King Cuerno Talks About Having A Famous Father, AAA Lucha Libre World Cup, Tonight's Stacked Show
I recently had the chance to speak with El Hijo del Fantasma, who has also been a breakout character on El Rey's Lucha Underground under the name King Cuerno. He opened up to me about growing up with a famous father, having to approach 10-man matches, and this weekend's huge AAA Lucha Libre World Cup show.
You got started at an early age, was that intimidating? I know it's more normal in Mexico to start as a teenager than in the states.
"No, not really. It was just a part of my life. Since I can remember I've been to tours and arenas and gyms with my dad."
Did that differentiate you from your friends? Having a famous father had to be unique.
"I had friends from school, and everyone thought it was really cool to have a famous dad traveling all the time and doing wrestling shows. For me it was great, just knowing who my Dad was and sometimes going with him to the shows. Of course I had other friends from the lucha family– Psycho Clown, Texano Jr, Alberto El Patron, Perro Aguayo, Rest in Peace."
You mentioned Psycho Clown and Texano Jr, you're represnting Team Mexico this weekend alongside them, what does it mean to you to represent Mexico in the AAA Lucha Libre World Cup?
"It's an honor. Pyscho Clown is a third generation wrestler, myself and Texano are second-generation wrestlers. Throughout our careers, we've earned our spot in any company we've worked for, and this is no exception. We're honored and happy and excited to not just represent the country, but Mexico. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be a great opportunity to tell the other teams that the best wrestling, or lucha, is in Mexico."
It's always awesome so see how open Mexico is to co-promote. There are guys like Matt Hardy, Mr. Anderson, Johnny Mundo, Moose, ACH, Brian Cage on the show. As a competitor, how do you approach all of these styles?
"In my special case, I can handle any wrestling style. This is because my Dad showed me all the styles and was careful enough to put me with the perfect teachers. Later on in my career I had the opportunities to work with Japanese athletes a lot, and also I learned from them. This will be a great opportunity for me to show my abilities."
You're able to work with the likes of Alberto El Patron, Rey Mysterio and Myzteziz now, How is that for you?
"I think they're great athletes. They're natural favorites to win the world cup because of who they are and their exposure. But the rest of the teams have a really good shot at winning. I think it will be very interesting for everyone to watch the Lucha Libre World Cup this Sunday from AAA."
What would it mean to you personally to win this World Cup?
"It would be amazing. It would represent a very big event in my career. If I were to win the Lucha Libre World Cup with my teammates, that would put us in a different league."
What would you say to fans who may not have watched AAA before?
"I think this particular event is going to bring a lot of talent from different countries and different companies. Of course it's important for everyone to watch it. It's going to be exciting and entertaining. Also I'd like for people to get to know AAA. We have a lot of talent, young talent, legends, superstars in the business. We have people like Rey Mysterio, Alberto El Patron, Myzteziz. I think we're hands down the number 1 company in Mexico right now."
Is there anywhere where the fans can follow you on social media?
"Well thank you for talking to me. I have a Twitter and Instagram account at @elhijodelfantasma. I'm all over it all day, so follow me there anytime."
We'll have part two of the interview with King Cuerno later this week, where he speaks about his Lucha Underground career, and the future of the company.