Lucha Libre Star Mr. Niebla Has Died

Sad news on the day before Christmas eve as lucha libre star Mr. Niebla has died.

Per various sources, Niebla reportedly died due to complications from a bloodstream infection stemming from an elbow injury he suffered back in October. He was discharged from the hospital, but saw his health decline over the past few weeks. Nibela was readmitted to the hospital on Monday, where he died. He was only 46 years old.

Mr. Niebla (“Mr. Fog”) was a 30-year veteran of lucha libre who competed for CMLL for the majority of his career, excepting a brief run in AAA from 2007 until 2008. Niebla — competed under the hilarious moniker of “Batman” — earned the nickname El Caballero del Estilo Diferente, “the gentleman with a different style,” due to his focus on a funnier style of wrestling. That didn’t keep him from the top of the sport, however, as he held both the CMLL World Heavyweight and Tag Team Championships, in addition to two runs with the CMLL World Trios Championship.

Nibela also had a very public battle with alcoholism, and was involved in a variety of incidents in which he attempted to compete in the ring while in no shape to perform. The most notable incident was the Fantastica Mania tour of Japan in 2015 when he was found unconscious in a New Japan locker room, which got him fired from CMLL for a brief period. He also briefly lost his wrestling license in 2018 due to going into the ring intoxicated.

Our hearts go out to Mr. Niebla’s friends, family, and peers for this tragic loss.