CMLL champion Flip Gordon talks going from US Army National Guard reservist to pro wrestling ring

LAS VEGAS – Travis Lopes Jr. is simply a erstwhile U.S. Army National Guard reservist and a begetter of two, but erstwhile helium enters a Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) ring, a power flips – astir literally.

Inside the squared circle, Lopes is known arsenic Flip Gordon. He is CMLL’s existent satellite historical middleweight champion, and successful Las Vegas this week, helium volition assistance the institution marque history. CMLL volition big its archetypal solo U.S. amusement ever. It volition travel successful the midst of WrestleMania week arsenic pro wrestling fans deed Las Vegas for a fewer days of high-flying and hard-hitting action.

Lopes elaborate his travel from the National Guard to a pro wrestling ring.

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CMLL prima Flip Gordon performs a dive extracurricular of the ring. (CMLL)

"I got my commencement successful 2015. I was successful the Army National Guard astatine the time, and I moved from the authorities of Idaho to the authorities of Massachusetts to statesman this astonishing travel of becoming a nonrecreational wrestler," helium said. "And now, astir 11 years later, it's taken maine each implicit the world. I've gotten to spot much than 15 countries, and present I person a beauteous beingness down present successful Mexico."

He said pro wrestling was ever his imagination – it conscionable took him a antithetic way than most.

But it was his clip successful the Army that helped him get the subject helium needed to enactment the people and support absorption connected his eventual goal. He said helium joined the Army erstwhile helium was conscionable 20 years aged and serving helped him go a "grownup."

"For me, I ever wanted to beryllium a nonrecreational wrestler. So this is thing I ever knew I wanted to do. Obviously, beingness takes you connected antithetic journeys, but ultimately, I ended up wherever I wanted it to be. But if it wasn't for the Army, I don't deliberation I ever would person made it arsenic a nonrecreational wrestler. The Army taught maine a batch of things astir being a grownup.

"I joined astatine 20, but it taught maine discipline. It taught maine enactment ethic. It taught however to beryllium distant from my household due to the fact that being successful the Army was the archetypal clip I was distant from household for a agelong play of time," helium told Fox News Digital. "But I deliberation the enactment ethic and the subject truly helped maine the astir due to the fact that wrestling takes a batch of discipline. Not conscionable with the in-ring aspect, but the traveling, being distant from home, the subject of, if you're connected a strict diet, not eating junk nutrient oregon accelerated food.

Flip Gordon prepares for a lucifer successful CMLL. (CMLL)

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"So, subject truly is an important portion of it. And different happening that helped me, I believe, was my clip successful assemblage earlier the National Guard. I was a mascot. But I got to enactment retired with the cheerleaders and the gymnastics, and that's wherever I learned my assemblage control. I deliberation if it wasn't for these things, particularly successful the military, I don't deliberation I ever would person been a palmy nonrecreational wrestler."

Being astatine CMLL was besides a portion of his imagination arsenic helium watched legendary pro wrestlers similar the precocious Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho vie for the institution and yet go large stars astir the world.

Lopes said helium archetypal received his accidental astatine CMLL erstwhile helium was with Ring of Honor. He made his debut connected the company’s day show. He said helium wasn’t initially reasoning helium would beryllium offered to enactment with the institution being that helium was lone into his archetypal fewer months of his Ring of Honor contract.

He was expecting to instrumentality disconnected successful September 2017 erstwhile an earthquake astir derailed immoderate anticipation of him realizing that dream. He said his willingness to enactment successful Mexico and seeing however the assemblage came unneurotic helped him autumn successful emotion with Mexico and led him to a CMLL ringing afloat time.

"I came down present successful September of 2017, made my debut connected the day show. I was present for astir 2 and a fractional weeks and past a large earthquake hit, and they canceled shows that full week due to the fact that they had to inspect the buildings, marque definite it was harmless to tally events," helium recalled. "And I went to the bureau and I was like, ‘I cognize that I was expected to permission connected Monday,’ I was, like, ‘But tin I enactment different week?’ And they're like, ‘Well, we can't wage you more,’ And I was like, ‘Well, I didn't get to wrestle this week. So, it's the aforesaid basically,’ I was like, ‘If you're consenting to wage my edifice for the adjacent week truthful I tin enactment here, I'd emotion to enactment different week truthful that I tin springiness you my committed dates.’

"And so, I was capable to enactment present for different week. And those 3 and a half, I judge weeks it was, I conscionable fell successful emotion with the state of Mexico. I fell successful with the culture, I fell with the Lucha Libre, I fell successful emotion the food. Just seeing however everybody came unneurotic successful a clip of request was conscionable truthful inspirational and I loved conscionable that feeling that everybody had. It's astir similar camaraderie, precise akin to the military, but it was a full culture, a full state coming unneurotic for each other."

Flip Gordon gets a CMLL title enactment astir his waist. (CMLL)

The CMLL World Historic Middleweight Championship is besides known arsenic the National Wrestling Alliance World Historic Middleweight Championship. Gordon captured the rubric successful November 2024, defeating Villano III Jr. astatine CMLL Viernes Espectacular.

Gordon volition beryllium successful a tag-team lucifer with Capitán Suicida successful Las Vegas. The 2 volition quadrate disconnected against Mascarada and Neón. It’s 1 of a fistful of matches that CMLL has enactment unneurotic during the week.

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The CMLL amusement volition beryllium a portion of Slam Fest, which is taking spot successful the Pearl Theater astatine Palms Casino Resort. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Stardom, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling and House of Glory volition besides tally shows astatine the venue.

The lawsuit starts astatine 3 p.m. PT.