José Gabriel Zentella Damián, best known by the pseudonyms Pasión Kristal or Pasión Crystal (9 January 1976 – 2 June 2021),[1][3] was a Mexican wrestler.

Pasión Kristal
Birth nameJosé Gabriel Zentella Damián
Born(1976-01-09)9 January 1976[1]
Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico[1][2]
Died2 June 2021(2021-06-02) (aged 45)[1][2]
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico[1]
Cause of deathDrowning[3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Némesis 2000[1]
Orquídea Salem[1]
Pasión Kristal[1]
Pasión Crystal
Billed height175 cm (69 in)[2]
Billed weight78 kg (172 lb)[2]
Trained byEl Torbellino[2]
Rayo Vengador[2]
Debut3 May 1994[2]

Biography

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Kristal was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco. He appeared as an exótico, a form of drag queen, and made his wrestling debut in 1994. Kristal wrestled in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (now Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide), Mexico's largest association, between 2008 and 2013, and for a short time in 2019. Throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, Kristal was a big name in the Mexican independent wrestling scene. Along with Diva Salvaje and Jessy Ventura, he formed the trio Las Shotas which achieved great success in Grupo Internacional Revolución (IWRG), the third-largest wrestling federation in Mexico.[2]

On 2 June 2021, Kristal disappeared after visiting a beach in Acapulco, Guerrero, before attending a wrestling event in the city that night. Kristal was swept away by a wave while on the beach with Salvaje and Ventura, and it was suspected that he drowned in the area.[4] A day later, at about 9:00 AM, he was found dead on the beach. He was aged 45.[1][3][5]

Personal life

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Zentella's father abandoned his family when Kristal was 8 years old. Zentella knew that he was gay from the age of 12. He experienced prejudice from his family and the wrestling industry.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Quién era Pasión Kristal, el luchador exótico profesional que habría muerto en Acapulco" [Who was Pasión Kristal, the exotic professional wrestler who may have died in Acapulco?]. Infobae (in Spanish). 2 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Pasion Crystal". www.cagematch.net. Philip Kreikenbohm. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Editorial (3 June 2021). "Hallan el cuerpo de un luchador ahogado en Acapulco" [Body of a drowned fighter found in Acapulco]. El Sur (in Spanish). Acapulco. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  4. ^ López, Marco (2 June 2021). "Luto en la lucha libre tabasqueña; muere Pasión Kristal" [Mourning in Tabasco wrestling; Pasión Kristal dies]. El Heraldo de Tabasco (in Spanish). Tabasco, Mexico. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Comunicado: Lucha Libre Acapulco" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.