Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez (born November 14, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, currently performing under the ring name Samuray Del Sol. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Kalisto, as a member of both The Lucha Dragons (whom he won the NXT Tag Team Championship as a member, with Sin Cara) and Lucha House Party.
In 2006, Rodriguez made his professional wrestling debut on the Midwestern United States independent circuit, working under a mask and the ring name Samuray del Sol (Spanish for "Samurai of the Sun"). After establishing himself as one of the top high-flyers in the area, he began working for larger promotions in 2011 and was signed by Dragon Gate USA in 2012. The same year, he made his debut for Mexican promotion AAA, where, in November, he was repackaged as Octagón Jr., the storyline protégé of well-known luchador Octagón. He has also worked for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA-MS), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Evolve Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG).
In May 2013, he signed with WWE and was assigned to their developmental territory NXT, where he was renamed Kalisto. In September 2014, Kalisto won the NXT Tag Team Championship alongside Sin Cara, as a part of The Lucha Dragons. In February 2015, Kalisto was promoted to WWE's main roster, where he won the WWE United States Championship twice and the Cruiserweight Championship once. In early 2018, he formed a stable with fellow luchadors Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado, calling themselves Lucha House Party. He then separated from the group in late 2020, before being released from the company in April 2021.
Early life
Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez was born in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago on November 14, 1986. He is a second-generation Mexican-American. Though born in the United States, he spent his first years living in Mexico City. Rodriguez grew up a fan of Mexican professional wrestling, or lucha libre, especially workers like Tinieblas, whose mask and physique caught his attention, and Octagón, whose in-ring style impressed him. As a child, he bought both Tinieblas' and Octagón's replica masks. In the mid-1990s, when he was still in elementary school, his family moved back to Chicago but took regular trips to Mexico City. He started watching World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), becoming influenced by the likes of Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam, and Sabu. While attending Curie Metropolitan High School, Rodriguez also started watching independent promotions like Ring of Honor (ROH) as well as Japanese promotions. Growing up, he participated in a number of sports, including gymnastics, taekwondo, jujutsu, amateur wrestling, and American football.
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (2006–2013) In 2006, Rodriguez began training at Windy City Pro Wrestling's (WCPW) professional wrestling school in Chicago, where he was trained in not only American professional wrestling, but also lucha libre by a former AAA luchador. Rodriguez has later noted that his trainers were extremely strict on account of his youth, leading him to contemplate quitting the school. Rodriguez made his debut for WCPW after only three weeks of training. Combining his Mexican and Japanese influences, he adopted the ring name Samuray del Sol, choosing to use the spelling "Samuray" in order to differentiate himself from several other workers using the name Samurai. Much like his childhood idols, Rodriguez also began wrestling under a mask. During his first few years, Samuray began making a name for himself around the Midwestern United States independent circuit.