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Kalisto recently made his much-anticipated return on WWE television on this week's episode of SmackDown. The 33-year-old masked Superstar, who was drafted to the Blue brand along with his Lucha House Party teammates Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik as a part of the 2019 Draft, suffered a serious shoulder injury in December 2019 which kept him on the sidelines for the better part of 2020.
However, this past Friday night, Kalisto returned with a shredded physique, donning a new mask. He helped his Lucha House Party teammate Gran Metalik to secure a victory over one half of SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Shinsuke Nakamura. Midway through the match, when it looked like the King of Strong Style was going to pick up a win over Metalik, out came Kalisto, who immediately went for Cesaro. The distraction allowed Metalik to hit Nakamura with an elbow drop for the win.
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Despite Kalisto's absence, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik have represented the Lucha House Party and are currently embroiled in a feud with SmackDown Tag Team Champions Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. It looks like Dorado and Metalik might get a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships very soon and the return of Kalisto will surely bolster their confidence.
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Also, we can hope to see Kalisto getting pushed as well since he has been away from WWE programming for a long time. Since the future looks hopeful for the Lucha House Party, we will take a look at five things that you might not have known about Kalisto.
#5 Kalisto was once a Rosebud
Former WWE Superstar Adam Rose used to appear on WWE television with a motley crew of persons draped in colorful attires who were known as 'Rosebuds'. Unfortunately for Rose, he did not have the most memorable and successful tenure that a WWE Superstar would hope for. However, if we take a look at all the current Superstars who have been Rosebuds -- Becky Lynch, Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, Elias, Scarlett Bordeaux, and so forth -- the list is huge!
But, where most of them appeared in costumes that will make them almost unrecognizable compared to how they look now, Kalisto appeared as a Rosebud in his standard wrestling gear. Before he made his debut on WWE NXT, Kalisto was seen twirling a lightsaber as a part of Adam Rose's Rosebud clique on an episode of the Black and Gold brand.
Seeing that most of the Rosebuds have achieved variable degrees of success, we hope that Kalisto also gets to shine brighter in the future.
#4 Kalisto played a part in ending The Ascension's reign
Remember The Ascension? Two scary-looking guys by the name of Konnor and Viktor who ran roughshod through the tag-team division of NXT from 2013 to 2014?
Well, we can't really blame you if you don't because as much as they were dominant on the Black and Gold brand, they were sadly non-existent on the main roster when they got called up. They kept losing match after match and never came close to what they achieved on NXT until they were released from WWE in December 2019.
However, when The Ascension became the NXT Tag Team Champions, they started a reign that would last for one day short of a year, which is still considered as the longest reign in the title's history.
Konnor and Viktor's title reign came to an end at 364 days when Kalisto, along with former Superstar Sin Cara, known together as The Lucha Dragons, defeated them at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
#3 Kalisto is a former United States Champion
Although the Intercontinental Championship is the most prestigious mid-card title, the United States Championship is often overlooked by the WWE Universe. However, the United States Championship has also helped many Superstars of past and present to make a name for themselves within the company. Kalisto has also been a United States Champion in his own right on two separate occasions.
After Kalisto was called up to the main roster, he and Sin Cara were inserted into the WWE Tag Team Championship picture. But they never got to win the Tag Titles and went separate ways after Sin Cara got sidelined with an injury.
After this, Kalisto became a singles star and went on to defeat former Superstar Alberto Del Rio to become the United States Champion on the January 11, 2016 episode of RAW. He would drop the title to Del Rio after a few days but would regain it again at Royal Rumble 2016 to become a two-time US Champion. Apart from being a United States Champion, Kalisto is also a former Cruiserweight Champion.
#2 Kalisto once defeated Braun Strowman in a Dumpster Match
Kalisto managed to pull off a massive upset victory when he defeated Braun Strowman in a match on the April 24, 2017 episode of WWE RAW. The reigning WWE Universal Champion was a monster heel at that time and engaged in a short feud with Kalisto, who had just moved to the Red brand as a part of the Superstar Shake-up.
The feud between the two Superstars began when Strowman attacked Kalisto on the week after he was drafted to RAW. The Monster Among Men picked up the luchador and threw him inside a dumpster. This led to a match between the two with the unique stipulation. For those unaware, a Dumpster Match is a type of hardcore match in which one has to win by forcing his/her opponent inside a dumpster.
Kalisto used his wits to win the match by kicking at Strowman's legs, who was standing on the edge of the ring. As a result, Strowman lost his balance and fell backward all the way into the dumpster, which was just behind him. Although Kalisto came out as the winner in that match, he could not escape Strowman's wrath as the latter then brutally assaulted The King of Flight, tossed him into the dumpster, and later hurled him off the stage.
#1 Kalisto once suffered a life-threatening injury
In the world of pro-wrestling, injuries are commonplace. A lot of WWE Superstars had to retire prematurely due to life-threatening injuries such as Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. WWE SmackDown Superstar Kalisto also fits the bill as he once suffered a fatal injury.
This happened before Kalisto signed with WWE. In 2011, the luchador was working a multi-man match in a Mexican independent promotion known as Desastre Total Ultraviolento under the guise of Samuray del Sol as part of a Mexican tour. During the match, Kalisto went to the top turnbuckle to execute a back-flip to the outside. Unfortunately, that went horribly wrong as Kalisto landed on the floor and his head bounced off the guard-rails.
Fortunately for Kalisto, his head did not bump on the hardwood floor, or else he could have lost his life as there was no one there to catch him. The former United States Champion revealed the story in an episode of fellow SmackDown Superstar Sheamus' 'Celtic Warrior Workouts' YouTube channel.
The injury gave Kalisto a post-concussion syndrome and he almost contemplated quitting pro-wrestling altogether as his mother also suffered a heart attack when she heard the news. However, after being on the shelf for a few months, he decided to come back when his wife inspired him.
