Although the "Golden Era" of the WWE produced a number of Latino Hall of Famers and Champions, such as the great Pedro Morales, Tito Santana, and Carlos Colón, their popularity with the promotion came during a time when very few minorities received a push as "main event" wrestlers. In the early 1990s, "Razor Ramon" became a four-time Intercontinental champion and a household name, but the brash Cuban character was portrayed by the late Scott Hall, a WWE Hall of Famer not of Latino descent. It was not until the latter part of the "Attitude Era" in 2000 that the WWE produced its first Latino superstar, the late Eddie Guerrero. After a successful run in the WCW's cruiserweight division, Eddie jumped ship to the WWE, where he developed a "Latino Heat" persona. The charismatic anti-hero became a sensation amongst fans, a main-event wrestler, and the WWE Champion. Shortly after entering his prime, Eddie passed away. To this day, he is widely regarded by several media outlets as the greatest Latino wrestler of all time. Eddie's heroics blazed a Championship trail for his close friend, Rey Mysterio, and an LWO reboot over a decade later. Since Eddie's passing, Latinos of all colors have become far more visible and prominent in the WWE. In 2019, Bayley (Mexican-American) became the first woman to earn the distinction of being called a "Grand Slam" champion. Two years later, Bobby Lashley (Panamanian-American) won the WWE Championship for the first time. Rey Mysterio's son, Dominik Mysterio (Mexican-American), is the current NXT North American Champion, while his teammate in The Judgment Day, Damien Priest (Puerto Rican), is the latest "Money in the Bank" winner and one-half of the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions. And then there's Cody Rhodes (Half Cuban), the former three-time AEW TNT Champion who returned to the WWE in 2022. The son of Dusty Rhodes has yet to have claimed the WWE Championship but he is a main-event wrestler and arguably the most popular name on the roster. Additionally, Latin Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny fought in a match at 2023 Backlash in his native country of Puerto Rico. His "San Juan Street Fight" against Damien Priest received an "A+" grade from several outlets, including the Bleacher Report.
On September 15, the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, the WWE paid homage to some of the most prominent wrestlers of Latino descent on their active roster. The list also includes rising stars like Zelina Vega (Puerto Rican) and Raquel Rodriguez (Mexican American)
Scroll up and swipe right to take a look.
Source: Instagram
