Latino World Order
The Latino World Order (abbreviated lWo or LWO) is a heroic professional wrestling stable performing in WWE on the SmackDown brand. The group currently consists of leader Rey Mysterio, Carlito and Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and Zelina Vega). Mysterio is the current WWE United States Champion in his third reign. On occasion, the group has been aided by part-time members Savio Vega and Bad Bunny.[1]
Latino World Order | |
---|---|
![]() The LWO logos as used by WWE in 2023. The version on the left reflects the flag of Mexico, while the version on the right reflects the flag of Puerto Rico. | |
Stable | |
Members | See below |
Billed from | Streets of Los Angeles (WCW) |
Debut | October 5, 1998 |
Years active |
|
The stable originally performed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1998 to 1999 and was led by Eddie Guerrero. The name of the stable was coined by actor Jason Hervey – who was working in a creative role with WCW at the time – as a takeoff on the New World Order (nWo) stable. The stable was revived by Mysterio in 2023. Mysterio is the only original member of the WCW incarnation to be a member of the revived group in WWE.
History
World Championship Wrestling (1998–1999)
The LWO was formed in late 1998 after Eddie Guerrero's spat with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) head Eric Bischoff in a real-life conflict that was turned into a storyline.[2] The group was the idea of Jason Hervey, an actor and friend of Bischoff who was working in a creative position in WCW.[3] The stable was originally supposed to revolve around Konnan, but it was given to Guerrero after Konnan joined the nWo Wolfpac.[3]
On August 17, Guerrero cut a shoot interview, where he claimed to want out of his WCW contract.[2] After being taken off television for several weeks, Guerrero returned on the October 5 edition of Monday Nitro, forming the LWO with several other Mexican wrestlers.[3][4] The group consisted of the majority of the Mexican roster, as well as Guerrero's friend Art Flores, who played the role of a bodyguard named Spyder.[5]
The group consisted of almost every major Mexican wrestler on the WCW roster including Psychosis, La Parka, Hector Garza, and Juventud Guerrera. Their main feud lay with Rey Mysterio, Jr., after he refused to join the group.[5] They also feuded with Billy Kidman, Mysterio's on-and-off American tag team partner. Mysterio was forced to become a member after losing a match to Eddie Guerrero. Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Eddie's nephew, wasn't included in the stable as he was deemed "mentally unstable" by the group and rejected as a member.
A car accident suffered by Guerrero on January 1, 1999 would help bring a premature end to the LWO.[6] Three days later, the two factions of the New World Order reunited, and before long, various members of the LWO were found lying unconscious backstage. The nWo approached the LWO and demanded they immediately disband or face further consequences. The next week, Ric Flair also asked the LWO to disband and fight for WCW, promising he would treat them better than Bischoff did and also promising them money, women and limousines. Every member except Mysterio agreed, removing their LWO shirts and exiting the ring. Mysterio, who was not originally a willing member of the group, proved himself the most loyal when he refused to remove his LWO colors. The nWo beat him down and forcibly tore off his LWO shirt, leading to a feud between Mysterio and The Outsiders.
The reunited nWo also betrayed their only Latino member, Konnan, who objected to the brutality used against Mysterio, leading them to form a team against The Outsiders. As Eddie Guerrero healed and made his in-ring return, he and Mysterio formed a popular new group, which included Konnan, known as the Filthy Animals.
WWE (2023–present)
In 2001, the World Wrestling Federation (renamed to WWE in 2002) acquired certain assets and television footage of WCW, including the LWO trademarks.[7] Rey Mysterio, who was contracted under its parent AOL Time Warner, would not join the company until later in 2002. Over 20 years later on the March 31, 2023, episode of SmackDown, Rey, who was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023 later that night, and was scheduled to wrestle his son, Dominik Mysterio, at WrestleMania 39 that weekend, revived the LWO and gifted LWO shirts to Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Zelina Vega) as the group had aided Rey in his fight against The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) for several weeks prior.[8][9]
On Night 1 of WrestleMania 39, Escobar, Wilde, Del Toro, and Bad Bunny assisted Rey in his match against Dominik, who was assisted by his Judgement Day teammates Finn Bálor and Damian Priest. Rey went on to win his match against Dominik and celebrated with his wife, Angie, and his daughter, Aalyah, in the ring.[10] On the April 7 episode of SmackDown, the LWO lost their first match as a team with Rey and Escobar losing to The Judgment Day's Dominik and Priest.[11] On the April 17 episode of Raw, Mysterio lost to The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa. Later that night, the LWO assisted Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn in their brawl against The Judgment Day and The Bloodline.[12] The LWO earned their first victory on the April 24 episode of Raw with Rey defeating Priest by disqualification when Priest threw a steel chair at Rey. The LWO also debut a new entrance music, which paid tribute to the original founder and leader of the stable, Eddie Guerrero.[13][14] On the May 5 episode of SmackDown, Bad Bunny helped the LWO save Rey Mysterio from an attack from The Judgement Day, leading to Mysterio giving Bunny an LWO shirt, signifying his addition to the group.[15][1] At Backlash, Vega failed to win the SmackDown Women's Championship from Ripley and Bad Bunny defeated Priest with the assistance of Savio Vega and Carlito, who were both wearing LWO shirts.[16]
Vega defeated Lacey Evans to qualify for the 2023 women's Money in the Bank ladder match on the June 2 episode of SmackDown.[17] Escobar defeated Mustafa Ali to qualify for the 2023 men's Money in the Bank ladder match on the June 9 episode of SmackDown.[18] However, Vega and Escobar failed to win their respective Money in the Bank ladder matches in the namesake event.[19] Escobar and Rey then faced each other in the United States Championship Invitational tournament finals on the July 28 episode of SmackDown,[20][21] where Escobar went on to face Austin Theory for the United States Championship after Rey suffered a kayfabe injury and was therefore unable to continue.[22] On the August 11 episode of SmackDown, Escobar was taken out by Theory before the match started. Due to Escobar's injury, WWE Official Adam Pearce allowed Rey to take Escobar's place for the title match and defeated Theory to become the new United States Champion. This marks the first title win in the stable's history.[23]
On the September 9 episode of SmackDown, Escobar requested Rey for a dream match for the United States Championship.[24] Two weeks later on SmackDown, Rey defeated Escobar to retain the title. After the match, the pair were attacked by The Street Profits and Bobby Lashley.[25] A six-man tag team match between the LWO against Lashley and The Street Profits at Fastlane was made official the next day on SmackDown LowDown.[26] On the following week's episode of SmackDown, Lashley and The Street Profits took out Wilde and Del Toro, leaving the LWO a man short for Fastlane.[27] At Fastlane, Carlito returned to team up with the LWO to defeat Lashley and The Street Profits.[28]
Members
I–II | Leader(s) |
---|---|
* | Founding member(s) |
WCW
Members | Joined | Left |
---|---|---|
Eddie Guerrero * (I) | October 5, 1998 | January 1, 1999 |
Héctor Garza * | October 5, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Damián * | October 5, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
El Dandy | October 8, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Psychosis | October 12, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
La Parka | October 19, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Spyder | October 26, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Rey Mysterio, Jr. | November 16, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Juventud Guerrera | November 22, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Ciclope | December 3, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Silver King | December 5, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Villano V | December 14, 1998 | January 11, 1999 |
Timeline
![](../I/b197d29d16a15f0055ec3fb66e5fb5c3.png.webp)
WWE
Members | Joined |
---|---|
Rey Mysterio (II) | March 31, 2023 |
Santos Escobar | |
Joaquin Wilde | |
Cruz Del Toro | |
Zelina Vega | |
Carlito | May 6, 2023[lower-alpha 1] |
Part-time
Members | Appearances |
---|---|
Bad Bunny | May 5, 2023–May 6, 2023 |
Savio Vega | May 6, 2023 |
Timeline
![](../I/0498271bd32fc03c4b1864077eafe99b.png.webp)
Sub-groups
Current
(L) | Leader(s) |
---|
Affiliate | Members | Tenure | Type | Promotion(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Legado Del Fantasma | Santos Escobar (L) Joaquin Wilde Cruz Del Toro Zelina Vega |
2023–present | Stable | WWE |
Championships and accomplishments
- WWE
- WWE United States Championship (1 time, current) – Mysterio[29]
Notes
- Carlito joined the LWO for the night at WWE Backlash on May 6, 2023 before returning on a full-time basis at WWE Fastlane on October 7, 2023.
References
- Bad Bunny Joins Latino World Order On WWE Smackdown - 411 Mania.com
- Guerrero, Eddie. Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story, p. 169–171.
- Guerrero, Eddie. Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story, p. 172–173.
- Sammond, Nicholas (2005). Steel Chair to the Head. Duke University Press. pp. 248–249. ISBN 978-0-8223-3438-5.
- Guerrero, Eddie. Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story, p. 174–175.
- Guerrero, Eddie. Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story, p. 181.
- Callis, Don (2001-03-25). "Deal leaves wrestlers out in cold". Slam! Sports.
- Angel Aramboles (March 31, 2023). "Rey Mysterio re-forms the LWO on WWE Friday Night SmackDown". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Barnett, Jake (March 31, 2023). "3/31 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the final Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes confrontation before WrestleMania 39, the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Sonya Deville in a four-way". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- Powell, Jason (April 1, 2023). "WrestleMania 39 results: Powell's live review of night one with Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Smackdown Women's Title, Austin Theory vs. John Cena for the U.S. Title, Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio, Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- Powell, Jason (April 7, 2023). "4/7 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest, Imperium vs. Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch, Rhea Ripley and Triple H appearances". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- Powell, Jason (2023-04-17). "4/17 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar's first appearance since attacking Cody Rhodes, U.S. Champion Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley in a non-title match, Trish Stratus explaining her attack on Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins vs. The Miz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
- The LWO's new entrance music: Raw highlights, April 24, 2023, retrieved 2023-04-25
- Powell, Jason (2023-04-24). "4/24 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Triple H's big announcement, Bad Bunny's return to WWE, Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest, the ongoing build to WWE Backlash". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
- Powell, Jason (2023-05-05). "5/5 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the WWE Backlash go-home show with appearances by Bad Bunny and Cody Rhodes, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karrion Kross, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. The Viking Raiders". Pro Wrestling Dot Ne. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- Powell, Jason (May 6, 2023). "WWE Backlash results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes, Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest in a Street Fight, Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega for the Smackdown Women's Title, Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky for the Raw Women's Title, Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed in a Triple Threat for the U.S. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- Powell, Jason (2023-06-02). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (6/2): Barnett's review of Roman Reigns' celebration of 1,000 days as WWE Universal Champion, LA Knight vs. Montez Ford and Zelina Vega vs. Lacey Evans in Money in the Bank qualifying matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Powell, Jason (2023-06-09). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (6/9): Barnett's review of Jey Uso's decision, Asuka presented with the WWE Women's Championship belt, MITB qualifiers featuring Butch vs. Baron Corbin, Santos Escobar vs. Mustafa Ali, Michin vs. Bayley, and Shotzi vs. Iyo Sky". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- "The Usos triumph over Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at WWE Money in the Bank g". WWE. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
- WWE (July 21, 2023). "Who will win the #USTitle Invitational FINALS next week on #SmackDown? @reymysterio goes one-on-one with @EscobarWWE!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Aguilar, Matthew (July 21, 2023). "Rey Mysterio Will Face LWO Teammate in United States Title Invitational Finals on WWE SmackDown". ComicBook. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
- Aguilar, Matthew (July 28, 2023). "WWE's Santos Escobar Wins Title Shot on SmackDown, Rey Mysterio Possibly Injured". ComicBook. Archived from the original on 2023-07-29. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
- Powell, Jason (2023-08-11). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (8/11): Barnett's review of Jimmy Uso's "Hail to the Chief" segment, Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair, Austin Theory vs. Santos Escobar for the U.S. Title, AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- Quinlan, Olivia (2023-09-15). "WWE SmackDown Results 9/15 - Asuka Collides With Bayley, LA Knight Takes On The Miz". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- Ruth, Daisy (2023-09-30). "Mysterio Retains US Championship Over Escobar On SmackDown, Street Profits Attack". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- Defelice, Robert (2023-09-30). "LWO vs. Bobby Lashley And Street Profits Officially Added To WWE Fastlane | Fightful News". Fightful. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- Powell, Jason (2023-10-06). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (10/06): Powell's review of Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and Judgment Day, Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs. Iyo Sky and Bayley, Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley in a non-title match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- Mrosko, Geno (2023-10-07). "Carlito returns to help the LWO defeat The Suit Profits". Cageside Seats. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- "United States Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- Guerrero, Eddie (2005). Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7434-9353-2.