Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is signed to both the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he is the current CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion and one-third of the CMLL World Trios Champions with Máscara Dorada and Neón as El Sky Team, and the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also makes appearances for Major League Wrestling (MLW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is one-half of the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with El Desperado in their first reign as a team and Mistico's first individual reign, and Ring of Honor (ROH). where he is one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions with Máscara Dorada.
From 2006 to 2011, Urive was the top técnico (those that portray the "good guys") and biggest box office draw in Mexico for a number of years. Despite having worked under previous ring names, he gained popularity in CMLL as Místico, a religious character who was the storyline protégé of the professional wrestling priest Fray Tormenta. Between 2011 and 2014, he worked for WWE under the ring name Sin Cara (Spanish for "Without Face" or "Faceless"; after which, his ring name was given to his storyline rival Hunico). Urive then worked for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), adopting the name Myzteziz, and returned to CMLL in 2015 under the name Carístico. In 2021, he regained the Místico name, due to his successor and tag team partner Místico II leaving CMLL. On two occasions in 2008, Místico held five championships simultaneously and has won most major CMLL championships over the years, as well as CMLL's Torneo Gran Alternativa and Leyenda de Plata tournaments on three occasions each.
Urive is the son of Miguel Urive, who wrestled under the ring name Dr. Karonte, the brother of wrestlers Astro Boy, Argos, Argenis and Dr. Karonte Jr, the cousin of wrestlers Magnus and Ulises Jr. as well as the nephew of CMLL booker Tony Salazar.
Personal life While most masked professional wrestlers do not reveal their real name unless they are unmasked in a Lucha de Apuestas ("bet match"), Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde's full name was revealed by WWE when they released Urive from his contract in 2014. Urive was born on December 22, 1982, in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of Miguel Urive, who was a professional wrestler known under the name "Dr. Karonte". He is one of at least five of Miguel Urive's sons to become a professional wrestler. His older brother worked under the name "Astro Boy" until his death in the late 1990s. His younger brothers work as the masked wrestlers Argos, Argenis, and Karonte Jr. Urive's uncle, Tony Salazar, is a retired wrestler who ended up working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as both a trainer and a booker. Salazar's son, Magnus, also works for CMLL.
Professional wrestling career Early career (1998–2003) After training under his father and uncle, Urive made his professional wrestling debut as "Dr. Karonte, Jr." on April 30, 1998, at the age of 15. In 2000, he changed his ring name to "Astro Boy" in honor of his older brother, who previously used the name and had died months earlier. He later formed a tag team with another brother who worked as "Astro Boy II". In 2003, he traveled to Japan to work for Michinoku Pro Wrestling, where he was billed as "Komachi", a ring persona he took over from fellow professional wrestler Volador Jr., who had played the part for about a year.
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2004–2011) Rise to stardom (2004–2009) In 2004, CMLL repackaged Urive as Místico, giving him an elaborate backstory to go with his new persona. Místico (the character) was an orphan taken in by the wrestling priest Fray Tormenta, who taught him to wrestle; CMLL's previous attempt at this storyline with El Sagrado failed to take off. He began teaming with Volador Jr. and Misterioso II on the second or third match of the card. On July 16, he participated in the Leyenda de Plata ("The Silver Legend") tournament, eliminating Virus before being eliminated by Tarzan Boy in the first round. Later that year, he won the Torneo Gran Alternativa ("Great Alternative Tournament") with veteran El Hijo del Santo, after which he was nicknamed El Principe de Plata y Oro ("The Prince of Silver and Gold"), a reference to the main colors of his outfits. Shortly afterward, the bookers began teaming him with other established técnicos (faces), such as Negro Casas and Shocker, against the top rúdo (heel) groups Los Guerreros del Infierno and La Furia del Norte. His stature made him an underdog, and his high-flying moves, such as diving arm-drags, made him popular with Arena México crowds.
Místico won his first title on January 1, 2005, defeating Averno for the NWA World Middleweight Championship; the match was well received by the audience, who threw money into the ring as a sign of appreciation. Two weeks later, he defeated Los Guerreros del Infierno leader Último Guerrero in his first singles main event match. After a brief program pitting him and Dr. Wagner Jr. against Guerrero and Rey Bucanero, Místico feuded with Perro Aguayo Jr. and his group, Los Perros del Mal (Damián 666, Halloween and Héctor Garza). On June 17, they were involved in an eight-man cage match where the last man in the cage lost his hair or mask. Neither man was involved in the finish, where Damián pinned Máscara Mágica. During the third fall of a match with Guerrero in September, he was attacked by now-rúdo Atlantis, whom he defeated in October. Místico was the biggest star in Mexico at the start of 2006, working eighteen main event matches that drew more than ten thousand people; the Wrestling Observer Newsletters "Year-End Awards" voted him "Performer of the Year", "Biggest Box Office Draw" and "Best Flying Wrestler". He feuded with Black Warrior, who turned on him during a CMLL World Tag Team Championship match. Místico lost his NWA World Middleweight Championship to Warrior on May 12, but defeated him in a mask vs. mask Lucha de Apuestas in the main event of the CMLL 73rd Anniversary Show on September 29, ending their feud.
In early 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) reportedly offered Místico a contract, which he could not sign due to commitments with CMLL at the time; the likes of Dean Malenko, Paul London and Rey Mysterio had pushed WWE to offer him a deal. On February 27, he wrestled a tryout match against Malenko and Jamie Noble prior to SmackDown! in San Jose, California. On April 10, Místico defeated Mephisto for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship. On March 10, 2008, Místico and Garza defeated Averno and Mephisto for the tag team championship. Místico had also contacted Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) about a potential deal, yet his CMLL commitment kept the parties from reaching one. When the commission declared the title vacant after a match ended in a double disqualification, Místico and Garza regained then lost it back to them in December. Místico lost his championship to Casas at Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to Two Legends") on March 18, 2009, failing to regain it on April 12. He participated in the Universal Championship tournament on June 12, defeating Ephesto in the first round and Garza in the quarter-finals, before losing to Guerrero in the semi-finals. The feud between Místico and Casas culminated in a Lucha de Apuestas in the main event of the CMLL 76th Anniversary Show on September 18, which Místico won, resulting in Casas being shaved bald. After the match, Místico made an Apuesta challenge to El Felino, Casas' cornerman. He and Ángel de Oro were paired for the Torneo Gran Alternativa on September 25, defeating Atlantis and Camorra in the first round and Mr. Niebla and Tiger Kid in the semi-finals, before losing to Okumura and Yujiro in the finals.
Feud with Volador Jr. (2010–2011)
On January 22, 2010, Místico and Averno participated in the Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles ("National Incredible Pairs Tournament"), where a técnico is paired with a rúdo; they wore matching outfits and defeated Euforia and Ephesto in the first round. Místico seemingly developed a rúdo attitude in the quarter-finals, attacking Volador Jr. and going so far as to ripping up his mask, performing an illegal low blow on him for the win. Afterward, he took the microphone and commented that "all was fair in war and defending Mexico City", drawing many boos from the crowd. Místico continued working a rúdo style in the semi-finals, but he and Averno lost to Atlantis and Máscara Dorada. Volador Jr. then challenged him to a Super Libre (no rules) match if Místico would agree to it. During a match between the two on February 5, Místico was clearly a rúdo, tearing so viciously at Volador Jr.'s mask that a new one had to be brought to the ring between falls. In the second fall, he pulled his mask off and threw it to Volador Jr. in an attempt to get him disqualified. Volador Jr. won the match when he reversed Místico's La Mística and applied the same move to him. On February 12, Místico lost the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship to Volador Jr. He, El Felino, La Sombra and Volador Jr. fought in a four-way Lucha de Apuestas in the main event of Homenaje a Dos Leyendas on March 19; Místico was not one of the first two pinned, thus retaining his mask.
Místico subsequently announced that he was done being a rúdo and returned to the técnico side, although Volador Jr. remained suspicious. At Sin Salida ("No Escape") on June 6, Místico, Dorada and Mr. Águila defeated Averno, Casas and Volador Jr., who worked a rúdo style and was caught cheating by the referee. On July 12, at the Promociones Gutiérrez 1st Anniversary Show, Místico partnered with El Oriental in a match where ten men from five pareja increibles teams put their mask on the line, with the losing team being forced to wrestle each other for their masks; they faced Atlantis and Olímpico, La Sombra and Histeria, El Alebrije and Volador Jr. and Averno and Guerrero. Místico and El Oriental were the losing team and fought in a one-on-one match, which Místico won to unmask him. At the CMLL 77th Anniversary Show on September 3, Místico was one of fourteen men putting their mask on the line in a steel cage Lucha de Apuestas, keeping it safe as the eleventh and second-to-last man to leave the cage. On January 23, 2011, during the second night of the Fantastica Mania 2011 tour, Místico defeated Averno in his final match of his first CMLL tenure.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2009–2011) Místico debuted for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) on January 4, 2009, at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome, where he, Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Averno, Gedo and Jado. After the match, he expressed his desire to return and challenge for Tiger Mask's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. On February 15, Místico successfully defended his CMLL World Welterweight Championship against Mephisto in Sumo Hall. He injured his knee during the match, but was back in action by the end of the week. He, Misterioso Jr. and Okumura were scheduled to tour with NJPW in early May, which was canceled due to the outbreak of the swine flu pandemic. On August 15, Místico defeated Tiger Mask to become the new champion. He successfully defended the title against Jushin Thunder Liger on September 29, but lost it back to Tiger Mask on November 8 at Destruction '09. In January 2011, Místico returned to Japan for the CMLL and NJPW co-promoted Fantastica Mania 2011 tour.
WWE (2011–2014) Feud with Sin Cara Negro (2011–2012)