Post by Toom E. Guci on Jan 8, 2011 11:19:33 GMT -8
One style of wrestling Impact Zone Wrestling was famous for was it’s high fliers. Stars like Lucha Reigns, Mike James, AJ Sommers, & Sergio Gomez dominated the roster as one form of championship material. And the crowd loved what these men brought to the table. Chants like “Flipping sweet” & “Please don’t die” were often heard when the high fliers were in there, doing what they do best. One high flier in particular, Sergio Vega, brought quite a bit of action having been trained at the former Impact Zone Wrestling School under the tutelage of Lawrence Tyler in August, 2005.
But Vega didn’t always have a love for wrestling. As a child, Vega didn’t care for what he saw on television. “The first time I ever sat and watched wrestling- I remember knowing it was a show. I thought it was stupid and for trailer trash,” admits Vega.
Then along came Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock “When I was 10, November 1998, the Saturday before Survivor Series. I sat and watched WWE Superstars, the recap show from what happened that week. There was a vignette on The Rock, right before he turned and won the title. He was the People’s Champ. I remember seeing how much the crowd just hung on his every action. All he had to do was lift an eyebrow and they went nuts. And he was cool, not just a big buff dude in a speedo. He dressed cool, talked smack like we all do. It hooked me instantly. The Rock’s been my favorite ever since,” Vega opens up.
3 years later, Vega got to attend a live show with his friends. And at that show, Vega realized his dream, as he explains, “April 8, 2002. Raw is War at America West Arena. I was 13 years old. 8th Grade. I remember seeing Stone Cold drink beers for like 30 minutes after the show ended. It was so nuts. Me and my group of friends at the time all went. We had all talked about how one day we’d be pro wrestlers. But that night it became really a dream. Seeing Austin do his thing, and just capture the crowd the way he did. TV was done taping, but he just kept drinking, and saluting the crowd. When it was done I walked to the ringside area as people left, looked at that ring and said ‘I’m going to get in that ring one day.’ That I would say is the day the actual dream started.”
Vega started training at the age of 17 & unlike most seniors in high school, Vega was not looking ahead to things such as Homecoming, Prom, or Graduation Day. Instead, after classes got out for the first day of high school, Vega was off to his first day of training for a career in professional wrestling. “I remember everyone looking at me and my buddy Mark like ‘You can’t be serious!’ We were both small, I was even smaller at 5’6” 130lbs. I’ve actually grown 2” since then and gained 30lbs. ALL NATURALLY. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, thought I was going to make it past 2 weeks,” Vega remembered of his first day.
Vega opened up some more on why he chose IZW. “It was the only school in town. Me and my buddy Mark both said if we find a school, we’ll start training. So he found it online, we went to a couple shows and talked to Navajo Warrior, who ran the school. Since we were only 17 we had to get wavers signed. My parents were really concerned so, Nav would probably kill me then if he knew, they actually told me no. So I forged my dad’s signature on the waver. I spent my senior year in high school leaving my house in my work clothes and changing in the parking lot, or at the Waffle House down the street. That is how my story started.”
After several months of training, the staff at the IZW Training School felt he was ready. From there, IZW ran a segment during one of their Tuesday shows called Impact Idol, in which they took 4 students & put them in 2 singles matches. All 4 participants wrestled for the fans with the fans voting by cheers. Only Vega’s match was cut short due to outside interference. Vega shared his thoughts, “I’m pretty sure I sucked. I was so nervous, skinny, and bland, I had no personality in the ring, no ring gear… and I was so skinny. But it was pretty cool having A-Train come in and beat me up.”
“But I remember walking away from that match being like ‘There’s my debut. The match probably sucked but, I’m on my way!.’ I made my debut at 17, which was a big deal for me. I can say I’ve been wrestling before I was even allowed to sit in the bars I wrestled in,” added Vega.
From there, a decision was made for Vega’s first gimmick. Vega was given a Luchadore mask, named Mucha Reigns, & became a tag team with Lucha Reigns. Vega was more then happy to explain what brought this about, “Actually people said when I first started training that me and Lucha looked like brothers. I think it’s because white people think all Mexicans look alike. But someone made the comment that I could wear the mask and we would look like brothers. We could pull the switcharoo on teams and get away with it. So I said ‘Yea, I’ll be Mucha Reigns’ everyone started laughing, mainly because it was the first witty thing I said around them, I was super quiet when I started. But Payed busted out laughing ‘Then their team name would have to be Mucha Lucha!’ And that’s how it started. Lucha took me under his wing and taught me another side of the biz. How to respect the mask was the biggest thing. Lucha’s a really funny guy, as some people may not guess, but he always showed respect to EVERYONE.”
So now to the fans, Sergio Vega was Mucha Reigns, the brother of Lucha Reigns. And together, both men were the Luchadore tag team rich in Hispanic heritage Mucha Lucha. One of the feuds they embarked on was against the tag team of Sheik Got Payed, aka Sheik Samir Hussein & Payed Daily, for the IZW Tag Team Championship. But due to scheduling conflicts, Daily defended the tag team titles alone. And Mucha Reigns came out on top in this one, winning the IZW Tag Team Championships on October 10th, 2006. But seeing as the Luchadore Heritage is about honor & integrity, Mucha Lucha relinquished the belts. “It really didn’t feel right. Sheiky couldn’t make the shows and Payed was Tag Champs by himself for like 3 months. They needed to be defended. Lucha and I looked at each other like, ‘Really? 2 on 1?’. We didn’t feel like we earned the belts winning in a handicapped match. It was kinda lame winning my first title like that. I mean if you lost your virginity in a threesome with another dude, how would you feel? In a nutshell, it was bittersweet,” Vega explained.
From there, things got interesting for both men. Mucha Lucha sort of formed an alliance with REDRUM & his manager, Beaver Las Vegas. Spellbound into this angle, REDRUM used his mask to hypnotize Mucha Lucha & Mucha Lucha was now on the path of Hell. Most fans referred to the team as “Zombies” by the way they were acting, as they never spoke & moved slowly outside the ring, but inside the ring they were the same guys. The fans were intrigued by this new “attitude” so to speak, but what does Vega think of being hypnotized, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Vega admits he would have liked things different though. “It would have been cooler if we got to team up with him, or have him ringside to give pointers and tips. Instead we had Bieber, I-mean Beaver yapping from the corner.”
Vega did get to wrestle REDRUM prior to all this happening. In fact, it was after a singles match where Vega joined the Order of REDRUM. Wrestling REDRUM was an honor for Vega, “He kicked my ass. But they always say you only get better being in the ring with people who are better than you. I learned a lot from that match. I remember I was so hyped getting to wrestle someone of that caliber. I got to hit some moves I’ve always wanted to. And the superkick I took was one for the highlight reel. Showed I could take a hit like McLovin in Superbad.”
Meanwhile the team of Erica D’Erico & Morgan, aka Bump ‘n’ Grind, went on to win the IZW Tag Team Championships. After holding the belts for a few months, the ladies were in a feud with Mucha Lucha. And for any male wrestling a female, that does pose a challenge. “I had to wrestle girls in high school and it kinda felt the same way. You don’t know what to do. It felt awkward grappling with a chick. And you can’t throw punches or if you beat them, you’re a woman-beater. If you get beat up, you got your ass kicked by a chick. You just can’t win,” explained Vega.
Then on June 19th, 2007, wrestling 2 of IZW’s best females paid off. Mucha Lucha won the IZW Tag Team Championships & they felt like they deserved it, but Vega admits they felt something else, too, “Like we beat some women.”
After that though, Mucha Lucha went on to lose the IZW Tag Team Championships on October 7th, 2007 after an almost 4 month long title reign to the team of Ghost walker & Navajo Warrior, aka Native Blood. This caused a rift between the “brothers” & Vega turned on Reigns, as he explains why, “Because I could. I was outgrowing him and he needed to learn who the better man was.”
Looking back on his heel turn, Vega realized there was more reasons as to why he did what he did. “I felt like I wasn’t growing after a certain point. I didn’t want to be known for another wrestler’s persona. I wouldn’t ever be seen as my own thing. I remember Jay texted me “Lucha Reigns’ little brother” I was like “Is that really all I am?”. Nothing NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING against Lucha. He was really a mentor, he helped me grow and evolve. I learned a lot from him. I really respect him. But I just didn’t want to be known for someone else’s bid. The Lucha thing is Lucha, and his career has gone in some good directions since the split also. And I think the Mariachi and Lucha Starr make a better team,” explained Vega. “As corny as it sounds, I just needed to find myself, my own identity in the ring. I feel like I’ve done so since. I have really grown and have been able to just experiment with different things in the ring. Doing things as Mucha, I would have to clear it with Lucha, since he’s the one who let me don the identity. Here it’s my own style, my own identity, my own success or failure,” added Vega.
Vega was not afraid to take what he had learned & branch out on his own at this point. But a rivalry with Reigns was a given for fans. And on January 5th, 2008, in front of about 300 fans at the Broadway Recreation Center, Vega & Reigns faced off in a Mask versus Mask Match. As Vega prepared for the match against his former tag team partner, a variety of thoughts ran through his mind. “I’m going to show everyone I can stand out!” was Vega’s first thought. “I felt a lot of people just doubted me at the time. That I didn’t have ‘it‘. That I couldn’t work a good 1 on 1 match. That I just wasn’t a stand out competitor. I felt I had so much to prove, and had the perfect opponent to prove it against. Lucha loves to ‘GO’ as we say. I loved that match and think it grabbed some people’s attention. I still had a long way to go though.” added Vega.
Unfortunately, Vega lost his match. Even as a heel, Vega was a man of honor & stood in the center of the ring & unmasked himself. “I hope they don’t think I’m ugly” ran through Vega’s head.
But from there, Vega was on a new path in IZW. Hated by fans for his betrayal, Vega decided to adapt to his new persona under his real name. And Vega was now able to be free of the mask, but did he like the mask? “Logistically, not really. I think because my nose is so big, the mask always went wayward and my nose would poke out the eyehole. Lucha taught me to respect the mask, and I do, completely. But it was rough and uncomfortable. Maybe it was just the guy who made our masks.,” explained Vega.
And on February 26th, 2008, Vega returned to IZW after a short break to wrestle his first mask-free match & debut his new look against Tony Trouser. Wrestling without the mask was like a breath of fresh air for Vega, as there was nothing to constrict him during competition. “Physically, it’s hard to see in the mask and to be seen. And you cannot rely on any facial expressions to get what you want across. I think when I was unmasked, I started getting a lot more reaction simply because people could see all of the faces I was making. I’ve been told how ridiculous my facial expressions are, even when I don’t notice. It adds another dimension to your wrestling. On the other hand, having the mask on, you get a little mystique. When people don’t know what your face looks like, its different walking around after the shows, nobody knows it’s you (until they catch on). You get to have a double identity. If you couldn’t tell though, I like having my face out there. I wasn’t a pretty boy, in any aspects of life, until I started wrestling without a mask,” explained Vega.
But the fans weren’t willing to let Vega forget his past. Chants of “Mucha Lucha” would start every time Vega wrestled, which would disgust him, causing Vega to dislike the fans even more then before. Vega explains why it bothered him, “Because that’s not my name! I lost the mask, and that was no longer my identity. I’m Serrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgio Vega! Not Mucha! Stupid white trash fans.”
As Vega continued to dominate in IZW, a newfound rivalry was born between him & fellow high flier, Mike James. The original start of this rivalry was Vega’s wrestling gear had skulls & bones on them, while James was teaming up with Dread Pirate Bernie as Skull ‘n’ Bones, the pirates. Vega cut a promo on the tag team, pointing out that he was the first one to ever bring skulls & bones into IZW, but for some reason the fans took it as Vega trying to join the pirates. Then James made it even worse by referring to Vega as their cabin boy. This gave the fans a knew chant to antagonize Vega, which he did not care for, “Because that’s not my name, dammit! Like when everyone started calling Kanye West a gay fish. It’s like why is everyone calling me Cabin Boy? My name is Serrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgio Vega! Stupid white trash fans.”
Being called “Mucha Reigns” & “cabin boy” was not the only thing that bothered Vega. Every time Vega’s name was announced to the crowd, nobody knew how to do it right. So each & every time Vega was out there, he had to put the ring announcer in their place, whether it was Johnny Roxx, Greg DeMarco, or any other guest ring announcer. “Because these rednecks are uncultured and ignorant! How hard is it to roll an “R”?! Seriously, Johnny Roxx is lucky I didn’t slap him for all the times he messed my name up! My name is cultured! It has been passed down in my family for generations. It should be pronounced in its traditional fashion!” complained Vega.
Vega decided to open up more as he reflected on those moments he got a hold of the microphone, “It was another one of those things that just happened. People always made fun of ‘Sergio’ even when I was Mucha. They just thought the name sounded funny. They’d always say ‘Saaa-jee-O!’ I’d just shake my head. Then when I was unmasked people were like ‘you should tell em it’s not ‘Sergio’ it’s ‘Saaa-ji-o!’ I felt lame doing that, but I did because I couldn’t think of anything else. Then one day I grabbed the mic from Johnny Roxx ,love that guy, and just rolled the shit out of my ‘R‘. I came back thinking ‘man that’s obnoxious! I should see how long I could hold that R.’ People really hated it, but that was the point. I know when the Rock first said ‘If you smell what the Rock is cookin’’ he said ‘That’s really annoying, I’m going to keep using that!’ In all aspects of entertainment, it’s the way things work. The cornier the better. It’s how things catch on.
Eventually, Skull ‘n’ Bones went their separate ways on good terms, as Bernie had a neck injury & James went solo during the absence. In Bernie’s absence was the start of the now infamous NWA storyline mentioned in pretty much every article. During an in-ring promo, any wrestler who wanted to join from the back was told to come into the ring & do so. Vega was one of those wrestlers, “Tradition, Integrity, something I had that IZW was losing. DeMarco was bringing something prestigious to the promotion and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Now that Vega can honestly admit he was part of the NWA, how does that feel for him, “It looks awesome on a resume!.... I think.”
During Vega’s run with the NWA group, his rivalry with James was renewed, as both men put on a cruiserweight style wrestling clinic for the fans in a Best of 5 Series. These series of matches made the fans change their viewpoint of Vega & he gained the respect of the fans & James. Going into the match, Vega thought otherwise, “I hate that guy. He’s such an ego. He really thinks he’s the best wrestler in this state, and probably on the independent scene. I had to step up and show him who’s the real high flyer in NWA-IZW. After the series I learned to respect him. He’s a real tough sumumabitch.”
But Vega had some other thoughts as he reflects on the Best of 5 Series with James, “This is going to be ridiculous. I know Mike likes to go balls out. I think he looked at me and said ‘This guy can GO. I think we can have some good matches’ and we did. We both enjoy just going out there and pushing ourselves. We wanted to hit things that the Sets crowd had not seen before. We wanted to have matches that were going to steal the show. We wanted to do something memorable, I think we did. I think we both walked in saying ‘I know I’m better’ and wanted to prove it. It’s one of those rivalries where I think people wanted to see us. We’re both ‘High flyers’ and I know the crowd wanted to see us have those kinda fast-paced matches.”
Since then, James & Vega have renewed their rivalry several times outside of IZW, “We’ve wrestled so much in the Piranha Promotion following IZW. He’s definitely become one of my best wrestling buddies since, and one of my favorite guys to work. It’s at the point where we can just go into the ring with nothing called, and have a fun and entertaining match. And our personalities in the ring are so different; we always tell a great story of opposites. In IZW I was the obnoxious Mexican and he was the rebellious hero. In Piranha, I was the pretty boy who represented the people and he was the obnoxious white trash redneck.”
Mere months after the Best of 5 Series, IZW made the decision to stop running shows bi-weekly. Everybody has their different reasons on why IZW made this decision that they share, but the main reason has not been made public yet by the actual owners of the company. Meanwhile, Vega was one of the wrestlers who learned the news before the fans, “We all kinda saw it coming after the end of the Sets. IZW was our home, and it was gone. I think the Rage in The Cage venue was a really bad idea. You can’t throw our sport into another arena. Just like you can’t have guys doing MMA matches in our venues. Remember the WWF Brawl for All?.... *Crickets*… Exactly! It really sucked losing the promotion where I got my start, but thus is life. And my career has moved on.”
From there, IZW just ran fundraiser shows for local elementary school such as Holmes Elementary & Fulton Elementary. Vega was one of the wrestlers who stayed on board for these shows that brought in quite a bit of new talent for the IZW fans who continued to attend these shows, “I did a couple. I love school shows, the kids usually can’t afford to see RAW and SMACKDOWN live so this is the best it’ll get for them. But I remember wrestling Lucha, Jay and Payed at those shows, so I didn’t wrestle anyone new. But I would wrestle those guys any day.”
Thankfully, Vega was able to keep wrestling after IZW officially stopped doing school shows. At this point, Rising Phoenix Wrestling attempted to start things back up & Vega was contacted to come in for a show, “I did one of RPW’s return shows. December of ’09. It was so much fun. The show was in San Tan Valley, wherever the hell that is. I had been on a break for a couple months, to heal a knee injury and just to think about the direction of my career. That show was my first after like over 8 weeks. Lucha and I (as Sergio Vega) reunited and we wrestled 2 guys from California. The crowd was so hyped and it felt so good to be back in the ring.”
Unfortunately, RPW did not have any more shows after that one. But Vega was able to find some new locations to continue working on his dream, “I have been a mainstay in Piranha Lucha Libre in Phoenix. Some of the guys have called me the biggest face in the company. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but if other people are saying it, then it’s a great thing to hear. Every Sunday we packed the house and just had fun. Martin, the promoter, has become one of my best friends and really did a lot for Lucha and Pro-Wrestling in general in the city of Phoenix.”
Vega was even able to travel around a bit, exposing himself to new fan bases, “I’ve done a show in Mexico. I did a couple of shows in Nevada. We’ve done some shows at the Drive-In Movie Theatre/Swap Meet in Glendale.”
Things started looking up even more for Vega, until another unexpected change came his way. “Piranha however, to my heartbreak, has stopped doing shows at our regular weekly venue. (El Gran Mercado, 35th Ave & Buckeye. Sundays at 2:30) Another promoter has taken it over, and I still have my spot. So I will keep doing my thing every week at the same venue. But Martin was always so much fun to work for,” explained Vega.
Then an even bigger moment came for Vega in his short career. Wrestlemania 26 was in town & Vega managed to have his own Wrestlemania Moment without even realizing it, “My favorite though had to be when I was booked for WWE. I did the post Wrestlemania Raw where Shawn Michaels gave his farewell speech. I was in Las Vegas the next night. (Hawaiian) Lion and Awesome Andy were also booked. I was super broke, but it was cool being in Vegas working with WWE. I had this talk with Evan Bourne during Raw that was so awesome for me. Hearing advice from a guy I’ve seen evolve and make it.”
At this point, after 4 years of wrestling, the public really started to take notice to Vega in a positive light. In fact, this current article was not Vega’s first time speaking publicly & openly about his career, “I also got to be in a feature article in the Phoenix New Times. It was awesome! I love being misquoted! But I guess I shouldn’t be so negative. It was great exposure and helped me learn a lot for the next time I do anything with another publication. And there’s some pretty sweet promo pics that came out of it.”
During his time in IZW though, Vega had many matches that he enjoyed. At first, Vega hesitated on opening up about who his favorite opponent was, “As a wise man named Tron once said- I plead the fifth!”
But after some more pushing, Vega was “willing” to open up some more, “Really?... I have to answer? Okay- here’s a few-I loved wrestling MMJ (Mike James), we had great matches that were always aggressive and had something unique in each match. Lucha is always fun to work with. Jay Garland is my uncle and I always learn when I’m in the ring with him. I wish me and Jacob Herzberg could have wrestled, we always talked about having an awesome match but never got it. But an answer I think you might find surprising- Tony Trouser! We were both newcomers, skinny and just thrown in because we were both small guys that were probably not taken seriously. But we just went out there and had fun, EVERYTIME. Working with him was a time where we had to learn to make ourselves stand out with whatever opportunity we were given. I miss that guy. I really think he could make it big as a manager, the guy has personality through the roof. Come back Tony!”
Looking back though, there is one man Vega has never wrestled & would have enjoyed working with in front of a crowd, “Without a doubt, XXX Lawrence Tyler. He was my trainer and mentor. But beyond that, he knew how to handle a crowd, how to have a great match, and how to have fun in and out of the ring. He had a persona; I don’t think anyone matched. Toward the end of IZW he kind of lost his passion for the business, and it sucked because I really wish I could have worked a great match with him when I started to come out of my shell.”
Vega has indeed made strides though since IZW ceased. During his run in IZW, Vega unfortunately never had a singles title. But outside IZW, Vega accomplished quite a bit, “The Cruiserweight and Heavyweight Titles in Piranha. And I was voted MVP when we did an awards vote. That was pretty sweet. It was cool winning singles titles. Especially since I had the fans cheering so hard for me when I won them. That crowd really takes to me. It was the biggest goal I set for myself when I first started, to become a Heavyweight Champion. And since I’ve accomplished that so early, it makes me less afraid to fail and go for more. I’ll never forget that feeling, it was surreal.”
Nationally though, the right folks took notice of Vega & a WWE try out was booked in LA, California. Vega was quite surprised folks knew about it, “How did you know about that? Good shit. It was amazing! I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how to explain this experience-It was THE longest day of my life. I left work at 10pm and headed to LA, got there round 4am, crashed at the hotel, got to the arena at 9am and hopped in the ring. It happened so fast I didn’t really bask in the ring and say “I made it”. I just got to business. There were like 10 other guys there. I got to mix it up in the ring with Jamie Noble. Those who haven’t been in the ring will probably never understand how good that guy is. Alex Koslov (From AAA) was the guy who got the contract out of that night. How could I be upset at that? But I did get some follow up questions after the workout, which I think is a good thing. At 22 to have that, I think is a great thing. I know I still have some size to put on along with a little maturing to go through, and a Bachelor’s degree to get. But nonetheless- “
Vega was in a whole new atmosphere. This wasn’t a bar, a recreation center, or the Mercado…this was the big time, even if for one day. Vega had a favorite in the different atmosphere, “There is food… EVERYWHERE! The food… is AMAZING! It’s a professional TV taping so it’s catered meals… if you haven’t heard, there’s FOOD!
The rest… I think you should experience to find out.”
And after coming back to the local market, Vega has been spotted at the shows he’s working with a fellow former IZW superstar & current champion, Payed Daily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Haha. I really don’t know when, but somewhere between training at IZW and the Piranha shows, we got to be buddies. I think it was my constant quoting of Chappelle’s show and Family Guy. Me, him, Jay, Lynch, Marty and Jacob always quoted those shows and we all kinda become buddies.”
Vega opened up more on what brought them together, “Payed and I had a rivalry going in Piranha and were forced to team up. That was an interesting bid. It wasn’t something I think the Piranha audience understood though. The story was I’m the fan’s hero and was forced to team up with the most hated guy in Piranha. The fans just kept saying ‘why are you partners with Payed?’ I’ve learned since doing Lucha Libre that Mexicans don’t understand sarcasm… AT ALL.”
Can Vega explain it though? “I don’t really know what to call our ‘relationship‘. He tried calling me when he was taking a dump once, which in bromance is a sign of affection, I guess. We have hit the town a few times and he’s tried making me play wingman for him.”
Vega has also had the honor of working some interesting folks from Mexico. "I've also gotten to work with some of Mexico's Minis. Octagoncito, Mascarita Dorada and Lobito from Nacho Libre. Also Cassandro who is a huge 'Exotico' wrestler."
Having a 5 year career, Vega has wrestled both sides of the fence. Whether Vega’s been boo’ed, cheered, or received the same chant every show, the fans have noticed him & have supported him. Not many wrestlers really allow the fans to effect their work, so does Vega? “Of course, I don’t go out there to put on a show for myself. This is a performance art. I think they affected it in making me try to appeal to each audience. At the Sets you can do technical wrestling and the fans will get it? They’ll cheer and applaud technical wrestling. Lucha crowds like to see action. And by action I mean they identify with their wrestler and want to see him win. It really doesn’t matter the moves, contrary to what people may think. The high-flying has become part of the style, but I’ve seen guys do Asai moonsaults, suicide dives and brainbusters to NO reaction whatsoever. Mexican fans are just different. But I think EVERY audience has the same thing in common. They want to feel like they’re apart of the show, and that’s what I try to make happen in each show.
Seeing as how Vega has wrestled in different aspects, many wonder which works better: tag teams or singles matches. Vega is not afraid to wrestle either styles, but shares his thoughts, “Singles I prefer. Tag-team, 3 on 3, 4 on 4… there’s a lot of room for miscommunication, as you could see when me and Lucha fell apart. I feel like I can show more in a singles match. My favorite is going against a heavyweight opponent. Big man vs. Little man- it’s a time old tale that I cold retell over and over again. Singles matches have a lot more build up I think. It’s what people want to see. A guy they really love beating a guy they really hate. Or Finding out who really is the better man. I think if you have the right combination, you can have amazing tag matches. But everyone looks for match where the two split and fight each other. It’s why the singles title is the one usually in the Main Event.”
So after taking the time to look back at his 5 year career, Vega is another former IZW superstar who admits a Reunion would have him on board,. Absotively Posolutely!
I don’t think it will ever happen, though. The way things crumbled and the way some guys feel about other guys makes me highly doubt it. But the cardinal rule in this business is ‘Never Say Never‘. So who knows! But best believe I’d be there… probably wrestling Mike James for the fifty eleventh time- and we’ll steal the show!”
Vega’s path is far from over! Between hitting the ring & hitting the books, Vega’s future looks extremely bright for this young grappler. And Vega has quite a bit in his future that he’s looking forward to, “EVERYTHING… I get my degree from ASU in May. I have been looking to work for other promotions. I’ve got some big decisions to make when I graduate. But I’ve grown quite a bit in the past 5 years. And the next 5 will be epic. The next 10, legendary! I can’t really say exactly where I will be, life moves so fast. But at 22, I feel like I’ve made some strides and will only keep going. I won’t settle for less.”
Vega definitely sums it up best since IZW stopped running shows, “But bottom line is- Sergio Vega has had a busy year since the end of IZW. My career has definitely gone up, and rest assured it will keep doing so.”
But Vega didn’t always have a love for wrestling. As a child, Vega didn’t care for what he saw on television. “The first time I ever sat and watched wrestling- I remember knowing it was a show. I thought it was stupid and for trailer trash,” admits Vega.
Then along came Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock “When I was 10, November 1998, the Saturday before Survivor Series. I sat and watched WWE Superstars, the recap show from what happened that week. There was a vignette on The Rock, right before he turned and won the title. He was the People’s Champ. I remember seeing how much the crowd just hung on his every action. All he had to do was lift an eyebrow and they went nuts. And he was cool, not just a big buff dude in a speedo. He dressed cool, talked smack like we all do. It hooked me instantly. The Rock’s been my favorite ever since,” Vega opens up.
3 years later, Vega got to attend a live show with his friends. And at that show, Vega realized his dream, as he explains, “April 8, 2002. Raw is War at America West Arena. I was 13 years old. 8th Grade. I remember seeing Stone Cold drink beers for like 30 minutes after the show ended. It was so nuts. Me and my group of friends at the time all went. We had all talked about how one day we’d be pro wrestlers. But that night it became really a dream. Seeing Austin do his thing, and just capture the crowd the way he did. TV was done taping, but he just kept drinking, and saluting the crowd. When it was done I walked to the ringside area as people left, looked at that ring and said ‘I’m going to get in that ring one day.’ That I would say is the day the actual dream started.”
Vega started training at the age of 17 & unlike most seniors in high school, Vega was not looking ahead to things such as Homecoming, Prom, or Graduation Day. Instead, after classes got out for the first day of high school, Vega was off to his first day of training for a career in professional wrestling. “I remember everyone looking at me and my buddy Mark like ‘You can’t be serious!’ We were both small, I was even smaller at 5’6” 130lbs. I’ve actually grown 2” since then and gained 30lbs. ALL NATURALLY. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, thought I was going to make it past 2 weeks,” Vega remembered of his first day.
Vega opened up some more on why he chose IZW. “It was the only school in town. Me and my buddy Mark both said if we find a school, we’ll start training. So he found it online, we went to a couple shows and talked to Navajo Warrior, who ran the school. Since we were only 17 we had to get wavers signed. My parents were really concerned so, Nav would probably kill me then if he knew, they actually told me no. So I forged my dad’s signature on the waver. I spent my senior year in high school leaving my house in my work clothes and changing in the parking lot, or at the Waffle House down the street. That is how my story started.”
After several months of training, the staff at the IZW Training School felt he was ready. From there, IZW ran a segment during one of their Tuesday shows called Impact Idol, in which they took 4 students & put them in 2 singles matches. All 4 participants wrestled for the fans with the fans voting by cheers. Only Vega’s match was cut short due to outside interference. Vega shared his thoughts, “I’m pretty sure I sucked. I was so nervous, skinny, and bland, I had no personality in the ring, no ring gear… and I was so skinny. But it was pretty cool having A-Train come in and beat me up.”
“But I remember walking away from that match being like ‘There’s my debut. The match probably sucked but, I’m on my way!.’ I made my debut at 17, which was a big deal for me. I can say I’ve been wrestling before I was even allowed to sit in the bars I wrestled in,” added Vega.
From there, a decision was made for Vega’s first gimmick. Vega was given a Luchadore mask, named Mucha Reigns, & became a tag team with Lucha Reigns. Vega was more then happy to explain what brought this about, “Actually people said when I first started training that me and Lucha looked like brothers. I think it’s because white people think all Mexicans look alike. But someone made the comment that I could wear the mask and we would look like brothers. We could pull the switcharoo on teams and get away with it. So I said ‘Yea, I’ll be Mucha Reigns’ everyone started laughing, mainly because it was the first witty thing I said around them, I was super quiet when I started. But Payed busted out laughing ‘Then their team name would have to be Mucha Lucha!’ And that’s how it started. Lucha took me under his wing and taught me another side of the biz. How to respect the mask was the biggest thing. Lucha’s a really funny guy, as some people may not guess, but he always showed respect to EVERYONE.”
So now to the fans, Sergio Vega was Mucha Reigns, the brother of Lucha Reigns. And together, both men were the Luchadore tag team rich in Hispanic heritage Mucha Lucha. One of the feuds they embarked on was against the tag team of Sheik Got Payed, aka Sheik Samir Hussein & Payed Daily, for the IZW Tag Team Championship. But due to scheduling conflicts, Daily defended the tag team titles alone. And Mucha Reigns came out on top in this one, winning the IZW Tag Team Championships on October 10th, 2006. But seeing as the Luchadore Heritage is about honor & integrity, Mucha Lucha relinquished the belts. “It really didn’t feel right. Sheiky couldn’t make the shows and Payed was Tag Champs by himself for like 3 months. They needed to be defended. Lucha and I looked at each other like, ‘Really? 2 on 1?’. We didn’t feel like we earned the belts winning in a handicapped match. It was kinda lame winning my first title like that. I mean if you lost your virginity in a threesome with another dude, how would you feel? In a nutshell, it was bittersweet,” Vega explained.
From there, things got interesting for both men. Mucha Lucha sort of formed an alliance with REDRUM & his manager, Beaver Las Vegas. Spellbound into this angle, REDRUM used his mask to hypnotize Mucha Lucha & Mucha Lucha was now on the path of Hell. Most fans referred to the team as “Zombies” by the way they were acting, as they never spoke & moved slowly outside the ring, but inside the ring they were the same guys. The fans were intrigued by this new “attitude” so to speak, but what does Vega think of being hypnotized, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Vega admits he would have liked things different though. “It would have been cooler if we got to team up with him, or have him ringside to give pointers and tips. Instead we had Bieber, I-mean Beaver yapping from the corner.”
Vega did get to wrestle REDRUM prior to all this happening. In fact, it was after a singles match where Vega joined the Order of REDRUM. Wrestling REDRUM was an honor for Vega, “He kicked my ass. But they always say you only get better being in the ring with people who are better than you. I learned a lot from that match. I remember I was so hyped getting to wrestle someone of that caliber. I got to hit some moves I’ve always wanted to. And the superkick I took was one for the highlight reel. Showed I could take a hit like McLovin in Superbad.”
Meanwhile the team of Erica D’Erico & Morgan, aka Bump ‘n’ Grind, went on to win the IZW Tag Team Championships. After holding the belts for a few months, the ladies were in a feud with Mucha Lucha. And for any male wrestling a female, that does pose a challenge. “I had to wrestle girls in high school and it kinda felt the same way. You don’t know what to do. It felt awkward grappling with a chick. And you can’t throw punches or if you beat them, you’re a woman-beater. If you get beat up, you got your ass kicked by a chick. You just can’t win,” explained Vega.
Then on June 19th, 2007, wrestling 2 of IZW’s best females paid off. Mucha Lucha won the IZW Tag Team Championships & they felt like they deserved it, but Vega admits they felt something else, too, “Like we beat some women.”
After that though, Mucha Lucha went on to lose the IZW Tag Team Championships on October 7th, 2007 after an almost 4 month long title reign to the team of Ghost walker & Navajo Warrior, aka Native Blood. This caused a rift between the “brothers” & Vega turned on Reigns, as he explains why, “Because I could. I was outgrowing him and he needed to learn who the better man was.”
Looking back on his heel turn, Vega realized there was more reasons as to why he did what he did. “I felt like I wasn’t growing after a certain point. I didn’t want to be known for another wrestler’s persona. I wouldn’t ever be seen as my own thing. I remember Jay texted me “Lucha Reigns’ little brother” I was like “Is that really all I am?”. Nothing NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING against Lucha. He was really a mentor, he helped me grow and evolve. I learned a lot from him. I really respect him. But I just didn’t want to be known for someone else’s bid. The Lucha thing is Lucha, and his career has gone in some good directions since the split also. And I think the Mariachi and Lucha Starr make a better team,” explained Vega. “As corny as it sounds, I just needed to find myself, my own identity in the ring. I feel like I’ve done so since. I have really grown and have been able to just experiment with different things in the ring. Doing things as Mucha, I would have to clear it with Lucha, since he’s the one who let me don the identity. Here it’s my own style, my own identity, my own success or failure,” added Vega.
Vega was not afraid to take what he had learned & branch out on his own at this point. But a rivalry with Reigns was a given for fans. And on January 5th, 2008, in front of about 300 fans at the Broadway Recreation Center, Vega & Reigns faced off in a Mask versus Mask Match. As Vega prepared for the match against his former tag team partner, a variety of thoughts ran through his mind. “I’m going to show everyone I can stand out!” was Vega’s first thought. “I felt a lot of people just doubted me at the time. That I didn’t have ‘it‘. That I couldn’t work a good 1 on 1 match. That I just wasn’t a stand out competitor. I felt I had so much to prove, and had the perfect opponent to prove it against. Lucha loves to ‘GO’ as we say. I loved that match and think it grabbed some people’s attention. I still had a long way to go though.” added Vega.
Unfortunately, Vega lost his match. Even as a heel, Vega was a man of honor & stood in the center of the ring & unmasked himself. “I hope they don’t think I’m ugly” ran through Vega’s head.
But from there, Vega was on a new path in IZW. Hated by fans for his betrayal, Vega decided to adapt to his new persona under his real name. And Vega was now able to be free of the mask, but did he like the mask? “Logistically, not really. I think because my nose is so big, the mask always went wayward and my nose would poke out the eyehole. Lucha taught me to respect the mask, and I do, completely. But it was rough and uncomfortable. Maybe it was just the guy who made our masks.,” explained Vega.
And on February 26th, 2008, Vega returned to IZW after a short break to wrestle his first mask-free match & debut his new look against Tony Trouser. Wrestling without the mask was like a breath of fresh air for Vega, as there was nothing to constrict him during competition. “Physically, it’s hard to see in the mask and to be seen. And you cannot rely on any facial expressions to get what you want across. I think when I was unmasked, I started getting a lot more reaction simply because people could see all of the faces I was making. I’ve been told how ridiculous my facial expressions are, even when I don’t notice. It adds another dimension to your wrestling. On the other hand, having the mask on, you get a little mystique. When people don’t know what your face looks like, its different walking around after the shows, nobody knows it’s you (until they catch on). You get to have a double identity. If you couldn’t tell though, I like having my face out there. I wasn’t a pretty boy, in any aspects of life, until I started wrestling without a mask,” explained Vega.
But the fans weren’t willing to let Vega forget his past. Chants of “Mucha Lucha” would start every time Vega wrestled, which would disgust him, causing Vega to dislike the fans even more then before. Vega explains why it bothered him, “Because that’s not my name! I lost the mask, and that was no longer my identity. I’m Serrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgio Vega! Not Mucha! Stupid white trash fans.”
As Vega continued to dominate in IZW, a newfound rivalry was born between him & fellow high flier, Mike James. The original start of this rivalry was Vega’s wrestling gear had skulls & bones on them, while James was teaming up with Dread Pirate Bernie as Skull ‘n’ Bones, the pirates. Vega cut a promo on the tag team, pointing out that he was the first one to ever bring skulls & bones into IZW, but for some reason the fans took it as Vega trying to join the pirates. Then James made it even worse by referring to Vega as their cabin boy. This gave the fans a knew chant to antagonize Vega, which he did not care for, “Because that’s not my name, dammit! Like when everyone started calling Kanye West a gay fish. It’s like why is everyone calling me Cabin Boy? My name is Serrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgio Vega! Stupid white trash fans.”
Being called “Mucha Reigns” & “cabin boy” was not the only thing that bothered Vega. Every time Vega’s name was announced to the crowd, nobody knew how to do it right. So each & every time Vega was out there, he had to put the ring announcer in their place, whether it was Johnny Roxx, Greg DeMarco, or any other guest ring announcer. “Because these rednecks are uncultured and ignorant! How hard is it to roll an “R”?! Seriously, Johnny Roxx is lucky I didn’t slap him for all the times he messed my name up! My name is cultured! It has been passed down in my family for generations. It should be pronounced in its traditional fashion!” complained Vega.
Vega decided to open up more as he reflected on those moments he got a hold of the microphone, “It was another one of those things that just happened. People always made fun of ‘Sergio’ even when I was Mucha. They just thought the name sounded funny. They’d always say ‘Saaa-jee-O!’ I’d just shake my head. Then when I was unmasked people were like ‘you should tell em it’s not ‘Sergio’ it’s ‘Saaa-ji-o!’ I felt lame doing that, but I did because I couldn’t think of anything else. Then one day I grabbed the mic from Johnny Roxx ,love that guy, and just rolled the shit out of my ‘R‘. I came back thinking ‘man that’s obnoxious! I should see how long I could hold that R.’ People really hated it, but that was the point. I know when the Rock first said ‘If you smell what the Rock is cookin’’ he said ‘That’s really annoying, I’m going to keep using that!’ In all aspects of entertainment, it’s the way things work. The cornier the better. It’s how things catch on.
Eventually, Skull ‘n’ Bones went their separate ways on good terms, as Bernie had a neck injury & James went solo during the absence. In Bernie’s absence was the start of the now infamous NWA storyline mentioned in pretty much every article. During an in-ring promo, any wrestler who wanted to join from the back was told to come into the ring & do so. Vega was one of those wrestlers, “Tradition, Integrity, something I had that IZW was losing. DeMarco was bringing something prestigious to the promotion and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Now that Vega can honestly admit he was part of the NWA, how does that feel for him, “It looks awesome on a resume!.... I think.”
During Vega’s run with the NWA group, his rivalry with James was renewed, as both men put on a cruiserweight style wrestling clinic for the fans in a Best of 5 Series. These series of matches made the fans change their viewpoint of Vega & he gained the respect of the fans & James. Going into the match, Vega thought otherwise, “I hate that guy. He’s such an ego. He really thinks he’s the best wrestler in this state, and probably on the independent scene. I had to step up and show him who’s the real high flyer in NWA-IZW. After the series I learned to respect him. He’s a real tough sumumabitch.”
But Vega had some other thoughts as he reflects on the Best of 5 Series with James, “This is going to be ridiculous. I know Mike likes to go balls out. I think he looked at me and said ‘This guy can GO. I think we can have some good matches’ and we did. We both enjoy just going out there and pushing ourselves. We wanted to hit things that the Sets crowd had not seen before. We wanted to have matches that were going to steal the show. We wanted to do something memorable, I think we did. I think we both walked in saying ‘I know I’m better’ and wanted to prove it. It’s one of those rivalries where I think people wanted to see us. We’re both ‘High flyers’ and I know the crowd wanted to see us have those kinda fast-paced matches.”
Since then, James & Vega have renewed their rivalry several times outside of IZW, “We’ve wrestled so much in the Piranha Promotion following IZW. He’s definitely become one of my best wrestling buddies since, and one of my favorite guys to work. It’s at the point where we can just go into the ring with nothing called, and have a fun and entertaining match. And our personalities in the ring are so different; we always tell a great story of opposites. In IZW I was the obnoxious Mexican and he was the rebellious hero. In Piranha, I was the pretty boy who represented the people and he was the obnoxious white trash redneck.”
Mere months after the Best of 5 Series, IZW made the decision to stop running shows bi-weekly. Everybody has their different reasons on why IZW made this decision that they share, but the main reason has not been made public yet by the actual owners of the company. Meanwhile, Vega was one of the wrestlers who learned the news before the fans, “We all kinda saw it coming after the end of the Sets. IZW was our home, and it was gone. I think the Rage in The Cage venue was a really bad idea. You can’t throw our sport into another arena. Just like you can’t have guys doing MMA matches in our venues. Remember the WWF Brawl for All?.... *Crickets*… Exactly! It really sucked losing the promotion where I got my start, but thus is life. And my career has moved on.”
From there, IZW just ran fundraiser shows for local elementary school such as Holmes Elementary & Fulton Elementary. Vega was one of the wrestlers who stayed on board for these shows that brought in quite a bit of new talent for the IZW fans who continued to attend these shows, “I did a couple. I love school shows, the kids usually can’t afford to see RAW and SMACKDOWN live so this is the best it’ll get for them. But I remember wrestling Lucha, Jay and Payed at those shows, so I didn’t wrestle anyone new. But I would wrestle those guys any day.”
Thankfully, Vega was able to keep wrestling after IZW officially stopped doing school shows. At this point, Rising Phoenix Wrestling attempted to start things back up & Vega was contacted to come in for a show, “I did one of RPW’s return shows. December of ’09. It was so much fun. The show was in San Tan Valley, wherever the hell that is. I had been on a break for a couple months, to heal a knee injury and just to think about the direction of my career. That show was my first after like over 8 weeks. Lucha and I (as Sergio Vega) reunited and we wrestled 2 guys from California. The crowd was so hyped and it felt so good to be back in the ring.”
Unfortunately, RPW did not have any more shows after that one. But Vega was able to find some new locations to continue working on his dream, “I have been a mainstay in Piranha Lucha Libre in Phoenix. Some of the guys have called me the biggest face in the company. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but if other people are saying it, then it’s a great thing to hear. Every Sunday we packed the house and just had fun. Martin, the promoter, has become one of my best friends and really did a lot for Lucha and Pro-Wrestling in general in the city of Phoenix.”
Vega was even able to travel around a bit, exposing himself to new fan bases, “I’ve done a show in Mexico. I did a couple of shows in Nevada. We’ve done some shows at the Drive-In Movie Theatre/Swap Meet in Glendale.”
Things started looking up even more for Vega, until another unexpected change came his way. “Piranha however, to my heartbreak, has stopped doing shows at our regular weekly venue. (El Gran Mercado, 35th Ave & Buckeye. Sundays at 2:30) Another promoter has taken it over, and I still have my spot. So I will keep doing my thing every week at the same venue. But Martin was always so much fun to work for,” explained Vega.
Then an even bigger moment came for Vega in his short career. Wrestlemania 26 was in town & Vega managed to have his own Wrestlemania Moment without even realizing it, “My favorite though had to be when I was booked for WWE. I did the post Wrestlemania Raw where Shawn Michaels gave his farewell speech. I was in Las Vegas the next night. (Hawaiian) Lion and Awesome Andy were also booked. I was super broke, but it was cool being in Vegas working with WWE. I had this talk with Evan Bourne during Raw that was so awesome for me. Hearing advice from a guy I’ve seen evolve and make it.”
At this point, after 4 years of wrestling, the public really started to take notice to Vega in a positive light. In fact, this current article was not Vega’s first time speaking publicly & openly about his career, “I also got to be in a feature article in the Phoenix New Times. It was awesome! I love being misquoted! But I guess I shouldn’t be so negative. It was great exposure and helped me learn a lot for the next time I do anything with another publication. And there’s some pretty sweet promo pics that came out of it.”
During his time in IZW though, Vega had many matches that he enjoyed. At first, Vega hesitated on opening up about who his favorite opponent was, “As a wise man named Tron once said- I plead the fifth!”
But after some more pushing, Vega was “willing” to open up some more, “Really?... I have to answer? Okay- here’s a few-I loved wrestling MMJ (Mike James), we had great matches that were always aggressive and had something unique in each match. Lucha is always fun to work with. Jay Garland is my uncle and I always learn when I’m in the ring with him. I wish me and Jacob Herzberg could have wrestled, we always talked about having an awesome match but never got it. But an answer I think you might find surprising- Tony Trouser! We were both newcomers, skinny and just thrown in because we were both small guys that were probably not taken seriously. But we just went out there and had fun, EVERYTIME. Working with him was a time where we had to learn to make ourselves stand out with whatever opportunity we were given. I miss that guy. I really think he could make it big as a manager, the guy has personality through the roof. Come back Tony!”
Looking back though, there is one man Vega has never wrestled & would have enjoyed working with in front of a crowd, “Without a doubt, XXX Lawrence Tyler. He was my trainer and mentor. But beyond that, he knew how to handle a crowd, how to have a great match, and how to have fun in and out of the ring. He had a persona; I don’t think anyone matched. Toward the end of IZW he kind of lost his passion for the business, and it sucked because I really wish I could have worked a great match with him when I started to come out of my shell.”
Vega has indeed made strides though since IZW ceased. During his run in IZW, Vega unfortunately never had a singles title. But outside IZW, Vega accomplished quite a bit, “The Cruiserweight and Heavyweight Titles in Piranha. And I was voted MVP when we did an awards vote. That was pretty sweet. It was cool winning singles titles. Especially since I had the fans cheering so hard for me when I won them. That crowd really takes to me. It was the biggest goal I set for myself when I first started, to become a Heavyweight Champion. And since I’ve accomplished that so early, it makes me less afraid to fail and go for more. I’ll never forget that feeling, it was surreal.”
Nationally though, the right folks took notice of Vega & a WWE try out was booked in LA, California. Vega was quite surprised folks knew about it, “How did you know about that? Good shit. It was amazing! I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how to explain this experience-It was THE longest day of my life. I left work at 10pm and headed to LA, got there round 4am, crashed at the hotel, got to the arena at 9am and hopped in the ring. It happened so fast I didn’t really bask in the ring and say “I made it”. I just got to business. There were like 10 other guys there. I got to mix it up in the ring with Jamie Noble. Those who haven’t been in the ring will probably never understand how good that guy is. Alex Koslov (From AAA) was the guy who got the contract out of that night. How could I be upset at that? But I did get some follow up questions after the workout, which I think is a good thing. At 22 to have that, I think is a great thing. I know I still have some size to put on along with a little maturing to go through, and a Bachelor’s degree to get. But nonetheless- “
Vega was in a whole new atmosphere. This wasn’t a bar, a recreation center, or the Mercado…this was the big time, even if for one day. Vega had a favorite in the different atmosphere, “There is food… EVERYWHERE! The food… is AMAZING! It’s a professional TV taping so it’s catered meals… if you haven’t heard, there’s FOOD!
The rest… I think you should experience to find out.”
And after coming back to the local market, Vega has been spotted at the shows he’s working with a fellow former IZW superstar & current champion, Payed Daily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Haha. I really don’t know when, but somewhere between training at IZW and the Piranha shows, we got to be buddies. I think it was my constant quoting of Chappelle’s show and Family Guy. Me, him, Jay, Lynch, Marty and Jacob always quoted those shows and we all kinda become buddies.”
Vega opened up more on what brought them together, “Payed and I had a rivalry going in Piranha and were forced to team up. That was an interesting bid. It wasn’t something I think the Piranha audience understood though. The story was I’m the fan’s hero and was forced to team up with the most hated guy in Piranha. The fans just kept saying ‘why are you partners with Payed?’ I’ve learned since doing Lucha Libre that Mexicans don’t understand sarcasm… AT ALL.”
Can Vega explain it though? “I don’t really know what to call our ‘relationship‘. He tried calling me when he was taking a dump once, which in bromance is a sign of affection, I guess. We have hit the town a few times and he’s tried making me play wingman for him.”
Vega has also had the honor of working some interesting folks from Mexico. "I've also gotten to work with some of Mexico's Minis. Octagoncito, Mascarita Dorada and Lobito from Nacho Libre. Also Cassandro who is a huge 'Exotico' wrestler."
Having a 5 year career, Vega has wrestled both sides of the fence. Whether Vega’s been boo’ed, cheered, or received the same chant every show, the fans have noticed him & have supported him. Not many wrestlers really allow the fans to effect their work, so does Vega? “Of course, I don’t go out there to put on a show for myself. This is a performance art. I think they affected it in making me try to appeal to each audience. At the Sets you can do technical wrestling and the fans will get it? They’ll cheer and applaud technical wrestling. Lucha crowds like to see action. And by action I mean they identify with their wrestler and want to see him win. It really doesn’t matter the moves, contrary to what people may think. The high-flying has become part of the style, but I’ve seen guys do Asai moonsaults, suicide dives and brainbusters to NO reaction whatsoever. Mexican fans are just different. But I think EVERY audience has the same thing in common. They want to feel like they’re apart of the show, and that’s what I try to make happen in each show.
Seeing as how Vega has wrestled in different aspects, many wonder which works better: tag teams or singles matches. Vega is not afraid to wrestle either styles, but shares his thoughts, “Singles I prefer. Tag-team, 3 on 3, 4 on 4… there’s a lot of room for miscommunication, as you could see when me and Lucha fell apart. I feel like I can show more in a singles match. My favorite is going against a heavyweight opponent. Big man vs. Little man- it’s a time old tale that I cold retell over and over again. Singles matches have a lot more build up I think. It’s what people want to see. A guy they really love beating a guy they really hate. Or Finding out who really is the better man. I think if you have the right combination, you can have amazing tag matches. But everyone looks for match where the two split and fight each other. It’s why the singles title is the one usually in the Main Event.”
So after taking the time to look back at his 5 year career, Vega is another former IZW superstar who admits a Reunion would have him on board,. Absotively Posolutely!
I don’t think it will ever happen, though. The way things crumbled and the way some guys feel about other guys makes me highly doubt it. But the cardinal rule in this business is ‘Never Say Never‘. So who knows! But best believe I’d be there… probably wrestling Mike James for the fifty eleventh time- and we’ll steal the show!”
Vega’s path is far from over! Between hitting the ring & hitting the books, Vega’s future looks extremely bright for this young grappler. And Vega has quite a bit in his future that he’s looking forward to, “EVERYTHING… I get my degree from ASU in May. I have been looking to work for other promotions. I’ve got some big decisions to make when I graduate. But I’ve grown quite a bit in the past 5 years. And the next 5 will be epic. The next 10, legendary! I can’t really say exactly where I will be, life moves so fast. But at 22, I feel like I’ve made some strides and will only keep going. I won’t settle for less.”
Vega definitely sums it up best since IZW stopped running shows, “But bottom line is- Sergio Vega has had a busy year since the end of IZW. My career has definitely gone up, and rest assured it will keep doing so.”