Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda, better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican luchador. In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración and made appearances for various independent promotions but is not currently associated with one specific Mexican promotion. As Super Crazy, Islas gained American exposure by working for Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1998 and 2000 and for World Wrestling Entertainment between 2005 and 2008. He has also toured Japan on several occasions, working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Zero-One, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1988–2000)
Francisco Islas made his professional wrestling debut in February 1988, at just 14 years of age, after being trained by his older brother Rey Pantera. Islas took the ring name "Super Crazy". He initially worked as an enmascarado, or masked wrestler, but lost the mask just over a month after his debut when he lost a Luchas de Apuestas to El Seminarista in March 1988. From 1988 until 1995 Super Crazy was a mainstay on the Mexican independent circuit working for various promotions, including appearances for the Universal Wrestling Association in the year leading up to its closure. In the UWA Super Crazy won the UWA World Welterweight Championship on November 17, 1995, and held the title when the UWA closed in December 1995. After the UWA closed Super Crazy still used and defended the UWA title on various independent shows but once he signed with the AAA promotion in 1996 the title was not mentioned. In AAA he was given a new gimmick, a masked Rudo character called "Histeria". Together with Abismo Negro, Maniaco, Mosco de la Merced I and Mach-1 he comprised a wrestling group called Rudos de la Galaxia, a group that was involved in a storyline feud with a tecnico group called Los Cadetos del Espacio. In September 1997 Islas left AAA, giving the "Histeria" name and outfit to another AAA wrestler who had worked as "Quarterback" up until that time, he still wrestles as Histeria today.Islas resumed working as "Super Crazy" when he left AAA to join the newly created Promo Azteca. Super Crazy also continued his feud with Venum, who now worked as "Venum Black" after leaving AAA, a feud that culminated in a "mask vs. hair" Luchas de Apuesta that Super Crazy won, unmasking Venum Black. After leaving AAA Super Crazy began defending the UWA World Welterweight title, losing it to Kid Guzmán in 1997. Super Crazy regained the title on June 15, 1998, during a show in Japan and successfully defended the title until October 13, 2000, where he lost it to El Oriental.
World Wrestling Federation (1997, 1998-1999)
In the spring of 1997 Islas, as Histeria, made a couple of appearances for the World Wrestling Federation due to an AAA/WWF working agreement. Histeria worked mainly against Los Cadetos del Espacio, especially Venum in his appearances on RAW is WAR and Shotgun.In November 1997 Islas began working for WWF under the name "Super Loco", mainly on their Super Astros shows, his only "Main show" appearance was a loss to El Águila in the first round of the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship tournament.
In November 1998, Islas returned to the WWF for WWF Super Astros when the program debuted. Super Astros ended in May 1999 and Islas left the WWF.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1998-2001)
Early years (1998–2000)
Super Crazy was signed to a contract by Extreme Championship Wrestling owner Paul Heyman in 1998 after Heyman saw him work for the WWF and on the recommendation of Konnan who had worked for Heyman. Crazy defeated Antifaz del Nortre in his televised ECW debut on the December 31 episode of Hardcore TV. He was brought in to showcase cruiserweight action and was paired with other smaller wrestlers in a series of well-received matches for the next two years.His first major rivalry in the cruiserweight division came against Yoshihiro Tajiri as the duo competed against each other in a series of matches in the first half of 1999, where the duo exchanged wins on Hardcore TV, supercards and the Guilty as Charged and the Living Dangerously pay-per-view events. Crazy followed with participation in a series of matches with international cruiserweights as he racked up wins against fellow luchador Mosco de la Merced at CyberSlam, Japanese wrestler Taka Michinoku at Hardcore Heaven while losing to Italian Little Guido at Hostile City Showdown and defeating him at July's Heat Wave pay-per-view.
Crazy closed the year with two high-profile three-way dance matches, the first against Tajiri and Guido at Anarchy Rulz and the second against Tajiri and Jerry Lynn at November to Remember. In the end of the year, Crazy joined forces with rival Tajiri and defeated Jerry Lynn and Little Guido in a tag team match at Guilty as Charged on January 9, 2000.
World Television Champion and various feuds (2000–2001)
Super Crazy was booked to win a tournament in March for the World Television Championship after the title had been vacated by Rob Van Dam due to an injury. He defeated CW Anderson in the quarter-final round on March 4, Little Guido in the semi-final round and Rhino in the final round at the Living Dangerously pay-per-view, despite interference from The Network. Crazy made his first televised title defense against Rhino on the March 31 episode of ECW on TNN. He dropped the title to Yoshihiro Tajiri in a three-way dance, also involving Little Guido on the April 14 episode of ECW on TNN. After the title loss, Crazy faced Guido and Kid Kash in a three-way dance at CyberSlam, which Guido won.Super Crazy went on a hiatus for the next few months until pre-taped vignettes began airing on television in October, which hyped his return at the November to Remember pay-per-view. He was initially booked to face CW Anderson at the event but he was replaced by Kid Kash. Later in the night, he participated in a match for the World Tag Team Championship between the Unholy Alliance and Full Blooded Italians. Crazy substituted for Whipwreck after the latter got injured. FBI retained the titles. Crazy teamed with Unholy Alliance against Hot Commodity in a six-man tag team match on the November 19 episode of Hardcore TV. Crazy's team lost and the Unholy Alliance turned on him when Whipwreck helped Tajiri in defeating Crazy in a match. Crazy brought Kid Kash as his mystery partner against Unholy Alliance in a tag team match at Massacre on 34th Street on December 3, which Crazy's team lost. Crazy and Kash were pitted against Unholy Alliance and Full Blooded Italians in a three-way dance at ECW's final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged on January 7, 2001. Unholy Alliance won the match. Crazy performed at ECW's final show on January 13, where he lost to Tajiri. ECW folded down as it was bought by WWF due to the bankruptcy.
Independent circuit and Japan (2001–2005)
After ECW folded, Super Crazy wrestled for different promotions in the US, including the hardcore promotions Xtreme Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling, cementing his status as "the Extreme Luchador" or "the Insane Luchador". He also began working for Puerto Rico-based International Wrestling Association. At Ring of Honor's debut show, The Era of Honor Begins on February 23, 2002, Crazy defeated Eddie Guerrero to become the inaugural IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. He was defeated for the title on April 6 by Andy Anderson. Crazy regained the title on April 13 when Anderson forfeited it due to injury. Crazy lost the title once more on April 20, when he was defeated by Anarchy. Super Crazy also held the IWA Hardcore Championship on nine occasions between 2002 and 2005. He also held the IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in that time period. On February 24, 2001, Super Crazy defeated Pablo Marquez to win the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, which like the UWA Welterweight title was still used on the independent scene in Mexico and Puerto Rico. By the end of 2001 Super Crazy vacated the UWA Junior Heavyweight title. Super Crazy made a couple of special appearances for his old company AAA, teaming with El Alebrije and Randy to defeat Máscara Magligna, Pentagón and Monsther at the 2001 Verano de Escandalo. At the following year's Verano de Escandalo Super Crazy teamed with Mr. Águila, La Parka and Latin Lover to defeat Cibernético, Heavy Metal, Héctor Garza and Leatherface.He made four tours with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2002 and 2003. His first tour lasted from November to December 2002 and saw Super Crazy work mainly tag matches, teaming mainly with Koji Kanemoto and/or The Stampede Kid against a variety of opponents including Jushin Thunder Liger, El Samurai and Heat. His second tour took place in February 2003 and saw Super Crazy team up mainly with Curry Man and Tiger Mask. Super Crazy mainly faced Jushin Thunder Liger's CTU faction. The third tour took place in May 2003, this time Super Crazy often worked with other Luchadors touring NJPW at the time including Último Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Sangre Azteca. His fourth, and so far final, NJPW tour took place in October and November 2003, again Crazy mainly worked in tag team matches, siding with Koji Kanemoto or Tiger Mask against a variety of opponents. Super Crazy appeared on the March 5, 2003 edition of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's weekly PPV's as one of Konnan's luchador challengers, where he lost to Jerry Lynn. Between January and March 2005 Super Crazy worked for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, winning the ZERO-ONE/UPW/WORLD-1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship from Tatsuhito Takaiwa on December 18, 2004. Crazy lost the title to Ikuto Hidaka on April 14, 2005, at Zero-1's Outburst Revolution show.