Bandido joins Ring of Honor; set to debut in 2019

Bandido is another hot independent prospect that has been added to the growing list of new talent to join Ring of Honor.

While people may argue about being “first” when it comes to liking a professional wrestler that’s having a breakthrough moment; there’s something special about the moment an athlete reaches another level of recognition. If everything plays out in a positive fashion, 2018 may be the year that we point to as the moment that Bandido became a star. News broke early Monday morning that the Mexican luchador has signed a contract to perform with Ring of Honor.

For many, the first exposure to Bandido came when he stepped into the ring at All In as a part of a six-man tag; joining Rey Mysterio and Rey Fenix in a losing effort to Kota Ibushi and The Young Bucks. Even though that match was extremely short on time and spots were cut; Bandido still shined with his dramatic display of aerial attacks. When that PPV showcase ended, he was one of the bigger stories as there was a lot of interest in what was next for him.

Before looking forward to where he may go, it’s also important to get an understanding of the career Bandido’s had to date. He’s perhaps most well known for his time in independent organizations such as Progress, Pro Wrestling Guerilla and Dragon Gate. He has often teamed with another promising high flyer in Flamita; and together they have held the Progress Tag Team titles. Bandido has found success and title reigns in other organizations such as Crash Lucha Libre, World Wrestling Association and AMLL. Also, Andrew Thompson of FightFul mentioned that Bandido appeared at a WWE tryout but turned down the offer to pursue other opportunities.

What is interesting about this new deal with ROH is that it’s continuing a trend of the organization picking up new talent to rebuild the coffers. As others move on due to contracts ending, the group has made an effort to not only bring in the likes of Bandido, but also competitors such as PCO and Brody King. Another aspect of this deal is due to ROH having a working relationship with New Japan, it creates the opportunity for Bandido to appear in an upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament where he would be paired with some of the top talent in the world.

At 23-years-old, Bandido is showing that he deserves all of the attention that he’s received in past months, and 2018 may be remembered as the kick off point to him taking the wrestling world by storm.