Juan Manuel González Barrón (born August 12, 1965) is a Mexican ''

luchador ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

'' (Spanish for "

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

") who is best known under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Dr. Wagner Jr., having used that name since 1987. He is the son of Manuel González Rivera, better known as Dr. Wagner and the brother of the late César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón, who worked primarily under the name Silver King. His son made his ''lucha libre'' debut 2009 under the ring name El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. González was once married to professional wrestler María Moreno León, better known as Rossy Moreno. While he has worked all over the world as Dr. Wagner Jr. he primarily works in Mexico and has worked with both ''

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...

'' (CMLL) and ''

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

'' (AAA), Mexico's two largest

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...

s, on multiple occasions as well as being a regular on the Mexican

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

. He was introduced to ''

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists, United Artists Media Group. ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured List of former Lucha Underground p ...

'' at the end of season two and has worked for various Japanese promotions, most notably for

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW). During his career he has won such notable championships as the

AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship (often referred to as the AAA World Heavyweight Championship in English and known as the Mega Campeonato AAA in Spanish) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Mexican promotion Luc ...

on three occasions, been the inaugural AAA Latin American Champion, held the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship twice, the

CMLL World Tag Team Championship The CMLL World Tag Team Championship (''CMLL Campeonato Mundial de Parejas'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for "World Wrestling Cou ...

on four occasions with four partners, the

CMLL World Trios Championship The CMLL World Trios Championship (Spanish: "''Campeonato Mundial de Trios''") is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico. The title has existed since 1991 and is contested for by teams o ...

four times, as part of four teams, the

NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship The NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). For the majority of its existence the title was promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Lib ...

and the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junio ...

with

Kendo Kashin Tokimitsu Ishizawa (''Ishizawa Tokimitsu'', born August 5, 1968), better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin (ケンドー・カシン, ''Kendō Kashin''), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his time in New Japan Pr ...

. González worked under a

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

from his debut in 1985 until August 2017, when he was forced to unmask after losing to

Psycho Clown Psycho Clown (born December 16, 1985) is the ring name of a Mexican '' luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Psycho Clown's real name is not a matter of public record, as is often ...

in a ''

Lucha de Apuestas ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

'' at

Triplemanía XXV Triplemanía XXV was a professional wrestling event produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The event took place on August 26, 2017, and was held in the Arena Ciudad de México in Mex ...

. Following the unmasking, González renamed himself Rey Wagner ("King Wagner").

Personal life

Juan Manuel González Barrón was born on August 12, 1965, son of Magdalena Barrón and her husband Manuel González Rivera, better known as the ''

'' (professional wrestler) Dr. Wagner. Juan González was the second son born, with his brother Óscar being two years his elder. His parents later had another son, César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón and finally a daughter Mayra. At one point in the late 1980s to 1990s Juan González was married to María del Rocío Moreno León, who is also a professional wrestler under the name

Rossy Moreno María del Rocío "Rossy" Moreno León (born October 17, 1965) is a Mexican '' luchadora'', or female professional wrestler. In AAA she is a former AAA Reina de Reinas Champion and a two-time Mexican National Women's Champion. Personal life Mo ...

, and together the couple had at least two sons, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno del Mal. Juan González' sons' names are not a matter of public knowledge as they wrestle as '' enmascarados'', which traditionally means that their personal informations are kept from the general public per ''lucha libre'' traditions. Juan González later remarried, although it is unclear if his current wife is directly involved with ''lucha libre'' or not. In the early 2000s César González introduced the wrestling world to a son, referred to only as "El Hijo de Silver King", who at the time was training to be a wrestler.

Professional wrestling career

González started out working as a masked wrestler known as El Invasor ("The Invader"). The anonymity of the El Invasor character allowed González to gain in-ring experience without the pressure of the Dr. Wagner name. González only worked as El Invasor for about a year before it was decided to reveal his family relationship. González was slated to make his in-ring debut as Dr. Wagner Jr. in a match where he would team up with his father, to take on his father's former tag team partner

Ángel Blanco José Ángel Vargas Sánchez (August 2, 1938 – April 26, 1986) was a Mexican ''Luchador'' or professional wrestler best known under the ring name ''Angel Blanco''. Vargas is the father-in-law of the first Ángel Blanco Jr. and the father of th ...

and Ángel Blanco Jr. on April 27, 1986. While driving to the show the car, carrying his father, José Vargas (Ángel Blanco), El Solar, Mano Negra and Jungla Negra crashed when one of the tires exploded. Vargas was killed by the crash and González' father suffered severe spinal damage. Manuel González would later use a wheelchair to accompany his son to the ring for some matches.

Universal Wrestling Association (1987–1993)

After adopting his father's name Dr. Wagner Jr. he also began working for the

Universal Wrestling Association The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Promociones Mora y Asociados and ...

(UWA), the same promotion where his father worked for most of his career. Promoters played off the rivalry of their famous fathers and often paired Dr. Wagner Jr. against Ángel Blanco Jr. On August 3, 1986 the two rivals were teamed up for a ''Ruleta de la Muerte'' ("Roulette of Death") tournament where the losing teams advance and the team that lost the finals would have to wrestle each other in a ''

'', or "bet match", for their masks. The rivals defeated Mano Negra and

Aníbal Aníbal is the Spanish and Portuguese masculine given name equivalent of Hannibal (q.v.), itself a latinization of the Greek name Hanníbas (Ἁννίβας), derived from “ḥnbʿl” in the Carthaginian language (Carthaginian Punic script, � ...

to survive the tournament with their masks intact. On July 22, 1990 Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Astro de Oro to win the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, his first

professional wrestling championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling match types, professional wrestling matches, in which competitors a ...

. He held the title for 218 days, until February 25, 1991, when he lost it to Enrique Vega.

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (1993–2009)

In the early 1990s the UWA's popularity began to dwindle as less and less fans attended their shows. To try and combat the fan departure the UWA began working with long time rival promotion ''

'' (CMLL), co-promoting shows and allowing UWA workers to also compete on CMLL shows. On April 2, 1993 the collaboration between the two companies led to Dr. Wagner Jr. defeating

Pierroth Jr. Norberto Salgado Salcedo (born March 10, 1958) is a retired Mexican ''Lucha Libre, luchador'' (professional wrestling, professional wrestler), primarily known under the ring name Pierroth Jr. Salgado made his professional wrestling debut on July ...

to win the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship. Later that year the two promotions worked together to host a tournament for the newly created

with teams from the UWA and CMLL competing against each other. Dr. Wagner Jr. was teamed up with UWA's top name El Canek for the tournament, defeating the team of

Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He currently works for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Underground ...

and

in the finals to become the first CMLL World Tag Team Champions. Dr. Wagner Jr.'s first reign as CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion ended on March 2, 1994 as he was defeated by

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

. By early 1994 Dr. Wagner Jr. began teaming with Gran Markus Jr. and El Hijo del Gladiador on a regular basis, forming a team known as ''La Nueva Ola Blanca'' ("The New White Wave"), adopting the name of his father's tag team. ''La Nueva Ola Blanca'' won the

on April 22, 1994 when they defeated ''Los Brazos'' (

El Brazo Juan Alvarado Nieves (July 30, 1961 – October 15, 2013) was a Mexican '' luchador'' (professional wrestler). He was best known under the ring name El Brazo (Spanish for "the Arm"), which he used since his debut in 1980. Alvarado was part of th ...

, Brazo de Oro and

Brazo de Plata José Luis Alvarado Nieves (March 19, 1963 – July 26, 2021) was a Mexican '' luchador'' best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata, a name he had used since his debut in 1977. He is also well known for his appearances in WWE as Super Por ...

). In November of that year El Canek stopped working for CMLL, forcing Dr. Wagner Jr. to give up his half of the world tag team championship. In early 1997 Dr. Wagner Jr. and Silver King won the CMLL World Tag Team Championship, but once again Dr. Wagner Jr. was forced to give up his half, this time because Silver King left CMLL to work for the US based

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

(WCW). He later won the championship for a third time, this time with Emilio Charles Jr. as his tag team partner. He later won the CMLL World Trips Championship on three additional occasions, with Black Warrior and

Blue Panther Genaro Vázquez Nevarez (born September 18, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler and trainer, best known under his ring name Blue Panther. He made his in-ring debut in 1978. Since then, he has worked for most major Mexican professional wrest ...

, then with Blue Panther and

Fuerza Guerrera Fuerza Guerrera (born December 13, 1953) is a Mexican ''Luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler) who made his debut in 1978. In his career Guerrera has worked for every major wrestling organization in Mexico including Consejo Mund ...

, and finally with Black Tiger (his brother under a new ring identity) and

Universo 2000 Andrés Reyes González (April 18, 1963 – May 1, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, who was best known under the ring name Universo 2000. Reyes made his professional wrestling debut in 1985 and worked for Consejo Mundial de ...

. On June 18, 2004, on a CMLL show in Mexico City, Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated long time rival El Canek to win the

UWA World Heavyweight Championship The UWA World Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial peso Completo de UWA'' in Spanish) was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally promoted by Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) until it closed in 1995. Aft ...

, a title still promoted 10 years after the UWA closed. The championship change was part of a long running storyline between the two, a storyline set to culminate in a four-way ''Lucha de Apuestas'' match at the

CMLL 71st Anniversary Show The CMLL 71st Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling major show event produced by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) that took place on September 17, 2004, in Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico. The event commemorated the 71st annivers ...

. In the week prior to the show Manuel González died, which led to a surge of sympathy for Dr. Wagner Jr. This led to the crowd being solidly behind the until-then hated Dr. Wagner Jr. as he put his mask on the line against El Canek,

and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. In the end El Canek defeated Universo 2000 to take his mask. As result of the newfound popularity of Dr. Wagner Jr. CMLL decided to turn El Canek ''

rudo Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants. It is famous throughout form ...

'' (villain), allowing for the rivalry to continue. Later on when Dr. Wagner Jr. moved on to a feud with Atlantis, the story repeated itself as the crowd turned against Atlantis, forcing CMLL to turn him from '' técnico'' (hero or good guy) into one of the bad guys of the storyline. The rivalry continued for several months until Dr. Wagner Jr.'s focus shifted to newcomer L.A. Park, resulting in a series of very violent, out of control matches between the two. On April 27, 2008, Wagner led a protest march for anyone who believed they were being mistreated by their bosses to join. About 200 people joined the march, including

and wrestlers from IWRG. Wagner claimed he was not being used because he criticized CMLL in the press, and claimed he was in talks with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWE). The rivalry between Dr. Wagner Jr. and L.A Park reached its CMLL climax at the CMLL 75th Anniversary Show where Dr. Wagner Jr. and L.A. Park wrestled each other in a match that ended in a disqualification due to excessive brawling outside the ring. A short time later Dr. Wagner Jr. was fired from CMLL, officially for breaking CMLL's strict rule about not bleeding during matches or using weapons.

Japan (1988–2004)

Starting in 1988 Dr. Wagner Jr. began making regular trips to Japan primarily working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) through their relationship with the UWA. Later on he would also work for the Japanese Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING) and

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagas ...

(BJW) promotions. During a BJW tour in 1996 Dr. Wagner Jr. lost the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship to Aquarius and then regained it 8 days later. The title change was not sanctioned by CMLL and not officially recognized in Mexico. In 1997 he participated in Best of the Super Juniors IV, where he defeated Doc Dean and Chavo Guerrero Jr. but lost the remaining four matches and failed to advance. The following year Dr. Wagner Jr. was invited back for the 1998

Best of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (stylized as the BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. and often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Supe ...

tournament. He won his block with a total of four victories, but lost in the finals to

Koji Kanemoto is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer. Professional wrestling career Kanemoto practiced Judo during his hig ...

. Later that same year he teamed up with

to compete for the newly created

, losing in the tournament final to

Shinjiro Otani is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler and the current acting president of Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Zero1). He is currently inactive from pro-wrestling competition due to a cervical spine injury sustained in April 2022. A product of the Ne ...

and

Tatsuhito Takaiwa is a Koreans in Japan, Zainichi-Korean professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Pro Wrestling Zero1, as well as makin ...

. When Dr. Wagner Jr. returned to Japan in 1999 Wagner and Kashin won the junior heavyweight tag team championship on January 4 on NJPW's Wrestling World 1999 in the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

. The following month Dr. Wagner Jr. unsuccessfully fought

Jyushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having worked for the company since ...

for the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may hold ...

. The reign with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship ended after 96 days, with two successful defenses, before losing the belts to

The Great Sasuke , best known under his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter and politician. He is the founder of Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW). Aside from professional wrestling, he is also a former Iwate Prefectural ...

and Jyushin Thunder Liger on April 10, 1999. For the third year in a row Dr. Wagner Jr. competed in the annual

tournament, a tournament won by Dr. Wagner Jr.'s former partner Kendo Kashin. In 2003 Dr. Wagner Jr and his brother Silver King toured with

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...

(AJPW) instead of NJPW, working primarily as a tag team for the entirety of the tour.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2009–2013)

On March 15, 2009 Dr. Wagner Jr. made a surprise appearance at

(AAA)'s annual ''

Rey de Reyes The Rey de Reyes (English: "King of Kings") is an annual tournament held by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) comparable to WWE’s King of the Ring tournament. For the first six tournaments the format consisted of four-way elimination matches with f ...

'' ("King of Kings") event. First he chased off '' La Legión Extranjera'' before turning around to challenge the AAA Mega Champion El Mesias to a title match. On June 13, 2009, at '' Triplemania XVII'' Wagner defeated Mesias to win the AAA Mega Championship. After his title win Wagner went on to form the stable ''Los Wagnermaniacos'' with Silver King, Electroshock and

Último Gladiador Gerardo Campos Poza (born March 28, 1978), better known under his ring name Último Gladiador (Spanish for "Last Gladiator") is a Mexican ''luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. From 2014 to 2018, Campos worked for the M ...

. Dr. Wagner Jr. successfully defended the Mega championship against both El Mesias and

Cibernético Octavio López Arreola (born April 12, 1975), better known by the ring name Cibernético, is a Mexican professional wrestler, currently working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). During AAA's short partnership with the World Wrestling Federat ...

in a

Steel Cage Match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

at the 2009 '' Verano de Escandalo'' ("Summer of Scandal") show. At the subsequent AAA event, '' Heroes Inmortales III'', Dr. Wagner Jr. successfully defended against El Mesias once more. Following two successful defenses against El Mesias, Dr. Wagner Jr. stipulated that if El Mesias lost at the 2009 '' Guerra de Titanes'' ("War of the Titans") he would not receive another title match. After holding the title for 181 days Dr. Wagner Jr. lost the title back to El Mesias at ''Guerra de Titanes''. In the aftermath of Wagner's stable partner Electroshock winning the AAA Mega Championship at ''

'' in March 2010, Electroshock, Ultimo Gladiator and even Dr. Wagner's own brother, Silver King, all turned on him and kicked him out of the stable, which they renamed ''Los Maniacos''. At '' Triplemania XVIII'' Dr. Wagner Jr. pinned Electroshock to win his second AAA Mega Championship. Following the match El Mesias came to the ring, presented Dr. Wagner Jr. with the championship belt and then shook his hand. On July 12, 2010, Dr. Wagner Jr. made a surprise appearance for CMLL, coming to the aid of his son El Hijo de Dr. Wagner at an event in

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, Texas, Laredo, United States. The 2010 census popula ...

. Wagner, whose contract with AAA had recently expired, claimed that he was still on good terms with the company and offered no explanation for his appearance. On August 15, 2010, at '' Verano de Escandalo'' Dr. Wagner Jr. successfully defended the AAA Mega Championship in a three-way match against Silver King and

. After the match Silver King played an audio tape, claiming it was their late father saying that Silver King was the more talented brother. This revelation led to a match on October 1 at '' Héroes Inmortales IV'', where Wagner Jr. defeated Silver King in a singles match, retaining the AAA Mega Championship. On October 31, 2010, Wagner Jr. formed a new alliance named ''Potencia Mundial'' (World Power) with

Monster Clown Rafael Ramírez Solorza (born February 24, 1976) is a Mexican ''luchador'', better known by the ring name Monster Clown and previously worked as Aliens between 2004 and 2007 before adopting his current ring name. He is currently under contract ...

, Murder Clown and

. On December 5 at '' Guerra de Titanes'' Wagner Jr. lost the AAA Mega Championship to El Zorro. On June 18, 2011, at ''

Triplemanía XIX Triplemanía XIX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Lucha Libre AAA World Wide, AAA professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place on June 18, 2011 at the Palacio de los Deportes ("Sports Palace") ...

'', Wagner Jr. defeated

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

(TNA) performer

Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...

to become the first ever AAA Latin American Champion. Immediately afterwards, Wagner began making challenges towards new AAA Mega Champion

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

. Wagner received his shot at the title on July 31 at '' Verano de Escándalo'' in a three-way match, which also included L.A. Park, but was eliminated following a distraction from

Karen Jarrett Karen Jarrett (' Smedley and formerly Angle, born October 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestling Valet (wrestling), valet and personality appearing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is the former wife of professional wrestler and Olym ...

and a low blow from Jarrett. On October 9 at '' Héroes Inmortales'', Dr. Wagner Jr. made his first successful defense of the AAA Latin American Championship by defeating El Hijo del Perro Aguayo in a Bullterrier match. After the match, two of AAA's top ''técnicos'', and Wagner's allies,

La Parka Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' ( masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) in Mexico and various other independent promotio ...

and

Octagón Octagón (born March 27, 1961) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado (masked professional wrestler). He is best known for working for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), having worked for the company since it was founded in 1992. In 2011 ...

, both turned on him and joined Aguayo's ''

Los Perros del Mal Los Perros del Mal (''English: The Dogs of Evil'') was a Mexican ''lucha libre'' wrestling group stable, originally competed in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and in Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA). The name (meaning "The Dogs of Evil") is a pla ...

''. On December 16 at '' Guerra de Titanes'', Wagner Jr. lost the AAA Latin American Championship to L.A. Park. In early 2012, Dr. Wagner Jr. started a rivalry with the invading ''El Consejo'' stable. On March 18 at ''

'', Wagner teamed with Electroshock and Heavy Metal losing to ''El Consejo'' members Máscara Año 2000 Jr., El Texano Jr. and Toscano, with Máscara Año 2000 Jr. pinning Wagner following outside interference. The following month, Wagner made peace with Silver King as the two came together to battle ''El Consejo''. On August 5 in the main event of ''

Triplemanía XX Triplemanía XX was a professional wrestling event scripted and produced by the AAA promotion, which took place on August 5, 2012, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. The event was the twentieth annual Triplemanía, which is AAA' ...

'', Wagner Jr. defeated Máscara Año 2000 Jr. in a Mask vs. Mask match, forcing his rival to unmask himself. In early 2013, Wagner Jr., claiming dissatisfaction with his position in AAA, left the promotion for a several-month-long stint with

El Hijo del Santo Jorge Ernesto Guzmán Rodríguez (born August 2, 1963), best known under his ring name, El Hijo del Santo ( English: "The Son of the Saint"), is a Mexican '' retired luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler) and political activist. ...

's Todo X el Todos promotion, only to return in May in time for ''

Triplemanía XXI Triplemanía XXI was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) produced by the Lucha Libre AAA World Wide, AAA Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, which took place on June 16, 2013, at Mexico City Arena, Arena Ciudad de México in Mexic ...

''. At the event, Dr. Wagner Jr. teamed with Electroshock, La Parka and Octagón to defeat Canek,

Máscara Año 2000 Jesús Reyes González (born 10 March 1958) is a Mexican '' Luchador'', or professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Máscara Año 2000 or Máscara Año Dos Mil. His ring name is Spanish for "Mask of the year 2000", originally referr ...

and

Villano IV Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965), best known by his ring name Villano IV (Spanish: "Villano Cuarto"; English: "Villain the fourth"), is a Mexican ''luchador''. He has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), Lucha Libre AAA ...

in an eight-man

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. Afterwards, the relationship between Wagner and AAA once again broke down with Wagner taking public potshots at the promotion.

Independent circuit (2013–present)

On November 17, 2013, Wagner Jr. returned to CMLL at a small event in

Naucalpan Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is one of Municipalities of the State of Mexico, 125 Municipalities of Mexico State, and is located just northwest of Mexico City. The municipal seat is the city of Naucalpan de Juárez, which extends ...

, confronting and challenging Mr. Niebla. For the past weeks, Wagner had teased "invading" CMLL and settling his score with the likes of

and

Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CML ...

. In July 2014, Wagner worked a tour of Japan, during which he wrestled for

Tokyo Gurentai is a professional wrestling stable, currently made up of Fujita, Kikuzawa, Mazada, and Nosawa Rongai. The group was formed in 2000 by Kikuzawa, Mazada and Nosawa and has since appeared for Japan's four biggest promotions; All Japan Pro Wrestli ...

and women's wrestling promotion

World Wonder Ring Stardom , is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in September 2010 by former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) co-producer Ross ...

Return to CMLL (2015)

In August 2015, Wagner made his return to CMLL after an almost 7-year absence. His tenure with CMLL was only brief as CMLL fired Wagner on September 11, after he reportedly told them that taking part in the 82nd Anniversary Show "didn't suit his interests". It was later reported that Wagner decided to not work the anniversary show out of loyalty to L.A. Park, who had been released by the promotion days earlier.

Return to AAA (2014–2020)

A year after leaving AAA, Wagner returned to take part in '' Triplemanía XXII'', putting any past issues behind them. At the event Wagner took part in a four-way elimination main event for the Copa Triplemanía XXII. He was the first man eliminated from the match by Cibernético. Dr. Wagner Jr. did not appear for AAA for the rest of the year, not returning until the 2016 Lucha Libre World Cup tournament in June 2016. Dr. Wagner Jr. teamed up with Rey Mysterio Jr. and Dragon Azteca Jr. as "Team Mexico International" for the tournament, but was eliminated in the second round. Dr. Wagner Jr. returned to AAA in the fall, shortly after leaving CMLL, as he turned on former tag team partner Rey Mysterio Jr. On August 28, 2016, at '' Triplemanía XXIV'', Wagner fought against El Texano Jr. and

Brian Cage Brian Christopher Joseph ButtonPagano, attacking Psycho Clown. After the match, which Psycho Clown won, Dr. Wagner Jr. challenged Psycho Clown to put his mask on the line in a ''

'' at ''Triplemanía XXV'' in 2017, a challenge that Psycho Clown accepted. At '' Héroes Inmortales X'' Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Psycho Clown in a match that also included Pagano after Psycho Clown's long time tag team partners, Monster Clown and Murder Clown, turned on him and helped Dr. Wagner Jr. win the match. On August 26, 2017, Wagner was defeated by Psycho Clown in a ''Lucha de Apuestas'' at ''

'' and was forced to unmask as a result. Afterwards, Wagner continued working for AAA unmasked under the new name "Rey Wagner" ("King Wagner"). On October 4, at '' Héroes Inmortales XI'', Wagner was defeated in a title fight by the

against Johnny Mundo. On January 26, in ''Guerra de Titanes'', Wagner defeated Mundo to win his third AAA Mega Championship. On June 4 at ''Verano de Escándalo'', Wagner was defeated along with Rey Mysterio Jr., thus losing his title to

who made his return to the company with the help of

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. On ...

. That same night after the event, Wagner declared himself independent. On August 3, 2019, at Triplemanía XXVII, Wagner lost a mask vs hair match to Blue Demon Jr. After the match, following his head being shaved, Wagner announced his retirement. However, the next day, Wagner clarified his situation that he is not permanently retired and would have to meet the dates in both AAA and independents. On August 10 in Saltillo, Coahuila, Wagner announced that he finally canceled his retirement to continue his career. On February 2, 2020, Wagner officially announced his departure from the AAA after appearing at an event in the Naucalpan Arena after six years.

Lucha Underground (2016–2018)

On July 6, 2016, Wagner made his surprise debut for

, making an appearance at '' Ultima Lucha Dos'' as a surprise opponent for Son of Havoc. Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Son of Havoc, with the storyline being that he won a cash prize of $250,000. During

season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

Dr. Wagner Jr. was managed by Famous B and worked a storyline feud with Son of Havoc and

Mascarita Sagrada Mascarita SagradaAt least three wrestlers have wrestled under the name "Mascarita Sagrada". This article is about the original. (Spanish, 'Little Sacred Mask', real name not known, born January 11, 1965) is a Mexican Mini Luchador enmascarado ( ...

, who had previously been managed by Famous B. He also participated in the "Battle of the Bulls" tournament, but was eliminated by

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

. At Ultima Lucha Tres, Wagner returned and teamed with Famous B to defeat Texano forcing him to become Famous B's new client. However, Wagner would not appear in the fourth season and the series was discontinued after season finale, '' Ultima Lucha Cuatro''.

In other media

In June 2010, Dr. Wagner Jr. won a four-way match to become the wrestler to be featured on the cover of the

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

Lucha Libre AAA: Héroes del Ring, which was released on August 9, 2010, in North America. Dr. Wagner Jr. is one of the playable characters in the game.

Championships and accomplishments

** CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) **

( 4 times) – with Canek (1), Silver King (1), Emilio Charles Jr. (1) and

(1) **

( 4 times) – with Gran Markus Jr. and El Hijo del Gladiador (1), Black Warrior and

(1),

and

(1), and

and Black Tiger III (1) **

( 1 time) ** International Gran Prix (

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

) * International Wrestling League **

IWL World Heavyweight Championship International Wrestling League (Spanish: Liga Internacional de Lucha Libre; IWL) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Tlalnepantla de Baz. It was founded as Independent Wrestling League on August 13, 2010 by Martín Amaro, with Octavio ...

( 1 time) *

International Wrestling Revolution Group International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish language, Spanish; the Spanish name is used for the promotion while the English initials are used for the title governing body) is a Lucha Libre professional wres ...

** IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time, current) *Kaoz Lucha Libre :*Kaoz Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Llaves y Candados **LyC Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Silver King *

( 3 times) **

AAA Latin American Championship The AAA Latin American Championship (''Campeonato Latinoamericano AAA'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship promoted by the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) professional wres ...

( 1 time) **Lucha Libre Premier (2009) *

( 1 time) – with

* Pro Wrestling Revolution **PWR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' **Ranked No. 16 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 1999 and 2010 **Ranked No. 82 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "

PWI Years ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

" in 2003 *

( 1 time, last) ** UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (

) *

World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish language, Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ...

** WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

(Class of 2019)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

Footnotes

References

;General * * ;Specific

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Dr. Jr. 1965 births

Dr. Wagner Jr. Juan Manuel González Barrón (born August 12, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador'' (Spanish for "professional wrestler") who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner Jr., having used that name since 1987. He is the son of Manuel González Rivera ...

Dr. Wagner Living people Masked wrestlers Mexican male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Torreón Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan AAA Mega Champions IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Mexican professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century Mexican professional wrestlers AAA Latin American Champions CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champions CMLL World Tag Team Champions CMLL World Trios Champions NWA World Light Heavyweight Champions UWA World Heavyweight Champions UWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions