with the fans, especially the women in the audience, keeping him high in the AAA rankings. On September 9, 1996 Latin Lover won the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship by defeating Pimpinela Escarlata. On February 15, 1997 Latin Lover defeated Pierroth, Jr. to become a double champion as he won the AAA Campeón de Campeones Championship. On February 21, 1997 Latin Lover defeated Máscara Sagráda, Jr., Jerry Estrada and Killer to earn a spot in the finals of the 1997 Rey de Reyes tournament. Lover went on to defeat Heavy Metal, Héctor Garza and Octagón to win the tournament and become the 1997 Rey de Reyes (Spanish for "King of Kings") On May 12, 1997 Cibernético defeated him to win the Campeon de Campeones title. Three days later Latin Lover also lost the Mexican Light Heavyweight title after 252 days with the title. In late 1999 Latin Lover would win both the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship and regain the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, becoming a double champion once again. He only held the Light Heavyweight title for 105 days before losing it to Sangre Chicana on February 1, 2000. Due to nagging knee injuries Latin Lover's schedule in 2000 and 2001 slowed down to only select appearances. On May 5, 2002 – 929 days after winning the title Latin Lover finally lost the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship to Héctor Garza. On March 21, 2003, he received a match against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett but lost to him in Mexico City. The match came about as a result of a working relationship between AAA and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Latin Lover was chosen to represent AAA on the card. Non-wrestling career and retirement In 2005 Resendiz, officially billed as Latin Lover on the show, competed in and won the inaugural Bailando por un Sueño dance tournament with his partner Mariana Vallejo Isrrade. The win led to Latin Lover becoming a household name in Mexico, leading to more acting parts both on television and on stage. Resendiz appeared in the telenovela Velo de Novia ("The Bridal Veil") and on stage and TV as part of the Sólo para Mujeres ("For Women Only") dance/stripping group. During a stage performance Resendiz performed a dive off the stage and injured his knee, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee. On January 26, 2006 Resendiz announced that he had