Real Name - Alejandro Cruz Ortíz
Birthdate - 5/3/21
??? - León, Guanajuato, Mexico
Aliases - Jungla Cruz, Alejandro Cruz
Athletic background - Soccer, Cliffdiving
Teachers - Manuel "Toro" Miranda, Tony Camargo El Enfermero
Peak Years - `51-`58

Place in History - Black Shadow made a name for himself in the 1950s during lucha libre’s glory years. He grew up a lucha fan, but when he moved to Guadalajara, he had no intentions of pursuing the colorful sport. However, he found his way into the rings of Guadalajara and soon after into the rings of Monterrey. Here, he created an alliance with Blue Demon and quickly transformed his persona, his style and his marketability. Alejandro Cruz became "Sombra Negra" (“Black Shadow”) and earned the nickname "El Hombre de Goma" (“Rubber Man”) for his emphasis on acrobatic highflying. Black Shadow caught the imagination of fans and quickly earned a spot in Mexico City as Blue Demon’s partner. The team, known as the "Los Hermanos Shadow" (“The Shadow Brothers”), feuded with the top technicos in Mexico, El Santo and Gory Guerrero. Black Shadow eventually challenged El Santo to a mask-versus-mask match that became one of the most celebrated in lucha libre history. Although Black Shadow lost, the buzz surrounding the match made him a legend. His body was banged up, but Black Shadow battled Americans like Tony Bourne, Dory Dixon and Bobby Nichols in hair-versus-hair matches. By the end of the 1950s, Black Shadow was already past his prime and he struggled in many ways in the ring. Outside of the ring, Black Shadow ran a hotel, did some movies with other luchadors and did some work for the wrestling commission. He hung around and continued to be added to main events from time-to-time, but was finally prevented from renewing his license in 1981. Although his time on top was brief, Black Shadow is one of the greatest contributors to lucha libre. Highflying moves, mask-versus-mask matches and challenging Americans all existed before Black Shadow, but he popularized them all with his own panache that make him a true legend of pro-wrestling.