Joaquin Wilde has compared Legado Del Fantasma to the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
The group consists of Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, Santos Escobar, and Zelina Vega. They are currently part of the Latino World Order alongside Rey Mysterio and their latest recruit, Bad Bunny.
The faction is one of the most popular acts on SmackDown and just had a huge night in Puerto Rico as they saw off The Judgment Day during a Street Fight between Bad Bunny and Damian Priest.
Joaquin Wilde sees himself as the Dennis Rodman of WWE
On Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast, Wilde spoke about the beginnings of Legado Del Fantasma, admitting it took a while for them to get their chemistry right.
“Yeah, it took a little bit of time at the beginning. You know, you’re trying to find your footing, it was during the pandemic era too, so it was a little strange. There was no audience. It did take some time, it was a journey, for sure I’d say that.
Eventually, everything began falling into place, not least because the group think about wrestling in a similar way.
“Eventually, we did get some natural chemistry going, there was some natural chemistry that developed. We’re all kind of in similar places in our lives too, so I think that kind of helped.
“We all have similar goals and a similar mindset about wrestling and that helps because when you’re in a group, if there’s like one guy that’s not on the same page, it can affect the other ones.
“It’s great that all three of us think similarly about wrestling, we understand what the business is. We understand what we want from the group, what the goals of the group are. We know how to co-exist with each other and I’m just thankful for that, because it doesn’t always happen in groups.”
Wilde also compared the group to the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, casting himself in the role of the “bad boy”, Dennis Rodman.
“Yeah, the analogy that I’ve come up with for Legado Del Fantasma… we’re like the Chicago Bulls of the 90’s. Escobar is Micheal Jordan of course, Cruz is Scottie Pippen, and I’m the bad boy, I’m Dennis Rodman.”
Rodman rose to prominence as part of the ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons in the mid to late 1980’s before finding even more success alongside Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls a decade later. His defiance and eccentric appearance made him one of the most recognisable NBA stars in the world, while his personal life made him a tabloid sensation.
He is no stranger to the world of pro wrestling, having joined WCW in 1997. There, he made a series of appearances as part of the NWO and even competed in the ring, teaming with Hulk Hogan on several occasions.
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.