The best comparison to the Mistico situation is the La Parka one, where the second character mimicked the first to start but had years of experience, was eventually allowed to take the character in his own direction, and got the big wins to cement him as being a star on his own. CMLL’s Mistico II was a 20-year-old rookie, didn’t have the experience or freedom to grow the character, and never got the real wins prove to turn those fans to his side. CMLL and Mistico II surely thought giving him the character would help his career, but it ended up putting a cap on his growth.

I’m not sure Mistico can shake off that career malaise just by switching to his own name. It might have worked at one time, but injuries have taken their toll despite not yet turning 30. Mistico II’s never been the same wrestler following both his 2014 serious motorcycle accident and his rushed return to the ring. He’s lacked the agility and speed he had prior to messing his leg, been surpassed by many more impressive flyers in CMLL, and there have been plenty of indications CMLL didn’t see him as a specially skilled wrestler beyond the name. CMLL’s priority of protecting the gimmick kept him in top weekly spots, but it wasn’t enough to get him in Aniversario or Homenaje a Dos Leyendas main events. Mistico II won lots of singles matches on normal shows but was generally kept to being part of a trio on the biggest shows of the years. His luchawiki page has no Lucha de Apuesta sections because CMLL never put him one. CMLL ran the much anticipated Caristico vs Mistico singles match at their b-arenas, and Caristico went over both in Puebla and Guadalajara, a seeming conclusion to where they saw him. The wrestlers didn’t seem to treat him much different. Mistico II was wished well by many of them on social media, though it was a running bit how Volador and others would treat him like a kid brother who didn’t quite have his head screwed on straight in interviews. The wrestler itself had no particular incentive to get better and mostly did the same general matches over and over. The only recent changes in years have been to adapt signature spots from brothers Rush and Dragon Lee, moving him from an imitation of one single wrestler to a few wrestlers. The situation feels similar to ex-CMLL La Mascara, who had coasted in CMLL for many years and struggled to regain form when he left on his own. Mistico II is a better wrestler than La Mascara when he left CMLL, but they were very much products of an antiquated system, one that doesn’t teach skills to live outside of it.

Mistico II’s helped a bit because his brothers already have indies connections, and he’s gotten himself in a position for more. There’s a good chance Mistico II will be showing up on the Robles Patron Promociones show tonight. He was at the press conference to announce this show. He didn’t appear in front of the press but he’s been thinking about his move for a while and the timing matches up. Mistico II also appears to be good friends with Cinta de Oro Jr., who will be headlining this show. Mistico’s brother Rush has also been teasing showing up to confront Alberto on the show. I’m skeptical this promotion is viable but it’ll give Mistico a few high-profile bookings to start with. That family connection also means Mistico’s likely been pitched to Ring of Honor – and really, anywhere Dragon Lee or Rush are working has probably gotten or will get a pitch to bring in Mistico II, similar to what’s happened with La Bestia del Ring. Some will bite, and it’ll get Mistico going, though he may have to prove he can stand on his two feet to keep getting shots.

As for CMLL, this should be a short-term boost for a promotion that could use the help A lot of kids whose first favorite wrestler was Mistico are now adults with spending money. Maybe they’ll be excited to revisit their childhood one more time and buy some tickets; CMLL should run with it for the moment. There are long-term structural issues here when top talent is repeatedly leaving the promotion, but it’s nothing that wasn’t said two weeks ago when NGD left (and at least CMLL got a positive story for people to talk about out of it this time.) Titan and Cavernario, who both are attempting to get their visas through the same process as Mistico II, will have their future status a bit more in question, especially after the Aniversario. Mistico leaving opens up a spot, and guys like Audaz, Fugaz, and Star Jr. be in higher positions, though it’ll seem like less star power unless CMLL does something to get those guys over first. CMLL probably won’t do anything, and we’ll be back talking about another departure sooner rather than later. There must eventually reach a point where the people in charge get tired of these issues and make a change but there’s no obvious indication CMLL’s any closer to the breaking point. Maybe someday, instead of a wrestler walking into Salvador Lutteroth to tell him he’s leaving, it’ll be Salvador Lutteroth walking into someone else’s office to say he’s out. There’s no sign it’s happening soon.

Various minor ripple effects

• Mistico & Caristico were scheduled to defend the CMLL World Tag Team Championships on the 09/24 CMLL Aniversario show against the winner of a fan poll. It will now be the top two finishers in the poll meeting for the vacant titles
  • Mistico & Caristico were likely going to lose the tag titles on that show because everyone figured this Mistico departure would happen soon. It just happened sooner than CMLL could get to it.
  • That original scenario would’ve had Volador & Titan winning the belts from Mistico & Volador. The match is now probably Volador & Titan versus Los Gemelos Diablos. CMLL may have expected those Diablos to do better in the poll and now they can give them the tag belts anyway if they show choose.
• Being removed as champion means Caristico/Mistico I will no longer be on the 09/24 CMLL Aniversario show in any form
  • CMLL also announced Wednesday a new tournament Copa Independencia for the 09/17 show, so figure on Caristico being involved in that instead.
• Caristico/Mistico was scheduled to wrestle in Houston on Thursday and Brownsville on Friday. Volador Jr. will replace him, in his first US appearance since the 2019 Global Wars Espectacular shows.
• Caristico/Mistico was originally understood to be a freelancer with CMLL – he took CMLL dates but was in charge of his own schedule. I’m not sure if that’s changed now with the gimmick. That also may inform what name he uses for non-CMLL bookings.
• Guadalajara has tried to use Black Warrior recently – he didn’t make it due to injury – and this is even more reason to try him back as one of Mistico’s old rivals. It seems similarly likely Averno will be back in CMLL – if this was any other promotion, he probably would’ve returned already. The nostalgia will feel good, but won’t be healthy for CMLL in the long term unless they use it to do more than revisit the past.
• The production company behind “Heroes of Lucha Libre” still owns the US trademark to “Mistico” – but since their production company website has vanished, this may be a dead issue.