Growing up, Balbuena was interested both in sports and music, so much so that by the age of 14 he was already part of a Salsa band and was hoping to make that his career.

[2] Following the match, Santo, one of the biggest stars of lucha libre, greeted Balbuena, who was so fascinated by the culture and respect shown backstage that he decided to become a full-time wrestler.

[2] In 1984 one of Balbuena and one of his students, Luis García Vergara, were trained as a team by Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, with the idea that they would work as a pair of masked Native American characters known as Pluma Blanca (white feather) and Pluma Amarilla (yellow feather).

Their most notable achievement, however, was a long running storyline feud with a team known as Los Mohicanos, a rivalry noted for the violent matches that included the use of various foreign objects and often left one or more of the participants covered in blood.

In EMLL Balbuena formed a group known as Rudos del Ritmo (bad guys with rhythm) alongside several CMLL wrestlers such as Ari Romero, Kung Fu, Búfalo Salvaje, América, Halcón Negro, Mario Prado and Estrellita.

[9] Starting in 2001 Balbuena, as Gran Apache, returned to Japan, working for Michinoku Pro off and on for several years both wrestling and training Japanese wrestlers.

[2] In AAA he reunited with his former Los Gran Apaches partner, with the two adopting the masked comedy gimmick Las Chivas Rayadas, two "wrestling soccer goats" inspired by the Club Deportivo Guadalajara mascot.

[2] In real life Balbuena's daughter Fabiola, now working as "Faby Apache", had married José Roberto Islas García, better known as professional wrestler Billy Boy.

[12] The storyline AAA presented depicted Gran Apache as the "overprotective father" who did not think that Billy Boy was good enough for her daughter.

[14] This turn of events was written into the storyline due to Gran Apache actually suffering a knee injury, and this was used as a way to explain why he was not able to wrestle.

The storyline later ended when Faby Apache defeated Billy Boy in a Steel Cage match at the 2009 Verano de Escándalo show.

[1] At Triplemanía XXIV Faby and Mari wrestled against Averno and Chessman in a match where Gran Apache served as the guest referee.

On April 21 Faby, teaming with Psycho Clown and Dr. Wagner Jr., lost the championship to El Poder del Norte (Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr. and Soul Rocker).