The wrestling world is mourning as independent wrestler Liger Rivera has passed away at the age of 37. This sad news was announced on Tuesday, October 22, by the Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF), where Rivera competed for years. During his time in the EWF, Rivera held both the American Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship twice. He also secured the EWF Tag Team Championship in 2008 alongside future WWE Superstar TJ Perkins.
Trained by Jesse Hernandez, Rivera primarily competed in the EWF but would also compete for other companies. From 2006 to 2012, Rivera competed in the NWA, where he worked with the likes of Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, and future NXT prospect Taylor Rust.
On X, WWE Monday Night Raw General Manager Adam Pearce shared his tribute to the late wrestler.
Rivera’s last match came in 2018, as he wrestled Fidel Bravo at a Hoodslam event in Oakland, California. A GoFundMe has been created to help with end-of-life expenses by former WWE Tough Enough contestant AJ Kirsch, who worked alongside Rivera in the California-based independent promotion Hoodslam Wrestling. With the promotion, Rivera competed under a mask under the name Bat Manuel.
We here at SEScoops would like to extend our condolences to those who knew Rivera at this sad time.