ShareThisMuch has changed since most pro-wrestling fans last saw Mark Jindrak.
To start, Jindrak is no longer performing under his real name. He is now known as Marco Corleone.
Jindrak also has become a headline talent. But it wasn't until Jindrak reinvented himself in Mexico that his grappling potential was truly reached.
Five years since his World Wrestling Entertainment release, Jindrak is returning to the U.S. pro-wrestling scene. He is one of the top stars for the Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors promotion that debuts at 10 p.m. EDT Friday on MTV2.
Jindrak is one of the few performers with firsthand knowledge about the differences between traditional U.S. wrestling and the high-flying lucha style. Jindrak is sharing that experience with Lucha Libre USA owners to help shape the product.
"I think lucha can be something that gains a huge cult following with the colorful masks, the characters, the costumes and the Spanish language," Jindrak said Monday in a telephone interview. "We're putting the culture in Mexico with the culture of America."
Jindrak seemed destined for U.S. stardom immediately upon debuting with the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling in 2000. He joined WWE the following year when that company purchased WCW.
Jindrak possessed all of the elements -- size, good looks, athleticism and muscularity -- that WWE seeks in its headliners. But the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Jindrak never fulfilled his potential there.
His biggest setback came in 2003. Jindrak was initially earmarked for a spot in the "Evolution" group that featured Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Ric Flair and Randy Orton, but WWE instead gave the role to Dave Batista. Jindrak was ultimately released by WWE in 2005 while Batista would become one of the industry's top performers.
An admittedly frustrated Jindrak began exploring other career options like acting and a short-lived online reality show with fellow WWE washout Matt Morgan. As it turned out, WWE inadvertently contributed to Jindrak's big break in 2006.
Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli -- who trained with Jindrak at the WCW Power Plant wrestling school -- were scheduled to team at a major CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre) show in Mexico. WWE signed Palumbo, leaving Stamboli without a partner. Jindrak filled the spot under a new moniker to correspond with Stamboli's Italian-inspired gimmick.
Marco Corleone didn't need long to become a hit, inspiring him to learn the nuances of lucha and how to speak Spanish. Jindrak even gained mainstream exposure outside the ring, appearing on Mexican soap operas and game shows.
"It's weird, but all the things I wanted to do in the states I had the chance to do in Mexico," said Jindrak, 33. "I got lucky. My biggest complaint a lot of times in WWE was never having a chance to run with the ball. I wasn't waiting for someone to hand me the ball (in Mexico). I took it. I don't know what changed in me, but I felt more confident."
Jindrak has the same self-assurance that Lucha Libre USA can find a niche in the U.S. television market and quickly challenge TNA Wrestling as the nation's No. 2-rated grappling company behind WWE. He points to the strength of the company's roster combined with the lack of Hispanic stars in WWE and TNA Wrestling compared to the sizable demographic that watch both groups.
Jindrak also said the Lucha Libre USA product will be different from the offerings of top Mexican promotions CMLL and AAA (Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion). While AAA airs weekly on Galavision, neither company has established a U.S. foothold. Other lucha groups also haven't thrived beyond the local level.
"I really think we'll be putting on a great, authentic lucha product, but we'll be adding some of the little stuff they have on WWE, like the backstage scene and storylines," said Jindrak, who has worked for CMLL and AAA. "CMLL is a little more traditional so you're not going to see as much WWE-type stuff. AAA has a little too much of that. It's like a bad copy of WWE. I believe we're going to be giving people a very happy medium."
Lizmark Jr., Tinieblas Jr. and renowned "mini"-performers like Octagoncito are also on the Lucha Libre USA roster. The debut show will be replayed at 10 p.m. Saturday at MTV Tr3s. For more information and a video preview, visit www.mtv.com/shows/lucha_libre/series.jhtml.
(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv(at)aol.com or follow him via Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexmarvez.)
Masked Warriors
I doubt this will work. A show called Masked Warriors, that features Mexican Lucha Libre, where the top star is an American mid-carder (while in the US), without a mask, seems like someone didnt think that through. And that's just the beginning. Some of the promo pictures Ive seen have Charly Manson on them. He's washed up, injured, a mid-carder, and doesn't wear a mask! Other promo pics Ive seen show Oriental, another mid-carder, who just lost his mask!! (So much for having a name that properly identifies the product).
Furthermore, most, if not all, of the remaining roster, is full of mid-card level wrestlers who never made it to headline status within their respective promotions (With the exception of Mascarita Dorada). How this is supposed to be the Lucha Libre show that will entertain the masses is beyond me.
Seems to me that MTV was a victim of the bait and switch, since originally the rumors were that it was Triple A doing this show, and now Lucha Libre USA, who failed when they ran the Triple A tour a while back, is supposedly running this? Im guessing MTV didn't care that their Lucha Libre show was gonna be run by a company who has no clue about Lucha Libre.
With WSX being strike one, I think this will be strike two for MTV.