Gato Blanco

GATO BLANCO

Gender: Male
Age: 31
Height: 5'8”
Weight: 182 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Nationality: “The Lion City"
Alighnment: Tecnico (Face)
Entrance Music: “Does the Lion City Still Roar” by Less Than Jake
Role: Aviador/high-flyer

APPEARANCE


Well into a "Glasgow Street Fight Match.  Or possibly a Tijuana Street Fight.  Turns out a lot of those street fight situations are pretty much the same:"



Blanco's usual ring gear is rather simple, being red-and-black striped trunks, black boots with red kickpads, red knee pads, and white arm sleeves with the mask.


WRESTLING INFORMATION
Gato Blanco is a well-trained luchador, who has been reared from a young age to compete in the ring.  He is comfortable in high-flying, acrobatic situations, as well as tight, technical wrestling.  Gato moves quickly, with a keen focus on accuracy, relying on speed and technique over raw physical power.

SKILLS

Slams and Throws- Competent and accurate in this area, Blanco nonetheless has limitations in this area compared to larger wrestlers.  He can execute certain slams, holds and throws that rely on leverage and speed all day.  Still, he won't be throwing around some of the larger competitors out there, any time soon.

Technical Skill- A deft technical wrestler, Blanco is used to the kind of athletic counters that fans associate with the lucha libre style.  While larger opponents can often overpower and overwhelm him, Gato is more than used to twisting, flipping and jumping his way out of most predicaments.

Strikes- Gato Blanco's weakest  point, the young man simply doesn't want to hit people.  He's accurate with kicks and elbows, but usually doesn't put his full force behind them unless feeling particularly pushed.  Worth noting: Gato Blanco won't deliver a punch with a closed fist unless in extreme circumstance.  He considers it unsporting.

Submissions- As a thoroughly trained luchador, Gato Blanco is used to trying to lock in submission holds out of unexpected positions.  While not especially more damaging than the submission holds of other wrestlers, Gato's tend to be unexpected, and can draw surprising submissions out of his foes.

PREFERRED MATCH TYPES
Usually, Gato Blanco prefers matches with bizarre or even comical stipulations.  He's worked matches in the past that included a “lego death match,” a “Gato vs. Broom Iron Man Match,” and a “Front Row Fan Lumberjack Match.”  He'd love to work such matches again, but in AFW he's mostly focused on mixed tag matches that will allow him to help his partner, Holly Matheson.

FAVOURITE MOVES
Arm wringer, armbar, hurricanrana, springboard arm drag, legscissor takedown, irish whip, enzuigiri, shining wizard, roundhouse kick, backflip kick, springboard moonsault, suicide dive, plancha, tornillo, frog splash, schoolboy rollup, the tiger feint kick, the sunset flip, the corkscrew senton (springboard and standing).

SIGNATURE MOVE
The Catwalk- Named by Holly Matheson (to Blanco's chagrin), this moves starts with Blanco trapping an opponent with a wrist lock.  Then, Blanco will display his speed and balance by leaping onto the nearest top rope, walking across it, before jumping down and flipping his opponent down to the mat hard with a springboard arm drag.

FINISHING MOVES
The Cat Tree- A quick reversal, Gato pulls this move off when he is held by an opponent in a fireman's carry position.  When the opponent has him in this hold, Blanco suddenly hooks one of their arms with both legs, then grasps the other arm with his own, yanking both back in a debilitating armbar that utilizes the full weight of his body.

Cat's Eye Elbow- Starting out on the top rope, Gato takes position while his opponent is down on the mat.  Standing up to his full height, Gato launches himself into a high-angle corkscrew dive, ending with Gato righting himself and delivering a surprisingly accurate elbow drop to the chest of the opponent.


PERSONALITY AND BACKGROUND

The son of a legendary luchador (who was in turn the son of a legend), Gato Blanco seemed destined for greatness in the ring, himself.  Over the last few years, he has wrestled in arenas all over the world, ranging from Mexico to the United States, to Canada to the United Kingdom.  Along the way, he's developed numerous tricks and strategies to make him a well-rounded competitor, but he's chased surprisingly few titles and accolades.  In fact, for someone with his lineage, Gato Blanco seems to take little seriously, in the ring.  When things seem to get serious, the third-generation luchador cuts and runs; rarely gunning for titles, rarely sticking in promotions longer than a few months, the young Gato developed the nickname of “the wrestling stray.”

This changed, however, when Gato Blanco was wrestling in southern England.  Here, he met up with Holly Matheson, a young woman that convinced him to stick around the UK wrestling scene longer than he'd intended.  Starting out as his manager, she would even convince him to train her in wrestling herself, taking a vested interest in the development of her skills.  Over time, the couple would draw a great deal of fan support, much to Gato's surprise.

Eventually, Holly would encourage him to put that fan following to good use.  The pair began wrestling on behalf of various charity benefits, which would give Gato more purpose to his career.  Still, the flippant Gato realized that he shouldn't stand in Holly's way too much.  Taking on a mentor role to the up-and-comer, Gato devoted himself to being a trainer and corner-man for his gorgeous young partner.  However, he's far from ready to retire, and is still eager to jump into the ring when challenged.

Eventually, the couple would get about as far as the UK wrestling scene would take them.  Seeking new challenges and new means to develop both of their in-ring skill sets, the couple would eventually come to AFW.  The large Japanese promotion would prove perfect for the pair of them, giving them a larger platform for their charity work, and exposing them to world-class wrestlers that would push them well beyond their current boundaries!


QUIRKS AND FUN FACTS
- Gato Blanco's actual name is undisclosed to the public, as is tradition in Mexico.  However, Holly has a problem with accidentally calling him by his given name, a habit he's still trying to break her of.
- Friends with numerous performers and musicians in North America, Gato Blanco appears in numerous music videos.  He views these cameos as being in tradition with the film careers of popular luchadores from the 1960's to 1970's.
- While not a devoted to charity as his partner, Gato Blanco is still rather soft-hearted.  He's easy to talk into taking in strays, seeming to find numerous cats and dogs right off the street wherever he lives.
- Blanco's family still contacts him, mostly to chide him for not taking his wrestling career more seriously.  Many pictures are floating about online of family functions, where everyone is still wearing their traditional masks.

FRIENDS AND ALLIES:
- His tag team partner and girlfriend, Holly Matheson
- His father, Blanco Tigre, who is mostly retired.
- Jaguar Negra:  Blanco's first singles match in AFW became an exhibition of the best of the lucha libre style, as he took on young up-and-comer Jaguar Negra.  While Blanco came out on top, the Jaguar showed a great deal of promise.  Blanco ended the match with a great deal of respect for Jaguar Negra, and a vested interest in seeing where his career goes from here.
- Kozue Kubaragi:  After a tight-fought match, the luchador and the ninja made friends.  Impressed with Kozue's high-risk, high-speed style, as well as her willingness to never back down, the two of them turned in a great, fan-pleasing match up.

ENEMIES:
- His old opponents from Mexico, including Pagliacci Terrible, El Jefe Grande, Diva de los Muertos, and Werner Herzog.
- Eagle Miyasaka: Blanco suffered his first AFW loss at Eagle's hands.  Those, and the hands of her entourage.  With both himself and Holly suffering humiliation and a bit of molestation at Eagle's hands, Blanco has an eye on eventual revenge ...
- Shay Midori and Fang Xingyu:  Eagle's allies, who subjected Holly to some rather degrading bullying during their match.  Eventually, Blanco hopes to meet them in the ring properly, and pay them back for their disrespect.


AFW RECORD
Matches- 5
Wins- 4/ Losses- 1


Blanco & Holly d. The Akamatsus:  In their debut match, Blanco and Holly find themselves against local favorites, Kyo & Makie Akamatsu.  Both teams give it their all, and eventually the match degenerates into chaos.  Still, after a couple of saves, Holly is able to catch Kyo in the Rana Vivaz, and manages to pick up a surprise win for her team!

 Gato Blanco w/ Holly Matheson d. Jaguar Negra:  His first singles match in Japan, Blanco goes up against a fellow luchador, Jaguar Negra.  The younger man puts on a hell of a fight, making Blanco dig deep into his bag of tricks to put on a thrilling exhibition of lucha libre for the Japanese fans.  In the end, Blanco gets the win, and leaves the ring with a deep respect for his opponent, and a hard-earned respect from the fans.

Gato Blanco w/ Holly Matheson d. Kozue Kubaragi:  Blanco's next match sees him facing off against a fellow high-flyer, established AFW competitor Kozue Kaburagi.  The match ends up being a close affair, but Blanco is able to pull off the win, a last-second reversal proving to be the difference maker.

Eagle Miyasaka w/ Fang & Shay d. Gato Blanco w/ Holly Matheson:  A tight and vicious match goes horribly out of control, as Fang and Shay end up destroying and humiliating Holly at ringside.  The distraction proved too much for Blanco to compensate for, making the luchador easy pickings for Eagle to have her way with.  Blanco and Holly are both left beaten in the ring, vowing to get their revenge on the group.

Gato Blanco & Holly Matheson d. Fang & Shay: In tag team action, Holly and Gato Blanco manage to avenge their humiliation at Fang and Shay's hands, with a decisive victory of their own!


KEY MOMENTS
A Day at the Mall:  Just getting settled in, Blanco and Holly have their first foray out into the public.  A chance run-in with some local legends leads to a unique opportunity for their upcoming debut ...
Kickass Starter:  Blanco and Holly introduce themselves to the AFW by engaging in a charity telethon, raising the stakes for their upcoming match for a good cause.