Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado (masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) in Mexico and various other independent promotions in Mexico and the United States. He is best known throughout the world as La Parka, especially from his many years in the American World Championship Wrestling promotion. He has worked for every major and multiple minor wrestling promotion in Mexico, as well as participating on multiple wrestling tours in Japan. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, having held the IWC World Heavyweight, IWC World Hardcore, and IWL World Heavyweight championships all once. He is also a two-time world tag team champion, having held the MLW World Tag Team Championship and the CMLL World Tag Team Championship each once.
Tapia was forced to change his ring name from "La Parka" to "L.A. Park" (short for La Auténtica Park; "The Original Park") in early 2003 when AAA owner Antonio Peña asserted his copyright claims to the La Parka character, barring Tapia from using the name as he promoted his own version of the gimmick with this new wrestler being known as La Parka.
In March 2010, L.A. Park returned to AAA and started a storyline with AAA's La Parka, pitting the original and the new La Parka against each other. At Triplemanía XVIII, Park defeated La Parka and earned the rights to once again be known as "La Parka". The result, however, was later thrown out.
Tapia's uncle changed his character to Super Parka after Tapia gained worldwide fame. Several of Tapia's other family members are or have been professional wrestlers, including his sons El Hijo de L.A. Park and L.A. Park Jr., brother El Hijo de Cien Caras, nephew Volador Jr., and great nephew Flyer, among others. L.A. Park's family is referred to in Mexico as La Familia Real.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1982–1992) Adolfo Tapia made his professional wrestling debut in 1982 at the age of 16, using his real name. Later on he would wrestle as the masked El Gringo in the Monclova, Coahuila region and as El Minero in Mexico City. Tapia lost his first Lucha de Apuesta, or bet match, to Climax II and was forced to take off the El Minero mask and reveal his real name, as per Lucha libre traditions. In 1988 he changed his ring character to El Asesino de Tepito ("The Assassin from Tepito"), a rudo (villain) character he used in 1988. He lost the Asesino de Tepito mask in an Apuesta match against Astro de Oro at some point in 1988. Following the mask loss Tapia adopted a character called Principe Island ("Island Prince"), a character he would use until 1992. As Principe Island he won the masks of wrestlers Gran Cóndor, Principe Judas, Guerrero Negra and Bestia Negra I. On November 21, 1987 he lost the Principe Island mask to El Hijo del Santo. Following his mask loss he started working as the masked Invasor del Norte I as well as still taking bookings as Principe Island. The double bookings came to an end on June 26, 1991 when Stuka unmasked the Invasor del Norte character, revealing that Tapia played both characters.