Ruíz initially worked for (CMLL) as Rencor Latino in 1995, but did not achieve any significant success until he adopted the ring name Averno in June 2001.
For many years Averno's real name was not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans.
He won his first Lucha de Apuestas, or "bet match", 1998 unmasking Apolo Chino by defeating him after a midcard feud.
[9][10] He continued wrestling in the midcard until he was recruited by El Satánico in the summer of 2001 to be part of a new Los Infernales ("The Infernal Ones") group.
The storyline between the two factions reaches its high point at the CMLL 68th Anniversary Show where all seven wrestlers faced off in a steel cage match.
[12] In 2002, Los Infernales won the Mexican National Trios Championship in Guadalajara, Jalisco and began feuding with La Familia de Tijuana (Nicho el Millonario, Halloween, and Damián 666).
[13] Over the summer of 2003 Los Infernales won a tournament to become the number one contenders for the CMLL World Trios Championship but lost champions Black Tiger III, Dr. Wagner Jr., and Universo 2000 on August 1.
[16] Two months later Averno and Mephisto defeated Atlantis and Blue Panther to win the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.
This led to a trios match with Averno, Último Guerrero and Rey Bucanero defeating Nakamura, Tanahashi, and Shigeo Okumura in one of the featured bouts on the CMLL 72nd Anniversary Show.
[17][18] In early 2006 Averno and Mephisto were the catalyst for one of CMLL's big storylines as they defended their titles against Místico and Black Warrior twice.
The duo became three-time tag team champions by the end of the year as Averno and Mephisto defeated Místico and Garza on December 7, 2008.
[25] Averno was one of 14 men putting their masks on the line in a Lucha de Apuestas steel cage match, the main event of the CMLL 77th Anniversary Show.
[35] Averno was forced to team up with constant rival La Mascara, for the 2013 Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles, just like he was for the 2012 tournament.
The team worked together without too many problems in the first round as they defeated the team of El Hijo de Fantasma and El Felino, but stumbled in the second round as they lost to eventual tournament winners La Sombra and Volador Jr.[36][37] On April 26, 2013, at the Arena Mexico 57th Anniversary Show Averno defeated Místico La Nueva Era to win the vacant Mexican National Welterweight Championship.
[43] Later during the same show Volador Jr. won an Ultimate X match, earning enough points for Team Mexico to win the entire tournament, becoming the 2008 World X Cup holders.
[51] On January 22 at Guerra de Titanes, Averno and Chessman won the vacant AAA World Tag Team Championship.
[52] Los Hell Brothers subsequently made several successful title defenses and began bragging about how there were no challengers left for them to deal with, that "no man" could defeat them.
During the July 8 AAA Television taping Averno and Chessman dressed up as a pair of frumpy women as they mocked Los Apaches.