Chivas Rayadas: The Impact of Wrestling Characters

The characters and masks in professional wrestling are essential to make an impact on the audience, which is why companies seek fresh ideas to implement in their product. In the late 1990s, in search of renewing their roster, Triple A debuted two peculiar characters that made an impact on the audience: the Chivas Rayadas.

Inspired by the popularity of the club in Liga MX, Antonio Peña introduced Chiva Rayada I and Chiva Rayada II to his roster of Tres Veces Estelar.

The wrestlers wore the typical red-and-white shirt of the Rebaño Sagrado, short shorts, long socks, and goat masks that covered their necks.

These characters participated in the second fight of Triplemania V, in which they teamed up with Rey Fragón to face Histeria, Maniaco, and El Mosco de la Merced. Also, the mini version, La Chivita, appeared and teamed up with Octagoncito and Mini Cibernético to win against Pentagoncito, Mini Mankid, and Mini Goldust.

The first versions of the Chivas were played by Gran Apache I and II, but the characters disappeared in 2003. They returned to the ring three years later for a short period. Although there were rumors that Aerostar wrestled as this character, the wrestler himself denied the rumors in an interview for Infolucha.

"I was often compared to Chiva Rayada or Chamagol, but I tell those who ask me [if I was Chiva Rayada] to watch my fighting style, and there is a huge difference in wrestling performance," he commented.

After appearing in Triple A, new versions of the characters emerged in the independent circuit in Mexico, now known as SuperChivas I and II, and they have a rivalry with Club América.

These characters transcended to the United States as well. Just like the Chivas USA version, five other variants appeared in Chikara Pro Wrestling. One of the standout characters is Chiva Kid, played by Andrew Everett.

RGS