It was a rocky year for the Puerto Rican wrestling scene. We saw longtime promotions like World Wrestling Council (WWC) lose their place in the wrestling scene, young stars being denied their place on top and a Hurricane destroy the little wrestling scene that we have left.
Now, with Puerto Rico slowly gaining momentum and electrical power, it seems that in 2018, the scene in the island will get back up, with promotions like WWC and World Wrestling League planning to comeback in February or early March, and Championship Wrestling Associtation (CWA) in their best run in history.
The only thing that we have left to wonder is, which wrestler are going to breakthrough in 2018?
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Justin Dynamite
As we said in his prospect report, is not a matter of “if”, but a matter of “when”, and it seems that 2018 is going to be his year. With a 365 plus day as CWA Puerto Rican Champion, Justin Dynamite is poised to make an impact. He and CWA’s supreme champion, Star Roger, are the only wrestlers with one-year reigns in the island, and in CWA’s last show, both didn’t seem happy about it. Justin Dynamite is billed as “The Future”, but as of right now, CWA thinks this year is Justin Dynamite’s moment to take the CWA Heavyweight Championship off Star Roger and stablish himself as the new “ace” of the company.
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Vanilla Vargas
In the last half of 2017, Vanilla Vargas was everywhere. She was part of this year’s match of the year – in Puerto Rico – with her colleagues Mike Mendoza and Angel Fashion against the former GFW/Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions, LAX, and she participated in promotions like Aro Lucha and in Ultimo Dragon’s Anniversary in the historic Arena México. Now, with everybody watching Vanilla’s movements as the next big female wrestler from Puerto Rico, it seems that her international and local calendar will fill up quickly. As of right now, Vanilla is set to compete in Aro Lucha once again, in The Crash – they need female talent – and in WWL as their top female wrestler.
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Angel Fashion
Angel Fashion is a weird monster. The man doesn’t bring high intensity moves, his promos are regular at best and his presentation left us a lot to be desire, but, he has something that make’s everybody pay attention. Al thought nobody knows why, Angel Fashion is a magnet for claps or for boos. He started badly in 2017 with WWC relegating him to their Jr. Heavyweight division after being almost on top of the card, but he got a second air in WWL. Part of this year in Puerto Rico’s MOTY, Fashion has been able to get out of his comfort zone. Booked in Ohio and almost in The Crash, Fashion started to expand in 2017. Now, with the new year already in place, Fashion is already expanding his knowledge in Florida with WWE Hall of Famer, Wild Samoan Afa’s World Xtreme Wrestling and Pro Wrestling 2.0. Also, he is poised to participate in Cleveland Knights Championship Wrestling – where he is seemed with good eyes – and to have a match against AAA’s Latino American Champion, Hijo del Fantasma. Is still unclear if his coming back to Puerto Rico.
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JC Navarro
Named 2017’s best wrestling technician in Puerto Rico, JC Navarro is built like a Pitbull that doesn’t give up that easily. Navarro had a breakout year, especially with his match against Mike Mendoza in WWL Hight Voltage Live in Juncos. He showed that his time in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) was well received as hi incorporates all kind of holds along with great techniques. Before Hurricane Maria came, Navarro was poised to take by storm the mid card of WWL and win the WWL Latino American Championship. Now, in 2018, Navarro is ready to take that step and further up his stock in the island and in Mexico.
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Mike Mendoza
What can be said of the grandson of Salvadorian wrestling legend, El Vikingo. Mike Mendoza is arguably the fastest rising star in Puerto Rico. He shattered 2017, with him winning at the start of the year the WWC Puerto Rican Championship, later going to WWL and in the process having the match of the year in Puerto Rico – Vargas, Mendoza & Fashion vs. LAX – and its runner up against JC Navarro. He would later participate in a try-out for WWE and travel to Ohio to expand himself. It seems that 2018 will be his tipping point to become the best wrestler in the Island. He is going to an excursion trough the Northeast of the United States in January and in February going up against former AAA Mega Champion Texano Jr. Also, in WWL, it seems that the only thing left for Mendoza do is to capture their Latin American tittle or even better, their WWL Heavyweight Championship.
