Canek

Felipe Estrada (born June 19, 1952), known as El Canek or simply Canek, is a Mexican professional wrestler, best known for the 20 years he worked for the Universal Wrestling Association where he held the UWA World Heavyweight Championship a total of 15 times. As the major heavyweight working for the Universal Wrestling Association promotion, he became one of Lucha Libre's biggest attractions during the 1980s especially through his high-profile matches against non-Mexicans that sold out numerous shows and led to the UWA using the same formula of "Canek vs. the foreigner" for over a decade. He made his debut in 1972 as "El Universitario" at the age of 18 and would later work under the name "Principe Azul" (Spanish for "The Blue Prince"). In 1973 he adopted the ring name El Canek, a name inspired by the Mayan Indian leader Jacinto Canek, that he has used ever since. While he has worked in Mexico for the majority of his career he has also made several, frequent, tours of Japan and has worked in the United States as well as Europe.

In Mexican professional wrestling, as part of the wrestling style called lucha libre, it is tradition to keep the real name of any masked wrestler secret from the general audience; the newspapers and magazines in Mexico do not speculate on them, nor do they publish clear photos of their faces. In the case of El Canek his real name is known since he competed in a mixed martial arts fight where he was billed as "Felipe "El Canek" Estrada, and actually fought with his mask on. Estrada has one son who is also a wrestler under the name El Hijo del Canek ("The Son of El Canek") and a second, much younger, son who was introduced as "Canek Jr." but who has not yet worked any matches. Outside of the UWA Estrada has also worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), AAA, International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and a host of other Mexican independent promotions and appeared on the 1997 Royal Rumble pay-per-view for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). He is a former holder of the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, CMLL World Tag Team Championship, CMLL World Trios Championship, IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and the 2002 Rey de Reyes.

Personal life Felipe Estrada was born in Frontera, Tabasco, Mexico on June 19, 1952. He is the older brother of wrestlers Príncipe Maya and El Danés and the uncle of wrestler Rey Maya, the son of Príncipe Maya. Hijo del Canek is sometimes billed as Canek Jr., confusing him with his much younger brother.

Professional wrestling career Early career (19721973) Estrada began training for his professional wrestling career in the nearby town of Villahermosa, Tabasco training under Indio Azteca, Maciste, El Remington I and El Chacal for his professional wrestling career. While training for a professional wrestling career he also learned the basics of Olympic style wrestling and also competed in bodybuilding competitions. As Universitario he teamed up with Ángel Azul and fought against the team of El Profeta and El Chilango Garcia. Later when he was ready to make his full-time debut Estrada bought a spare mask, boots and tights from Ángel Azul and began working as Príncipe Azul ("The Blue Prince"). He worked his first match as "El Canek" (billed as "Kanek" for that one match only) in the Torero de Cuatro Caminos in Naucalpan, Mexican State, an arena he would sell out repeatedly later in his career. During his time with EMLL he would often tour the Northern territories for promoter René Guajardo. At that point he won the Northern Mexico Heavyweight Championship defeating Jose Torres, a man he would later also defeat in a Luchas de Apuestas match. With the impending change of management in EMLL many wrestlers who had previously been loyal to Lutteroth decided to leave with Flores, Mendoza and Mora including promoters René and Karloff Lagarde as well as number of young wrestles, including El Canek who were frustrated with the lack of opportunities in EMLL. They held their first show on January 29, 1975, with El Canek teaming up with former rivals Dory Dixon and Sunny War Cloud to lose the semi-main event to the team of Mil Máscaras, Ray Mendoza and El Solitario. One of the early draws in the UWA was Mil Máscaras, but he began taking more and more bookings in both the United States and Japan, leaving little time for the UWA between tours, coupled with the age of two of the most recognizable wrestlers in the UWA, Mendoza and Guajardo, the UWA bookers were looking to create new headliners, with the two front runners being the tecnico (wrestling term for those that portray the "good guys") Dos Caras (brother of Mil Máscaras) and El Canek who played the part of a brutal, cheating rudo (those that portray the "bad guys") El Canek. This made El Canek one of only a few wrestlers to ever be allowed to bodyslam André the Giant. He would later vacate the championship as he began to work regularly in the United States, especially in and around Texas. Not liking working in the US he returned to the UWA only a few months later. In 1995 the UWA closed, with El Canek being the reigning and 13-time champion at that point in time. Atlantis and El Dandy in the second round and finally Apolo Dantés and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. to earn a spot in the finale against Vampiro Canadiense and Pierroth Jr. The finale took place over three shows, with a best-two-out-of-three match stipulation. Canek and Wagner Jr. won the first match on March 19, while Vampiro and Pierroth Jr. won the second match on March 21. The final match took place on March 26, 1993, and saw El Canek and Dr. Wagner Jr. win the fall and thus become the first ever CMLL World Tag Team Champions. In November, 1994 El Canek stops working for CMLL, forcing CMLL to vacate the championship that he still held with Dr. Wagner Jr. at that point in time. A few days later Canek's son El Hijo del Canek made his CMLL debut as well, running in during a match where Universo 2000 was about to tear the mask off his father. Upon his return to CMLL El Canek began a storyline feud with former partner Dr. Wagner Jr., with the story being that Dr. Wagner Jr. still resented Canek for leaving years earlier. As part of the storyline Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated El Canek to win the UWA World Heavyweight Championship on June 18, 2004. A few weeks later Canek got a measure of revenge as he, Black Warrior and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. Black Tiger III and Universo 2000 to win the CMLL World Trios Championship. The trio of Canek, Black Warrior and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. held the trios championship for 133 days before a team known as La Furia del Norte (Héctor Garza, Tarzan Boy and El Terrible) defeated them for the championship on November 19, 2004.

AAA (19962003, 2013)

After leaving CMLL in later 1996 he showed up in CMLL's rival AAA only weeks after his last CMLL match. El Canek worked one major match for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) because of AAA and WWF having a working agreement from 1996 to 1998, wrestling on the 1997 Royal Rumble out of San Antonio, Texas. He teamed up with Héctor Garza, Perro Aguayo, defeating the team of Heavy Metal, Jerry Estrada and Fuerza Guerrera when Aguayo pinned Heavy Metal. El Canek, Perro Aguayo and Tinieblas Jr. defeated Gorgeous George III, Jake Roberts and the Killer in the main event of AAA's Triplemanía V-A show. Two days later he also worked the main event of Triplemanía V-B as he, Perro Aguayo, Octagón and Cibernético defeated Jake Roberts, Gorgeous George III, El Cobarde II and Fuerza Guerrera.

Subsequently, Cibernético turned on El Canek, trying to take the UWA World Heavyweight Championship from him. On August 15, 1997, El Canek was able to retain the UWA World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Cibernético. in 1999 Cibernético defeated El Canek in a Bull Terrier match on March 31, followed by Canek defeating Cibernético in a steel cage match only 5 days later. On January 20, 2002, Cibernético won the UWA World Heavyweight Champions from El Canek. At the 2002 Rey del Ring ("Kings of the Ring") tournament El Canek defeated El Picudo, Septiembre Negro and El Hijo del Solitario in the semi-finals and then outlasted Pirata Morgan, Cibernético and Octagón to win the 2002 Rey de Reyes tournament. The win turned out to be one of El Canek's last AAA matches, basically regaining the UWA World Heavyweight Championship on the way out of the promotion. At the subsequent Triplemanía XXI show on June 16, 2013, Canek, former rival Universo 2000, Máscara Año 2000 and Villano IV lost to Dr. Wagner, Jr., Electroshock, La Parka and Octagón in a match that drew on the fact that the issues between Canek and Dr. Wagner Jr. were never resolved.

International Wrestling Revolution Group (20032006, 20092012) After ending his first stint with AAA El Canek turned up in International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) next, who promoted shows in Naucalpan, where El Canek used to main event during his UWA days. Early on he worked a program with Rayo de Jalisco Jr. over the WWA World Heavyweight Championship held by Rayo de Jalisco Jr. While in IWRG he also defended the UWA World Heavyweight Championship, a title he still claimed despite the UWA being inactive for eight years at that point in time. On May 5, 2005, El Canek and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. faced off against Perro Aguayo Jr. and Head Hunter I in a match where the winning team would then wrestle for the vacant IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. Canel and Jalisco Jr won the match, then El Canek defeated Rayo de Jalisco Jr. to become the 13th over all IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. While he was inactive IWRG did not vacate the Heavyweight title, but also did not promote it while El Canek was not working for them. El Canek returned to IWRG in 2009, bringing the championship belt back with him. Canek and El Hijo del Canek won a father/son tag team tournament that took place on December 20, 2009, defeating El Hijo del Pantera and Pantera, Exodia Olímpico, Máscara Año 2000 and Máscara Año 2000 Jr., Negro Navarro and Trauma I, El Hijo de Pirata Morgan and Pirata Morgan. On December 20, 2012, El Canek and El Hijo del Canek competed in a five-team tag team steel cage match that was the main event of the Arena Naucalpan 36th Anniversary Show. The Caneks, Dr. Wagner Jr. and Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr, Los Capos Junior (Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 and Máscara Año 2000 Jr.) and La Familia de Tijuana defeated Los Piratas (Pirata Morgan and El Hijo de Pirata Morgan).

International Wrestling League (2011present) El Canek became the first International Wrestling League (IWL) Independent Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. and L.A. Park to win the title.

Mixed martial arts record Win

Osamu Kawahara TKO (punches) Deep - 3rd Impact

Tokyo, Japan Championships and accomplishments Alianza Universal De Lucha Libre Copa Universo (2014) AAA Rey de Reyes (2002) CMLL World Trios Championship (1 time) - with Black Warrior and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. Northern Mexico Heavyweight Championship (1 time) International Wrestling Revolution Group IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Leyendas Inmortales de la Lucha Libre Copa Independencia (2014) Copa Francisco Flores (2014) Pro Wrestling Illustrated''PWI ranked him # 79 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003 PWI ranked him # 186 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1995 Universal Wrestling Association''' Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) UWA World Heavyweight Championship (15 times)

Luchas de Apuestas record

Winner (wager)Loser (wager)LocationEventDateNotesPríncipe Azul (mask) Ultratumba (mask) Villahermosa, Tabasco Live event 1972 El Canek (mask) El Asesino (mask) Mexico City, Mexico Live event El Canek (mask) Torre Infernal (mask) Naucalpan, State of Mexico Live event El Canek (mask) Universo 2000 (mask) Mexico City, Mexico CMLL 71st Anniversary Show Máscara Año 2000 Jr. (mask) El Canek (Championship) Naucalpan, State of Mexico IWRG Live event