Los Conquistadores (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
Los Conquistadores was the name of a professional wrestling
tag team
in the World Wrestling Federation
, with the team consisting of two masked wrestlers known as 1 (or Uno) and 2 (or Dos). The original team consisted of José Luis Rivera and José Estrada (Sr.)
, but several other wrestlers made use of the gimmick in 2000 and 2003. The original costume was golden spandex bodysuits and golden masks, but later teams have varied it to blue and gold Japanese-style wrestling masks with elaborate shoulder pads while still using the name.
masked team consisting of José Luis Rivera and José Estrada (Sr.)
two Puerto Rican wrestlers (but billed as "from somewhere in Latin America") who were used mainly to make other teams look good in the ring. The full golden bodysuits and masks meant the two were immediate attention grabbers, but as the losses piled up, it became clear they were not destined for greatness. The Conquistadors won so few matches that it was considered an upset if they beat mid-card teams such as The Killer Bees or The Rockers
or even fellow “jobber team” The Young Stallions
.
The sole highlight of the Conquistadors' 1980s stint was their first and only pay-per-view appearance, as part of the 10-team (20 man) elimination match at the Survivor Series 1988
. The Conquistadors and the Powers of Pain were the last two teams left in the ring. They were bit players in the double turn of The Powers of Pain and Demolition
, which came about when Mr. Fuji
attacked Demolition
and joined forces with the Powers of Pain. The Conquistadors remained in the ring for over 5 minutes while The Powers of Pain and Demolition battled outside the ring. The Conquistadores lost when Mr. Fuji tripped up Uno and Barbarian
hit him with a headbutt to win the match for the Powers of Pain.
The team spent the rest of 1988 and 1989 losing to established teams, except for a surprising victory over The Rougeau Brothers in Canada
. In 1989, Conquistador #1 (Rivera) started to appear on his own as “The Conquistador” while #2 (Estrada) appeared only sporadically before both masked men left the WWF.
and Edge and Christian
feuded, competing in the first-ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
(TLC) match. The Hardy Boyz captured the WWF tag team championship in a steel cage match at Unforgiven. The next day they were scheduled for a Ladder match
for the tag belts. Commissioner Mick Foley
stipluated that if Edge and Christian
lost, they would not get another title shot for the duration of the Hardys' title reign. Edge and Christian
lost the match.
When Los Conquistadors made their “shocking return” weeks later, they didn't look physically like Rivera and Estrada but instead looked and acted more like Edge and Christian
, a suspicion that was boosted by Los Conquistadors immediately targeting The Hardy Boyz
in the hopes of getting a shot at the titles. They later won a tag-team battle royal on SmackDown! to earn a title shot. After the match, Los Conquistadors were congratulated backstage by Edge and Christian. Since they were seen with Los Conquistadors, Edge and Christian
claimed there was no way they could be Los Conquistadors, as people suspected.
Their title shot came at No Mercy, where they defeated the Hardys using tactics similar to those employed by Edge and Christian
, especially when Conquistador Dos hit the Unprettier (Christian's finisher) for the win. Backstage, Edge and Christian
(who looked like they just came out of the showers) politely challenged Los Conquistadors for a title shot the next night. On "Raw", Edge looked confident as he made his way to the ring. Edge found Christian backstage seemingly put through a table. So, Edge was left to fight the Los Conquistadors by himself. Edge was shocked when Los Conquistadors put up a fight and quickly defeated him. When Christian showed up at ringside, Los Conquistadors unmasked themselves, revealing themselves to be Matt Hardy
and Jeff Hardy
. They explained that they had attacked Edge and Christian
's hired goons (Christopher Daniels
and Aaron Aguilera
, who had doubled for Los Conquistadors in backstage segments) backstage and stole the costumes.
As Edge and Christian
complained, it was declared that Edge and Christian
's title victory the previous night was official. At the same time, because The Hardy Boyz
had just defeated the champions, commissioner Mick Foley
ruled they were now the tag team champions. After being outsmarted by The Hardy Boyz
, Edge and Christian
gave up the golden costumes of Los Conquistadors. Due to the stipulations, the title reign of the Hardy's that Edge and Christian
were banned from challenging had ended when "Los Conquistadors" had won so Edge and Christian
could wrestle for the titles again without disguises.
The Los Conquistadors costumes of Edge and Christian
are available as alternative outfits in the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
.
assumed the roles of Los Conquistadors in a match in which they were defeated by Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman. Unlike previous versions of Los Conquistadors, Rob Conway and Eugene
wore blue and gold masks with exposed mouths, similar to the mask of Último Dragón, along with blue shoulder pads.
On July 27, 2003, another set of Conquistadors participated in the APA Invitational Barroom Brawl Match at Vengeance
, where they were soundly beaten up by the APA. In this case, the men under the masks were Rob Conway and Johnny Jeter
, who were both working in Ohio Valley Wrestling
at the time.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, with the team consisting of two masked wrestlers known as 1 (or Uno) and 2 (or Dos). The original team consisted of José Luis Rivera and José Estrada (Sr.)
Jose Estrada
Jose Estrada may refer to:*Jose Estrada, Sr., Puerto Rican professional wrestler*Jose Estrada, Jr., his son, Puerto Rican professional wrestler*Jose Marcelo Ejercito, better known as Joseph Estrada, former President of the Philippines...
, but several other wrestlers made use of the gimmick in 2000 and 2003. The original costume was golden spandex bodysuits and golden masks, but later teams have varied it to blue and gold Japanese-style wrestling masks with elaborate shoulder pads while still using the name.
The Originals
The original Conquistadors were a foreign heelHeel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
masked team consisting of José Luis Rivera and José Estrada (Sr.)
Jose Estrada
Jose Estrada may refer to:*Jose Estrada, Sr., Puerto Rican professional wrestler*Jose Estrada, Jr., his son, Puerto Rican professional wrestler*Jose Marcelo Ejercito, better known as Joseph Estrada, former President of the Philippines...
two Puerto Rican wrestlers (but billed as "from somewhere in Latin America") who were used mainly to make other teams look good in the ring. The full golden bodysuits and masks meant the two were immediate attention grabbers, but as the losses piled up, it became clear they were not destined for greatness. The Conquistadors won so few matches that it was considered an upset if they beat mid-card teams such as The Killer Bees or The Rockers
The Rockers
The Rockers were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty that teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Federation, Continental Wrestling Association and the World...
or even fellow “jobber team” The Young Stallions
The Young Stallions
The Young Stallions was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Jim Powers and Paul Roma who competed in the World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1989.-Career:...
.
The sole highlight of the Conquistadors' 1980s stint was their first and only pay-per-view appearance, as part of the 10-team (20 man) elimination match at the Survivor Series 1988
Survivor Series (1988)
Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
. The Conquistadors and the Powers of Pain were the last two teams left in the ring. They were bit players in the double turn of The Powers of Pain and Demolition
Demolition (professional wrestling)
Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s / early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation made up of Ax , Smash , and later Crush . In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the records for both the single longest tag title reign...
, which came about when Mr. Fuji
Harry Fujiwara
Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
attacked Demolition
Demolition (professional wrestling)
Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s / early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation made up of Ax , Smash , and later Crush . In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the records for both the single longest tag title reign...
and joined forces with the Powers of Pain. The Conquistadors remained in the ring for over 5 minutes while The Powers of Pain and Demolition battled outside the ring. The Conquistadores lost when Mr. Fuji tripped up Uno and Barbarian
Sione Vailahi
Sione Havea Vailahi is a professional wrestler best known in wrestling as The Barbarian.-Life and career:Born and raised in Tonga, Sione was one of five teenagers sent by the King of Tonga to Japan to study Sumo wrestling in the mid 1970s. Tonga Fifita was one of the other teenagers...
hit him with a headbutt to win the match for the Powers of Pain.
The team spent the rest of 1988 and 1989 losing to established teams, except for a surprising victory over The Rougeau Brothers in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1989, Conquistador #1 (Rivera) started to appear on his own as “The Conquistador” while #2 (Estrada) appeared only sporadically before both masked men left the WWF.
2000
During 2000, The Hardy BoyzHardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
and Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
feuded, competing in the first-ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions....
(TLC) match. The Hardy Boyz captured the WWF tag team championship in a steel cage match at Unforgiven. The next day they were scheduled for a Ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
for the tag belts. Commissioner Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
stipluated that if Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
lost, they would not get another title shot for the duration of the Hardys' title reign. Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
lost the match.
When Los Conquistadors made their “shocking return” weeks later, they didn't look physically like Rivera and Estrada but instead looked and acted more like Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
, a suspicion that was boosted by Los Conquistadors immediately targeting The Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
in the hopes of getting a shot at the titles. They later won a tag-team battle royal on SmackDown! to earn a title shot. After the match, Los Conquistadors were congratulated backstage by Edge and Christian. Since they were seen with Los Conquistadors, Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
claimed there was no way they could be Los Conquistadors, as people suspected.
Their title shot came at No Mercy, where they defeated the Hardys using tactics similar to those employed by Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
, especially when Conquistador Dos hit the Unprettier (Christian's finisher) for the win. Backstage, Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
(who looked like they just came out of the showers) politely challenged Los Conquistadors for a title shot the next night. On "Raw", Edge looked confident as he made his way to the ring. Edge found Christian backstage seemingly put through a table. So, Edge was left to fight the Los Conquistadors by himself. Edge was shocked when Los Conquistadors put up a fight and quickly defeated him. When Christian showed up at ringside, Los Conquistadors unmasked themselves, revealing themselves to be Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
. They explained that they had attacked Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
's hired goons (Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
and Aaron Aguilera
Aaron Aguilera
Aaron Aguilera , is a Mexican American professional wrestler and actor best known as Jesús and Uno on World Wrestling Entertainment and MTV's Wrestling Society X...
, who had doubled for Los Conquistadors in backstage segments) backstage and stole the costumes.
As Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
complained, it was declared that Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
's title victory the previous night was official. At the same time, because The Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
had just defeated the champions, commissioner Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
ruled they were now the tag team champions. After being outsmarted by The Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
, Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
gave up the golden costumes of Los Conquistadors. Due to the stipulations, the title reign of the Hardy's that Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
were banned from challenging had ended when "Los Conquistadors" had won so Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
could wrestle for the titles again without disguises.
The Los Conquistadors costumes of Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian
Edge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
are available as alternative outfits in the video game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Wii and Xbox 360 systems. It is the seventh game in the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series and the final game under the SmackDown vs...
.
2003
On the July 17, 2003 edition of SmackDown! Rob Conway and EugeneNick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
assumed the roles of Los Conquistadors in a match in which they were defeated by Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman. Unlike previous versions of Los Conquistadors, Rob Conway and Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
wore blue and gold masks with exposed mouths, similar to the mask of Último Dragón, along with blue shoulder pads.
On July 27, 2003, another set of Conquistadors participated in the APA Invitational Barroom Brawl Match at Vengeance
Vengeance (2003)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on July 27, 2003 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It was the third annual Vengeance event and starred wrestlers from the SmackDown brand.Eight professional wrestling...
, where they were soundly beaten up by the APA. In this case, the men under the masks were Rob Conway and Johnny Jeter
Johnny Jeter
John "Johnny" Jeter is an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment as Spirit Squad member Johnny on the Raw brand in 2006....
, who were both working in Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
at the time.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Slingshot catapult / Clothesline combination - José Luis Rivera and José EstradaJose EstradaJose Estrada may refer to:*Jose Estrada, Sr., Puerto Rican professional wrestler*Jose Estrada, Jr., his son, Puerto Rican professional wrestler*Jose Marcelo Ejercito, better known as Joseph Estrada, former President of the Philippines...
- Sidewalk slam / Falling reverse DDT combination - Edge and ChristianEdge and ChristianEdge and Christian was a tag team made of real life best friends Edge and Christian , who performed in WWE and the Canadian independent circuit. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions...
- Simultaneous diving leg drop / diving splash combination - Matt and Jeff HardyHardy BoyzThe Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
- Slingshot catapult / Clothesline combination - José Luis Rivera and José Estrada