Hijo del Vikingo primer: Cool moves and 5-star matches

Hijo del Vikingo!

When AEW announced an international dream match for Kenny Omega to wrestle Hijo del Vikingo on Wednesday night Dynamite, those in the know erupted in excitement. Those unaware may have asked who is this fellow named, “Hi Joe.” If you fall into the second party, then you have come to the right spot. Let’s break down the career of Hijo del Vikingo.

Hijo del Vikingo (Son of Viking) burst onto the scene by winning La Llave a la Gloria competition in 2017 to earn a contract with AAA. Vikingo’s creative high-flying skill was evident early in his career. The luchador worked his way up the ranks impressing along the way. 2019 was Vikingo’s breakout year winning the AAA World Trios Championship (with Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr.), Copa Antonio Peña, and Lucha Capital tournament.

Vikingo reached the mountaintop by winning the AAA Megacampeonato on December 4, 2021. He was victorious in a five-way contest besting Bandido, Bobby Fish, Jay Lethal, and Samuray del Sol (aka Kalisto). The champ has gone on to defend against John Morrison, Fenix, and Bandido. Vikingo was ranked #8 in the PWI 500 for 2022.

So, where does Kenny Omega fit in? Omega was the reigning mega champion knocking down challengers in AAA. He won the title from Fenix and proceeded to defend against Dragon Lee, Laredo Kid, and Andrade El Idolo (with Ric Flair). Omega was looking for contenders, and Vikingo’s star was rising. It seemed like the two would be on a collision course. On a personal level, Vikingo’s talent caught the eye of Omega as someone he wanted to wrestle. Unfortunately, Omega’s hectic schedule caught up to him as triple world champ in AAA, AEW, and Impact. Injuries took their toll, and Omega lost the Impact and AEW titles. One belt he didn’t lose was AAA. They stripped Omega of the gold, and that’s when Vikingo became champion. Not only are competitive juices flowing, but this is personal for both men to prove who is the true mega champion of AAA.

Enough of the background information. Time to get to the cool shit. Vikingo is a high-flyer of the highest magnitude. Every once in a while, a truly special talent will come along and inspire the next generation with amazing creativity. It was like that with wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio and Fenix. Vikingo is the latest luchador to carry that mantle.

Vikingo’s primary finisher is the inverted 450 splash. He also fancies the 630 senton and isn’t afraid to add sizzle, such as running down the ramp to hit the move.

Vikingo can also be a bit of a daredevil when given the right circumstances, such as leaping onto a post structure and climbing higher for a moonsault.

If those moves weren’t cool enough, then check out this next one. Vikingo keeps innovating his offensive arsenal, such as the Imploding Poison Dragonrana.

On the match quality scale, Vikingo has had three 5-star matches and five 4.75-star matches as rated by Dave Meltzer. That all happened in less than four years. Vikingo’s 5-star efforts are tagging with Laredo Kid against Fenix and Pentagon Jr. (watch), versus Fenix (watch), and versus Laredo Kid (watch). Honestly, just go to the AAA YouTube channel and pick any Vikingo match. It will probably have some cool moments.

That gives a taste of what Vikingo can do. Sit back and enjoy when Vikingo meets Omega in the ring Wednesday night on Dynamite.