We are saddened to report that Mexican tag team veteran Raziel had passed away. He was 49.
Raziel was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He was trained by Brazo Cibernetico and Skyade. He formed a tag team with a fellow classmate. “Neo” (Raziel) and “Geo” would make their official debuts in 1996. The pair used a high-flying style that is typical for luchadors. They took advantage of their similar appearances and quick tags to give the illusion of being one luchador who never tired.
They signed with Asistencia AsesorÌa y AdministraciÛn (AAA) early into their careers. The highlight of their run was being the main tag team of the “Los Cadetos del Espacio” (“The Space Cadets”) stable. However, they soon found themselves touring other promotions, including the International Wrestling Revolution group. They slowly became more serious towards the end of their run together.
Mexican tag team veteran Raziel had passed away.
Raziel would join Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in 2005 without Geo. He was immediately packaged in yet another tag team. “Los Romanos” were based on Roman soldiers. Their ring gear included masks designed to resemble Roman soldier helmets. They were named after infamous Roman emperors Caligua (Raziel) and Messala. As a jobber team, their main duties were to make babyface tag teams look good.
“[Raziel] had an outstanding career thanks to his refined technique and great heelwork. We express our deepest condolences and solidarity to his family and friends for this irreparable loss.”
– Part of CMLL’s statement on Raziel’s passing (translated).
In late 2009, CMLL debuted a new heel stable called Los Cancerberos del Infeirno (“The Infernal Cerberus”). Los Romanos had been completely repackaged as the stable’s primary tag team. He now went by “Raziel,” the name of an archangel from Jewish mythicism. He and Cancerbero (Messala) had become a more focused and successful combination.
After their stablemates were eliminated from a tournament, all five members engaged in a heated feud with Los Angeles Celestiales. Both sides engaged in a long series of singles and tag team matches. He would win the CMLL World Trios Championship and Mexican Nationals Championship with Cancerbero and Virus. After that, Raziel slowly broke through as an independent star.
Raziel completed his first tour of Japan in 2017. The annual “Fantastica Mania” tours were co-produced by CMLL and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
News of his death was broken by CMLL’s official Facebook page. As his private identity was never revealed, his real name and cause of death have not been made public information. Some sources had noted that Raziel had been sidelined with a back injury since November; however, they point out that they don’t know if this has any connection to Raziel’s passing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Raziel’s family and closest friends at this difficult time.
******
Stay tuned to Pro Wrestling Post for this and additional stories from the wrestling world. Readers can rely on Pro Wrestling Post to be their daily source for everything inside the squared circle. As a result, readers can expect daily news, history, and so much more. Please visit WWE CMLL’s official website here and Facebook page here for information on the promotion and upcoming events.
