WWE Rumors: Top Lucha Underground star on his way to WWE?
What's the story?
With the news that several wrestlers were granted releases from Lucha Underground yesterday, attention now turns to where these superstars might go next in order to ply their trades.
WrestlingNews is reporting via the Wrestling Observer Radio that the former El Hijo Del Fantasma/King Cuerno has been on WWE's radar for a while.
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El Hijo Del Fantasma primarily made his mark in AAA in Mexico but came to the forefront to American audiences when he performed as the big game hunter King Cuerno through the first four seasons of Lucha Underground.
He also competed under the Fantasma name he used in AAA in Impact last year as Impact shared some talent with AAA.
The heart of the matter
WWE is constantly looking to sign up free agents in order to bolster its roster and to also prevent them from going to the competition.
Wrestlingnews.co's report mentions that he has 'been on the radar for WWE for some time now but they haven't been able to sign him due to his contract with Lucha Underground'.
It also noted that both Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling would likely be interested in him, amping up the thought that WWE might try to scoop him up now that he is free of LU.
The Wrestling Observer Radio mentioned that Fantasma/Cuerno 'was offered to wrestle in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016, but he was unable to because of (deals with) Lucha Underground and AAA'.
Fantasma also appeared for a few months on Impact programming while it was still on POP TV. He wrestled for the X Division Championship a few times and also faced the likes of Eli Drake, EC3 and members of OVE while with that promotion.
What's next?
I expect every major promotion in the US to pursue the former King Cuerno. If you watched Lucha Underground then you know what he is capable of and how exciting he is.
He is a stiff striker but also incorporates a lot of high-flying moves, like his 'Arrow from the Depths of Hell' which is basically a super-charged suicide dive.
Should he be signed with WWE, he shouldn't be pigeonholed into the Cruiserweight Division because he's a slightly bigger luchador in the veins of Andrade rather than the smaller guys like Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado.
He also speaks fluent English which is a huge plus for superstars from outside the US trying to get into WWE because then they do not need to be paired with a mouthpiece.