Harry Del Rios is a renowned American professional wrestler, best known for his captivating personas, including the enigmatic Spellbinder and the mystifying Phantasio, from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF),now known as WWE.
Del Rios' illustrious wrestling career spans multiple decades, with his first prominent role in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) from 1993 to 1995. Initially, he debuted as the Spellbinder, wrestling under this moniker for the first four matches before switching to his real name and eventually returning to the Spellbinder gimmick in March 1994.
Throughout his time in USWA, Del Rios consistently utilized the Spellbinder persona, with his last match taking place in October 1995. He continued to wrestle in various Memphis promotions, ultimately winning the NWA North American Tag Team Title with Brian Christopher in 1999 and the Power Pro Wrestling Heavyweight title in 2000.
In 1995, Del Rios made a single appearance in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF),portraying the babyface character "Phantasio", a magician wrestler. He wore a distinctive black and white mime mask, which he handed to a young fan sitting at ringside, revealing matching facepaint upon removal. Del Rios defeated Tony DeVito by employing his cunning magician skills, and later magically removed the boxers of referee Earl Hebner. Although he never again appeared on television, he did participate in a house show match against Rad Radford, emerging victorious.
In 2002, Del Rios competed on NWA:TNA's inaugural broadcast, wrestling as Del Rios, a character heavily influenced by Scott Steiner's "Big Poppa Pump" persona. However, he was not utilized by TNA following the initial broadcast.
In 2003, Del Rios made a short-lived comeback as Shock, teaming up with wrestler Awe ("British Storm" Ian Harrison) to primarily compete in Memphis Wrestling.
In a 2007 interview with WWE Magazine, Del Rios revealed that the Phantasio character was conceived as a fusion of the Ultimate Warrior and Legion of Doom gimmicks. He also hinted at a possible return of the Phantasio persona.
On June 2, 2012, Del Rios revived the Phantasio character at Pro Wrestling Syndicate, defeating Simon Dean in a winning effort at Rahway, NJ.
