Luchawiki - User contributions [en]

Black Shadow

2019-12-02T18:17:44Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==

{{bioFields||image=Blackshadow.jpg
|name=Black Shadow
|realName=Alejandro Cruz Ortíz
|nicknames=El Príncipe Negro (Black Prince), El Hombre de Goma (The man made out of rubber/The Elastic man)
|nameHistory=Jungla Cruz (debut - 05/47), Alejandro Cruz, Black Shadow (05/47 - retirement)
|family=none
|maestro=[[Manuel "Toro" Miranda]], [[Tony Camargo]] [[El Enfermero]]
|birthdate=[[May 3]], [[1921]] - [[León]], [[Guanajuato]]
|obituarydate=[[March 8]], [[2007]] - [[Mexico City]]
|debut=[[June 21]], [[1942]] - [[Guadalajara]], [[Jalisco]]
|lostmaskto=[[El Santo]] - [[November 7]], [[1952]] - [[Arena Coliseo]]
|height=5'3"/161
|weight=158lbs/72
|signatureMoves=[[Tope Suicida]], [[Tope en Reversa]], Slingshot tope, [[La Shadina]], [[La Alejandria]]
|titles=[[National Lightweight Title]], [[Mexican National Tag Team Championship]] (w/ [[Blue Demon]])
|}}{{WONHOF}}

== Biography ==

Alejandro Cruz was born in the city of [[León]], [[Guanajuato]]. He grew up idolizing the likes of [[Chino Achiu]], [[Henry Pilusso]] and [[Murciélago Velázquez]], and while he was a lucha enthusiast, his initial ambitions were to seek a career as a professional musician. He moved to [[Guadalajara]] to purse those dreams but he eventually gave up and abandoned them for lucha libre. Before becoming a luchador, he worked as a shoemaker, and he practiced some sports like cliffdiving and football (soccer).

His professional debut was a loss against [[Rito Romero]] on [[June 21]], [[1942]] at the Arena "Canada Dry" in [[Guadalajara]]. He used the name "Jungla" Cruz, which he didn't really like, and his first outfit was made out of leather. Jungla Cruz was a popular newspaper comic strip character so the promoter he first wrestled for, an Arab called Elías Simón, gave him that name.

He soon started using his real name instead and moved to [[Monterrey]], where he met [[Blue Demon]], who became his best friend in the business. Demon taught him how to train properly and perfected his Amateur wrestling technique as well.

At first he was your basic lucha libre wrestler. He could go to the mat, he could get rough and he had a few nice holds, but once during a match against [[Gorilita Flores]] (the man is said to be the first to use a plancha) he decided to experiment with other flying maneuvers.

When he decided upon a name change he came up with the "Sombra Negra" name, which is the Spanish translation for Black Shadow, however some of his lucha partners agreed that the English translation would have a more effective ring to it. His first match under that name was on [[May 16]], [[1947]] when he defeated [[Rolando Vera]]. I have also heard that he made his debut as Black Shadow against Santo beating him on two straight falls, but I believe that was his [[Arena Coliseo]] debut under the name.

Shadow is often credited as the father of the high flying lucha libre and as the creator of the tope (headbutt), as he'd often use an slingshot tope and a flying cross tope, among others, during his matches. In all reality, [[Leroy McGuirk]] and [[Chino Achiu]] among others were already using that move back in [[1933]].

He was called "El Hombre de Goma" (The Elastic Man) due to his incredible elasticity. He never trained with weights and focused in aerobics, because he preferred to have speed than strength.

Due to his Demon connection in [[1952]] he started wrestling for [[EMLL]]'s big buildings as a rudo teaming with [[Blue Demon]]. They were referred to as "Los Hermanos Shadow" because they once were the last two men in a battle royal and they said that they could not wrestle each other because they were brothers.

As a duo they faced the best [[Mexico]] had to offer but they had an especially bitter rivalry with the Atomic Pair of [[El Santo]] and [[Gory Guerrero]]. [[Santo]] and Shadow developed a singles rivalry and Shadow ended up challengeing [[Santo]] to a mask vs. mask match.

That mask match, held on [[November 7|Friday 7th of November]], [[1952]] at La [[Arena Coliseo]], is still considered the most important match in the history of lucha libre in [[Mexico]]. The match was such a big deal among the fans and the press, that even though there had been mask vs. mask matches in the past, many agree that this one bout is what skyrocketed the immense popularity of mask vs. mask matches as the biggest thing in lucha libre - a popularity that nowadays is still as high as it was the first day.

This 70 minutes long heated match obviously sold out the building. Shadow lost in the third fall and he was revealed to be Alejandro Cruz Ortíz. A fun fact from that match is that [[Santo]] never got for his trophy museum the mask that Shadow was wearing during that match, as Shadow gave [[Santo]](through Demon) a cheaper mask.

Many predicted that Shadow's career was done now that he had lost his mask, but then some stations started to show the luchas on TV, and a new generation of lucha magazines with better photographers was just rising, so the cameras added a new dimension to his flashy flying moves and his career as a main eventer got extended a few more years.

Due to his risky style, Shadow had many injuries so when he was out and wouldn't wrestle, he would work as a shoemaker like he did as a youngster. In [[1955]] Shadow fell off the third floor of a building to the street, but luckily, nothing happened to him and he just got up a bit hurt from the fall but nothing was broken or seriously hurt.

On [[October 30]], [[1958]], Black Shadow beat the American wrestler [[Tony Borne]] in a hair vs. hair match. This match was a big deal because Borne once unmasked Shadow's "brother" [[Blue Demon]] in the middle of a match so he'd always get monster heel heat in any arena he showed up.

Shadow's career went down from there and even though he still had big profile feuds and matches (for instance his rivalry with [[Dory Dixon]] that ended in a series of a hair vs. hair matches), it was not like in the old times.

In [[1970]], Shadow appeared at the [[Los Campeones Justicieros]] (Champions of Justice) movie with [[Blue Demon]], [[Mil Máscaras]], [[Tinieblas]] and others.

He was out during a lot of time in the 70s due to injuries (he had surgery twice in one of his knees), but he saved up a lot of the money he earned as a luchador and opened his own hotel near the dock of [[Acapulco]], where a lot of his old wrestling partners would sleep when they had to wrestle there. He also worked as the treasurer of the [[Mexico]] D.F. wrestling commission during some time.

In [[1976]] he returned to lucha libre but he was too old and injured to do anything in the ring. He kept wrestling until [[July]] of [[1981]], when the [[Mexico]] DF Commission of Box and Lucha didn't let him renew his license due to his poor state of health. He then wrestled something in Los Angeles, but left the business forever before the year had finished.

Shadow never gave a lot of interviews after his retirement and he has always refused to appear in any lucha cards as a guest legend. During the late 80s, a young wrestled that used to be called [[Pequeño Solín]] asked him the right to wrestle as Black Shadow Junior. Shadow agreed, because his sons never wanted to wrestle. However there has been many other copies called "Black Shadow Junior" and "Hijo del Black Shadow" that never asked permission to the original one.

In his latter life he sold bags in the [[Hidalgo]] Market, at the Colonia Obrera in [[Mexico City]]. He had trouble walking and could only do so aided by a walking stick.

Black Shadow passed away on [[March 8]], [[2007]] in [[Mexico City]] from neumonia.

 

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|??/??/??|cash (1)|[[Espanto I]]|[[Black Shadow]]|Torreón, Coahuila}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[El Gladiador]]|[[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Dorrel Dixon]]|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1946|46]]/[[01/01]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Mario Prado]]|[[Arena Canada Dry, Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1946|46]]/[[07/14]]|mask/hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Oso Negro]]|[[Arena Canada Dry, Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1952|52]]/[[November 7|11/07]]|mask|[[El Santo]]|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1958|58]]/[[October 30|10/30]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Tony Borne]]|[[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1962|62]]/[[August 10|08/10]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Jorge Allende]]|[[Guatemala]]}}
{{aline|[[1965|65]]/[[April 30|04/30]]|hair|[[René Guajardo]]|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1965|65]]/[[November 14|11/14]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Espanto II]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Monterrey]], [[Nuevo León]]}}
{{aline|[[1967|67]]/[[August 4|08/04]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Bobby Nichols]]|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1967|67]]/[[August 25|08/25]]|hair|[[El Ángel Exterminador]] (Pancho Pino)|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1968|68]]/[[April 18|04/18]]|hairs|Black Shadow & [[Ray Mendoza]]|Los Hippies ([[Renato Torres]] & [[El Vikingo]])|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1968|68]]/[[June 11|06/11]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Dorrel Dixon]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1969|69]]/[[04/25]]|hair|[[Black Shadow]]|[[Vikingo]]|?<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/96186896558/posts/10153727745516559 Box Y Lucha]</ref>}}
{{aend|'''(1)''' mask vs $5,000 pesos}}

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery||name=Junglacruz.jpg|caption=as Jungla Cruz}}
{{Gallery||name=BlackShadowMask.jpg|caption=Masked}}
{{Gallery||name=Shadow 41.jpg|caption=Los Hermanos Shadow}}
{{Gallery||name=Demon09.jpg|caption=Los Hermanos Shadow}}
{{Gallery||name=Sombras05.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Shadowvssanto99999.jpg|caption=Unmasking after losing mask match vs El Santo. November 1952}}
 
{{Gallery||name=BLAK.JPG|caption=Black Shadow looking at his mask}}
{{Gallery||name=957f2a9f.jpg|caption=On Magazine cover}}
{{Gallery||name=Sombra01.jpg|caption= Don Alejandro Cruz-BLACK SHADOW, Aug. 2006}}
{{Gallery||name=Shadowvssanto4.jpg|caption=Signing with [[El Santo]] for the Mask match}}
{{Gallery||name=Sombras07.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Sombras02.jpg|caption=Los Hermanos Shadow}}
 
{{Gallery||name=Portada532.jpg|caption= Rev. BOX Y LUCHA 1962}}
{{Gallery||name=Hermanosshadow.jpg|caption=w/[[Blue Demon]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Shadow343.jpg|caption= vs Alex Romano - 1956}}
{{Gallery||name=BLACK_SHADOW_Jungla_Cruz_1948_50.jpg|caption=as Jungla Cruz, 1948}}
{{Gallery||name=Blackshadowjavierpiril1.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Blackshadow24copia.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery||name=FB IMG 1479858685989.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=12143226 230326133988742 5627264494174960637 n.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Black Shadow Cruz.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Santo vs shadow.jpg|caption=}}
[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Deceased wrestlers]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]

Blue Demon

2019-12-02T17:56:50Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==

{{bioFields||image=Bluedemon.jpg
|name=Blue Demon
|realName=Alejandro Muñoz Moreno
|nicknames=El Profe (The Professor), El Manotas (The man with the big hands), El Profe Manotas, El Demonio Azul (The Blue Demon)
|nameHistory=Tosco Muñoz (debut match), Blue Demon (06/48 - death)
|family=[[Blue Demon Jr.]] (son), [[Flama Solar]](nephew)
|maestro=[[Rolando Vera]]
|birthdate=[[April 24]], [[1922]] - [[Villa de García]], [[Nuevo León]]
|obituarydate=[[December 16]], [[2000]] - [[Mexico City]]
|debut=[[March 31]], [[1948]] - [[Laredo]], [[Texas]], [[USA]]
|height=5'6/169cm
|weight=170lbs/77kg
|lostmaskto=
|signatureMoves=El Pulpo
|titles=[[National Welterweight Title]] (3), [[NWA World Welterweight Title]] (2), [[Mexican National Tag Team Championship]] (w/ [[Black Shadow]])
|}}{{WONHOF}}

== Biography ==

When it comes to popularity, Blue Demon is, along with [[El Santo]], the biggest mainstream lucha superstar [[Mexico]] ever had.

Demon was born on [[April 24]], [[1922]] in [[Villa de García]], a small town in [[Nuevo León]], though he was registered in [[Los Rodriguez]], [[Coahuila]], a town located near the border of [[Coahuila]] and [[Nuevo León]]. He was the fifth kid of a 12 children family, all maintained by their father, who worked as a agriculturist. When Demon was still very young, his parents moved to [[Rinconada]], where he attended school. He dropped out of it, as he saw no point in studying because there wasn't a lot of future in his little town. After an unsuccessful try to become a musician, he moved to [[Monterrey]] to live with his uncles and his aunt.

He got a job at the railway station, and there he met the brother of his friend Franklin Hernández - the lucha legend [[Rolando Vera]]. Vera saw potential in the kid and trained him for several non-combat sports at a local gym. Demon was a huge youngster, and his hands were especially big. After being told about lucha and despite the fact that he didn't really know what was going on the business or how was it like, the young Demon knew he wanted to be a luchador like his mentor.

After extensive physical training, Demon tried amateur wrestling and ended up undefeated with a 8-0 record, and then he tried freestyle wrestling as well.

One day a promoter spoke to Vera about sending some wrestlers for a lucha program in [[Laredo]], [[Texas]], and without really expecting it, the future Blue Demon had his debut on [[March 31]], [[1948]], wrestling under his real name and defeating [[Chema López]].

After that fight, Vera had a good idea for him. He told his young protegé that he'd wear a blue mask with silver decorations, blue trunks and blue boots, and that his new name was going to be "Blue Demon". The disciple had no objection about it because he knew that Rolando's ideas were always good. Since that day, he decided that the Blue mask would become his heart and soul.

He obviously started off wrestling in [[Monterrey]] while still keeping a normal life when not under the hood, as he never stopped working in the railway station. In his debut as Blue Demon he scored a win over [[Benny Arcilla]].

[[EMLL]] president [[Salvador Lutteroth]] once sent one of his talent scouts, [[Jesus Lomelí]], to give a look to some American lady wrestlers that were performing on [[Nuevo Laredo]], however Jesús arrived a day earlier so he attended a card in [[Monterrey]]. When Demon went to get his payoff as usual, the [[Arena Monterrey]] promoter [[Jesús Garza Hernández]] gave him something that Lomelí had left there for him: it was a recommendation letter so he could go to wrestle to [[Mexico City]] anytime he wanted to.

He told Vera about that letter and they intensified the training, and Vera also taught him how to behave when in [[Mexico City]]. Demon's [[Mexico City]] debut was on [[September]] of [[1948]]. His first match was at the old [[Arena Mexico]] against [[Ciclón Veloz]], and he lost in two straight falls... both by being disqualified! He really got over as a "rudo" after that fight and he caused a sudden impact in the [[Mexico City]] wrestling scene. He decided to stay in [[Mexico City]], so he left his job at the railway station for good, and his wife and his little son moved to the capital with him.

Around [[1952]] he was already fighting versus top wrestlers of the promotion in a regular basis. On [[November 7]] of that same year, the arguably most important match in the history of lucha libre was hold - [[El Santo]] defeated [[Black Shadow]] (Alejandro Cruz Ortíz) in a mask vs. mask match. Blue Demon, who was seconding Shadow on that match, promised he'd avenge the mask loss of his "brother", because on the wrestling world, Shadow and Demon were billed as real-life brothers.

Demon turned full-time tecnico and that probably was the wisest business decision he ever took, as he started feuding with the top rudo in [[Mexico]] - [[El Santo]]. They feuded all over [[Mexico]] (Demon teamed with Shadow, while [[Santo]]'s partner was [[Gory Guerrero]]) and made a lot of money together. On [[August]], [[1953]], Demon and [[Santo]] had their first singles match ever and Demon surprisingly defeated [[Santo]] in two straight falls, which gave him the right to challenge [[Santo]] for the [[NWA Welterweight title]] he owned in a match that happened on [[September 25]], [[1953]] at La [[Arena Coliseo]]. In what is usually referred as the most important match from his career, Demon defeated [[Santo]] in three falls to win that Welterweight title, which he'd keep for 4 years and a half, until [[Karloff Lagarde]] defeated him the [[January 31|31st of January]] of [[1958]].

Other of Demon's classic encounters was the draw between [[Los Hermanos Shadow]] ([[Black Shadow]] & Blue Demon) and the rudísimo team of [[Cavernario Galindo]] and [[El Santo]], which was voted the [[1953]] Match of The Year in [[Mexico]] by the media.

Some reports say that in [[1955]], Blue Demon captured the National Welterweight Title, but this has never been either confirmed or denied as there's a hole on the title history of that belt during the [[1945]]-to-[[1956]] period. What is known for a fact, is that on [[April 4]], [[1962]] captured that same title defeating [[Karloff Lagarde]] in [[Mexico City]]. He would lose that title six months later, and he wouldn't taste gold again until [[July 30|07/30]]/[[1976]], when he defeated Mano Negra in a match for Mexican Welter title that Fishman had vacated; and it was [[Fishman]] who defeated Demon to regain the title on [[February 27]], [[1977]].

Demon's first serious injury was on [[July]], [[1957]] during a fight against El [[Espectro]] in [[Tampico]], [[Tamps]]. After a wicked head-first impact on the ringpost he fractured his skull and during seven months, he was out wearing an ortophedic mechanism that kept his neck immobile.

After his return, Demon had his first fallout with [[EMLL]]. There was a problem with the transport, as without previous announcement he was sent to different places in a truck instead of being sent by plane. After many miles he became really frustrated and when he was in [[El Paso]], [[TX]], visiting his old friend [[Gory Guerrero]], he had two fights for the promotion he was starting there and earned enough money to return to [[Mexico]] by plane. The promoter, Gorila Ramos, and the [[EMLL]] board of directives were upset with Demon for fighting for Guerrero without permission. The board, Lutteroth included, had a meeting with Demon probably to tell him about the punishment they had for him, but before they could even speak, he told them that he was very grateful to them for what they had done for him in the past but that he was leaving.

So, pretty much like [[Santo]], [[Gory Guerrero|Guerrero]] and the other big stars of his era, he became a free agent and wrestled all over [[Mexico]], [[New York]], several Southern [[U.S.]] cities and [[Latin America]], which allowed him to have more free time to devote to the parallel acting career he was just starting. Many of those films were productions he co-starred with [[Santo]]. [[Santo]] turned tecnico in [[1963]] and despite their on-screen partership, they were still considered intense rivals until [[1968]], which was the first time they teamed.

Demon, who never left lucha, suffered his most important injury during [[1965]]. During a match against [[Cavernario Galindo]] in [[Oaxaca]], Demon fell through the ropes outside the ring and due to the collision on the floor one of his blood vessels broke. Despite the fact that the doctor told him not to eat anything, Demon had dinner and a few minutes later he lost conscience, fell off the stairs and fractured his skull again. He was other whole year out but he eventually returned to the ring.

From then on and until his retirement, he kept wrestling all over the places mentioned earlier, and he made several other films. Also, around the mid 70s he helped in the training of several young wrestlers at the [[Arena Mexico]] gym. One of those wrestlers is [[Ringo Mendoza]]. He eventually opened his own gym as well, the "Blue Demon Gym" located at [[Colonia Moctezuma]] in [[Mexico City]].

In [[1989]] Demon decided that it was time to say goodbye and he started his retirement tour. His [[Arena Mexico]] retirement saw him, his son [[Blue Demon Jr.]] and [[Ringo Mendoza]] go over the team of [[Emilio Charles Jr.]], [[Pirata Morgan]] and [[Satanico]]. His [[Tijuana]] retirement was a [[Promociones Mora]] match in which he, his son and [[Alcatraz]] (one of the sons of [[Benjamin Mora Sr.]]) went over [[Hijo del Gladiador]], [[Kahoz]] and [[Leon Chino]]. But the big "retirements" were in the place that saw him mature as a wrestler - [[Monterrey]]. He wasn't actually going to wrestle a retirement match in [[Monterrey]] but the promoters had quite a big and espectacular retirement planned for him, an offer he obviously accepted. On [[July 30]], [[1989]] he unmasked one of the biggest legends of the 70s - El [[Rayo de Jalisco]]. As if that wasn't enough, Demon's last match on [[August 22]] was another mask vs. mask match, this time he took the hood of [[El Matematico]], a quite popular wrestler in the 70s and 80s as well.

On January of [[1996]], [[AAA]] ran a very controversial angle involving Demon. Blue Demon and [[Ray Mendoza]] were being honored in the ring for their careers when [[Pierroth]] came to the ring, rip up Demon's diploma and attacked him. This angle wouldn't be so weird to see in the US, but this was something never seen before in [[Mexico]] and it gave the already over [[Pierroth]] way more heel heat to the point that crowds anywhere would be about to riot just after he appeared in the entrance way. Due to the success of this angle, on [[August]] [[1998]] they ran a similar angle again. He and his son were presenting a little kid with a mask, and then rising superstar [[Abismo Negro]] ran in, attacked the junior and then he tried to [[piledrive]] the senior, though in the end the junior saved his father from such a lethal move. This angle was supposed to skyrocket both [[Blue Demon Jr.|Demon Jr.]] and [[Abismo Negro|Abismo]]'s careers, however the only man whose career got skyrocketed was [[Abismo Negro|Abismo]]..

On [[October 27]], [[2000]], [[EMLL]] held the first "[[Leyenda Azul]]" tournament at [[Arena México]], in honor of Blue Demon. [[Blue Panther]] defeated in the finals of the elimination match to win the trophy (which was actually a belt). Also, Demon was presented with a medal by the late [[Cavernario Galindo]]'s son.

Blue Demon, Alejandro Muñoz Moreno, died on [[December 16]], [[2000]] around 11:45 AM, at age 78. Later on the day, he had a funeral service at the funerary Lopez García, located at Versalles street in Colonia Juarez. Many personalities of the cinema and lucha world (including [[Hombre Bala]], [[Pompín]], [[Nygma]], [[El Dollar]], [[Fantasma]], [[Charles Bronson Mexicano]], [[Black Shadow]], [[Roberto "Güero" Rangel]], [[Huracán Ramirez]], [[Ringo Mendoza]] and [[Bestia Salvaje]]) attended the funeral service. He was buried a day later, around 2:00 PM at the Panteón Parque Memorial, in [[Naucalpan]], [[Mexico City]].

After traveling on the [[Mexico City]] subway (Metro Polero station) he had a heart attack in the streets of [[Victoria]] and [[Insurgentes Norte]]. He liked to travel alone, and used the subway regularly as he didn't like taxis and he couldn't drive at his age. [[Blue Demon Jr.]] said to the media that he was called and he could see his father still alive and took him home, but he died in his arms while he was getting medical services. He was survived by his wife Gregoria "Goyita" Lomelí, his daughter Marla, his sons Alejandro and [[Blue Demon Jr.]], and his seven grandchildren.

Demon was a man that always kept in shape. He woke up between 6-7 AM every day and he went to the gym almost every day (he was in fact returning from the gym when he died) and he had never had any heart problems in the past.

Demon's legacy is still alive, not only because we have all the memories, as [[Blue Demon Jr.]] is an active professional wrestler. Like Blue Demon himself said: "If the silver legend of [[Santo]] can continue, the blue legend will continue as well!". Adios Blue Demon.


===Filmografia===

#[[La Sombra del Murciélago (1966)]]
#[[Arañas Infernales (1966)]]
#[[Blue Demon vs. Cerebros Infernales (1966)]]
#[[Blue Demon contra las Diabólicas (1966)]]
#[[Blue Demon, Destructor de Espías (1967)]]
#[[Blue Demon en Pasaporte a la Muerte (1967)]]
#[[Blue Demon y las Invasoras (1968)]]
#[[Santo y Blue Demon Contra Los Monstruos (1969)]]
#[[ El Mundo de los Muertos (1969)]]
#[[Santo Contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (1969)]]
#[[Los Campeones Justicieros (1970)]]
#[[Las Momias de Guanajuato (1970)]]
#[[La Invasión de los Muertos (1971)]]
#[[Noche de Muerte (1972)]]
#[[La Mafia Amarilla (1972)]]
#[[Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros (1972)]]
#[[Santo y Blue Demon Contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (1972)]]
#[[Las Bestias del Terror (1972)]]
#[[Triunfo de los Campeones Justicieros (1973)]]
#[[Santo y Blue Demon Contra el Doctor Frankestein (1973)]]
#[[El Hijo de Alma Grande (1974)]]
#[[La Mansión de las Siete Momias (1975)]]
#[[Misterio en las Bermudas (1977)]]
#[[La Llave mortal (1989)]]
#[[Blue Demon el Campeón (1989)]]

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|51/??/??|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Moloch]]|[[Monterrey]]}}
{{aline|??/[[May 18|05/18]]|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Baby Olson]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1953|53]]/[[November 27|11/27]]|hair/beard|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Tony Borne]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1954|54]]/[[March 12|03/12]]|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Cavernario Galindo]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|54/10/24|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Jorge Allende]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1955|55]]/[[March 12|03/12]]|beard|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Conde Giuseppe Daidone]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|64/06/??<ref>Lucha Libre 37, page 7, mentioned in passing with no date</ref>|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Espanto II]]|[[Monterrey]]}}
{{aline|[[1971|71]]/[[December 3|12/03]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Espectro II]]|[[Auditorio de Tijuana]] - [[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]]}}
{{aline|[[1979|79]]/[[December 2|12/02]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Máquina Salvaje]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|81/??/??|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Red Spider]]|Tijuana}}
{{aline|81/??/??|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Mr. Fire]]|Cd. Juarez, Chih.}}
{{aline|[[1989|89]]/[[July 30|07/30]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental]] - [[Monterrey]],[[ N.L.]]}}
{{aline|[[1989|89]]/[[August 27|08/27]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Matemático]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental]] - [[Monterrey]], [[N.L.]]}}
{{aline|[[1989|89]]/[[September 6|09/06]]|hair (1)|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Matemático]]|[[Arena México]] - Mexico City}}
{{aend|(1) Triangle match with [[Rayo de Jalisco]]}}

<references/>

== Gallery ==

{{Gallery||name=Demoninicios.jpg|caption=1949}}
{{Gallery||name=Blue demon unmasked.jpg|caption= at age 23. 1945}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayodemon.jpg |caption=w/[[Rayo de Jalisco]] 1963}}
{{Gallery||name=ANIBAL5.JPG|caption=w/[[Anibal]] 1971}}
{{Gallery||name=Blue and tinieblas.JPG|caption=w/[[Tinieblas]] 1972}}
{{Gallery||name=BlueDemonHurracanSr.jpg|caption=w/[[Huracan Ramirez]] 1972}}
 
{{Gallery||name=Blueysanto.jpg|caption=w/[[Santo]], 1978}}
{{Gallery||name=Demonsr.jpg|caption= 1972}}
{{Gallery||name=Pelicula 56.jpg|caption= 1971}}
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[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Deceased wrestlers]]
[[Category:Monterrey based wrestlers]]
[[Category:Trainers]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]

El Solitario

2019-12-02T17:55:53Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==



{{bioFields|
|image=elsolitario.jpg
|name=El Solitario (The Lone One)
|realName=Roberto González Cruz
|nicknames=El Enmascarado de Oro (The Man of the Golden Mask), El Soli
|nameHistory=El Hijo del Santo (1960), Othon Banzica II, El Zica II, El Zica(1960-1965), El Solitario (1965-death)
|family=[[El Hijo del Solitario]] (son), [[Othon Banzica I]]/[[El Zica I]] (Juan Gonzalez Cruz/brother-Rip)
|maestro=[[Joe El Hermoso]]
|birthdate=[[May 22]], [[1946]] - [[Tlaquepaque]], [[Jalisco]]
|obituarydate=[[April 6]], [[1986]]
|debut=[[1960]] - [[Guadalajara]], [[Jalisco]]
|height=5'11"/182 cm
|weight= 215lbs/95 kg
|signatureMoves=[[Spin Kick|La Filomena (reverse kick)]]
|titles=[[Occidente Welterweight Title]], [[NWA World Middleweight Title]], [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Title]], [[Arena Mexico Tag Team Titles]] (w/ [[El Halcon]]), [[UWA World Light Heavyweight Title]], [[UWA World Junior Heavyweight Title]], [[UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship]]
}}
{{WONHOF}}



== Biography ==


The tale of El Solitario is a very special one. He debuted at age 14, was a main eventer at age 24 and died at age 39, but he was such a great worker and drawing card and influenced so many wrestlers that nobody that knew him or knows about him would ever deny that he is a legend... a huge legend, accompanied by [[Ray Mendoza]], [[Mil Mascaras]] and others in the second step of a ladder whose unreachable higher step is occupied by [[Santo]] and [[Blue Demon]].

Roberto González Cruz was born on [[May 22]], [[1946]] in a little town of [[Jalisco]] called [[Yahualica]]. He was the youngest of a 7 children family that didn't live in the best of economical conditions, or anything remotely close to that.

As a kid he was a "rebel" not into the school studying at all, and also an unconformist because he didn't want to stay in that little town forever, living in poverty and working way too hard to earn very little money. So at a very young age, he left his family to live life his own way... and ended up becoming a wrestler.

His family already had a wrestling background, as Roberto's brother, Jesús wrestled as [[Othon Banzica]] during years at local arenas. In 1959, a very sad incident happened and Othon Banzica died in the ring. Roberto really idolized and looked up to his older brother, and his tragic death caused a rage and revenge feeling on young Roberto that pushed him to step into the ring to somehow, in his mind, avenge his brother's death by succeeding and becoming a top star.

He started training under local wrestler [[Joe El Hermoso]]'s tutelage at the "Gallo Madrugador" gym, which didn't sit well with his parents because of what happened to Jesús. However Roberto was in a mission and wasn't going to give up, and after several months, in the year of [[1960]], at age 14 or 15, he made his debut in his home state, along with another young kid called Adolfo Contreras that years later would be known as "El Hippie" [[Renato Torres]] (who was a famous independent star of the 70s and a good real life friend of Roberto).

The first promoter he (and Contreras) wrestled for was [[Elías Simón]], wrestling from Saturday to Monday in [[Ciudad Guzmán]], [[Jalisco]] and [[Tecomán]] and [[Manzanillo]], both in [[Colima]] state. Simón's "brilliant" idea to make these guys sell tickets was announcing them as juniors of big stars. They wrestled unmasked, and while Roberto was always billed as [[El Hijo del Santo]], Adolfo was the son of [[Charro Aguayo]] or [[Blue Demon]].

But Roberto decided that the best thing was to become his own self and continued the family name becoming Othon Banzica II, though this name would eventually get shortened as "El Zica II", and later the number was dropped.

He moved to [[Tijuana]] but local big time promoter [[Black Nassel]] didn't want to use him because he was too young and skinny. As a rookie, Roberto was a good athlete and very tough for a guy his age, but he didn't have any muscular definition. That, however, changed with time as he was a hard gym worker that took care of his body.

In Tijuana he didn't have any money or friends or family, so he lived in an abandoned car. Trying to find work he saw that the city was plagued with night clubs and got a job in a club where he had to darken his body with burnt motor oil to look African and play the bongos while an exotic dancer did her job. But the pay wasn't right either, so Roberto swallowed his pride and apologized to his parents, asking them for money to return back home.

But he didn't quit wrestling there, in fact he trained harder than ever and he made a name for himself in the local arenas and his work paid back as he got a call from big local promoters [[Julián Sánchez]] and [[Ray Plata]] from [[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo in Guadalajara, Jalisco]].

Ray Plata had a long time in the business and knew that El Sica needed a name and costume change if he wanted to succeed in Mexico City. His work was improving very well, as the once skinny and clueless kid with no sense of timing was now a good and polished worker. But still, that name he had, was not the one of a star.

The magic touch Roberto needed was getting named "El Solitario" (The Lonely One), a name based on the famous comic and TV series "El Llanero Solitario" (Lone Ranger). In fact he didn't call himself El Llanero Solitario to avoid copyright infringement problems. He then adopted his classic golden/black tights and his golden mask with a fringe around the eyes representing Lone Ranger's "antifaz" mask. Solitario was one of the first wrestlers to use a mask with a wide open mouth, which is a popular design now used by people like Atlantis, Octagon and Ultimo Guerrero among others.

This name change happened in [[1966]], and not coincidentally, that was his first big year in the business. In Guadalajara he unmasked [[Aguila Tapatía]] and [[The White Hand]] (La Mano Blanca), he won the [[Occident Welterweight Title]] from [[Luis González]] and if that wasn't enough, he also took his hair.

He started wrestling in Mexico City for EMLL by the end of that year (his debut there was on [[September 6]]) and was a rapidly growing young star but when he really made it big, was when he challenged legendary veteran [[Ray Mendoza]] to a hair vs. mask match that was due to happen on [[December 13]], [[1968]]... and WON! And if that wasn't enough, two weeks later he also took the hair of another legend, [[René Guajardo]]! Soli, still a rudo, was the hottest thing on lucha libre at the moment and his drawing power skyrocketed just like his workrate did, as by this point he was considered by many the best wrestler in all of Mexico.

Around that time he started what would later become a legendary trio with El [[Ángel Blanco]] and [[Dr. Wagner]], while attaining success in singles competition too, as on [[August 15]], [[1969]] he defeated El [[Rayo de Jalisco]] to win the [[NWA World Middleweight Championship|NWA World Middleweight title]].

Solitario was such a popular rudo that when Ángel Blanco and Dr. Wagner turned on him, he became a tecnico as popular as anyone in that era, including Santo, Rayo de Jalisco and Blue Demon. And of course, this also gave start to his legendary feud against "[[Ola Blanca]]" members Blanco and Wagner, with him finally taking both white masked men's masks (Ángel's didn't take so long, but for the match vs. Wagner we almost had to wait 15 years). And all of this while piling up more titles like the [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|NWA World Light Heavyweight title]] (a title that during many years was considered the biggest prize in all of Mexico) he won from Ray Mendoza and lost to [[David Morgan]] (who eventually got his payback via a Kojak style haircut courtesy of El Soli).

Roberto was also one of the first wrestlers to leave EMLL in December of 1975 to join the independent wrestling revolution commanded by Ray Mendoza and promoter [[Francisco Flores]]. During his first "indie" years, Solitario continued his now legendary feuds against La Ola Blanca and Ray Mendoza, and also started new rivalries against new talent like [[Atila]] and [[Audaz]].

But his fame wasn't only limited to Mexico. He also was a hot ticket in [[Los Angeles]]' [[Olympic Auditorium]] and generated a cult fan base in [[Japan]] with his tours for [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]]. He only went to Japan three times but he was actually more popular that you'd think, the only problem is that at first he was often paired up against superheavyweights like [[Giant Baba]] and [[Seiji Sakaguchi]] who couldn't work his style, so he could not go out there and impress, and when junior heavyweight wrestling became hot in Japan it was already a bit late, and either way, then the junior division's formula consisted of [[Tiger Mask]] against foreign heels, so Soli couldn't have been in line for a big push.

His first tour to Japan was in [[1972]], the second one in [[1979]] and the last one in [[1981]]. In the second tour there was a [[Chavo Guerrero]] & [[Tatsumi Fujinami]] vs. El [[Canek]] & Solitario match that went around 45 minutes and is today referred to by Japanese historians as a "juniors dream match", and in his final tour, Tigermania was runnin' wild and he got the chance to both face and team with the original Tiger Mask.

While in Mexico, he was one of the biggest headlining stars not only at El Toreo and Arena Mexico, but in the whole country. During a time in the middle of the "trios golden years" in the early 80s, he formed a short lived dream team with [[Villano III]] and [[Aníbal]] called "Los Tres Caballeros" (The Three Knights), though Soli always was, like his name says, a lone ranger. He captured several more titles and headlined virtually everywhere he went. In some places he gained himself a reputation among promoters as a tough guy to work with, but his drawing power and in-ring work ethic made him a horse you could bet for with no risk of losing.

But the most legendary feud of Roberto ended up being his long time rivalry with Wagner, to the point it overshadows his also legendary feuds against Blanco, Mendoza and [[Perro Aguayo]]. The legendary "war to settle it all", the mask vs. mask match against Wagner, happened on [[December 1]], [[1985]] at the enormous [[Plaza de Toros Monumental|Plaza de Toros (Bullring) Monumental]] in [[Monterrey]], [[Nuevo León]] where their popularity (especially Wagner's) was even bigger than in Mexico City. It was a dramatic slower paced match with a lot of submissions and some parts where the match would sped up and Soli could use his big moves. A clipped version of it exists on video and it's a true classic.

Solitario's life finished in a very sad way on [[April 6]], [[1986]]. As the "official" story goes, Solitario had a very serious injury that wasn't taken care of properly (some say knee, some say back) so during a match with [[Fishman]], he re-injured himself during a dangerous maneuver and needed urgent surgery (I don't know if this part is true) and while he was in the operation table, his damaged body couldn't take the anesthetic so he had a heart attack and died. Sometimes there is contradictions, though we all bought this story and even many historians don't know what really happened. In fact many of Solitario's close wrestling friends don't even know what happened, like Canek and Blue Demon have stated in the past. There also was a history going around in Mexico City (that I heard from a former WCW star) that says that Solitario was high on cocaine and didn't tell the doctors, so the combo of it with anesthesia caused that heart attack. This one is an urban legend, too.

As Blue Demon said in his autobiography, Solitario died of a "very strange illness" that he never talked about when he was alive. People close to Solitario have confirmed this one, as he died from a virus, side-effect of his lifestyle. It was a very sad way to end for such a legendary man, but as the song goes, "only the good die young".

Five years later, a legitimate son of Solitario made his debut as "[[El Hijo del Solitario]]". He's a young guy with size and athleticism, but he has never had pride in his work, and even years after his debut he looks like he doesn't even know what to do in the ring. The kid always has "hanged out with the wrong crowds" too, which doesn't help matters.

But even with his son somewhat staining the golden legend, Solitario is fondly remembered by people both in and outside the business, and he is always a top five wrestler in everybody's top stars, top workers and most influential wrestlers in Mexico lists.


== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Coloso Colosetti]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[César Valentino]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|1972/12/01|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Alfonso Dantés]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1965]]/11/??|?|[[Fantasma Negro]]|[[El Solitario|El Sica II]]|[[Cd. Obregón]], [[Sonora]]}}
{{aline|[[1966]]/??/??|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Águila Tapatía]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1966]]/[[06/17]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[The White Hand]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1966]]/[[07/22]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Luis González]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara]]}}
{{aline|[[1968]]/[[12/13]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ray Mendoza]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1968]]/[[12/25]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[René Guajardo]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1972]]/[[04/07]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[David Morgan]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1972]]/[[12/01]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Alfonso Dantés]]|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1972]]/[[12/08]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ángel Blanco]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1974]]/[[02/03]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ángel Blanco]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1975]]/[[03/02]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Luis Mariscal|El Cardenal]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental|Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.]]}}
{{aline|[[1975]]/[[11/19]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Atila]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1975]]/[[12/05]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Marco Tulio|Destroyer]]|[[Cd. Juárez]], [[Chihuahua]]}}
{{aline|[[1976]]/[[04/12]]|mask (1)|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Audaz]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1977]]/[[02/09]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ku Klux Klan]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1978]]/[[??/??]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Bestia Negra]]|[[Veracruz]]}}
{{aline|[[1978]]/[[September 10|09/10]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Perro Aguayo]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1978]]/[[September 24|09/24]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Máscara Roja]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1979]]/[[11/25]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Black Gordman|Bestia Roja]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1981]]/[[03/25]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Chino Chow|Nakamura]]|[[Auditorio de Tijuana|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California]]}}
{{aline|[[1981]]/[[04/06]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Faraón]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1982]]/[[06/20]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Olímpico (original)|El Olímpico]]|[[Arena Mexico|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1983]]/[[06/12]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Signo]]|[[Auditorio de Tijuana|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California]]}}
{{aline|[[1985]]/[[12/01]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Dr. Wagner]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental|Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.]]}}
{{aend|(1) Relevos suicidas match vs. Aníbal & Rayo de Jalisco}}

== Gallery ==

{{Gallery|name=Solitariodebutx.jpg|caption=debut 1966}}
{{Gallery|name=ElSolitario_Champ.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Middleweight Championship|NWA MIDDLE Champ 1969]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Solitalio_nwalight.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|NWA LH Champ 1971]]}}
{{Gallery|name=elsolitario01.jpg|caption= Rev. LUCHA LIBRE 1976}}
{{Gallery|name=Elsoli4.jpeg|caption=as [[UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|UWA LH Champ 1977]]}}
{{Gallery|name=El Solitario corner.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=unmaskedsolitario.jpg|caption=Roberto Gonzalez Cruz - El Solitario 1978}}
{{Gallery|name=Soliagain.jpg|caption=1980}}
{{Gallery|name=solisinmascara.jpg|caption=Roberto Gonzalez Cruz - El Solitario 1981}}
{{Gallery|name=uwalh_solitario.jpg|caption=as [[UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship|UWA Jr. LH Champ 1982]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Solitario_NWA.jpg|caption=as UWA Jr. LH Champ 1983}}
{{Gallery|name=el solitario.jpg|caption=}}



[[Category:Deceased wrestlers|Solitario]]
[[Category:Mexican wrestlers|Solitario]]
[[Category:Former LLI/UWA wrestlers|Solitario]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]

Rayo de Jalisco

2019-12-02T17:55:09Z

MrWho0:

__NOTOC__
== Profile ==
{{bioFields|
|image=Rayodejalisco.jpg
|name=Rayo de Jalisco
|realName=Máximino "Max" Linares Moreno
|nicknames=none
|nameHistory=Mr. Misterio (50 - ??), Águila Negra, Dr. Curtis (08/54 - 57), Tony Curtis (57), El Rayo (?? - ?? /57), Rayo de Jalisco (03/58 - retirement)
|family=[[Tony Sugar|Tony]] and [[Black Sugar]] (brothers), [[Rayo de Jalisco Jr.]] (son), [[Mitzuki Wong]] (daughter-in-law), [[Rayman]] (grandson), [[Ultra Rayo]] (nephew), [[Mister Rayo]] (nephew), [[Rayo Star]] (nephew)
|maestro=[[Tony Sugar]]
|birthdate=[[November 22]], [[1932]] - [[Milpa Alta]], [[Mexico City]]
|obituarydate=[[July 19]], [[2018]]
|debut=[[1950]] - [[Tulancingo]], [[Hidalgo]]
|lostmaskto=[[Blue Demon]] - [[July 30]], [[1989]] - [[Plaza de Toros Monumental]] - [[Monterrey]], [[Nuevo León]]
|height=5'7"/170cm
|weight=205 lbs/93kg
|signatureMoves=[[Tope en reversa]]
|titles=[[Occidente Welterweight Championship]], [[NWA World Middleweight Title]] (3), [[National Tag Team Titles]] (2, w/ [[El Santo]])
}}
{{WONHOF}}

== Biography ==

Maximino Linares Moreno is the real name of the man who gave life to Rayo de Jalico for more than 30 years. Máx Linares was born [[November 22]], [[1932]] around [[Milpa Alta]]. When he turned 18, and was now living in Tulancingo, Linares decided to become a wrestler, and ended up becoming a legend.

=== pre-Rayo de Jalisco career===

As with many luchadores Máx. Linares wrestled under other identites before his famous one. He debuted in [[Feburary]] [[1950]] as Mr. Misterio, then changed to Aduila Negro when wrestling in Mexico City. By 1954, he was in [[Torreón]], having been taught by his brother [[Tony Sugar]] and then under the name as Dr. Curtis. Linares changed his name once again in 1957, becoming Tony Curtis when he moved to Guadlajara.

In 1960, Linares moved to [[Aguascalientes]] took the [[el Rayo]] name, and actually became Rayo de Jalisco outside of Jalisco (in [[Juarez]]); he wasn't legally allowed to use the name in Guadalajara (though he did in 1962) because another wrestler (Fili Espinoza) owned the rights. Fili eventually gave the rights to the name, and Rayo de Jalisco offically debuted in Coliseo Tapatia against el Enfermero in 1962.

=== Career Highlights ===

Rayo de Jalisco immediatly was succesful, winning the [[NWA World Middleweight Championship]] and [[Occidente Welterweight Championship]] quickly. Rayo won his first hair, [[Chino Chow]] and defeated rival [[La Bestia]] for his mask by 1964. Rayo formed a popular tag team with [[Blue Demon]] and was named best wrestler of 1963.

Rayo was famous for his reverse tope, and was among the top stars of his era. His fame could be compared to [[Santo]], [[Blue Demon]], and [[Black Shadow]]. Like many other stars, he appeared in movies (including [[Superzam el Invencible (1971)]], [[El Robo de las Momias de Guanajuato (1972)]], [[Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros (1972)]] and [[El Triunfo de los Campeones Justicieros (1974)]]. Rayo was an exciting wrestler and a regional hero. Most believed he was a Jalisco-born wrestler who'd gone onto great success.

=== End of Career ===

Rayo de Jalisco feuded with [[Blue Demon]] near the end of both their careers. Demon was actually retired before Rayo drew him back in the ring for a big mask match between the two. Rayo was defeated, revealing himself to the world as Maximino Linares Moreno, and wrestled a few matches unmasked before retiring.

Rayo de Jalisco is still remembered today, based on his success and his son, [[Rayo de Jalisco Jr.]]

His last Lucha was in Guadalajara Dec 27 1992 teaming with Rayo de Jalisco JR. Mil Máscaras and Dos Caras vs Villano III, Satanico ,Killer w/ Andy Barrow and Bestia Salvaje.

''Partial Source'': Biografias de Leyenda

== Spanish Version (original) ==

Maximino Linares Moreno es el nombre real del hombre que le dio vida por casi mas de 30 años al Personaje del RAYO DE JALISCO... Máx. Linares Nació un 22 de noviembre de 1932 en las cercanías de Milpa Alta, Distrito Federal y apenas a los 18 años, en Tulancingo, había decidido nacer para la Lucha Libre, un deporte que abrazaría por siempre y en el cual se tornaría en una Leyenda.

Antes de convertirse en el Rayo de Jalisco... Paso por varios Nombres

===pre-carrera===

Es muy común que haya casos en que un Luchador al inicio de su carrera lo haga con un nombre diferente al que le de la fama, y Don Máx. linares no fue la excepción, pues en febrero de 1950 debutaba ya con el nombre de MISTER MISTERIO, posteriormente en la cuidad de México debuto bajo el nombre de AGUILA NEGRA. Para 1954, se presenta en Torreón, luego de haber afinado sus conocimientos bajo tutela de su propio hermano (también Luchador) TONY SUGAR, enfrentando a Ricardo Chávez y utilizando el nombre de DR CURTIS.

Ahora si Nace El Rayo... Pero de Jalisco????

En 1957 Debuta en Guadalajara como TONY CURTIS, pero 3 años mas tarde, en el año de 1960, fue bautizado en Aguascalientes como el RAYO y finalmente, en 1961 en Cd Juárez, utilizo ya el nombre completo de RAYO DE JALISCO.

Esa fue la prehistoria, para 1962 se presenta en Guadalajara, pero le prohibieron ponerse de Jalisco, dado que había un luchador colimense, Fili Espinoza, que ya portaba ese nombre. Finalmente Fili le accede el nombre y el nuevo Rayo de Jalisco debuta en ese mismo año en la Coliseo Tapatía frente al ENFERMERO. Este fue considerado su debut oficial con ese nombre y ese fue el comienzo de un camino deportivo que solo le depararía éxitos y Máx. ya comenzaba a construir su propia Leyenda.

Campeonatos, Mascaras y Cabelleras

===sus logros===

A partir de ese momento el Rayo de Jalisco comenzó a cosechar triunfos, el primero de ellos fue el Campeonato Welter y Campeonato Medio de Occidente, siendo 1963 el año de su consagración, ya que sucesivamente obtuvo una serie de triunfos muy sonados: la cabellera de CHINO CHOW, además de que en su camino se le atravesó un Enmascarado Negro que a toda costa quiso destapar al Percusor sino es que el inventor del tope en Reversa, este contrincante duro se hacia llamar LA BESTIA, quien vio caer su tapa ante el Hombre de la mascara con un Rayo en frente, formo una gran dupla con quien irónicamente 26 años mas tarde perdería su mascara!!!: El Gran Manotas; BLUE DEMON, gano el Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio de la NWA destronando a RENE COPETES GUAJARDO y fue designado como el Mejor LUCHADOR de 1963.

De ahí nadie pudo detener su vertiginosa carrera de racha triunfal, sus inolvidables topes en reversa y en serie hacían de El Rayo de Jalisco un luchador casi invencible, pues todos quedaban noqueados en la lona cuando don Máx. Linares les conectaba un tope en pleno rostro o en el pecho, formo sociedad con la máxima leyenda de la lucha como es el SANTO, su fama fue tal que ha sido considerado una gran Leyenda solo comparada con el mismo SANTO, BLUE DEMON Y BLACK SHADOW, además con el mismo MIL MASCARAS con quien compartió créditos en varias de sus películas, una de ellas LOS CAMPEONES JUSTICIEROS, además de haber recreado una de las incógnitas mas apasionantes de la lucha libre, y como dato adicional de este gladiador; es que en su nombre de batalla defendia un Estado del cual ironicamente no era oriundo y mucha gente creyo por años que el Rayo si era de Jalisco.

Cae la Mascara del Rayo... Pero no su Leyenda!!!!

===hacia el final===

Durante un Homenaje a Blue Demon, el Rayo tuvo serias diferencias con el, a tal grado de apostarle la mascara al recién retirado Demonio Azul, quien no rehusó al reto y fue así como un domingo 30 de julio de 1989 y ante un lleno impresionante en la Monumental Monterrey; El Gran Rayo de Jalisco pierde su cotizada mascara frente al Manotas; dos grandes Luchadores de todos los tiempos chocaron y fue así como conocimos que quien se escondía por mas de 20 años tras la mascara Negra con un rayo cruzado era Maximino Linares Moreno... Quien después de perder su mascara lucho poco y se retiro, pero lejos de quedarse en el olvido se convirtió en lo que es hasta ahora: una Leyenda...
Su última Lucha fue en Guadalajara Dec 27 1992 acompañado de Rayo de Jalisco JR. Mil Máscaras and Dos Caras vs Villano III, Satanico ,Killer w/ Andy Barrow and Bestia Salvaje.

===La historia continua...===

Una Leyenda que, por ello, no muere para siempre, pues sus hazañas quedaran grabadas en la historia y en el corazón de los aficionados. Un nombre de prosapia que subsiste, gracias a quien, sin equivocarse le heredo nombre y mascara, RAYO DE JALISCO JR, quien lo sigue portando con dignidad, orgullo y brillantez... Así como sus famosos topes en Reversa... Inolvidables!!!

fuentes tomadas de biografias de leyendas

 

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|54/12/12|mask|[[Orlando Santa Cruz]]|[[Rayo de Jalisco|Doc Curtis]]|[[Plaza de Toros Valente Arellano, Torreón, Coahuila]]}}
{{aline|63/??/??|mask|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[La Máscara (1960s)]]|unknown}}
{{aline|64/08/21|mask|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[La Bestia]]|[[Arena Mexico]]<ref>[http://superluchas.com/2015/08/21/en-un-dia-como-hoy-1964-hace-51-anos-debuto-profesionalmente-mil-mascaras-1970-fallece-en-la-ciudad-de-mexico-el-gran-mishima-ota/ SuperLuchas]</ref>}}
{{aline|66/06/12|hair|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[Chino Chow]]|[[Monterrey]]}}
{{aline|75/04/06|mask|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[Guerrero Negro (1960s)]]|unknown}}
{{aline|75/04/06|mask|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[Luis Mariscal|Mr. Sangre]]|unknown}}
{{aline|78/[[September 17|09/17]]|masks|Rayo de Jalisco & [[Huracán Ramírez]]|[[Los Hermanos Muerte]]|unknown}}
{{aline|89/07/05|hair|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[Scorpio]]|Plaza de toros Monumental,Monterrey,NL}}
{{aline|89/07/30|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.}}
{{aend|}}

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery||name=nwamw2_rayodejalisco.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Middleweight Championship|NWA Middle]] champ, [[1963]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Portada617.jpg |caption=mask match, [[1964]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayo_sr.jpg |caption=[[1971]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayosr.jpg |caption=cover, [[1970]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayo_de_jalisco_sr_.jpg|caption=[[1970]]}}
{{Gallery||name=50074557.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayo_de_jalisco.JPG |caption=[[1972]]}}
{{Gallery||name=RayoCJ.JPG|caption=[[Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros (1972)]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayoblue.jpg |caption=[[Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros (1972)]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayodejalisco9.jpg|caption=[[1974]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Mrsangre.jpg|caption=unmasking [[Mr.Sangre]]}}
{{Gallery||name=00wwewcw3841600x1200.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayoyelmonarca.jpg|caption=w/[[El Monarca]], 1979}}
{{Gallery||name=RAH.jpg |caption=in [[Toreo el Cuatro Caminos|El Toreo]], w/[[Huracan Ramirez]] & [[Anibal]], [[1980]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayoymanonegra.JPG |caption=w/[[Mano Negra]], [[1982]]}}
{{Gallery||name=LuchaLibre-1222-RayodeJalisco-RayodeJaliscoJr.jpg‎|caption=w/[[Rayo de Jalisco Jr.|Rayo Jr.]], [[1987]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Imagen061.jpg‎|caption=w/[[Rayo de Jalisco Jr.|Rayo Jr.]], [[1989]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Raymil.jpg‎|caption= Lucha de despedida en Guadalajara w/[[Mil Máscaras]], [[1992]]}}
{{Gallery||name=Donmax.JPG |caption=[[1998]]}}
{{Gallery||name=RAYO_MAX.jpg‎|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=MAX_LINARES.jpg‎|caption=Rayo sr 2001}}
{{Gallery||name=Maxlinares.jpg|caption= homenaje}}
{{Gallery||name=Imagen 29.jpg‎|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Doc Curtis.jpg|caption=unmasked as Dr. Curtis}}
{{Gallery||name=cartelera.png |caption=Rayo de Jalisco en lucha semifinal,1960}}

[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Former CMLL wrestlers]]
[[Category:Deceased wrestlers]]

El Solitario

2019-12-02T17:53:14Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==



{{bioFields|
|image=elsolitario.jpg
|name=El Solitario (The Lone One)
|realName=Roberto González Cruz
|nicknames=El Enmascarado de Oro (The Man of the Golden Mask), El Soli
|nameHistory=El Hijo del Santo (1960), Othon Banzica II, El Zica II, El Zica(1960-1965), El Solitario (1965-death)
|family=[[El Hijo del Solitario]] (son), [[Othon Banzica I]]/[[El Zica I]] (Juan Gonzalez Cruz/brother-Rip)
|maestro=[[Joe El Hermoso]]
|birthdate=[[May 22]], [[1946]] - [[Tlaquepaque]], [[Jalisco]]
|obituarydate=[[April 6]], [[1986]]
|debut=[[1960]] - [[Guadalajara]], [[Jalisco]]
|height=5'11"(1.82 mts)
|weight= 215lbs(95 kgs)
|signatureMoves=[[Spin Kick|La Filomena (reverse kick)]]
|titles=[[Occidente Welterweight Title]], [[NWA World Middleweight Title]], [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Title]], [[Arena Mexico Tag Team Titles]] (w/ [[El Halcon]]), [[UWA World Light Heavyweight Title]], [[UWA World Junior Heavyweight Title]], [[UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship]]
}}
{{WONHOF}}



== Biography ==


The tale of El Solitario is a very special one. He debuted at age 14, was a main eventer at age 24 and died at age 39, but he was such a great worker and drawing card and influenced so many wrestlers that nobody that knew him or knows about him would ever deny that he is a legend... a huge legend, accompanied by [[Ray Mendoza]], [[Mil Mascaras]] and others in the second step of a ladder whose unreachable higher step is occupied by [[Santo]] and [[Blue Demon]].

Roberto González Cruz was born on [[May 22]], [[1946]] in a little town of [[Jalisco]] called [[Yahualica]]. He was the youngest of a 7 children family that didn't live in the best of economical conditions, or anything remotely close to that.

As a kid he was a "rebel" not into the school studying at all, and also an unconformist because he didn't want to stay in that little town forever, living in poverty and working way too hard to earn very little money. So at a very young age, he left his family to live life his own way... and ended up becoming a wrestler.

His family already had a wrestling background, as Roberto's brother, Jesús wrestled as [[Othon Banzica]] during years at local arenas. In 1959, a very sad incident happened and Othon Banzica died in the ring. Roberto really idolized and looked up to his older brother, and his tragic death caused a rage and revenge feeling on young Roberto that pushed him to step into the ring to somehow, in his mind, avenge his brother's death by succeeding and becoming a top star.

He started training under local wrestler [[Joe El Hermoso]]'s tutelage at the "Gallo Madrugador" gym, which didn't sit well with his parents because of what happened to Jesús. However Roberto was in a mission and wasn't going to give up, and after several months, in the year of [[1960]], at age 14 or 15, he made his debut in his home state, along with another young kid called Adolfo Contreras that years later would be known as "El Hippie" [[Renato Torres]] (who was a famous independent star of the 70s and a good real life friend of Roberto).

The first promoter he (and Contreras) wrestled for was [[Elías Simón]], wrestling from Saturday to Monday in [[Ciudad Guzmán]], [[Jalisco]] and [[Tecomán]] and [[Manzanillo]], both in [[Colima]] state. Simón's "brilliant" idea to make these guys sell tickets was announcing them as juniors of big stars. They wrestled unmasked, and while Roberto was always billed as [[El Hijo del Santo]], Adolfo was the son of [[Charro Aguayo]] or [[Blue Demon]].

But Roberto decided that the best thing was to become his own self and continued the family name becoming Othon Banzica II, though this name would eventually get shortened as "El Zica II", and later the number was dropped.

He moved to [[Tijuana]] but local big time promoter [[Black Nassel]] didn't want to use him because he was too young and skinny. As a rookie, Roberto was a good athlete and very tough for a guy his age, but he didn't have any muscular definition. That, however, changed with time as he was a hard gym worker that took care of his body.

In Tijuana he didn't have any money or friends or family, so he lived in an abandoned car. Trying to find work he saw that the city was plagued with night clubs and got a job in a club where he had to darken his body with burnt motor oil to look African and play the bongos while an exotic dancer did her job. But the pay wasn't right either, so Roberto swallowed his pride and apologized to his parents, asking them for money to return back home.

But he didn't quit wrestling there, in fact he trained harder than ever and he made a name for himself in the local arenas and his work paid back as he got a call from big local promoters [[Julián Sánchez]] and [[Ray Plata]] from [[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo in Guadalajara, Jalisco]].

Ray Plata had a long time in the business and knew that El Sica needed a name and costume change if he wanted to succeed in Mexico City. His work was improving very well, as the once skinny and clueless kid with no sense of timing was now a good and polished worker. But still, that name he had, was not the one of a star.

The magic touch Roberto needed was getting named "El Solitario" (The Lonely One), a name based on the famous comic and TV series "El Llanero Solitario" (Lone Ranger). In fact he didn't call himself El Llanero Solitario to avoid copyright infringement problems. He then adopted his classic golden/black tights and his golden mask with a fringe around the eyes representing Lone Ranger's "antifaz" mask. Solitario was one of the first wrestlers to use a mask with a wide open mouth, which is a popular design now used by people like Atlantis, Octagon and Ultimo Guerrero among others.

This name change happened in [[1966]], and not coincidentally, that was his first big year in the business. In Guadalajara he unmasked [[Aguila Tapatía]] and [[The White Hand]] (La Mano Blanca), he won the [[Occident Welterweight Title]] from [[Luis González]] and if that wasn't enough, he also took his hair.

He started wrestling in Mexico City for EMLL by the end of that year (his debut there was on [[September 6]]) and was a rapidly growing young star but when he really made it big, was when he challenged legendary veteran [[Ray Mendoza]] to a hair vs. mask match that was due to happen on [[December 13]], [[1968]]... and WON! And if that wasn't enough, two weeks later he also took the hair of another legend, [[René Guajardo]]! Soli, still a rudo, was the hottest thing on lucha libre at the moment and his drawing power skyrocketed just like his workrate did, as by this point he was considered by many the best wrestler in all of Mexico.

Around that time he started what would later become a legendary trio with El [[Ángel Blanco]] and [[Dr. Wagner]], while attaining success in singles competition too, as on [[August 15]], [[1969]] he defeated El [[Rayo de Jalisco]] to win the [[NWA World Middleweight Championship|NWA World Middleweight title]].

Solitario was such a popular rudo that when Ángel Blanco and Dr. Wagner turned on him, he became a tecnico as popular as anyone in that era, including Santo, Rayo de Jalisco and Blue Demon. And of course, this also gave start to his legendary feud against "[[Ola Blanca]]" members Blanco and Wagner, with him finally taking both white masked men's masks (Ángel's didn't take so long, but for the match vs. Wagner we almost had to wait 15 years). And all of this while piling up more titles like the [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|NWA World Light Heavyweight title]] (a title that during many years was considered the biggest prize in all of Mexico) he won from Ray Mendoza and lost to [[David Morgan]] (who eventually got his payback via a Kojak style haircut courtesy of El Soli).

Roberto was also one of the first wrestlers to leave EMLL in December of 1975 to join the independent wrestling revolution commanded by Ray Mendoza and promoter [[Francisco Flores]]. During his first "indie" years, Solitario continued his now legendary feuds against La Ola Blanca and Ray Mendoza, and also started new rivalries against new talent like [[Atila]] and [[Audaz]].

But his fame wasn't only limited to Mexico. He also was a hot ticket in [[Los Angeles]]' [[Olympic Auditorium]] and generated a cult fan base in [[Japan]] with his tours for [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]]. He only went to Japan three times but he was actually more popular that you'd think, the only problem is that at first he was often paired up against superheavyweights like [[Giant Baba]] and [[Seiji Sakaguchi]] who couldn't work his style, so he could not go out there and impress, and when junior heavyweight wrestling became hot in Japan it was already a bit late, and either way, then the junior division's formula consisted of [[Tiger Mask]] against foreign heels, so Soli couldn't have been in line for a big push.

His first tour to Japan was in [[1972]], the second one in [[1979]] and the last one in [[1981]]. In the second tour there was a [[Chavo Guerrero]] & [[Tatsumi Fujinami]] vs. El [[Canek]] & Solitario match that went around 45 minutes and is today referred to by Japanese historians as a "juniors dream match", and in his final tour, Tigermania was runnin' wild and he got the chance to both face and team with the original Tiger Mask.

While in Mexico, he was one of the biggest headlining stars not only at El Toreo and Arena Mexico, but in the whole country. During a time in the middle of the "trios golden years" in the early 80s, he formed a short lived dream team with [[Villano III]] and [[Aníbal]] called "Los Tres Caballeros" (The Three Knights), though Soli always was, like his name says, a lone ranger. He captured several more titles and headlined virtually everywhere he went. In some places he gained himself a reputation among promoters as a tough guy to work with, but his drawing power and in-ring work ethic made him a horse you could bet for with no risk of losing.

But the most legendary feud of Roberto ended up being his long time rivalry with Wagner, to the point it overshadows his also legendary feuds against Blanco, Mendoza and [[Perro Aguayo]]. The legendary "war to settle it all", the mask vs. mask match against Wagner, happened on [[December 1]], [[1985]] at the enormous [[Plaza de Toros Monumental|Plaza de Toros (Bullring) Monumental]] in [[Monterrey]], [[Nuevo León]] where their popularity (especially Wagner's) was even bigger than in Mexico City. It was a dramatic slower paced match with a lot of submissions and some parts where the match would sped up and Soli could use his big moves. A clipped version of it exists on video and it's a true classic.

Solitario's life finished in a very sad way on [[April 6]], [[1986]]. As the "official" story goes, Solitario had a very serious injury that wasn't taken care of properly (some say knee, some say back) so during a match with [[Fishman]], he re-injured himself during a dangerous maneuver and needed urgent surgery (I don't know if this part is true) and while he was in the operation table, his damaged body couldn't take the anesthetic so he had a heart attack and died. Sometimes there is contradictions, though we all bought this story and even many historians don't know what really happened. In fact many of Solitario's close wrestling friends don't even know what happened, like Canek and Blue Demon have stated in the past. There also was a history going around in Mexico City (that I heard from a former WCW star) that says that Solitario was high on cocaine and didn't tell the doctors, so the combo of it with anesthesia caused that heart attack. This one is an urban legend, too.

As Blue Demon said in his autobiography, Solitario died of a "very strange illness" that he never talked about when he was alive. People close to Solitario have confirmed this one, as he died from a virus, side-effect of his lifestyle. It was a very sad way to end for such a legendary man, but as the song goes, "only the good die young".

Five years later, a legitimate son of Solitario made his debut as "[[El Hijo del Solitario]]". He's a young guy with size and athleticism, but he has never had pride in his work, and even years after his debut he looks like he doesn't even know what to do in the ring. The kid always has "hanged out with the wrong crowds" too, which doesn't help matters.

But even with his son somewhat staining the golden legend, Solitario is fondly remembered by people both in and outside the business, and he is always a top five wrestler in everybody's top stars, top workers and most influential wrestlers in Mexico lists.


== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Coloso Colosetti]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[César Valentino]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|1972/12/01|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Alfonso Dantés]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1965]]/11/??|?|[[Fantasma Negro]]|[[El Solitario|El Sica II]]|[[Cd. Obregón]], [[Sonora]]}}
{{aline|[[1966]]/??/??|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Águila Tapatía]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1966]]/[[06/17]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[The White Hand]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1966]]/[[07/22]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Luis González]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara]]}}
{{aline|[[1968]]/[[12/13]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ray Mendoza]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1968]]/[[12/25]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[René Guajardo]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1972]]/[[04/07]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[David Morgan]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1972]]/[[12/01]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Alfonso Dantés]]|[[Arena México]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1972]]/[[12/08]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ángel Blanco]]|[[Arena México|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1974]]/[[02/03]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ángel Blanco]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1975]]/[[03/02]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Luis Mariscal|El Cardenal]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental|Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.]]}}
{{aline|[[1975]]/[[11/19]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Atila]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1975]]/[[12/05]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Marco Tulio|Destroyer]]|[[Cd. Juárez]], [[Chihuahua]]}}
{{aline|[[1976]]/[[04/12]]|mask (1)|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Audaz]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1977]]/[[02/09]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Ku Klux Klan]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1978]]/[[??/??]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Bestia Negra]]|[[Veracruz]]}}
{{aline|[[1978]]/[[September 10|09/10]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[Perro Aguayo]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1978]]/[[September 24|09/24]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Máscara Roja]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1979]]/[[11/25]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Black Gordman|Bestia Roja]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1981]]/[[03/25]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Chino Chow|Nakamura]]|[[Auditorio de Tijuana|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California]]}}
{{aline|[[1981]]/[[04/06]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Faraón]]|[[Arena Coliseo Guadalajara|Arena Coliseo - Guadalajara, Jalisco]]}}
{{aline|[[1982]]/[[06/20]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Olímpico (original)|El Olímpico]]|[[Arena Mexico|Arena México - Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1983]]/[[06/12]]|hair|[[El Solitario]]|[[El Signo]]|[[Auditorio de Tijuana|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California]]}}
{{aline|[[1985]]/[[12/01]]|mask|[[El Solitario]]|[[Dr. Wagner]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental|Plaza de Toros Monumental - Monterrey, N.L.]]}}
{{aend|(1) Relevos suicidas match vs. Aníbal & Rayo de Jalisco}}

== Gallery ==

{{Gallery|name=Solitariodebutx.jpg|caption=debut 1966}}
{{Gallery|name=ElSolitario_Champ.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Middleweight Championship|NWA MIDDLE Champ 1969]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Solitalio_nwalight.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|NWA LH Champ 1971]]}}
{{Gallery|name=elsolitario01.jpg|caption= Rev. LUCHA LIBRE 1976}}
{{Gallery|name=Elsoli4.jpeg|caption=as [[UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|UWA LH Champ 1977]]}}
{{Gallery|name=El Solitario corner.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=unmaskedsolitario.jpg|caption=Roberto Gonzalez Cruz - El Solitario 1978}}
{{Gallery|name=Soliagain.jpg|caption=1980}}
{{Gallery|name=solisinmascara.jpg|caption=Roberto Gonzalez Cruz - El Solitario 1981}}
{{Gallery|name=uwalh_solitario.jpg|caption=as [[UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship|UWA Jr. LH Champ 1982]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Solitario_NWA.jpg|caption=as UWA Jr. LH Champ 1983}}
{{Gallery|name=el solitario.jpg|caption=}}



[[Category:Deceased wrestlers|Solitario]]
[[Category:Mexican wrestlers|Solitario]]
[[Category:Former LLI/UWA wrestlers|Solitario]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]

Lizmark

2019-12-02T17:50:49Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==

{{bioFields|
|image=Lizmark8.JPG
|name=Lizmark
|realName=Juan Baños Vázquez
|nicknames=El Geniecillo Azul (The Little Blue Genie)
|nameHistory=Lizmark (debut - death)
|family=[[Lizmark Jr.]] (son), [[Lizmark II|Júpiter/Lizmark II]] (brother)
|maestro=[[Abundio Radilla]], [[Braulio Mendoza]], [[Hércules]]
|birthdate=[[December 18]], [[1949]] - [[Santiago Llano Grande]], [[Oaxaca]]<ref>Previously listed as September 18, 1949</ref>
|obituarydate=[[December 16]], [[2015]] - [[Mexico City]] (due to a heart attack)
|debut=[[March 14]], [[1976]] - [[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Acapulco]], [[Guerrero]]
|lostmaskto=Never lost his mask.
|height=5'7"/172 cms
|weight=205 lbs/93 kg
|signatureMoves=[[Plancha]], [[Plancha Suicida]], [[Frankensteiner]], [[Power Bomb]], [[Springboard Armdrag]]
|titles=[[Guerrero Middleweight Title]], [[Guerrero Tag Team Titles]] (w/ Bowman), [[NWA World Light Heavweight Title]] (4), [[NWA World Middleweight Title]], [[NWA World Welterweight Title]], [[WWA World Light Heavyweight Title]] (3), [[National Light Heavyweight Title]], [[National Middleweight Title]] (2), [[National Welterweight Title]], [[CMLL World Tag Team Titles]] (w/ [[Atlantis]]), [[CMLL World Trios Titles]] (w/ [[Atlantis]] & [[Mr. Niebla]])
}}{{WONHOF}}



== Biography ==

A former cliff-diver and bodybuilder, Lizmark used to attend every Wednesday night Acapulco's Arena Coliseo and decided to get involved in lucha after being encouraged to it by popular [[EMLL]] referee Roberto "El Güero" Rangel, who thought that the young guy had good genetics for lucha. An interesting, and little known fact about Lizmark is that he really is from Llano Grande, Oaxaca, but he feels like Acapulco is his hometown because he was raised and lived there until he moved to [[Mexico City]].

Lizmark was a natural athlete all his life. Before becoming a wrestler, he won several swimming championships, was a cliffdiver, competed in boxing, and was a bodybuilder (he was Mr. Acapulco, Mr. Gimnasio and Mr. Guerrero). He had a job as a bartender in an hotel and he was making very good money, but his athletic spirit dictated him to become a luchador.

After doing training with Braulio Mendoza during three years, four hours a day, he started wrestling in Acapulco. In his debut match, he teamed with El Extraño against Ranger and his maestro, Braulio Mendoza.

He has always used the same "war name" - Lizmark, a name he took from the warship Bismark which was once at Acapulco's dock, he just changed the sound of because in case that a wrestler from the Distrito Federal had already chosen the same name, if Lizmark made it to Mexico City, he'd have to use another name because the D.F. wrestler would already have the license for that name.

At the time, Lizmark was one of the leaders of the new generation of revolutionary daredevil high flyers that while still being excellent mat workers, used new futuristic style masks and impressive moves like flying dropkicks. Of course the flying dropkick is a really common lucha move nowadays, but back then it was considered state-of-the-art flying. Lizmark is also credited as being one of the first wrestlers to ever use the powerbomb in Mexico as a finisher.

During his rookie days, he captured his first title when he became the State of Guerrero Tag Team Champion with [[Bowman]] after defeating [[Centauro]] and [[Chanoc]]. They defended them successfully five times but lost them to Chanoc and [[Gurkan]]. He also became the Guerrero Middleweight champion after beating Centauro. He defended it 10 times and vacated it because he was leaving the circuit to focus on his Mexico City career.

The promoters from EMLL quickly saw his superstar potential and just three years after his debut he won his first major title - the [[Mexican National Welterweight Championship]] he got the 4/18/79 defeating [[Américo Rocca]] in his hometown of [[Acapulco]]. It would take almost a year (03/29/80) to Americo to regain back his title, but this time the trade was in Mexico City. Of course, Lizmark then would move on to bigger and better things as three months after his loss he got the [[NWA World Welterweight Championship]] by defeating [[El Supremo]] (6/4/80) in Acapluco. He'd lose that title the 10/23/81 against [[La Fiera]], in Mexico City.

He put on some muscle weight and moved up to the Middleweight ranks. Now he had a chance to fight different wrestlers like the one that would eventually become his best opponent ever - [[Satánico]]. Lizmark defeated Satanico to get the [[Mexican National Middleweight Championship]] first (2/19/82) and then the [[NWA World Middleweight Championship]] later (6/3/83). Before getting the NWA title, Lizmark had already lost the National title against [[Espectro Jr. II]] (3/3/83 in Cuernavaca, Morelos). Six months, on December 2, he lost the NWA title against the former champion, Satanico.

In 1984, Lizmark had a Japanese tour for [[AJPW|All Japan Pro Wrestling]] but unlike some of his Mexican counterparts, he didn't get really over with the fans there. Dave Meltzer states that this was because his matches looked way too coreographed. He wouldn't return to Japan until more than a decade later as he came back as a part of some of the CMLL Japan tours.

Already an stablished star, Lizmark moved up in weight class again and became a light heavyweight - the weight class he'd stay at during the remainder of his career. In March of 1988, Lizmark defeated [[Cien Caras]] (who was still masked and was going to move up to the heavyweight division) to get the [[NWA Light Heavyweight Championship]], thus becoming the second Mexican to ever get three different NWA titles from three different weight divisions as the first one had already been [[Gori Guerrero]].

From 1988 to 1992, Lizmark lost and regained that title several times ([[Fabuloso Blondy] - Lizmark - Satanico - [[Pirata Morgan]] - Blondy - Lizmark - Satanico - Lizmark - Satanico) but he kept being one of the most dominant light heavyweights of all Mexico as he also enjoyed his first couple of [[WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship]] reigns (first one in 1988 defeating [[El Cobarde]] in Tijuana; and the second one defeating [[Enrique Vera]], in 1990).

The 1st of July of 1991, Lizmark's son made his debut as [[Lizmark Jr.|El Hijo De Lizmark]]. As a good father proud of his son, and as a passionate lover of lucha libre, teaming with his own son was one of the most emotional moments Lizmark has ever had during his career.

Three months after [[Antonio Peña]] left EMLL to create [[AAA]], Lizmark left La Empresa just like most of the top EMLL superstars (albeit a few exception like Lizmark's long time ring partner and real life friend, [[Atlantis]]) did. Soon after that he got the [[Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship]] defeating [[Universo 2000]] in Acapulco (9/18/92). Getting this title one of the promises Peña made to Lizmark if he signed with his new promotion. As expected, Lizmark's son signed with AAA as well.

And of course, Lizmark carried his WWA title with himself to start a new exciting feud with one of the fastest rising rudos at the time, LA Park|La Parka]]. Antonio Peña's way to make superstars out of his new character-like personalities was to have them feud with stablished legends, and it really worked. The Blue Genius lost the WWA title to wrestling's favorite skeleton around October of 1993, regained it, and lost it again almost a year later (6/20/94). Lizmark would later lose the National LH title to the same Parka the 9/9/94 in Rio Bravo. Around that time h had some very good sigles matches not only against Parka, but also against "El Puma" [[Jerry Estrada]].

Lizmark did not really like the approach AAA was taking so around mid-to-late 1995 he returned back to [[CMLL]] to successfully reform his team with his old partner Atlantis as he enjoyed CMLL tag team and CMLL Trios (having [[Mr. Niebla]] as their third man) title reigns. He also had a short stay in [[Promo Azteca]], but he didn't like the atmosphere and returned to CMLL again.

In January of 1999 he had chest pains that lead to heart problems (he eventually denied the heart attack rumors) that kept him out during a long time, and he was even told that he'd never wrestle again, but he returned in six months, and though he's not as good as he used to be, he's still a quality graceful luchador.

Even though he has been around for a long time and he has been a high flyer all of his career, he still keeps in very good shape and he's still able to use athletic flying moves, which mixed with his great mat skills, still let him have good matches.

Lizmark has got a well-deserved reputation for being an innovator that influenced a lot of today's stars, and he's one of the most respected workers in the locker room not only for his tremendous skill but for his great attitude and his excellent work ethic.

 

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[Gran Coloso|Asesino Negro]]|Centro de Convenciones de Ciudad Madero - Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[Mario Valenzuela]]|Arena Coliseo - Acapulco, Guerrero}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[Mario Valenzuela]]|Mexico City}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[Raúl Armas]]|unknown}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[Mr. Lancer]]|unknown}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Lizmark]]|[[El Insólito]]|Culiacán, Sinaloa}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Lizmark]]|[[El Tiburón]]|unknown}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[Américo Rocca]]|unknown}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Lizmark]]|[[El Cíclope]] (not Halloween)|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|78/08/26<ref>[http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=004698 Matt Farmer]</ref>|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[El Invasor]]|[[Pista Arena Revolucion]]}}
{{aline|79/03/04|hairs|Lizmark & [[Centauro]]|[[Mario Valenzuela]] & [[El Musulmán]]|Arena Coliseo - Acapulco, Guerrero}}
{{aline|82/10/20|hair|[[Lizmark]]|[[El Faraón]]|Arena Coliseo - Acapulco, Guerrero}}
{{aline|85/03/12|masks|Fantasma & [[Lizmark]]|[[Espanto Sinisestro]] & [[El Vengador|Ciclope]]|Acapulco Guerrero}}
{{aline|90/11/25|masks|Lizmark & [[Atlantis]]|[[The Animals]] [[Eddie Watts|I]] & [[Chuck Walton|II]]|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{aline|98/06/28|mask (1)|[[Lizmark]]|[[El Norteamericano]]|Palenque de Gallos - San Luis Potosí, SLP}}
{{aend|(1) Triangle match with Universo 2000}}

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery|name=Lizmark.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=Lizmarkplancha.jpg|caption=Plancha suicida}}
{{Gallery|name=lizmark_springboardarmdrag.jpg|caption=Springboard armdrag}}
{{Gallery|name=liz80s.jpg|caption=Lizmark will punish to [[Pirata Morgan]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Lizmark_nwa-welter.JPG|caption=as [[NWA World Welterweight Championship|NWA WELTER Champ]]}}
{{Gallery|name=mexmiddle_lizmark.jpg|caption=as [[Mexican National Middleweight Championship|MEX MIDDLE Champ]]}}
 
{{Gallery|name=Lizmark-nwa-middle.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Middleweight Championship|NWA MIDDLE Champ]]}}
{{Gallery|name=nwalh_lizmark.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|NWA LH Champ]]}}
{{Gallery|name=LizmarkChamp.jpg|caption=as [[NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship|NWA LH Champ]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Atlantislizmark.jpg|caption=With Atlantis}}
{{Gallery|name=LIZZ.jpg|caption=Lizmark gets a grand entrance}}
{{Gallery|name=Tate13.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=lizmark01.jpg|caption=as [[WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship]]}}
{{Gallery|name=4_LIZMARNo1.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1439577519132.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=CMLL_trios_Champions.jpeg|caption= CMLL Trios Championship along with Atlantis and Mr. Niebla}}
{{Gallery|name=IMG_21186874314292.jpeg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=All Japan Profile.jpeg|caption= Lizmark's AJPW Profile}}
 
{{Gallery|name=IMG_110105339145843.jpeg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=LIZVENFERMERO83.jpg|caption=Defending [[NWA World Middleweight Championship]] vs. [[Jaque Mate|El Enfermero Jr.]] in 1983}}
{{Gallery|name=C7de8f3397f09d6e902b99e00fda972a.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1480578015508.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1480577851457.jpg|caption=vs[[Atlantis]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Lizmark5-1.JPG|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1513451127881.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallerywide|name=FB IMG 1481950898425.jpg|caption=winning the AJPW New Year Giant Series}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1480409762141.jpg|caption=La Ola Azul}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1480409749686.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1480362004914.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallerywide|name=Homenaje a Lizmark.jpg|caption=2013 Homage at [[Arena Nacionalista]]}}
{{Gallerywide|name=FB IMG 1497237013823.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1518151027597.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallerywide|name=FB IMG 1522698088675.jpg|caption=with [[Super Halcon]]}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1528737783112.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1534566373246.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=Lizmark WWA.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallerywide|name=Lizmark prime.jpg|caption=}}
[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Deceased wrestlers]]
[[Category:Former CMLL wrestlers]]
[[Category:Trainers]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]

Rey Misterio

2019-12-02T17:50:13Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==
{{bioFields|
|image=Reymisterio.jpg
|name=Rey Misterio (Mystery King)
|realName=Miguel Ángel López Díaz
|nicknames=none
|nameHistory=El Genio (1976-?), Maravilla Blanca(1976-?), Rayman (1977- ??), Rey Misterio (1979-1988 ), Bull Rider (92 - 93)
|family=[[El Hijo de Rey Misterio]] (son), [[Rey Misterio Jr.]] (nephew), [[Metalika]] (niece), [[Super Astro]] (brother-in-law)
|maestro=[[Chamaco Martínez]], [[El Egipcio]], [[El Faraón]], [[Enrique Torres]], [[El Enfermero]], [[Atila]], [[El Solitario]]
|birthdate=[[January 8]], [[1958]] - [[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]]
|obituarydate=
|debut=[[January 6]], [[1976]] - [[Auditorio de Tijuana]] - [[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]]
|lostmaskto=[[Fishman]] - [[March 25]], [[1988]] - [[Auditorio de Tijuana]]
|height=5'8"/175 cms
|weight=216 lbs/98 kg
|signatureMoves=[[Power Bomb]], [[Plancha]], [[La Tapatía]]
|titles=[[Tijuana Welterweight Title]], [[Tijuana Tag Team Titles]] (3, w/ [[Saeta Oriental]], w/ [[Super Astro|Pequeño Apolo aka Super Astro]], w/ [[Rey Guerrero]]), [[Baja California Middleweight Championship]], [[Americas Title]], [[WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Title]], [[IWC World Middleweight Title]] (2), [[WWA World Tag Team Titles]] (2, w/ [[Rey Misterio Jr.]] & [[El Dandy]]), [[IWC TV Title]](2), [[X-LAW Heavyweight Title]], [[WWO World Title]], [[PWR World Tag Team Titles]] (w/[[El Hijo de Rey Misterio]]), [[WWA World Middleweight Championship]]
}}

== Biography ==

He is one of the most well-respected lucha libre trainers of Mexico and in the history of the sport. Rey Misterio has trained several prominent wrestlers, such as [[Rey Mysterio Jr.]], [[Psicosis]](Nicho el Millonario), [[Konnan]], [[Damian 666]], [[Halloween]], [[Misterioso]],[[Extreme Tiger]],and [[Eiji Ezaki]](Hayabusa). Currently, he is guiding the prolific career of his son [[Hijo de Rey Misterio]], although some would say he is using his influence too much and the fans are growing to resent the new [[Rey Misterio Jr.]] clone.
 
== Filmography ==

#[[Wrestlemaniac (2006)]] as El Mascarado

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Príncipe Joel]]|unknown}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Zorro de Oro]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Angel Azul]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Tornado Negro]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Monje Negro]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Rambo Star]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Bruno Victoria|Destroyer (Bruno Victoria)]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Delfin]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Angel de Plata]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Fraile del Mal]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Estrella Azul]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Caballero Rojo]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Diamante Negro]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Infernal]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[El Siberiano]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Estudiante]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[MS-1]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|??/??/??|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Negro Azteca]]|[[Arena Coliseo Mexicali]] - [[Baja California]]}}
{{aline|1980s|masks|[[Rey Misterio]] & [[Príncipe Negro (Baja California)|Príncipe Negro]]|[[Los Guerreros Negros]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|86/12/19|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Carlos Plata]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|87/12/18|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[el Macho]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|88/03/25|mask|[[Fishman]]|[[Rey Misterio]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|88/10/??|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Lobo Rubio]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|94/10/27|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Huichol]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|95/??/??|masks|[[Rey Misterio]] & [[Príncipe Arandú]]|[[Super Tornado I]] & [[Tornado Negro II |Super Tornado II]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|99/08/26|mask|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Psicosis]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|00/05/12|hair|[[Nicho el Millonario]]|[[Rey Misterio]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|[[2001|01]]/[[??/??]]|hairs|[[Damián 666]], [[Halloween]], [[Rey Misterio]]|[[Negro Azteca]], [[El Estudiante]], [[Humilde]]|[[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]]}}
{{aline|02/12/13|hair (1)|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Salsero]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|03/02/28|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Kiss]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|03/11/14|hair|[[Dr. Wagner Jr.]]|[[Rey Misterio]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|06/08/25|hair|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Cien Caras]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}
{{aline|06/12/01|hair (2)|[[Rey Misterio]]|[[Nicho el Millonario]]|Auditorio de Tijuana - Tijuana, Baja California}}

{{aend|(1) 8 men cage match. (2) Cage Match with [[Hijo de Rey Misterio]] & [[Super Parka]]}}

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery|name=ReySrOrigMask.jpg|caption=Original mask}}
{{Gallery|name=BullRiders.jpg|caption=as Bull Rider}}
{{Gallery|name=Bullrider2.JPG|caption=as Bull Rider}}
{{Gallery|name=ReySrAlterMask.jpg|caption=Another mask variation}}
{{Gallery|name=ReyMisteriotj.jpg|caption=Another mask variation}}
{{Gallery|name=REY Sr.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=ReySr-IWCMiddle.jpg|caption=as [[WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship|WWA World Jr.LH Champ]]}}
{{Gallery|name=MisterioGymclassof99.jpg|caption=with his trainees form his 1999 class}}
{{Gallery|name=Rey_Misterio_gym_class_of_2007.jpg|caption=2007 class}}
{{Gallery|name=Engendro-reymisterio-flamasolar.jpg|caption=[[Engendro I]], Rey Misterio & [[Flama Solar]]}}
{{Gallery|name=Misterio_sr_tag_champion.jpg|caption=Pro Wrestling Revolution tag team champion with his son Hijo de Rey Misterio}}
{{Gallery|name=Los Misterio.jpg|caption=united again with his nephew along with his son}}
 
{{Gallery|name=6f889c60.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1489590677923.jpg|caption=with [[Kokina|Yokozuna]] & [[Nikozuna]]}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1522004961157.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1522005154114.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=El Mascarado(1).jpg|caption=as El Mascarado}}

[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Trainers]]
[[Category:Tijuana based wrestlers]]
[[Category:XLAW wrestlers]]
[[Category:Former CMLL wrestlers]][[Category:Former AAA/PAP wrestlers]]

Murciélago Velázquez

2019-12-02T17:43:48Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==



{{bioFields|
|image=FB IMG 1470198229633.jpg
|name=Murciélago (Bat) Velázquez
|realName=Jesús Velázquez Quintero
|nicknames=El Murciélago
|nameHistory=El Murciélago Enmascarado (debut - 07/39), Murciélago Velázquez (07/39 - death)
|family=none
|maestro=unknown, but got polished at the [[Casino de la Policía]]
|birthdate=[[February 22]], [[1910]] - [[Dolores Hidalgo]], [[Guanajuato]]
|obituarydate=[[May 26]], [[1972]]
|debut=[[April 3]], [[1938]] - [[Arena México]]
|lostmaskto=[[Octavio Gaona]] - [[July 18]], [[1939]] - [[Arena México]]
|height=170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
|weight=75 kg (165 lb)
|signatureMoves=La Filomena ([[Spin Kick]]), La Suástica ([[Swastika]]), [[La Noria]]
|titles=[[National Middleweight Title]]
}}



== Biography ==
Writing about Jesús "El Murciélago" Velázquez means writing about a whole era when lucha libre was on its infant stages, still developing.

Born Jesús Velázquez Quintero on February 22, 1910 in the small ranch of La Palma in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, he was one of the original dark and eccentric stars of the world of lucha libre.

His first appearance at Arena Mexico was on April 3, 1938, as "El Murciélago Enmascarado" (Masked Bat), having a tough match with Jack O'Brien, who won the match as the fierce rookie was disqualified, via ruling of excessive punishment. It should be noted that he was the second Mexican masked wrestler ever, and the fourth ever in Mexico, as his predecessors were El Enmascarado (Mexican wrestler Luis Núñez), La Maravilla Enmascarada (The Masked Marvel aka Ciclon MacKey) and El Enmascarado de Chicago.

Wearing a black hooded vest to the ring, and wrestling with black trunks and mask, he would have been an immediate sensation only because of his spectacular ring entrance, as he released small bats (as incredible as it sounds, considering what I have read in three different write-ups in magazines of the fifties and sixties, I'm thinking they were real ones) that would go flying over the heads of the screaming fans. But that was not the only thing that gave him that darkness aura, as he backed it up in the ring with a hard hitting brawling style mixing in scientific holds such as his creation, the swastika stretch.

His popularity rise was nothing but meteoric, and one month into his debut he was already wrestling people such as Dientes Hernández and Bobby Bonales. But there is an incident that made Velázquez look like such a cruel and evil heel, and no doubt is the first thing that most fans and writers think about when the name of Velázquez pops up. Many fans reading this must have guessed it by now. I am talking about the Merced Gómez incident.

Merced was a very tough rudo wrestler of the era. He was a hard hitter who had a well cut physique, resembling a welterweight boxer. In fact, Merced was a boxer who retired because he was losing sight in an eye after some blows to the head, and like many other failed boxers of the era tried to make a living as a professional wrestler. As the history goes, 14 days after his debut, the Enmascarado faced Merced. In the third fall, Murciélago was taking quite a beating, but was able to come back with a "filomena" spin kick (Ringo Mendoza style), another of the moves considered as his "creations" because he was the first to use it in the ring. That kick is mostly landed in the stomach of the opponent, but this one hit Gómez right in the face. He took a hard fall to the mat, and when he woke up everybody witnessed in silence how Merced's eye... wasn't there. But Murciélago still wanted more of the bloodied Merced, while the referee tried to stop the fight.

With this being wrestling, and in Mexico no less, there is a very blurry line between shoot and work. The widespread version of the incident is basically the one told above. Once I read in a magazine that Merced's lost eye was his healthy one, and losing almost all visibility so quickly caused him severe mental damage and he died very young. That can not be true, because Gómez kept wrestling for at least one more year.

Even though wrestling is a business where one man's disgrace is another man's ticket to stardom, I firmly believe this this is all a myth. The 1948 released book "15 años de lucha libre" (15 years of lucha libre) said that Merced had already lost that eye in boxing. And if there is need of furter proof, a month later they had a rematch that the Bat won as well, and as the legend goes, it was so brutal that his opponent's blows broke several of his ribs, seven to be more exact. But that may be another work of the era, as Murciélago was wrestling seven days after the match.

But work or not, there is no doubt this incident was a key part in the rising of the Velázquez legend as a heartless villain.

Years of hard work made Murciélago a charismatic figure that had matches with all the stars of the era. On August of 1939 he participated in a multiple week tournament to crown a National Middleweight champion. He defeated Jack O'Brien, Ciclón Veloz and Caballero Lee in grueling matches but lost the finals to Dientes Hernández. He did not give up and reached his well deserved "consagración" in 1940 when he rarely lost any matches, which lead to him starting a rivalry with Octavio Gaona.

On one side we had Murciélago, who had not had a lot of previous training. But he was so dedicated to the craft that he became a policeman as a day job just so he could improve his wrestling at the "Casino de la Policia", one of the first lucha schools. And on the other side, we had Gaona who was one of the mat masters of the era, known for his fine and smooth technical style. But since their matches were all-out brawls, it was all even. In fact one of their most famed bouts was a "super libre" no rules match where Gaona lost. That match lead to Gaona issuing a "mask vs. hair" challenge to Murciélago, which was accepted. And on July 18th of 1940, Gaona won - and El Murciélago Enmascarado died the same night "Murciélago" Velázquez was born!

Before losing the mask, he piled up four "cabelleras" won in mask defenses in straight weeks: old opponent Merced Gómez, Bobby Bonales, Dientes Hernández and Ciclón Veloz. Impressive by all accounts, since those matches were among the first of the kind ever held in the country, or any place for that matter. And I am sure that many fans of the era saw Gaona as the underdog in that bout.

The mask losing did not affect Velázquez' career at all, as his serious looking rudo face matched his personality. So of course, he stayed on top of the events and remained as one of the big names in the business, and a serious candidate for any titles that were up for grabs, like when on May 12, 1941, both he and Black Guzman (brother of El Santo) reached the finals of a tournament for the National Middleweight Title left vacant by Firpo Segura. That night, the nicknamed "Indio de Tulancingo" won the title.

But Murciélago did not give up, and had better luck when that same title was left vacant again, on December of 1941, as Black Guzmán won the NWA title of the same weight class. On January of 1942, he upset old nemesis Octavio Gaona in the finals of the tournament. Back then, as there was only a card a week, hot rivalries would span for years without losing a touch of interest, and this was seen as Velázquez' sweet revenge. Overall, he was a champion deserving of the title and had a good run.

Other of Velázquez' legendary career rivalries was the one with a young, hot up-and-coming wrestler that took his hair on January of 1943 in a mask vs. hair match. On March 19, 1943, that same man that took his hair, now took his belt. The newly crowned champion here was having a "vendetta" of his own, as years earlier he had wrestled under the guise of "El Murciélago Enmascarado II" until the original one complained to the commission that forced him to switch names. And having to adopt a new identity if he wanted to continue to wrestle, that young man became El Santo.

From since that feud was done to 1946, Velázquez got lost in the shuffle. He was still popular, but there was more interest in other wrestlers, such as Santo himself. But in that year 1946 he had a great resurgence push, piling up a record of winning 21 straight singles matches in just two falls. Two versions of the same tale say that the man stopping the streak was either Gory Guerrero or Pete Sherman, but what is for sure is that people with the name value of El Santo, Bobby Bonales and Tarzán López were among the beaten wrestlers.

But after that glorious year he got lost in the shuffle once again until 1953, when the year end issue of Box y Lucha's statistics pointed him as the wrestler with more straight falls victories: six, but now against lesser opponents such as the charismatic Argentinian Bobbo Salvaje, Bob Norman or the rookie Chico Veloz. This media attention gained him a considerable push outside Mexico City as the rugged and grumpy veteran who was the nightmare of the local rookies.

He made his last stride in the big arenas in 1955. In those buildings nobody was seeing him as more than "a name of the past" or "a former great", but he gained some momentum forming a team with the Jewish brawler Samar Seleem. They got over huge as "wild brawlers" who did not care about rules and got a strong tag team push defeating dream teams such as Cavernario Galindo and El Verdugo (who were the top two "wild brawlers" in the company's hierarchy), Tony Borne and [[Tony Barbetta]], El Santo and [[Pancho Valentino]], Los Hermanos Shadow (Black Shadow and Blue Demon) and Tarzán López and Enrique Llanes. But in a match against López and Henry Pilusso, things got so out of control with the fans that the commissioner Manuel Muñoz, who had been in that role for only a year and had already built himself a reputation as being severely strict with the rules, barred them for life from Mexico City. That political decision taken by just one man broke up a team that in just a few months had amassed both a huge cult rudo following and a rabid legion of haters.

Seleem went to Monterrey, while Velázquez left the business and became an actor and movie script writer. He made his debut as an actor in the 1957 series "La Momia Azteca" (The Aztec Mummy) and wrote several original screenplays for movies such as Tlayucan (1961). He also appeared in several movies of the lucha adventures genre, and even wrote one, "El Señor Tormenta" (1962).

Actually, not even counting the lucha genre films, he never really completely left the business as he trained wrestlers for a couple of years, and in an unexpected turn of events, in the early 60s he became the Distrito Federal lucha libre commissioner for a short time. From barred wrestler to "number one authority", quite a paradox.

By the late 60s he had left his acting career to concentrate on script writing. In total he wrote more than 30 scripts, between westerns, dramas and lucha movies. That was his job until his death, the midnight of May 26, 1972. Cause was a cirrhosis of the liver.

It was never said while he was alive because of not breaking kayfabe, but Velázquez' in-ring personality was the opposite of his actual personality, as his peers considered him a very friendly and peaceful man who loved to read philosophy and poetry books, and had a cultural level superior to most wrestlers' but was very humble about it.


 

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|40/06/23|hair|Murciélago Enmascarado|[[Merced Gómez]]|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{aline|40/06/30|hair|Murciélago Enmascarado|[[Bobby Bonales]]|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{aline|40/07/04|hair|Murciélago Enmascarado|[[Dientes Hernández]]|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{aline|40/07/11|hair|Murciélago Enmascarado|[[Ciclón Veloz]]|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{aline|40/07/18|mask|[[Octavio Gaona]]|Murciélago Enmascarado|Arena México - Mexico City}}
{{aline|43/01/??|hair|[[El Santo]]|Murciélago Velázquez|Arena Coliseo- Mexico City}}
{{aend|}}

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery|name=Murcielagovelazquez.jpg}}
{{gallery|name=MurcielagoVelazquez2.jpg|caption= Mexican Middleweight Title belt,1942}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1474746272056.jpg|caption=his creation [[La Filomena]]}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1487396120515.jpg|caption=}}
[[Category:Deceased wrestlers]]
[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Former CMLL wrestlers]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]

Blue Demon

2019-11-25T17:02:32Z

MrWho0:

== Profile ==

{{bioFields||image=Bluedemon.jpg
|name=Blue Demon
|realName=Alejandro Muñoz Moreno
|nicknames=El Profe (The Professor), El Manotas (The man with the big hands), El Profe Manotas, El Demonio Azul (The Blue Demon)
|nameHistory=Tosco Muñoz (debut match), Blue Demon (06/48 - death)
|family=[[Blue Demon Jr.]] (son), [[Flama Solar]](nephew)
|maestro=[[Rolando Vera]]
|birthdate=[[April 24]], [[1922]] - [[Villa de García]], [[Nuevo León]]
|obituarydate=[[December 16]], [[2000]] - [[Mexico City]]
|debut=[[March 31]], [[1948]] - [[Laredo]], [[Texas]], [[USA]]
|height=5'7/169cm
|weight=170lbs/77kg
|lostmaskto=
|signatureMoves=El Pulpo
|titles=[[National Welterweight Title]] (3), [[NWA World Welterweight Title]] (2), [[Mexican National Tag Team Championship]] (w/ [[Black Shadow]])
|}}{{WONHOF}}

== Biography ==

When it comes to popularity, Blue Demon is, along with [[El Santo]], the biggest mainstream lucha superstar [[Mexico]] ever had.

Demon was born on [[April 24]], [[1922]] in [[Villa de García]], a small town in [[Nuevo León]], though he was registered in [[Los Rodriguez]], [[Coahuila]], a town located near the border of [[Coahuila]] and [[Nuevo León]]. He was the fifth kid of a 12 children family, all maintained by their father, who worked as a agriculturist. When Demon was still very young, his parents moved to [[Rinconada]], where he attended school. He dropped out of it, as he saw no point in studying because there wasn't a lot of future in his little town. After an unsuccessful try to become a musician, he moved to [[Monterrey]] to live with his uncles and his aunt.

He got a job at the railway station, and there he met the brother of his friend Franklin Hernández - the lucha legend [[Rolando Vera]]. Vera saw potential in the kid and trained him for several non-combat sports at a local gym. Demon was a huge youngster, and his hands were especially big. After being told about lucha and despite the fact that he didn't really know what was going on the business or how was it like, the young Demon knew he wanted to be a luchador like his mentor.

After extensive physical training, Demon tried amateur wrestling and ended up undefeated with a 8-0 record, and then he tried freestyle wrestling as well.

One day a promoter spoke to Vera about sending some wrestlers for a lucha program in [[Laredo]], [[Texas]], and without really expecting it, the future Blue Demon had his debut on [[March 31]], [[1948]], wrestling under his real name and defeating [[Chema López]].

After that fight, Vera had a good idea for him. He told his young protegé that he'd wear a blue mask with silver decorations, blue trunks and blue boots, and that his new name was going to be "Blue Demon". The disciple had no objection about it because he knew that Rolando's ideas were always good. Since that day, he decided that the Blue mask would become his heart and soul.

He obviously started off wrestling in [[Monterrey]] while still keeping a normal life when not under the hood, as he never stopped working in the railway station. In his debut as Blue Demon he scored a win over [[Benny Arcilla]].

[[EMLL]] president [[Salvador Lutteroth]] once sent one of his talent scouts, [[Jesus Lomelí]], to give a look to some American lady wrestlers that were performing on [[Nuevo Laredo]], however Jesús arrived a day earlier so he attended a card in [[Monterrey]]. When Demon went to get his payoff as usual, the [[Arena Monterrey]] promoter [[Jesús Garza Hernández]] gave him something that Lomelí had left there for him: it was a recommendation letter so he could go to wrestle to [[Mexico City]] anytime he wanted to.

He told Vera about that letter and they intensified the training, and Vera also taught him how to behave when in [[Mexico City]]. Demon's [[Mexico City]] debut was on [[September]] of [[1948]]. His first match was at the old [[Arena Mexico]] against [[Ciclón Veloz]], and he lost in two straight falls... both by being disqualified! He really got over as a "rudo" after that fight and he caused a sudden impact in the [[Mexico City]] wrestling scene. He decided to stay in [[Mexico City]], so he left his job at the railway station for good, and his wife and his little son moved to the capital with him.

Around [[1952]] he was already fighting versus top wrestlers of the promotion in a regular basis. On [[November 7]] of that same year, the arguably most important match in the history of lucha libre was hold - [[El Santo]] defeated [[Black Shadow]] (Alejandro Cruz Ortíz) in a mask vs. mask match. Blue Demon, who was seconding Shadow on that match, promised he'd avenge the mask loss of his "brother", because on the wrestling world, Shadow and Demon were billed as real-life brothers.

Demon turned full-time tecnico and that probably was the wisest business decision he ever took, as he started feuding with the top rudo in [[Mexico]] - [[El Santo]]. They feuded all over [[Mexico]] (Demon teamed with Shadow, while [[Santo]]'s partner was [[Gory Guerrero]]) and made a lot of money together. On [[August]], [[1953]], Demon and [[Santo]] had their first singles match ever and Demon surprisingly defeated [[Santo]] in two straight falls, which gave him the right to challenge [[Santo]] for the [[NWA Welterweight title]] he owned in a match that happened on [[September 25]], [[1953]] at La [[Arena Coliseo]]. In what is usually referred as the most important match from his career, Demon defeated [[Santo]] in three falls to win that Welterweight title, which he'd keep for 4 years and a half, until [[Karloff Lagarde]] defeated him the [[January 31|31st of January]] of [[1958]].

Other of Demon's classic encounters was the draw between [[Los Hermanos Shadow]] ([[Black Shadow]] & Blue Demon) and the rudísimo team of [[Cavernario Galindo]] and [[El Santo]], which was voted the [[1953]] Match of The Year in [[Mexico]] by the media.

Some reports say that in [[1955]], Blue Demon captured the National Welterweight Title, but this has never been either confirmed or denied as there's a hole on the title history of that belt during the [[1945]]-to-[[1956]] period. What is known for a fact, is that on [[April 4]], [[1962]] captured that same title defeating [[Karloff Lagarde]] in [[Mexico City]]. He would lose that title six months later, and he wouldn't taste gold again until [[July 30|07/30]]/[[1976]], when he defeated Mano Negra in a match for Mexican Welter title that Fishman had vacated; and it was [[Fishman]] who defeated Demon to regain the title on [[February 27]], [[1977]].

Demon's first serious injury was on [[July]], [[1957]] during a fight against El [[Espectro]] in [[Tampico]], [[Tamps]]. After a wicked head-first impact on the ringpost he fractured his skull and during seven months, he was out wearing an ortophedic mechanism that kept his neck immobile.

After his return, Demon had his first fallout with [[EMLL]]. There was a problem with the transport, as without previous announcement he was sent to different places in a truck instead of being sent by plane. After many miles he became really frustrated and when he was in [[El Paso]], [[TX]], visiting his old friend [[Gory Guerrero]], he had two fights for the promotion he was starting there and earned enough money to return to [[Mexico]] by plane. The promoter, Gorila Ramos, and the [[EMLL]] board of directives were upset with Demon for fighting for Guerrero without permission. The board, Lutteroth included, had a meeting with Demon probably to tell him about the punishment they had for him, but before they could even speak, he told them that he was very grateful to them for what they had done for him in the past but that he was leaving.

So, pretty much like [[Santo]], [[Gory Guerrero|Guerrero]] and the other big stars of his era, he became a free agent and wrestled all over [[Mexico]], [[New York]], several Southern [[U.S.]] cities and [[Latin America]], which allowed him to have more free time to devote to the parallel acting career he was just starting. Many of those films were productions he co-starred with [[Santo]]. [[Santo]] turned tecnico in [[1963]] and despite their on-screen partership, they were still considered intense rivals until [[1968]], which was the first time they teamed.

Demon, who never left lucha, suffered his most important injury during [[1965]]. During a match against [[Cavernario Galindo]] in [[Oaxaca]], Demon fell through the ropes outside the ring and due to the collision on the floor one of his blood vessels broke. Despite the fact that the doctor told him not to eat anything, Demon had dinner and a few minutes later he lost conscience, fell off the stairs and fractured his skull again. He was other whole year out but he eventually returned to the ring.

From then on and until his retirement, he kept wrestling all over the places mentioned earlier, and he made several other films. Also, around the mid 70s he helped in the training of several young wrestlers at the [[Arena Mexico]] gym. One of those wrestlers is [[Ringo Mendoza]]. He eventually opened his own gym as well, the "Blue Demon Gym" located at [[Colonia Moctezuma]] in [[Mexico City]].

In [[1989]] Demon decided that it was time to say goodbye and he started his retirement tour. His [[Arena Mexico]] retirement saw him, his son [[Blue Demon Jr.]] and [[Ringo Mendoza]] go over the team of [[Emilio Charles Jr.]], [[Pirata Morgan]] and [[Satanico]]. His [[Tijuana]] retirement was a [[Promociones Mora]] match in which he, his son and [[Alcatraz]] (one of the sons of [[Benjamin Mora Sr.]]) went over [[Hijo del Gladiador]], [[Kahoz]] and [[Leon Chino]]. But the big "retirements" were in the place that saw him mature as a wrestler - [[Monterrey]]. He wasn't actually going to wrestle a retirement match in [[Monterrey]] but the promoters had quite a big and espectacular retirement planned for him, an offer he obviously accepted. On [[July 30]], [[1989]] he unmasked one of the biggest legends of the 70s - El [[Rayo de Jalisco]]. As if that wasn't enough, Demon's last match on [[August 22]] was another mask vs. mask match, this time he took the hood of [[El Matematico]], a quite popular wrestler in the 70s and 80s as well.

On January of [[1996]], [[AAA]] ran a very controversial angle involving Demon. Blue Demon and [[Ray Mendoza]] were being honored in the ring for their careers when [[Pierroth]] came to the ring, rip up Demon's diploma and attacked him. This angle wouldn't be so weird to see in the US, but this was something never seen before in [[Mexico]] and it gave the already over [[Pierroth]] way more heel heat to the point that crowds anywhere would be about to riot just after he appeared in the entrance way. Due to the success of this angle, on [[August]] [[1998]] they ran a similar angle again. He and his son were presenting a little kid with a mask, and then rising superstar [[Abismo Negro]] ran in, attacked the junior and then he tried to [[piledrive]] the senior, though in the end the junior saved his father from such a lethal move. This angle was supposed to skyrocket both [[Blue Demon Jr.|Demon Jr.]] and [[Abismo Negro|Abismo]]'s careers, however the only man whose career got skyrocketed was [[Abismo Negro|Abismo]]..

On [[October 27]], [[2000]], [[EMLL]] held the first "[[Leyenda Azul]]" tournament at [[Arena México]], in honor of Blue Demon. [[Blue Panther]] defeated in the finals of the elimination match to win the trophy (which was actually a belt). Also, Demon was presented with a medal by the late [[Cavernario Galindo]]'s son.

Blue Demon, Alejandro Muñoz Moreno, died on [[December 16]], [[2000]] around 11:45 AM, at age 78. Later on the day, he had a funeral service at the funerary Lopez García, located at Versalles street in Colonia Juarez. Many personalities of the cinema and lucha world (including [[Hombre Bala]], [[Pompín]], [[Nygma]], [[El Dollar]], [[Fantasma]], [[Charles Bronson Mexicano]], [[Black Shadow]], [[Roberto "Güero" Rangel]], [[Huracán Ramirez]], [[Ringo Mendoza]] and [[Bestia Salvaje]]) attended the funeral service. He was buried a day later, around 2:00 PM at the Panteón Parque Memorial, in [[Naucalpan]], [[Mexico City]].

After traveling on the [[Mexico City]] subway (Metro Polero station) he had a heart attack in the streets of [[Victoria]] and [[Insurgentes Norte]]. He liked to travel alone, and used the subway regularly as he didn't like taxis and he couldn't drive at his age. [[Blue Demon Jr.]] said to the media that he was called and he could see his father still alive and took him home, but he died in his arms while he was getting medical services. He was survived by his wife Gregoria "Goyita" Lomelí, his daughter Marla, his sons Alejandro and [[Blue Demon Jr.]], and his seven grandchildren.

Demon was a man that always kept in shape. He woke up between 6-7 AM every day and he went to the gym almost every day (he was in fact returning from the gym when he died) and he had never had any heart problems in the past.

Demon's legacy is still alive, not only because we have all the memories, as [[Blue Demon Jr.]] is an active professional wrestler. Like Blue Demon himself said: "If the silver legend of [[Santo]] can continue, the blue legend will continue as well!". Adios Blue Demon.


===Filmografia===

#[[La Sombra del Murciélago (1966)]]
#[[Arañas Infernales (1966)]]
#[[Blue Demon vs. Cerebros Infernales (1966)]]
#[[Blue Demon contra las Diabólicas (1966)]]
#[[Blue Demon, Destructor de Espías (1967)]]
#[[Blue Demon en Pasaporte a la Muerte (1967)]]
#[[Blue Demon y las Invasoras (1968)]]
#[[Santo y Blue Demon Contra Los Monstruos (1969)]]
#[[ El Mundo de los Muertos (1969)]]
#[[Santo Contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (1969)]]
#[[Los Campeones Justicieros (1970)]]
#[[Las Momias de Guanajuato (1970)]]
#[[La Invasión de los Muertos (1971)]]
#[[Noche de Muerte (1972)]]
#[[La Mafia Amarilla (1972)]]
#[[Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros (1972)]]
#[[Santo y Blue Demon Contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (1972)]]
#[[Las Bestias del Terror (1972)]]
#[[Triunfo de los Campeones Justicieros (1973)]]
#[[Santo y Blue Demon Contra el Doctor Frankestein (1973)]]
#[[El Hijo de Alma Grande (1974)]]
#[[La Mansión de las Siete Momias (1975)]]
#[[Misterio en las Bermudas (1977)]]
#[[La Llave mortal (1989)]]
#[[Blue Demon el Campeón (1989)]]

== Luchas de apuestas record ==
{{astart}}
{{aline|51/??/??|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Moloch]]|[[Monterrey]]}}
{{aline|??/[[May 18|05/18]]|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Baby Olson]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1953|53]]/[[November 27|11/27]]|hair/beard|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Tony Borne]]|unknown}}
{{aline|[[1954|54]]/[[March 12|03/12]]|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Cavernario Galindo]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|54/10/24|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Jorge Allende]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|[[1955|55]]/[[March 12|03/12]]|beard|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Conde Giuseppe Daidone]]|[[Arena Coliseo]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|64/06/??<ref>Lucha Libre 37, page 7, mentioned in passing with no date</ref>|hair|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Espanto II]]|[[Monterrey]]}}
{{aline|[[1971|71]]/[[December 3|12/03]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Espectro II]]|[[Auditorio de Tijuana]] - [[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]]}}
{{aline|[[1979|79]]/[[December 2|12/02]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Máquina Salvaje]]|[[Palacio de los Deportes]] - [[Mexico City]]}}
{{aline|81/??/??|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Red Spider]]|Tijuana}}
{{aline|81/??/??|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Mr. Fire]]|Cd. Juarez, Chih.}}
{{aline|[[1989|89]]/[[July 30|07/30]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Rayo de Jalisco]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental]] - [[Monterrey]],[[ N.L.]]}}
{{aline|[[1989|89]]/[[August 27|08/27]]|mask|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Matemático]]|[[Plaza de Toros Monumental]] - [[Monterrey]], [[N.L.]]}}
{{aline|[[1989|89]]/[[September 6|09/06]]|hair (1)|[[Blue Demon]]|[[Matemático]]|[[Arena México]] - Mexico City}}
{{aend|(1) Triangle match with [[Rayo de Jalisco]]}}

<references/>

== Gallery ==

{{Gallery||name=Demoninicios.jpg|caption=1949}}
{{Gallery||name=Blue demon unmasked.jpg|caption= at age 23. 1945}}
{{Gallery||name=Rayodemon.jpg |caption=w/[[Rayo de Jalisco]] 1963}}
{{Gallery||name=ANIBAL5.JPG|caption=w/[[Anibal]] 1971}}
{{Gallery||name=Blue and tinieblas.JPG|caption=w/[[Tinieblas]] 1972}}
{{Gallery||name=BlueDemonHurracanSr.jpg|caption=w/[[Huracan Ramirez]] 1972}}
 
{{Gallery||name=Blueysanto.jpg|caption=w/[[Santo]], 1978}}
{{Gallery||name=Demonsr.jpg|caption= 1972}}
{{Gallery||name=Pelicula 56.jpg|caption= 1971}}
{{Gallery||name=Bluedemon01.jpg|caption= 1955}}
{{Gallery||name=Hermanosshadow.jpg|caption=w/[[Black Shadow]] 1951}}
{{Gallery||name=Blue Demon & Joe Marin.jpg|caption=w/[[Joe Marin]] 1955}}
 
{{Gallery||name=270qa.jpg|caption=}}
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{{Gallery||name=Demonll.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Demonn1.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=Demonnh.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery||name=Bluesrjr89.jpg|caption=With Jr.}}
{{Gallery||name=Mask2406eu4.jpg|caption= With Santo}}
{{Gallery||name=Shadowyblue00012zd.jpg|caption= with Black Shadow}}
{{Gallery||name=FB IMG 1481868649021.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery||name=FB IMG 1481915724925.jpg|caption=}}
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{{Gallery||name=FB IMG 1491723244790.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=FB IMG 1518154579102.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=Blue Demon vs Fishman.jpg|caption=}}
 
{{Gallery|name=Blue Demon Lucha Libre Mag.jpg|caption=}}
{{Gallery|name=Blue demon king.jpg|caption=}}
{{MTYInfoBox}}

[[Category:Mexican wrestlers]]
[[Category:Deceased wrestlers]]
[[Category:Monterrey based wrestlers]]
[[Category:Trainers]]
[[Category:La Arena bios]]