Savio Vega
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Savio Vega (born August 10, 1964) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in
World Wrestling Federation 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, ...
,
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...
and International Wrestling Association. After leaving the WWF in 1999, Rivera returned to Puerto Rico and joined Víctor Quiñones' promotion, the International Wrestling Association, where he was a long-time general manager and won five titles, including the IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. In 2011, he was featured in the first interpromotional angle between IWA and WWC.


Professional wrestling career


Early years

Rivera was born and raised in
Vega Alta, Puerto Rico Vega Alta () is a Vega Alta barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico. Vega Alta is on the northern coast of the island, north of Morovis and Corozal, Puerto Rico, Corozal; east of Vega Baja; and west of ...
. He was connected to the wrestling business while working as a security guard at
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...
live shows. After graduating from high school, he began his
professional wrestling 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, real- ...
career working on independent wrestling shows in 1985.


Mid-South Wrestling (1985)

He made his
Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level riv ...
debut on August 14, 1985, as Skandor Akbar's newest client, the masked villainous wrestler "El Corsario" by defeating Mark Ragin. His debut match aired on the August 17 episode of ''Mid-South TV''. As a member of Akbar's Army, he frequently teamed with Akbar's other clients. He also received a few title shots in Mid-South. The first title shot occurred against Butch Reed for the promotion's Television Championship on the October 19 episode of ''Mid-South TV'', but failed to win. On the October 26 episode of ''Power Pro Wrestling'', Corsario and Dutch Mantell unsuccessfully challenged Al Perez and Wendell Cooley for the Tag Team Championship. Corsario finished his run with Mid-South on November 11 at a
live event A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
by teaming with Steve Williams in a loss to The Bruise Brothers. During that year he also wrestled for Houston Wrestling.


Universal Wrestling Association (1986)

In 1986, Rivera wrestled a few matches for the Mexican promotion
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 ...
as Corsario I and teamed with Corsario II. On August 8, Los Corsarios lost a masks versus masks
two out of three falls 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 ...
to Los Brazos (
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 ...
and
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 ...
). Corsario would then wrestle for UWA two more times in two out of three falls matches, losing both matches.


Capitol Sports Promotions (1987–1991)


Early championship reigns (1987–1989)

After a few exploits in various promotions, Rivera went to
Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, where he tried out for the
World Wrestling Federation 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, ...
(WWF). He was accepted and sent back to Puerto Rico to wrestle for the Capitol Sports Promotions (CSP) as "TNT", adopting a
Heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
character based on his martial arts background and featuring several elements from stereotypical Hispanic gimmicks. He was managed by "El Profe" Ángel Pantoja Rivera. TNT made his CSP debut on May 2, 1987, by defeating Miguel Pérez to win the North American Heavyweight Championship, his first professional wrestling championship. On July 11, he became a dual champion, winning the
World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
with Mr. Pogo by defeating The Youngbloods (
Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...
and
Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
) and holding it for nineteen days, before losing it back to Youngbloods. TNT would then begin feuding with Pogo, defeating him in a match at Aniversario on September 20. On January 30, 1988, TNT lost the North American Heavyweight Championship to
Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling mat ...
. After the title loss, TNT participated in the La Copa Gillette tournament, in which he defeated Mr. Pogo in the first round, but fought Invader I to a time limit draw in the quarter-final. On June 18, he won the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship from Hercules Ayala. Two months later, he dropped it to Buddy Landel. After failing to regain the title from Landel in a rematch at Aniversario, TNT defeated Landel to win his second Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on September 17. TNT held the title for another two months before dropping it to Jason the Terrible. On February 4, 1989, he defeated Sika to win the vacant Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship, holding it for 21 days before losing it to Abbuda Dein. He defeated Jason the Terrible to win his third Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on March 4, and dropped it to Rip Rogers on May 14. On June 17, TNT defeated Carlos Colón to win the Television Championship. TNT would then begin feuding with Chicky Starr, whom he defeated in a gimmick versus hair match at Aniversario.


Universal Heavyweight Champion, rights to TNT name and W*ING tours (1989–1991)

During the last half of 1989, TNT had a midcard feud with
Leo Burke Léonce Cormier (June 29, 1948 – July 24, 2024) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for Puerto Rico's Worl ...
, which was interrupted midway through when Burke defeated Carlos Colón for the Universal Heavyweight Championship. TNT was originally expected to win the belt, given his status as a fan favorite and solid wrestling skills. On February 9, 1990, he defeated Burke for the Universal Heavyweight Championship, marking the first
world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
win of his professional wrestling career. As a result, TNT vacated the Television Championship. He held the Universal Heavyweight Championship for a month, before dropping it to Abdullah the Butcher. On April 25, 1990, TNT defeated rival Leo Burke to win his second Television Championship. A few months later, TNT turned
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
and began feuding with Carlos Colón, who had won the Universal Heavyweight Championship from Abdullah the Butcher. This led to a match between the two for the title at Aniversario, where they wrestled to a sixty-minute draw. Later that year, TNT lost the Television Championship to Steve Strong on December 4. In early 1991, he feuded with a wrestler who had originally used the name "TNT", and began proclaiming himself "Original TNT". On January 26, TNT lost to Original TNT in a match for the vacant Television Championship. However, TNT defeated Original TNT in a non-title match on March 2, winning the rights to the TNT name, forcing his opponent to compete as "Action Jackson". The feud concluded later that month, when Rivera defeated Jackson to win his third Television Championship on March 30. On April 20, TNT lost the title to
King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
. On June 1, TNT defeated Kong to win his fourth Television Championship. At Aniversario, TNT teamed with The Giant Warrior to defeat
Demolition Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction (building), deconstruction, which inv ...
(
Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
and Smash). TNT would then embark on a tour of Japan for the upstart promotion Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING) in August, as part of a talent exchange partnership between CSP and W*ING. On August 7, TNT competed in the main event of W*ING's first show, by teaming with Mr. Pogo and Steve Collins in a loss to Akitoshi Saito, Koichiro Kimura and Mitsuteru Tokuda. W*ING specialized in deathmatch wrestling style and TNT competed in various matches under the stipulation. On August 17, TNT lost a lumberjack deathmatch to Akitoshi Saito. TNT would then return to CSP to successfully defend the Television Championship against Samu on August 31. TNT would then make a second tour to W*ING in September. On September 19, TNT teamed with Pogo to defeat Saito and The Iceman in a Caribbean Hurricane Cage Deathmatch. TNT's final match in W*ING took place on September 20, in which he defeated Yukihiro Kanemura. This would be TNT's final appearance for W*ING, as he exclusively returned to compete for CSP. TNT would then lose the title to
Fidel Sierra David Canal (born July 27, 1960) is a Cuban professional wrestler better known by his ring name "The Cuban Assassin (El Sanguinario Cubano)" Fidel Sierra. He is notable for being a longtime veteran of the Puerto Rico-based World Wrestling Counc ...
on October 19. TNT regained the title by defeating Sierra in a rematch on October 26, winning his fifth and final WWC Television Championship. TNT lost the title, a month later to
Dick Murdoch Hoyt Richard Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the NWA, WWE, Wo ...
on November 23. Shortly after, TNT left CSP.


All Japan Pro Wrestling (1987–1988)

On November 22, 1987, TNT debuted in the Japanese promotion
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) by teaming with Abdullah the Butcher to participate in the 1987 Real World Tag League, losing to Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu in their AJPW debut. Abdullah and TNT scored twelve points in the Real World Tag League, and their participation in the tournament ended with a loss to Hiroshi Wajima and
Giant Baba , best known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota ...
on December 11. Abdullah and TNT competed in several matches in AJPW in January 1988, including a title challenge against Ashura Hara and
Genichiro Tenryu , better known as is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was h ...
for the
PWF World Tag Team Championship The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship in All Japan Pro Wrestling, created in 1984. It was unified with the NWA International T ...
on January 9, 1988, in which the challengers came up short. They left AJPW after losing a match to Tsuruta and Yatsu on January 29.


New Japan Pro Wrestling (1990–1993)

On September 30, 1990, TNT made his debut 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 ...
, by losing to
Masahiro Chono is an American-born Japanese retired Professional wrestling in Japan, professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26-year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of New World Order (professional wrestling), nWo Japan, Tea ...
at
Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...
's 30th Wrestling Anniversary event. TNT would make frequent tours to Japan to compete for NJPW between 1990 and 1993, competing as a
gaijin is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese citizens in Japan, specifically being applied to foreigners of non-Japanese ethnicity and those from the Japanese diaspora who are not Japanese citizens. The word is composed of two kanji: a ...
. He wrestled major star
Tatsumi Fujinami (born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese Puroresu, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a legends contract. Fujinami is best known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. ...
and rising stars
Shinya Hashimoto was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the " Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the p ...
and
Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestling executive, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his work under his real name and as his alter ego in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and duri ...
in various singles matches. While he lost most of his singles matches, TNT would receive a few wins over Kengo Kimura and
Black Cat A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular or mixed breed. Most black cats have golden iris (anatomy), irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Bl ...
. TNT's final match in NJPW took place on July 23, 1993, where he teamed with
Masa Saito was a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Mr. Saito or . He wrestled for 33 years around the world. He had success as a singles wrestler, winning the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1990, and as a tag team wrestle ...
against Brad Armstrong and
Hercules Hernandez Raymond Constantine Fernandez Jr. (May 7, 1956 – March 6, 2004) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hercules Hernandez, or simply Hercules. Fernandez began his career in 1979, primarily w ...
in a losing effort.


Americas Wrestling Federation (1991–1993)

After some disputes over booking with Carlos Colón, he quit the World Wrestling Council and joined the newly formed Americas Wrestling Federation a promotion that started opposition against World Wrestling Council. AWF Americas Heavyweight Championship on two times. Feuded with
Bill DeMott William Charles DeMott II (born November 10, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler, road agent, and trainer. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Hugh Morrus and World Wrestling Federatio ...
and Huracan Castillo Jr..


World Wrestling Federation (1993–1999)


Kwang (1993–1995)

Having gained much wrestling experience, Rivera was recalled to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. After losing two dark matches to Reno Riggins in the World Wrestling Federation as TNT in July 1993, Rivera debuted as Kwang on January 10, 1994. This gimmick incorporated clichéd elements previously used to portray mysterious "Asian" wrestlers and being billed from Japan, including a mask, a stereotypical martial arts moveset, and
Asian mist Strikes can be offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a Professional wrestling holds, hold or for a Professional wrestling throws, throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, ...
. The WWF aired promotional vignettes in the weeks before his televised debut, which happened on January 22, 1994, when he, managed by Harvey Wippleman, was the fourth man to enter the 1994 Royal Rumble, marking Rivera's
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
debut. During the match, he teamed with the fifth entrant,
Owen Hart Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
, battling the face wrestlers to a stalemate until Diesel entered seventh and eliminated all the previous entrants. Kwang's televised singles debut was on the January 30 episode of ''Wrestling Challenge'', where he defeated Ray Hudson. On the April 18 episode of ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show features character ...
'', Kwang suffered his first loss in the WWF, against the WWF Champion
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
. On the May 9 episode of ''Raw'', he lost a
King of the Ring King and Queen of the Ring, formerly and still commonly known as simply King of the Ring, was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in 1993 and originally c ...
qualifying match to
Razor Ramon Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ...
. On September 12, he lost to
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...
. On January 9, 1995, he was at ringside when Howard Finkel won a Tuxedo match against Wippleman, who then abandoned his role as Kwang's manager. After an appearance in the
1995 Royal Rumble The 1995 Royal Rumble was the eighth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on January 22, 1995, in the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The e ...
, where he would eliminate
Doink the Clown Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling gimmick originally and most popularly portrayed by Matt Borne, who debuted the Doink persona in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1992. Doink is a clown wearing traditional clown makeup (or ...
, Kwang gradually faded from WWF programming, losing his final match to Hakushi on the April 29, 1995, episode of '' Superstars''.


Alliance with Razor Ramon (1995–1996)

On May 14, 1995, Rivera appeared in street clothes and grew a goatee during the WWF's first In Your House pay-per-view. When Razor Ramon was attacked by
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 ...
and The Roadie, Rivera, portraying a fan in the audience, jumped the guardrail to rescue him. Later that night, Razor introduced him as his childhood friend, "Savio Vega". Vega made his wrestling debut on the May 28 episode of '' Action Zone'', defeating Eli Blu. He then qualified for the 1995 King of the Ring tournament as a replacement for the injured Razor Ramon. He qualified for the tournament by defeating Irwin R. Schyster on the June 25 episode of '' Sunday Night Slam''. Vega then defeated
Yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...
by countout in the first round, after interference from Yokozuna's tag partner,
Owen Hart Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
, backfired. He then defeated The Roadie with a rollup pinfall. He faced Mabel in the finals, losing after Mabel hit a splash off the ropes to win the tournament. The next night on ''Raw'', Vega defeated the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett by disqualification. Vega and Ramon would then feud with Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo), losing to them at In Your House 2. On the July 31 episode of ''Raw'', Vega and Ramon wrestled Owen Hart and Yokozuna for the WWF Tag Team Championship to a time limit draw, then lost a rematch for the titles the next week. For the rest of the year, he wrestled in tag matches with Razor and Bob Holly, as well as in singles matches against wrestlers including Waylon Mercy, Sid and
Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...
. On January 1, 1996, episode of ''Raw'', Vega teamed with Razor, unsuccessfully challenging
The Smoking Gunns The Smoking Gunns were a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996, where they held the WWF T ...
for the Tag Team Championship in a Raw Bowl match. In March 1996, Vega and Razor teamed one last time losing to Tatanka and Razor's former protege The 123 Kid and then afterwards Vega's alliance with Razor quietly ended.


Various feuds (1996–1997)

Vega was the twelfth entrant in the 1996 Royal Rumble, eliminating
Dory Funk, Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter of the ...
before being eliminated by Vader. The following night on ''Raw'', he lost to Vader. On the March 11 ''Raw'', he wrestled
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...
for the first time, resulting in a double countout. This led to a feud, and a series of matches. The first of these happened at
WrestleMania XII WrestleMania XII was a 1996 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 12th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 31, 1996, at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in An ...
, both men's WrestleMania debut, which Austin won. On the April 13 episode of ''Superstars'', Rivera, wearing a mask featuring the
flag of Puerto Rico The flag of Puerto Rico (), officially the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (), represents Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, its people. It consists of five equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blue equilateral t ...
and billed as "The Caribbean Kid", defeated Austin by pinfall, then unmasked himself. This was Austin's first singles defeat in the WWF, and The Caribbean Kid's sole appearance. On the April 15 episode of ''Raw'', Vega challenged Goldust for the Intercontinental Championship. Vega won the match, but WWF President Gorilla Moonson reverted the decision and vacated the title. The following week on ''Raw'', Vega and Goldust fought for the title, which was won by Goldust. Austin won a rematch at In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28. One month later, at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, Vega defeated Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match. According to the stipulations, Austin's manager,
Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (; born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and color commentator. He is signed to WWE as of 2024, where he works in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship succ ...
, had to leave the WWF. This was DiBiase's last appearance on WWF television until 2005. Vega then feuded with Justin Bradshaw, winning their first match on July 8. On July 21, he lost a rematch at In Your House 9: International Incident. On August 12, 1996, Vega lost his first match by submission to
Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, he lost a match to Owen Hart, and was then assaulted by Bradshaw. At In Your House 10: Mind Games, he defeated Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap Match, ending their feud. During the match ECW originals The Sandman,
Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...
and
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
were in attendance because the event was held in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
where ECW originated in and Sandman spat beer in Vega's face and the three were kicked out of the building. On the September 7 episode of ''Raw'', Vega defeated
Hunter Hearst Helmsley Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
. This was followed with a victory over the fake Razor Ramon, who had appeared following the original Razor's departure to
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 ...
. On the December 22 episode of ''Superstars'', he teamed with Jesse James to unsuccessfully challenge Owen Hart and
Davey Boy Smith David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Boy Smith and The British Bulldog. Smith ...
for the Tag Team Championship. Vega entered the 1997 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by eventual winner Stone Cold Steve Austin.


The Nation of Domination (1997)

On January 25, 1997, Vega turned heel and joined The Nation of Domination, a stable led by
Faarooq Ronald K. Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American former professional wrestler and football player. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons played fo ...
, after turning on his partner,
Ahmed Johnson Anthony Norris (born June 6, 1963) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1995 to 1998, under the ring name Ahmed Johns ...
. Johnson became the Nation's main rival in the following months. In his first match as a member, he defeated Flash Funk. At In Your House 13: Final Four, he teamed with Faarooq and
Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
to win a six-man tag match. In February, he lost consecutive matches by disqualification to Marc Mero and Goldust. On March 17, 1997, Vega and Crush lost to The Legion of Doom by disqualification. At
WrestleMania 13 WrestleMania 13 was a 1997 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 13th annual WrestleMania and was presented by PlayStation. The event was held on March 23, 1997, a ...
, they teamed with Faarooq to lose a six-man street fight tag match against the Legion of Doom and Johnson. On the next ''Raw'', Vega lost to Johnson by disqualification when The Nation interfered. Vega then feuded with Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia. Like Austin a year earlier, Maivia entered the feud as an undefeated prospect with a major push. On the April 14 ''RAW'', Vega defeated Maivia by pinfall, while holding his tights. At In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he once again defeated Maivia, this time by countout. After the match, he attacked Maivia's knee. On May 11, at In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell, Vega wrestled as part of a gauntlet match against Johnson and was eliminated, before Faarooq won it for The Nation. The next night on ''Raw'', he challenged The Undertaker for the WWF Championship, but was disqualified. On June 9, The Nation lost a rematch from WrestleMania 13 against Johnson and The Legion of Doom. After this, The Nation began having internal problems and soon disbanded, when Faarooq expelled several members, including Vega and Crush.


Los Boricuas (1997–1999)

Following his departure from The Nation of Domination, Vega formed his own stable, Los Boricuas, composed of Puerto Rican wrestlers, brought in from Puerto Rican promotions, all members of notable wrestling families. Miguel Pérez, Jr., a former
Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
and
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 ...
wrestler, is the son of Miguel Pérez, Sr., Jesús Castillo, Jr. is the son of Pedro "Huracán" Castillo, and Jose Estrada, Jr. is the son of José Estrada, Sr. Meanwhile, Faarooq had organized The Nation into a black-only group, while Crush had formed
The Disciples of Apocalypse The Disciples of Apocalypse (DOA) were a biker-themed professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the late 1990s. The group came together from the firing of Crush and Savio Vega from the Nation of Domination stable ...
, a white biker stable, launching an angle which became known as "The Gang Wars", based on ethnic stereotypes and loosely mirroring some actual gang wars. The three four-member teams wrestled against one another, with none gaining a clear advantage early on. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, Los Boricuas defeated The Disciples of Apocalypse. In the first singles match between former Nation members, Vega fought Crush to a no contest. At Ground Zero: In Your House on September 7, he defeated Faarooq and Crush in triple threat match. At the UK-exclusive pay-per-view, One Night Only, Vega and Pérez unsuccessfully challenged
The Headbangers The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). They are currently signed to WWE as ambassadors. As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of ...
for the
WWF World Tag Team Championship WWF may refer to: Computing and games *WWF (file format), a campaign for unprintable PDF documents *Windows Workflow Foundation, a software component of the .NET Framework *''Words with Friends'', a mobile computer game franchise Non-profit orga ...
. At Badd Blood: In Your House, The Disciples defeated Los Boricuas. Between October and November, Vega also had singles matches, losing to Goldust, Mero and
Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...
. On the October 27 ''RAW'', Vega and Pérez unsuccessfully challenged The Legion of Doom for the Tag Team Championship. In their next match, they lost to The New Age Outlaws. In December 1997, Los Boricuas and The Disciples exchanged victories. His first singles contest of 1998 was a loss to
Owen Hart Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
. The next week, Vega and Pérez defeated
Taka Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (stylized as TAKA Michinoku), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He primarily appears for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a me ...
and Scott Taylor. He was the 26th entrant in the
1998 Royal Rumble The 1998 Royal Rumble was the 11th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on January 18, 1998, at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California. ...
, and, like the year before, was eliminated by Steve Austin. In the Royal Rumble's main event, Vega and Los Boricuas attacked the Undertaker alongside the New Age Outlaws to aid Shawn Michaels in defeating him in a casket match. Vega headlined No Way Out of Texas: In Your House on February, when he replaced the injured Shawn Michaels in the eight-man tag main event, teaming with Triple H and the New Age Outlaws in a losing effort. On the March 9 ''Raw'', he wrestled Triple H to a no contest. At WrestleMania 14, Vega wrestled in a battle royal, won by Legion of Doom 2000. A week later, Los Boricuas lost to LOD 2000. The Gang Wars continued with matches against The Disciples in April. On May 4, Rivera lost to the NWA World Champion,
Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Beast", is an American retired professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of ...
. The Gang Wars came to an end when the leaders of the three stables faced off in a triple threat match, which Vega won. After the angle, Los Boricuas splintered into two tag teams. On July 6, Vega defeated Brakkus in a Brawl for All tournament boxing match. On August 10, he lost a quarterfinal match to Darren Drozdov. As a result of a severe arm injury sustained from the Brawl for All tournament, he was released in August 1998. Vega returned to WWF television in July 1999. He would make a number of appearances on ''
WWF Super Astros The following is a list of all WWE television programs. It also includes programming produced under the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Wrestling Entertainmen ...
'', and would participate in WWF Shotgun and
WWF Jakked/Metal ''WWF Jakked'' and ''WWF Metal'' are American professional wrestling television programs that were produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). Both programs aired in broadcast syndication weekly from August 28, 1999 until ...
dark matches (sometimes with other Boricua members). During this time, he provided commentary at the Spanish announce table at the Fully Loaded PPV and several episodes of Monday Night Raw. He was released again from his WWF contract in September 1999. On December 15, 1999, Rivera defeated
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...
at an International Wrestling Association
house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
in Puerto Rico. The IWA was a new promotion founded by Víctor Quiñones, which was one of WWF's developmental territories.


International Wrestling Association (1999–2011)

Rivera joined the now independent IWA, upon returning to Puerto Rico. He wrestled as Savio Vega, though often ended feuds by wearing war paint in the final matches and changing his wrestling persona to "El Hombre Dinamita" (a reference to his "TNT" gimmick, which the WWC had trademarked and did not allow him to use). On July 16, 2001, Vega defeated Jesus Castillo, his former Los Boricuas stablemate and now a member of a stable called "Los Intocables" with Miguel Pérez, for the IWA Hardcore Championship. He was forced to vacate the title after being unable to wrestle. Eventually, he turned on his former allies and became general manager, forming a heel stable called "La Compañia" (The Company), which included Apolo and
Ricky Banderas Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Říčky, a village and part of Orlické Podhůří in the Czech Republic * Říčky v Orlických horách, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *R ...
, whom he called his "Dream Team". Vega was depicted as co-owner of the IWA, though he had no real share in the company. As general manager, he was more often a manager than a wrestler. Under this authoritarian gimmick, he introduced his catchphrase, ''A mi manera o pa' la calle'', (roughly, "My way or the highway"), with which he threatened to fire wrestlers, and occasionally did so. He would "discipline" wrestlers by mugging them in a mob, while singing a traditional Puerto Rican bomba, ''Santa María''. Later in 2001, he allied with the main heel stable in the promotion, The Starr Corporation, composed of Chicky Starr, Víctor Rodríguez and Ricky Banderas. At Christmas in PR 2001, Vega and The Starr Corporation turned on Banderas and Shane, who teamed as Los Hermanos en Dolor, and feuded with Banderas. The Starr Corporation remained on his side until a conflict arose between them, leading Vega to expel Laureano from the IWA. On March 2, 2002, Vega used his authority to award himself the IWA World Heavyweight Championship, eventually dropping it to Figueroa. Los Boricuas reunited later that year, when Pérez joined Vega to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship. In November 2002, Vega was injured by Banderas, and was absent for two weeks. When he returned, he pursued the support of Banderas, granting him a title match against Figueroa on January 6, 2003, in which he turned heel and joined La Compañia, who feuded with Figueroa, Vega bringing in foreign wrestlers to incapacitate him. Banderas led La Compañia for several months, until Rey Fénix joined, triggering a power struggle in which Vega supported Fénix. Vega and Fénix defeated Banderas and Rodríguez in tag matches. After winning the initial feud in a match at Golpe de Estado 2003, Fénix revealed his true identity,
Ray González Ramón González Rivera (born May 4, 1972), better known by his ring name Ray González, is a Puerto Rican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and businessman. He has performed in the World Wrestling Council (WWC) and International Wres ...
, and abandoned La Compañia. Now joined by a heel Figueroa and Slash Venom, Vega feuded with González and his stable, La Familia del Milenio. This new faction had several matches against Figueroa & Kindred and Pérez & Castillo. At Golpe de Estado 2003, Rivera wrestled Huertas González to a no contest, due to a large amount of bleeding from both. On November 15, 2003, Kindred and Vega attacked Banderas following a match, and he was rescued by
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 ...
, starting a new feud for La Compañia. At Hardcore Weekend 2003, Rivera returned to his "El Hombre que ellos llaman TNT" persona, wrestling against Huertas González. To close the year, Rivera was fired by José Chaparro, who went on to take over the general manager office acting on behalf of the IWA's CEO, Thomas Wreckler. Víctor "The Bodyguard" Rodríguez emerged as the self-proclaimed leader of La Compañia during his absence. In June 2004, a storyline to bring Rivera back was run, in which the CEO, Thomas Wreckler, brought him in to stop La Familia and La Compañia. However, this storyline was interrupted by the death of Rodríguez due to a heart attack, and he unsuccessfully attempted to regain control of the general manager by challenging González at Summer Attitude. On July 25, 2004, Rivera reformed La Compañia. In August 2004, González was involved in an angle in which he won 49% of IWA's stocks. He then entered a feud with the owner of the remaining 51%, Víctor Quiñones. On August 28, 2004, at Bad Blood, González announced that from that moment onwards, IWA would be known as "Capitol Sports Promotions", claiming that Quiñones had already received documentation confirming this. González then began recruiting Huertas González to join him, claiming that their origin in "Capitol joins them". In September 2004, somebody assaulted Huertas González backstage, leaving behind Rivera's trademark bat. It was subsequently revealed that the culprit was "Lighting" acting on González behalf, just when Huertas González was about to join the "Capitol" faction. On October 9, 2004, González announced that "Capitol" had formed an alliance with
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 ...
-NWA for Golpe de Estado and that this move would bring in
NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
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 ...
,
Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...
,
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 ...
and
Shawn Hernandez Shawn Hernandez (born February 11, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he performed under the ring name Hernandez. He is an eight-time tag team champion, having won ...
. Immediately after completing this announcement, Rivera proposed that they bet the stocks at Golpe de Estado with the winner taking full control of both halves of the promotion, which was accepted. On October 14, 2004, with the score tied between "Capitol" and IWA, he defeated González ending the name change angle. At Christmas in PR 2004, González dropped the title to Sewell in a match ordered by him. On the other hand, Rivera himself teamed with Huertas González to challenge for the World Tag Team Championship. However, he turned on Huertas González and joined Sewell, turning La Compañia heel. Following this, Rivera took a random Canadian heel character, replacing his traditional outfit featuring the Flag of Puerto Rico to one sporting the Flag of Canada. He feuded with González throughout 2005. Both formed different tag teams with members of their stable, exchanging victories. On June 18, 2005, Rivera won a singles match over González. He subsequently brought Miguel "Mr. Big" Maldonado to La Compañia to serve as his personal bodyguard. On November 11, 2005, Rivera defeated Carlos Cotto to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. Later that month he retained in a leather strap match. A third match between them that featured José Huertas González as referee was declared a no contest. However, on January 6, 2006, he lost to González in a "loser leaves the company" match, losing a final contest against Huertas González before leaving. This was the second time that Rivera's role as general manager was overthrown and it was followed by a storyline which was run where Pérez had fired him and vignettes were aired where he was seen as a homeless man. Orlando Toledo, a nephew of the now-defunct Quiñones was introduced as the new general manager. A fictional election was held between Pérez and him, which Rivera won but was nullified due to him lacking a contract, making way to a new villainous president in Toledo. Upon being "reinstated", Rivera went on to feud with González and Sewell, forming a loose cooperation with Toledo. He went on to form a tag team along Huertas González known as "Los Inhumanos", when the former turned heel. Their union eventually dissolved and evolved into a feud, which saw Huertas González defeating Rivera in a "death match", his retirement contest for the IWA.


Los Autenticos and feud with Chris Angel (2006–2011)

Rivera eventually make amends with Pérez and joined him along Babderas and Sewell in order to feud with González and Toledo's Estrellas. Following a tag team match that went no contest in February 2007, his team won six consecutive matches against the heel factions. Rivera himself defeated Estrellas' members Kafu,
Mikael Judas Michael Cole is an American professional wrestler signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Murphy. He has also wrestled under the ring names Judais, Jud ...
and the "Colossus" Michael Jarvis. He and Cotto formed a regular tag team to feud with Jarvis and Judas, earning a 2-1 advantage. Rivera went on to defeat Jarvis twice and get disqualified against Kafu leading to Summer Attitude 2007. Subsequently, Rivera joined Sewell to form a tag team, winning two matches against the Estrellas. He then entered a feud against Figueroa, with both of their matches going inconclusive. He remained in a feud with Toledo's Estrellas stable until early 2007, when the former left the company following an event where Rivera sided with Pérez when a conflict between him and Mario Savoldi. Upon retaking his role as general manager, he became the leader of a new heel stable known as "Los Auntenticos" along Pérez and Ricky Vega. This faction was quickly involved in an angle dealing with a power struggle against several other stables within the company. In his first match following a forced hiatus, Los Autenticos got disqualified in a match against González and Figueroa. They went on to defeat "Los Rabiosos", composed by Freddie "Blitz" Lozada and Maldonado. Rivera entered a feud against Lozada, after the former teamed with Ricky Vega to defeat Los Autenticos. On June 14, 2008, he defeated Vega. Rivera went then entered a feud with Bison Smith, losing twice. On October 4, 2008, he wrestled The Sheik to a no contest. The stable eventually grew to include Rivera's younger brother Dennis Rivera and his tag team partner Noel Rodríguez. Los Auntenticos would then create a "terror list" where the names of former WWC employees were written. This list was used in a new angle were the stable would ambush and attack wrestlers that were randomly selected from the list. At Golpe de Estado, Los Autenticos lost in a Boricua Rumble match, before winning their following appearance. As a sidetrack, Rivera ran a mock campaign to become
Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...
for the fictional Partido Luchador Puertorriqueño (PLP) prior to the 2008 general elections. The closure to the Loteria del Terror came when the other members turned on Rivera and Pérez, citing that "they themselves were part of Capitol once", igniting a sibling rivalry against Dennis Rivera who was supported by Noel Rodríguez and Richard Rondón. The feud continued with matches between both, Los Autenticos lost two tag team matches against this team, known as "La Malicia". In matches between brothers, the result was a no contest and a win by Dennis Rivera. Concurrently, he entered a second feud against Joe Bravo and his own stable, "La Compañia Elite". Rivera and Pérez won a match against two lowcard members of La Compañia. At the IWA's 10th Anniversary show, he wrestled Bravo to a no contest, with the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship being held up. Rivera lost the rematch. In August 2009, he won a handicap match over Rondón and Rodríguez and teamed to defeat La Compañia. He went on to defeat Bravo and Edwin Vázquez Ortega in consecutive matches. Following this, Rivera once again turned heel, teaming with Gilbert, facing a stable known as "La Cruz del Diablo". Dennis Rivera eventually returned to his side citing that "blood is heavier than water". He won consecutive matches over Bravo at the Copa José Miguel Pérez and Summer Attitude. Rivera joined his brother in defeating The Bad Boys from Hell's Kitchen, also winning singles contests over Keith Walker and Sonny Roselli. In June 2010, Rivera was contacted by Hugo Savinovich in order to become involved in an angle with IWA's main rival, WWC. Savinovich serves as the producer of Aniversario, the WWC's main annual event. While still in negotiation, Rivera appeared in a talk show along Carlos Colón. Promotion of the angle began here by staging a spot where he criticized
Carly Colón Carlos Edwin Colón Coates Jr. (born February 21, 1979), better known by his ring name Carlito Colón or simply Carlito, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is signed to World Wrestling Council (WWC), where he is the current WWC Puerto ...
's supposed addiction to painkillers, prompting Colón to leave the stage. This marked the first time that both performed together in over a decade, following the lawsuit filled by WWC over the TNT character. During the following weeks, Rivera continued this line by issuing two challenges in IWA events, as well as changing the name of his finisher to "La Painkiller". At Summer Attitude 2010, Rivera defeated World Wrestling Entertainment employee
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
, then IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion and first contender to the
WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defend ...
, by pinfall following his finishing move. Later that night, he sanctioned a contest for the belt between his brother and Danielson, which was won by the younger Rivera. Rivera then entered a feud with Álvarez, who had served as special referee at Summer Attitude 2010 and made his in-ring debut in the IWA, winning the contest between them. Rivera went on to win two more matches over midcard talent before entering a lengthy hiatus. Returning in winter, he confronted "The Academy", a group that had entered the IWA two months earlier that was harassing Pérez. At Christmas in PR 2010, Rivera wrestled and lost to one of The Academy's members, the debuting Chris Angel for the vacant Intercontinental Championship. A rematch was scheduled for Histeria Boricua 2011, which was promoted with a throwback angle in which he emphasized how having defeated other undefeated wrestlers such as Austin and Johnson, claiming that his loss at Christmas in PR was nothing but a fluke. Regardless of this, Angel won the rematch and eventually went on to become an undefeated world champion. Upon exiting the ring following the loss, Pérez confronted Rivera and told him not to return until he had "returned to his roots".


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008–2009)

In July 2008, Rivera began working as a road agent for
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 ...
. In January 2009, he became head agent for the promotion's women's division, known as the TNA Knockouts. He also served as the unofficial trainer for the division during this tenure. On July 31, 2009, Rivera was released from his contract.


Return to TNA (2011–2012)


Ring Ka King (2011–2012)

In late 2011, Rivera was rehired by TNA, this time to work with Ring Ka King, a TNA affiliate promotion in India. Along with
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 ...
and Dutch Mantell, he was responsible for training the Indian wrestlers at
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...
, TNA's developmental territory in Louisville, Kentucky.


International promotions (2007–2013)

While wrestling in the IWA, he competed in Revolution X-treme Wrestling based in
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
, performing in a battle royal to determine the winner of the vacant RXW World Heavyweight Championship, where he won the event. In January 2008, he began an international tour. This tour began with a presentation in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
for Power House Wrestling Of New England. And continued with a visit to
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
where he would defend the Wrestling Alliance Revolution Tag Team Championship. The tour concluded in
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
where he defended the company's title against
Ricky Banderas Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Říčky, a village and part of Orlické Podhůří in the Czech Republic * Říčky v Orlických horách, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *R ...
. In PHW he participated in a tag team match, where he teamed with a wrestler using the name Don Vega. They defeated a team that included the company's heavyweight champion. He would then compete in "WAR Conquest 2008", a special event organized by Wrestling Alliance Revolution. In this event he defended the company's tag team championship along Condor Ortíz, in a match that they lose after Ortíz accidentally kicked Vega. Following the match he turned on Ortíz, and subsequently challenged Kuervo, the company's heavyweight champion to a title match on the event. The encounter happened later in card, and Kuervo retained by disqualification after Vega spat green mist on his face. During the following summer Vega alternated his work between the IWA, Division One Pro Wrestling (D1PW) in Florida and Nu-Wrestling Evolution in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. Vega retained the RXW championship twice in June, against Ricky Vega and PJD. On March 21, 2009, Vega defended and lost the RXW World Heavyweight Title in a rematch against Panama Jack Daniels. Vega was released from his TNA contract on July 31, 2009. On October 2, 2009, Vega participated in a Wrestling Alliance Revolution card, defeating AP Dynamite for the WAR World Heavyweight Championship. On November 1, 2009, Vega and Pérez participated in a Dominican Wrestling Entertainment card, being booked to win the DWE World Tag Team Championship. They dropped the title on DWE's final event of the year, Cierre de Temporada, held on December 20, 2009. On a Ring Ka King episode aired on February 11, 2012, Rivera returned to his T.N.T. character as part of his work as trainer for TNA. His opponent was an Indian wrestler called Jwala. None of the wrestlers were given a definitive heel or face role, but the local crowd supported his compatriot Jwala, who earned the pinfall by avoiding a maneuver by Rivera and applying his own finisher. He returned under the same guise on the March 24, 2012, RKK episode joining Nick Dinsmore in an eight-man tag team contest joining the Sheiks against the teams of Barood & Romeo Rapta and the Bollywood Boys. His team performed as the unambiguous heels, gaining the victory by employing illegal tactics. Vega became BSP World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Emperador Maximus on January 26, 2013, in La Barra in Caguas, PR. On April 28, 2013, Vega retained the BSP World Title by defeating Lloyd Samoa in Cayey, PR despite the outside interference from the challenger's manager Octavio 5to (Victor Manuel Sierra Garcia) and the BSP director of operations Alexis Baez. On July 7, 2013, Vega retained the BSP World Heavyweight Championship by defeating number one contender ''Dimes'' at its Summer Splash event held in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. On July 20, 2013, Vega lost the BSP World Heavyweight Championship to Dimes at Summer Splash ''La Revancha'', held in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, after the challenger threw white powder in his face and then hit Vega with a pair of brass knuckles. After the match, Vega issued his rematch clause. On August 31, 2013, Vega lost to BSP World Heavyweight Champion Menace and Dimes in a three-way dance match celebrated in el sector La Jurado in Caguas, PR.


Interpromotional angles (2011–2014)

Rivera remained completely absent from any wrestling-related activity for several months as a consequence. He reappeared on the final edition of WWC's Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre show before Aniversario 2011, interrupting the programming by stepping into the camera while wearing an IWA shirt. At the actual event, he led a large group of IWA wrestlers, including incumbent Undisputed World Champion Hiram Tua, who promptly invaded the WWC ring, beating down the WWC Tag Team Champions, Wilfredo "Lynx" Rivera and Alejandro "Niche" Marrero. This event became known as "El Bombazo", referencing his original gimmick and the explosive nature of actual
TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
. Rivera himself addressed the crowd and issued another challenge to Colón who responded in a subsequent interview issuing a challenge of his own. The WWC responded by entering the IWA's next event, Summer Attitude and vandalizing Quiñones' Hall of Fame induction. Despite this, the negotiations between the promotions were stalled and no further actions were taken for the remainder of 2011. At Halloween Mayhem 2011, Rivera returned to IWA for the first time since Histeria Boricua 2011, turning on a heel Pérez and seizing control by regaining the office of general manager and joining the still-undefeated Angel and Phillip Davian to form a stable known as "La Academia Gerencial". The group stayed away from action for the remainder of the year due to him working the RKK project for TNA in OVW and India and he named an interim general manager who performed the role at Histeria Boricua 2012. Prior to the WWC's Euphoria 2012 event, Rivera reappeared in Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre, supporting Ricky Banderas in his contest against Colón. He eventually costed Colón the match, playing a video stating that the "hunting had begun" that lasted for the remainder of the scheduled time. Concurrently, Pérez had launched a second interpromotional angle, this time involving the third largest company in Puerto Rico, the Extreme Wrestling Organization. Rivera himself remained uninvolved with this, holding a reunion with La Academia Gerencial. However, Angel and Davian left the promotion in February while he was working outside of Puerto Rico, disbanding the stable. Consequently, Rivera sided with the IWA upon returning, assaulting EWO employees at Clash of the Titans 2012. During this visit, he also participated in an event of a smaller independent company, New Revolution Wrestling, winning its heavyweight championship. On May 26, 2012, Rivera reappeared in the IWA and issued a challenge to EWO CEO Richard Rondón to a winner-takes-all match at Juicio Final. However, the event was postponed due to unspecified circumstances and the IWA's partnership with EWO was subsequently dissolved. In July 2012, Rivera began an independent tour, making appearances in International Gladiators Wrestling Alliance and the Puerto Rico Wrestling Association. He had previously wrestled in some shows of IGWA's predecessor, Lucha Libre Extrema Internacional. On October 7, 2012, Rivera reappeared in Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre, issuing yet another challenge. However, this time Colón backfired with a challenge of his own, inviting him to a special edition of Carlito's Cabana. The edition of the talk show that featured Rivera took place on October 14, 2012. In the segment, both traded insults and it finished with the security removing him when he tried to assault Colón after the former spat an apple in his face. At Halloween Wrestling Xtravaganza, Rivera reappeared and once again addressed the crowd before being removed from the facilities by
Victor Jovica Victor Jovica (born November 26, 1945) is a Croatian-born Puerto Rican semi-retired professional wrestler, and promoter. Along with Carlos Colón, he is the co-founder and promoter of Capitol Sports Promotions, now known as the World Wrestlin ...
. At Honor vs Traición Rivera was summoned to a face to face by Jovica. At Lockout 2012 Vega served as special referee in the hair vs hair match between Ray Gonzalez and Carlito. On the November 9, 2013, episode of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre, the return of Rivera as T.N.T. was announced. At Crossfire, on November 16, 2013, Vega defeated Chris Angel to win the WWC Universal Championship. However, he lost the title to Mighty Ursus at Lockout. TNT won the title back on January 19, 2014. On March 30, 2014, at Hora de la Verdad, TNT defeated Apolo to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. On July 19, 2014, TNT lost the title against Carlito Caribbean Cool. In October 2014, Vega left WWC.


World Wrestling League (2014–2015)

On October 10, 2014, after being previously advertised for the Aniversario event of WWC on October 25, 2014, and booked to win the WWC Puerto Rico Championship, Vega suddenly announced via his Facebook fan page that he was no longer under a WWC contract, thus being officially pulled from the event. The following day on October 11, 2014, he announced on his page he was now part of the Puerto Rican-based promotion
World Wrestling League La Liga Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling League or Liga Mundial de Lucha), was a wrestling promotion company based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2012 by businessman Richard Negrín with the cooperation of established wrestling figur ...
. Vega took on the role of WWL's tyrannus director of operations. After being fired by president Richard Negrín, he came back with Shane Sewell to attack Negrín and his heel stable and claim that his contract was for 5 years and that if he got fired, he would own 75% of the company. However, on March 23, 2015, WWL founder Negrín retired from pro wrestling and closed WWL. WWL reopened later, but Savio had already left.


Late career (2015–present)

After leaving the WWL, Savio Vega returned to local promotions where he has been regularly active in BSP, CWA, & NRW also makes international appearances in countries like Kuwait, and appeared in September and October on Amaro Production and Game Changer Wrestling. On November 22, 2020, he made an appearance at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony. On July 10, 2021, he wrestled at
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
's Battle Riot III entering twice in the match (as Savio Vega and Kwang). Vega and Carlito appeared at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on May 6, 2023, to assist the Latino World Order's
Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...
in his San Juan street fight match against
The Judgment Day The Judgment Day is a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling Stable (professional wrestling), stable performing in WWE on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. The group is composed of Finn Bálor, Domini ...
's
Damian Priest Luis Martínez (born September 26, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Damian Priest and is a former one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is also know ...
.


Championships and accomplishments

*Americas Wrestling Federation **AWF Americas Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *Borinquen Sports Promotion **BSP World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Champion Wrestling Association **CWA World Heavyweight championship (1 time) *Dominican Wrestling Entertainment **DWE World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Miguel Pérez, Jr. * International Wrestling Association ** IWA World Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) ** IWA Hardcore Championship ( 1 time) **
IWA World Tag Team Championship The IWA World Tag Team Championship is a Tag Team Championship defended in Puerto Rico.The titles were first introduced in the first incarnation of the International Wrestling Association, where they are defended. They also made a brief appearan ...
( 2 times) - with Miguel Pérez, Jr. **
Bruiser Brody Frank Donald Goodish (June 18, 1946 – July 17, 1988) was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the ring name Bruiser Brody. He also worked as King Kong Brody, the Masked Marauder, and Red River Jack. Over the year ...
Hardcore Weekend Memorial Cup *International Wrestling Association Puerto Rico **IWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Los Inhumanos and Invader #1 *Independent Wrestling Association Florida **IWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with Miguel Pérez Jr. *Latin Wrestling Alliance **LWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...
** IWA Caribbean Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *New Revolution Wrestling **NRW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *''
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 ...
'' **PWI ranked him #49 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 1996 **PWI ranked him #321 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 *Revolution X-Treme Wrestling **RXW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Three Legacies Wrestling ** 3LW Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) *World Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico) **WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **WWA Puerto Rico Championship (1 time) *
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...
**
WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in the Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican professional wrestlin ...
( 3 times) ** WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) ** WWC North American Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) **
WWC World Tag Team Championship The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. History Abroad (2017) On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended t ...
( 1 time) - with Mr. Pogo ** WWC Television Championship ( 6 times) *Wrestling Alliance Revolution **WAR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **WAR Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Condor Ortíz *''
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 ...
'' ** Worst Feud of the Year (1997) – vs. Disciples of Apocalypse


Luchas de Apuestas record


In other media

Rivera is mentioned in
Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...
's single "Puesto Pa' Guerrial", released in the album YHLQMDLG. He is portrayed by Puerto Rican actor Juan Pablo Díaz in the Eduardo “Transfor” Ortiz movie ''Las Super Estrellas de la Lucha Libre'', based on Puerto Rican wrestling in Puerto Rico in the 1980s.https://www.prwrestling.com/nw/las-super-estrellas-de-la-lucha-libre-todo-lo-que-debes-saber-sobre-la-nueva-pelicula/


See also

* Los Boricuas * The Nation of Domination *
List of Puerto Ricans This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vega, Savio 1964 births 20th-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers Living people People from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico Nation of Domination members Puerto Rican male professional wrestlers Professional wrestling promoters Professional wrestling trainers Masked wrestlers WWC Universal Heavyweight Champions WWC Puerto Rico Champions WWC Television Champions WWC World Tag Team Champions Latino World Order members