Mariano Fernandez

Mariano "Shadow" Fernandez, born January 20th, 1989, is an Argentinean professional wrestler, currently wrestling in the Classic Wrestling Federation, where he has won the CWF National Championship in his rookie year, only 2 months after joining the promotion. He is known for his martial arts moves, his polite manner and correct behavior, his thirst for justice, his respectful attitude towards anyone and his love for ancient Japanese culture.

He is also known as if not the tiniest, at least one of the tiniest champions in CWF history, standing 5'9 tall and weighing 176 pounds. Besides his wrestling career, he is studying in law school, to become a District Attorney in his homeland after retiring from wrestling.

Early life
Mariano was born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Roberto Oscar Fernandez and Monica Alejandra Cuzzocrea (the Cuzzocrea last name appears in his Argentine ID). He has a younger sibling, Luciano Fernandez. He is the only one in his family related to wrestling. Mariano had to deal with bullying and aggression at school in his early years (although he is known to say "it wasn't anything extremely dramatic"), which led him to learn martial arts, most precisely Tae-Kwon-Do and Judo. He is quoted to say "A month after I started martial arts, I was respected at school and defended other people from bullying". He was known to be a genius student, by peers and teachers. However, he didn't excel at sports other than martial arts and wrestling. He decided to become a wrestler when he was 10 years old. According to his own words, "my dad, brother and I used to watch wrestling back in the day, and although they enjoyed it, I was so passionate about it that I wanted to become a wrestler myself".

Before starting Junior high, at the age of 12, Mariano visited Japan by himself, a destination he always wanted to go to. "I have always been a big fan of anime and manga (Japanese comics and animation), and when I was little I remember reading about the Samurai and their philosophy of life, so ever since I was 4 I wanted to go to Japan. It was a dream of my life come true." While in Japan, Mariano became a black belt in Karate, Aikido and Kendo, becoming a Western Samurai. He also trained in Ninjutsu, something he says to be one of the accomplishments he is most proud of, hence his "Shadow" moniker. After his training in Japan was complete, Mariano travelled to the United States at the age of 15, where he graduated from the N.E.S. high school at the age of 17, becoming one of the students the school is proudest to ever have taken in. Mariano considers his high school years "the best period of my life so far".

Upon graduating from high school, Mariano started law school, while wrestling in independent federations throughout his homeland, but only as an amateur wrestler. His professional wrestling career started after applying for Mark Xamin's Classic Wrestling Federation, which accepted him as a member.

Classic Wrestling Federation (June 2009 - Present)
Mariano's CWF debut took place on June 6, 2009 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, having his first appearance in CWF Saturday Night Showdown, losing to Bob Osbourne, the son of CWF Hall of Famer "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne. The next edition of Showdown he was one of the five contestants in the 5-way Battle Royale match in which the Unified Title was reinstated, competing against Alex Ruettiger, Motion, Bob Osbourne, and the Raving Lunatic, who was crowned champion. Mariano was the first eliminated entrant, being thrown out of the match by Alex Ruettiger.

Feud with James Baker
His first Showdown victory was in the June 20th edition of Showdown, in Portland, OR, against "Da Xtreme Gangsta" James Baker. He would be the winner once again in Summer Smash 2009, in a three-way dance against Baker and the debuting Terry Richards.

By this time, he became immersed in a feud with Baker, who was stalking Mariano's love interest at the time, known as Nagase (Stephanie Jacobs). After the Showdown prior to Scars and Stripes, when "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne gained control of the CWF over Mark Xamin who as a final act made Osbourne lose the National Title against his henchman, the Maniac, Mariano defeated MMA fighter "Iceman" Tyler Thomas. At Scars and Stripes, Mariano was scheduled to compete against James Baker and Drastic, A.K.A Bryan Joseph Osbourne, in a three-way elimination match contested under hardcore rules for a shot at the Unified Title. Mariano managed to pin Baker, but he was brutally assaulted by Drastic and put through a table in front of a horrified Nagase, earning Drastic the win.

After Scars and Stripes, Mariano was scheduled to participate in a Battle Royale in Saturday Night Showdown for a match against CWF World Champion "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne, along with the likes of Magnus Thunder and T-Money. It was on the week before the Showdown match that Baker allegedly kidnapped Nagase. Mariano and Terry Richards were the last people to be eliminated simultaneously by Magnus Thunder. In the following week, Mariano negotiated Nagase's release with Baker, only to discover that it was all a double-cross on Nagase's behalf, who then left him.

Mentoring by Pledge Alligence, National Title reign
By this point, Mariano had gained compliments by multiple-time CWF World Champion and recently inducted Hall of Famer Pledge Alligence, who was at ringside during the Battle Royale. Pledge Alligence, named CWF Interim President of Wrestling Operations, sided with Mariano in a tag team match against Terry Richards and then CWF National Champion Maniac, in the August 8th edition of Saturday Night Showdown. Mariano got the pin over Maniac for the win, after Terry Richards walked out of the match after assaulting color commentator "Beautiful" Bobby Crane. After the match, the Maniac, humiliated by Mariano's victory over him, confronted Mariano backstage, challenging Mariano to a title match, then hit him with his finisher move, the Headhunter.

On August 15th, Mariano faced the Maniac for the National Title, in a match with Pledge Alligence as Special referee. Before the match, "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne announced the loser would leave the CWF, a move intended against the Maniac for putting Bob Osbourne out of commission by attacking him and having his face burnt with stage pyrotechnics. Mariano did the unthinkable and pinned Maniac after climbing Pledge Alligence's back and executing a Shooting Star Press off his shoulders, thus becoming the new CWF National Champion and driving the Maniac out of the CWF. Mariano sided once again with Pledge Alligence in the August 23rd edition of Saturday Night Showdown, being scheduled in a match against Magnus Thunder and T-Money, with CWF World Champion "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne as special referee. However, this was not to be, as Magnus Thunder and T-Money were sent to Hawaii by Mark Xamin, who returned to the CWF accompanied by the Shock Value stable, consisting of Brian Adams and Keith Daniels. It was then that Pledge Alligence turned on Rob Osbourne and hit him with the World Title belt in front of a surprised Mariano.

After Showdown, Mariano was scheduled to defend his National Title against Terry Richards, who by this time had become a ruthless serial killer. Richards stabbed Mariano's best friend, 17-year-old Paul Villanueva, putting his life at stake. Mariano, enraged, travelled to Manhattan, New York City, New York, to find Richards and pass justice upon him for the attack on Paul. Mariano sent a message to Richards by throwing a ninja grenade to his apartment door, accidentally burning down the whole building (Mariano didn't find out the consequences of his act until later, and expressed deep regret). Then, Mariano met Richards' long lost Japanese adoptive sister, Hikari, whose brother he helped find. There was a brief confrontation afterwards, ending in a stalemate. Mariano's match took place in CWF Pay-Per-View Global Warning on August 29th 2009 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, in which Mariano retained the CWF National Championship. After the match, Mariano pulled out a sword and motioned to execute Richards, but then it was revealed to be only a lesson that he wanted to teach him. Mariano's sword was a 'Sakabatô (Inverted edge Katana)', unable to kill.

The Showdown next to Global Warning, Mariano teamed up with his former rival to face Sickboy (Curtis Wilkes) and the new Unified Champion, Axel Way.

Mariano and Richards lost the match after Richards was pinned by Sickboy, after a confrontation between themselves. Mariano brawled with Sickboy after he left the ring while Richards decimated Axel Way with a steel chair. Mariano was scheduled to team up once again with Pledge Alligence, to face "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne and CWF legend "Radiant" Roland Ulv. Having turned heel, Pledge Alligence shrugged off Mariano as a tag team partner, saying that "Mariano as the CWF National Champion is a testament to how thin our roster is right now. The fact that someone hasn't taken that belt from him by now quite honestly amazes me.". The match took place on September 19th, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. As Mariano had Roland Ulv on the mat after a kick, Terry Richards made a run-in with a steel chair, while Rob and Pledge Alligence were brawling. Mariano prepared to stop Richards, but he slided the chair to Roland Ulv, who hit Mariano in the back with it, then ducked for a crotch shot. The legendary stable, the Horsemen, was reunited, with Terry Richards siding with Osbourne and Ulv. As they got the win over Mariano's prone body, Magnus Thunder made an entrance and attacked the Horsemen.

Mariano was pitted against Sickboy at the Fall Fever Pay-Per-View, to be held on September 26th, from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was then that he was finally defeated for the National title, after Sickboy rolled him with a handful of tights despite a well fought match. Later that night, Sickboy joined the Horsemen, now all of them having got the better of Mariano. It was also revealed that the Pledge Alligence that dismissed Mariano was a doppelganger, and the real Pledge was abducted at Rob Osbourne's command.

Battles with the Horsemen and Magnus Thunder
The October 3rd edition of Saturday Night Showdown, held at the Igloo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, saw Mariano face Magnus Thunder, who had turned heel after being the biggest face throughout CWF history; the tiniest wrestler in the history of the CWF against the biggest wrestler in the history of the CWF. Magnus Thunder brutalized Mariano throughout the whole match, but somehow Mariano kept kicking out of everything Magnus hit on him. The match ended in a draw due to time limit. After the outcome of the match was announced, Magnus Thunder became enraged and chokeslammed an already weak Mariano. Magnus attempted to strike Mariano with his trademark hammer Stormbringer, but Pledge Alligence saved him at the last minute. Some moments later, Magnus Thunder viciously attacked the CWF roster, even chokeslamming CWF owner Mark Xamin. Mariano arrived in the scene and wrenched Stormbringer away from Magnus, then returned Pledge's favor to him by hitting "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne when he was about to sink Pledge's face in a McDonalds' deep fryer, in a Pledge Alligence/"Chemical X" Gary Scarletti versus Rob Osbourne/Sickboy match. Mariano tried to defend Pledge and Chemical X once again after the Horsemen ("Nitemare" Rob Osbourne, "Radiant" Roland Ulv, Sickboy and Terry Richards) ganged up on Pledge and Scarletti, but had to escape Magnus Thunder, who laid out everyone but Mariano. Mariano held Stormbringer in the air from the stage entrance as Magnus Thunder looked furiously in the ring.

Mariano faced "Radiant" Roland Ulv next Showdown, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. He came up short for the win after a distraction by Magnus Thunder. He was attacked by the returning Bob Osbourne after the match, revealing Bob had joined the Horsemen.

Mariano was teamed up with Paul Blair to take on "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne and his son Bob in a tag team match at October 17th at the George M. Sullivan center in Anchorage, Alaska. He was pinned after a chair shot and a Badd Dream by Bob Osbourne. The next edition of Showdown saw the new Revelation stable formed by Pledge Alligence, made out of Mariano, Paul Blair, Chemical X, square off against the Osbournes and Sickboy. Paul Blair was pinned to score another Horsemen win. After the match, Mariano attacked the Horsemen leader, "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne. He faced Osbourne one-on-one in the Night of Champions III: Halloween Extreme network special on October 31st, at the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina, in a Last Man Standing match, but despite coming close to the victory, it slipped off once again after Osbourne managed to stand up at the last second to get the win.

Mariano faced newly crowned CWF World Champion Magnus Thunder once again at Saturday Night Showdown, which as the beginning of the CWF World Tour, was this time held in his homeland of Buenos Aires at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, the home stadium of River Plate, at November 7th, 2009, with the stipulation that if he won, he would get a World Title opportunity at the federation's next Pay-Per-View, Battle to Survive. Mariano won the match via knock-out after interference by Magnus Thunder's long time rival, Blood, thus getting his shot at the CWF World Title.

Mariano faced Blood in the November 14th edition of Showdown, held in the 02 Stadium in London, England. He defeated Blood after uncalled for interference by Magnus Thunder, in retaliation for the previous attack in Buenos Aires.

A grudge tag team match was made after this, with Mariano siding with his title rival against Blood and "Radiant" Roland Ulv, to happen in the Globen Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 21st. Under a hostile crowd, believing mistakenly that Mariano had poisoned "Radiant" Roland Ulv for his stomach disease in Buenos Aires, Mariano was pinned by "Radiant" Roland Ulv after being locked in Blood's signature submission hold, Blood Loss.

As a result of his hometown victory, Mariano will face Magnus Thunder for the CWF World Heavyweight Title at Battle to Survive, to be held from the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia, on November 28th, 2009.

Personal life
Mariano currently resides in Miami, Florida. He is usually seen in the Little Argentina neighborhood, being a local patron at the "Old Line" bar on the Sunset Boulevard, and often visiting the high school from which he graduated, and the Hagakure Japanese Garden. Mariano is a hardcore Otaku (Anime/Manga comics fan), his favorite series being Dragon Ball, Evangelion, Saint Seiya, Pokèmon and Macross, and even being an amateur cartoonist himself, although he flat-out admits that "my drawings still need a lot of work". He collects comics, having completed the Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya original series, and following Evangelion, issued simultaneously with Japan. He also has a large collection of Argentinean comics such as "Mafalda". He attends several Anime conventions, and has been seen cosplaying various anime/videogame characters, such as Ash Ketchum from Pokèmon, K' and Kyo Kusanagi from ''The King of Fighters. ''

He is also a huge gamer, claming that "It was videogames what made me interested in martial arts at the age of 5." His favorite genre is Versus Fighting, and his favorite titles are Street Fighter, The King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, Rival Schools, Virtua Fighter, Last Bronx: Tokyo Bangaichi and Tekken, and also spinoffs of these series such as Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and the Marvel crossover games (''Marvel vs. Capcom, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Capcom vs. SNK, SvC Chaos). He also likes the Dragon Ball Budokai ''series, and the M.U.G.E.N. 2D fighting engine for Windows.

He is a big fan of metal, his favorite bands are Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Judas Priest. He also likes Anime themes, his favorites being the openings to Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya.

Although he is no musician, he can play the guitar. He owns a Fender Stratocaster.

Mariano is in a romantic relationship with renowned cosplaying personality, N.E.S. student Rei Ayanami (real name not published on request). Rei is a talented manga artist as well, and is a mainstay in the anime scene, having made appearances in several magazines.

His views on CWF competitors


Mariano has given numerous interviews for the CWF Magazine, talking about fellow wrestlers. Among the CWF roster, besides his respect for Pledge Alligence, Mariano has reached an understanding with James Baker after their feud, and they respect each other as allies. He has given his views on Baker's wife Danielle Lopez joining the CWF to the promotion's magazine after reading her interview: "What I said for James Baker obviously applies for his wife. Any time any or both of you need a hand, don't be afraid to ask. I'm looking forward to see what she can do in the ring. If she's trained by her husband, she will surely be tough." He has also been reported to say: "There are two people that I would really be interested in facing, but never had the opportunity to. The first one is "The Ruler" Paul Blair. I haven't been able to face him, whereas James (Baker) and Terry (Richards) have.There were rumors after my debut of a 4-way match involving him, but unfortunately that match was scrapped instead of the Unified Title Battle Royale. I'd really like to have a match with "The Karate Priest". And the other person I've never had the opportunity of facing is Kyle Sync. That guy really needs a lesson in respect. He's arrogant and he has never won a single match in the CWF, and only shows up to get his butt kicked. I would really love to put him in his place."

Geese Howard controversy
On October 18th 2009, Mariano's house was attacked by henchmen from the N.E.S.T.S. cartel, and Rei was kidnapped. As a result, Mariano set out with the help of Chemical X to save her. It was revealed that Rei was the daughter of famous billionaire Geese Howard, then found to be the boss of N.E.S.T.S. and the mastermind behind Rei's abduction. It turned out than Rei was planned to be used as a test subject for a bio-weapon experiment. Mariano assaulted Geese Howard's tower and after a confrontation between Chemical X's troops, aided by the FBI, and N.E.S.T.S. forces, Mariano fought Geese at the top floor of the tower. Geese was killed afterwards, and although his death was ruled suicide (he let go of a ledge falling to his death after Mariano kicked him out of the window), Mariano still feels responsible for it.

In Wrestling
Entrance Theme:

"The Biggest Fight" by Hironobu Kageyama (His first theme, also the opening theme for the Dragon Ball: Final Bout Playstation videogame)

"Strike of the Ninja" by DragonForce (His current one)

Entrance Description: ''As his entrance theme hits, the stage goes black and a single blue spotlight comes on on him, who is looking down on the floor, his right fist against his left palm. After the intro finishes, he looks up and races to the ring, sliding under it on his stomach, then striking a martial arts stance after a roll. He then bows down towards the crowd and his opponent.''

Nicknames: Signature Weapons:
 * "Shadow"
 * "Mexican Jumping Bean" (Bestowed by James Baker, continues to be used by Bobby Crane)
 * "Mr. Nice Guy" (Bestowed by "Sickboy" Curtis Wilkes)
 * "Overly humble" (Bestowed by "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne)
 * "Pikachu" (Sickboy, Bob Osbourne)
 * "CWF's Jigglypuff" (Terry Richards)
 * "Marianoboy" ("Radiant" Roland Ulv, "Nitemare" Rob Osbourne, Bob Osbourne, Terry Richards)
 * Steel Chair (Although it isn't likely of him to use foreign objects)
 * Shinai (Bamboo Kendo stick, which he named "Ansetsuken")
 * Sakabatô (Inverted edge Katana) (Samurai Sword, which he named "Kusanagi")

Movelist

 * Yakuza Kick (Default finisher)
 * Tombstone Piledriver (Finisher, to opponents his same size)
 * Shoryuu - Ken (Jumping uppercut)
 * Hadou - Ken (Double palm strike)
 * Arm wrench with hook kick
 * Dragon Screw
 * Suicide Dive
 * Canadian Destroyer
 * Savate kick
 * Rolling Koppu Kick
 * Reverse Russian Leg Sweep
 * DDT
 * Piledriver
 * Hip Toss
 * Cross Body Block
 * Rolling Thunder
 * Genkidama ("Spirit Bomb") (Shooting Star Press, off the top rope finisher)
 * Monkey flip (Catapult)
 * Spinning Heel Kick
 * Just Facelock
 * Snap Suplex
 * Kimura Lock
 * Dragon Sleeper
 * Enzuigiri
 * Dropkick
 * Missile Dropkick (Off the top rope)
 * Walk on the Rope
 * White Russian Leg Sweep (with Kendo Stick)
 * Van Dominator (with steel chair)

Taunts

 * Zen sign (right fist against left palm)
 * Numerous martial arts gestures
 * Looking away, his arms folded on his chest (Taken from Ryu from Street Fighter)
 * "Ore no... Kachi da!" ("Victory is mine!" Lifts his right fist in the air saying these words - Taken from Kyo Kusanagi from The King Of Fighters)

Championships and Accomplishments
Classic Wrestling Federation National Champion - 1 time (August 15th - September 26th)