Kalisto Emanuel Rodriguez ( November 14 , 1986 ) is a Mexican American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samuray del Sol ( Spanish for " Samuray of the Sun " ) . He made his professional wrestling debut in 2006 , working under a mask on the Midwestern United States independent circuit . Having established himself as one of the top high - flyers in the area , he began working for larger national and international promotions in 2011 and was signed by Dragon Gate USA in 2012 . The same year , he made his debut for Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración ( AAA ) , where , in November , he was repackaged as Octagón Jr . , the storyline protégé of well - known " luchador " Octagón . He has also worked for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling ( CZW ) , Independent Wrestling Association Mid - South ( IWA - MS ) , National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) , Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( PWG ) and Resistance Pro Wrestling ( RPW ) . In May 2013 , he signed a developmental contract with WWE , where he was renamed Kalisto and is a two time WWE United States Champion . Early life . Rodriguez was born in Chicago , Illinois , United States , but spent his first years living in Mexico City , Mexico . In the mid - 90s , when he was still in primary school , Rodriguez ' s family moved to Chicago , though they also kept making regular trips to Mexico City . In Chicago , he attended Curie Metropolitan High School . Rodriguez grew up a fan of Mexican professional wrestling , or " lucha libre " , especially workers like Tinieblas , whose mask and physique caught his attention , and Octagón , whose in - ring style caught his attention . As a child , Rodriguez bought both Tinieblas ' and Octagón ' s replica masks . After moving to the United States , Rodriguez started watching World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) , World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) , taking influence from the likes of Rey Mysterio , Rob Van Dam and Sabu . In high school , Rodriguez started watching independent promotions like Ring of Honor ( ROH ) as well as Japan ese promotions . Rodriguez has a sports background in gymnastics , taekwondo , amateur wrestling and football . Professional wrestling career . Early career . Rodriguez was initially trained in professional wrestling in 2006 at Windy City Pro Wrestling ' s ( WCPW ) training school in Chicago , where he was trained in not only American professional wrestling , but also " lucha libre " by a former Asistencia Asesoría y Administración ( AAA ) " luchador " . Rodriguez has later noted that because of his youth , his trainers were strict on him , leading him to contemplating quitting the school . Rodriguez made his debut for WCPW after only three weeks of training . Combining his Mexican and Japanese influences , he adopted the ring name Samuray del Sol , choosing to use the spelling " Samuray " in order to differentiate himself from several other workers using the name Samurai . Much like his childhood idols , Rodriguez also began wrestling under a mask . During his first years in the business , Samuray made a name for himself on the Chicago and Midwestern United States independent circuit . During 2010 , Samuray began branching out of the Midwest , making his debuts for Pennsylvania - based International Wrestling Cartel ( IWC ) and New York - based East Coast Lucha Libre ( ECLL ) . On September 25 , 2010 , Samuray worked in a dark match put together by Berwyn , Illinois - based All American Wrestling ( AAW ) for Dragon Gate USA ( DGUSA ) , where he unsuccessfully challenged Silas Young for the AAW Heavyweight Championship in a three - way match , which also included Gran Akuma . During 2010 , Samuray made his first wrestling tour of Mexico . During another tour of Mexico in April 2011 , Rodriguez suffered a serious injury at an event held by independent promotion Desastre Total Ultraviolento ( DTU ) , when he landed on the concrete floor and hit his head on a guardrail , when diving out of the ring onto his opponents . In the aftermath of the injury , Rodriguez began suffering from post - concussion syndrome and fell into depression and contemplated quitting professional wrestling , before receiving a call to take part in a three - day tryout camp for WWE . Asistencia Asesoría y Administración ( 2011 – 2012 ) . During mid - 2011 , Mexican " luchador " Crazy Boy , who saw Samuray during his Mexican debut , got him a spot in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración ' s ( AAA ) reality television program " ¿ Quién Pinta Para La Corona ? " . While taking part in the program , Samuray also returned to Crazy Boy ' s DTU promotion . During the taping of the program , he also underwent further training under veteran " luchador " Gran Apache , whom he credits with " perfecting [ his ] career " . Although he did not earn a contract with AAA through the program , Samuray was able to make his AAA main card debut on August 19 , 2012 , when he teamed with Joe Líder and Juventud Guerrera in a six - man tag team match , where they were defeated by the villainous " La Sociedad " trio of Daga , Dark Dragon and Psicosis . During September , Samuray worked several multi man tag team matches against " Los Inferno Rockers " ( Devil Rocker , Machine Rocker , Soul Rocker and Uro Rocker ) , losing all of them . While training with Teddy Hart in Canada , Samuray received a call from AAA booker Konnan , who offered him a regular spot on the promotion ' s roster . On October 7 , 2012 , at " Héroes Inmortales " , Samuray was placed in his first storyline in AAA , when he , not identified , referred to only as a " mysterious fighter " , approached Octagón backstage after a match . Shortly afterwards , AAA revealed that the fighter had been Samuray del Sol and he had requested for Octagón to start training him , which Octagón , having been impressed by the newcomer ever since noticing him on " ¿ Quién Pinta Para La Corona ? " , accepted . On November 15 , Octagón was ambushed during an in - ring interview by " El Consejo " members Silver King and Toscano , who , however , were quicly chased out of the ring by Samuray del Sol . Afterwards , Octagón gave Samuray a new mask similar to the one he was wearing himself and officially adopted him as his protégé , renaming him " Octagón Jr . " Prior to making his in - ring debut as Octagón Jr . , Samuray wrestled one final AAA match under his old name and mask , when on November 18 he teamed with AAA World Heavyweight Champion El Mesías to defeat " El Consejo " members El Texano , Jr . and Silver King via disqualification . Octagón Jr . made his in - ring debut on December 2 at " Guerra de Titanes " , where he , Octagón and La Parka defeated his debuting storyline nemesis , Pentagón Jr . , La Parka Negra and Silver King in a six - man tag team match . In May 2013 , it was reported that AAA was looking to replace Samuray del Sol as Octagón Jr . due to his busy independent schedule preventing him from appearing for the promotion . Combat Zone Wrestling ( 2012 ) . After returning from his " ¿ Quién Pinta Para La Corona ? " stint in Mexico , Samuray , looking to showcase the " new Samuray del Sol " , made his debut for Combat Zone Wrestling ( CZW ) on February 4 , 2012 , in a match , where he was defeated by AR Fox . Samuray credits the match as opening him doors to bigger promotions , including Dragon Gate USA . On March 10 , Samuray and Uhaa Nation survived an eight - man elimination match to qualify for the Best of the Best 11 tournament . The tournament took place on internet pay - per - view on April 14 and saw Samuray defeat Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano in a three - way first round match . Later that same event , Samuray was defeated in his semifinal match by AR Fox . Dragon Gate USA and Evolve ( 2012 – 2013 ) . In March 2012 , Dragon Gate USA announced that the promotion had signed a " mystery luchador " to a contract . On March 29 , Samuray made his Dragon Gate USA main card debut at an event co - promoted by DGUSA and CZW , appearing as Masato Yoshino ' s surprise opponent and defeating him in the following singles match . The following day , Samuray made his pay - per - view debut at Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 , defeating Johnny Vandal . On the third and final day of the triple shot weekend , Samuray wrestled in a six - way match at Mercury Rising 2012 , which was won by El Generico . On April 13 , Samuray made his debut for Evolve , a promotion closely affiliated with Dragon Gate USA , losing to Chuck Taylor in a three - way match , which also included Johnny Gargano . Samuray then had two singles matches against El Generico ; the first on June 28 at Evolve 14 was won by El Generico and the rematch the following day at Evolve 15 was won by Samuray . Samuray returned to Dragon Gate USA on July 28 , when he and El Generico were defeated in a tag team match by AR Fox and Cima . Samuray and El Generico finished their trilogy of matches against each other on September 8 at Evolve 17 , where Samuray was defeated in a main event . On November 4 at Dragon Gate USA ' s Freedom Fight 2012 , Samuray teamed with El Generico in a tag team match , where they defeated Genki Horiguchi and Ryo Saito . The two continued their winning ways on December 8 at Evolve 18 , where they defeated the Super Smash Bros . ( Player Uno and Stupefied ) . Samuray then qualified for the Evolve Championship tournament , but was eliminated by Sami Callihan in his first round four - way match , which also included Jigsaw and Rich Swann . On June 2 at Evolve 22 , Samuray unsuccessfully challenged Johnny Gargano for the Open the Freedom Gate Championship , submitting after being unmasked by the champion . Other promotions ( 2012 – 2013 ) . On December 14 , 2012 , Samuray del Sol entered the 2012 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup , defeating Eddie Rios in his first round match . The following day , he defeated Jonathan Gresham in the quarterfinals , Jon Davis in the semifinals and finally AR Fox in the finals to win the entire tournament . On January 18 , 2013 , Samuray del Sol worked on the Hart Legacy Wrestling ( HLW ) promotion ' s inaugural event in Calgary , Alberta , Canada . In the opening four - way elimination tag team match , he and El Generico were victorious over the teams of Cam ! kaze and Pete Wilson , Brian Cage and Trent Barreta , and Andrew Hawkes and Ryan Rollins . As a result , the two earned a spot in a main event ten man tag team match , where they teamed with Barreta , Davey Boy Smith , Jr . and Jack Evans in a losing effort against the team of Teddy Hart , Brian Cage , Cam ! kaze , Flip Kendrick and Pete Wilson . On March 15 , Samuray del Sol made his debut for Full Impact Pro ( FIP ) , unsuccessfully challenging Jon Davis for the FIP World Heavyweight Championship . On March 22 , Samuray del Sol made his debut for Southern California - based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( PWG ) , teaming with AR Fox in a tag team match , where they were defeated by the Inner City Machine Guns ( Rich Swann and Ricochet ) . The following day , Samuray was defeated by T . J . Perkins at another PWG event . On March 24 , Samuray del Sol defeated Paul London , AR Fox and Ricochet during a one night single - elimination tournament to become the 2013 King of Flight . On April 21 , Samuray del Sol , as Octagón Jr . , appeared at Puerto Rican promotion World Wrestling League ' s ( WWL ) inaugural pay - per - view , Idols of Wrestling , unsuccessfully challenging Sicodélico , Jr . for the Zero1 Mexico International Championship in a four - way match , which also included Axel and El Hijo de Rey Mysterio . On May 25 , Samuray del Sol appeared at English promotion Southside Wrestling Entertainment ' s ( SWE ) Speed King 2 tournament , losing to Marty Scurll in his first round match . After signing with WWE , Samuray del Sol wrestled his farewell match for his longtime home promotion , AAW , on June 28 , where he and Colt Cabana were defeated by The Irish Airborne ( Dave Crist and Jake Crist ) . WWE . WWE NXT ( 2013 – 2015 ) . In May 2013 , it was reported that Rodriguez was undergoing pre - contract signing medical tests for WWE . On May 26 , it was reported that he had signed a developmental contract with WWE . On August 29 , Rodriguez ' s new ring name was revealed as Kalisto . Kalisto made his NXT debut at a live event on September 20 , defeating Baron Corbin . In April 2014 , Kalisto formed a tag team with El Local , which led to him making his television debut on the May 8 " NXT " , where the two defeated the Legionnaires ( Marcus Louis and Sylvester Lefort ) in a tag team match . The pairing with El Local only last for a few weeks and then in August Sin Cara was moved to the NXT roster and paired with Kalisto . The duo would win the # 1 contender NXT Tag Team tournament . As the winners of the tournament they would face The Ascension for the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT Takeover II . Kalisto and Cara would upset the record holding duo of Konnor & Viktor to capture the titles . After the match they announced their team would be known as the Lucha Dragons . They would continue to hold the titles until Blake and Murphy defeated them , ending their reign at 126 days Main Roster and United States Champion ( 2015 – present ) . On March 30 , Kalisto made his WWE television debut on " Raw " , where The Lucha Dragons and The New Day ( Big E and Kofi Kingston ) defeated then - WWE Tag Team Champions Tyson Kidd and Cesaro and The Ascension in an eight - man tag team match . On May 31 , at Elimination Chamber , The Lucha Dragons competed in the first - ever tag team Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Tag Team Championship , but failed to win . The Lucha Dragons received another title shot on August 23 at SummerSlam in a Fatal 4 - Way match , but were once again unsuccessful . In November , after Seth Rollins vacated the WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to a legitimate injury , WWE held a tournament to determine a new champion . After defeating Ryback in his first round match on the November 12 " SmackDown " , Kalisto was eliminated in the quarterfinals on the November 16 episode of " Raw " by Alberto Del Rio . On December 13 , at TLC : Tables , Ladders and Chairs , the Lucha Dragons received another shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship , but were defeated by The New Day in a triple - threat ladder match , which also included The Usos . The Lucha Dragons once again failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on the December 22 " Super SmackDown Live ! " , where they were defeated by The New Day . After Sin Cara had been sidelined with a shoulder injury , Kalisto defeated United States Champion Alberto Del Rio in a non - title match with John Cena in his corner on the January 7 " SmackDown " . Four days later on " Raw " , Kalisto defeated Del Rio in a rematch to win the United States Championship , his first championship on the main roster and his first singles title in WWE . However , Kalisto lost the title back to Del Rio on the January 14 episode of " SmackDown " , following a distraction from King Barrett . Kalisto regained the title from Del Rio on January 24 at Royal Rumble , making him a two - time United States Champion . On the January 28 " SmackDown " , Kalisto made his first televised title defense against Neville , where he was successful in retaining the championship . On February 21 , Kalisto defeated Del Rio two falls to one in a two - out - of - three falls match on the Fastlane pre - show to retain the United States Championship . Kalisto then accepted a challenge from Ryback for a title match at WrestleMania 32 over the question of whether a " good little man " could beat a " good big man " . The match ended up taking place on the WrestleMania 32 pre - show with Kalisto retaining the title . On the April 11 " Raw " , Kalisto and Sin Cara entered a tournament to determine number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship , but were eliminated in the first round by the Dudley Boyz . On the April 21 " SmackDown " , Kalisto was defeated by Ryback in a non - title rematch . With Ryback ' s win , a United States Championship match was set between the two , taking place on May 1 at the Payback pre - show , where Kalisto retained the title . The next night on Raw , Rusev won a battle royal to earn the right to feud with Kalisto over the title , which they would settle it at Extreme Rules . Personal life . Rodriguez is married to a woman named Abigail .