Los Fantásticos (Kung Fu, Kato Kung Lee, Black Man)
Kung Fu
Kato Kung Lee
Black Man
Place in History - Los Fantásticos are one of the legendary trios in lucha libre history. They were an
exciting grouping who used highflying spots, martial arts and some comedy to bring in the crowds. The three of them have
very different backgrounds, played different roles in the group and had differing levels of success after going their
separate ways. Although the two other members broke in earlier, it was the success of Kung Fu and his persona that led to
the formation of the team. At this time, the UWA was pushing the envelope in terms of utilizing lighter weight stars and
pushing wrestlers based on talent. After many excellent undercarders had left La Empressa, a new crop soon developed and
they were born out of competition as well as necessity. Kung Fu was one such character. In his early years, he had had
several lucky breaks, feuding with Villano III in two separate programs being one and debuting his Kung Fu gimmick in a tag
match with El Santo against Ray Mendoza and Ángel Blanco. The character quickly caught on, but his talents were limited
and he was often paired with excellent workers, most notably his welterweight rival Fishman. Then he was paired with a
more talented partner with the same martial artist persona, Kato Kung Lee, in 1977 and things began clicking. They were a
hot tag team. The martial arts had really caught fire with the popularity of Bruce Lee and it became more targeted toward
youth as time passed. Exciting wrestlers using martial arts kicks and chops and dressing like ninjas was something any
youngster would love. In spite of their success, trios was really the ideal dynamic in Mexico and finding another talented
member could be big money at the box office. At first they formed "El Triangulo Oriental" with a young Satoru Sayama.
Then they jumped to the UWA. It was here that Kung Fu and Kato Kung Lee found their best partner in Black Man. He was one
of the best highflying workers in Mexico and after getting over big in a partnership/rivalry with El Matemático, Black Man
was a proven commodity. He complimented Kung Fu and Kato Kung Lee beautifully and the became known as "Los Tres
Fantásticos" and were a significant drawing card in El Toreo when it was the leading building in Mexico. They had a strong
run in the mid-1980s that included a UWA Trios titles reign and a return to EMLL when the two companies began exchanging
talent. At this time, Los Fantásticos were approaching their forties and passing their peaks as performers, so in 1986
they went their separate ways. Kung Fu stayed with La Empressa, Kato Kung Lee focused on Tijuana and Black Man kept on
with the UWA. Over the years, the original members of Los Fantásticos formed newer versions, but none were particularly
successful. This was largely because being masked ninja-like characters was essential to the trios' mystique and within
a year of splitting Black Man and Kato Kung Lee lost their hoods to Blue Panther and El Hijo Del Santo respectively. Their
reunions never worked either and throughout the 1990s, the former Fantásticos were struggling. The biggest star Kung Fu
lost his mask to Atlantis and with his limitations from age became a weapon-wielding rudo and often feuded with Kato Kung
Lee. Black Man repackaged himself for a stint, then toured Japan as Black Man again for one last run before retiring.
Kung Fu and Kato Kung Lee broke their sons into the sport and enjoyed some revitalized recognition before Kung Fu died
from a sudden heart attack. Los Fantásticos may have only had a brief life, but they had a significant impact on lucha
libre and influence over stars to come. Their usage of ninja-inspired outfits, martial arts and the aura surrounding it
all was groundbreaking and impacted the careers of notables such as Octogon, Tiger Mask and Mach Hayato.
Real Name - Raymundo Cuesta Veloz
Lifespan - 1/20/51 - 1/3/01
??? - Mexico City, Mexico
Aliases - Ray Acosta, El Estudiante
Athletic background - n/a
Teachers - El Duque, Rafael Salamanca
Real Names - Johnny Lezcano Smith
Birthdate - 12/9/46
5'6" 200 lbs. - Chiriquí, Panamá
Aliases - El Valiente, Rayo de Oro, Johnny Lezcano
Athletic background - n/a
Teachers - Chamaco Castro
Real Name - Álvaro Meléndez Tibanez
Birthdate - 2/19/49
5'6" 189 lbs. - Guadalajara, Jalisco
Aliases - La Gacela, Spiderman, Celestia
Athletic background - n/a
Teachers - Diablo Velazco