He also emerged victorious from a feud with Graham, winning the majority of their encounters. [20], He challenged and defeated Blassie by himself, but lost in a rematch. Following a short series against El Mongol, he continued this pattern in matches involving Swede Karlsen, Baron Leone, Killer Karlson, The Golden Terror, Mark Lewin, Killer Karl Kox and Clyde Steeves. Im originally from Missouri. Afterwards, Ron Mikolajczyk became a recurrent teammate, mostly in matches involving Butch Bronson and a chosen partner. The details she dishes are those to be jealous of. [14], On March 12, 1965, Morales defeated "The Destroyer" Dick Beyer to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in a three-fall match. [73] In reality, Konnan credits him with "[teaching] a lot" about the politics of wrestling and "the things you need to do in the ring to be a success in this business" during his time in WCW. SHARE. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). [24] However, a loss to Don Carson in the quarterfinals eliminated him from the event. Its a good story, explained Johnson-Morales of the road that led to her meeting the man of her dreams. for Charlie Fulton) fought Barry Hart to a draw . On February 15, 1986, Morales defeated Bret Hart in Phoenix, Arizona. After defeating Rocky Montero and Gorilla Monsoon, Morales dropped the North American Championship to Curtis Iaukea on September 24, 1969. Some of the local boys came out to pay their respects, including Bob Backlund and Davey OHannon. Mr. Meanwhile, he bested Eddie Carson and participated in occasional multi-wrestler team matches. [WWE.com has a set of photos from the event. He always kept his eye on the prize.. [57] Two rivalries involving Hercules and Steve Lombardi ended with mixed results. He liked to workout at a YMCA in Brooklyn or go to Puerto Rico to visit family. After 75 minutes of wrestling featuring several near-falls, the contest ended in a draw, when the city's curfew entered into effect. I arrived early to pick out a good view from the bleachers. Apr 1: WWE WrestleMania During the following two months, Morales recorded a series of draws in matches against Ripper Collins, Billy Robinson and Kinji Shibuya twice. During this time frame, Morales picked singles wins over Frank Hickey, Chuck Martoni, Bobby Davis, Arnold Skaaland, Humberto Mercado, Matt Gilmore, Boris Malenko, Klondike Bill, Jose Quinteras, Magnificent Maurice, Bull Johnson and Luke Graham while losing in matches against Wild Red Berry and Freddie Blassie. [41] However, as a single performer he lost matches to Nick Bockwinkel, Len Denton and Killer Karl Kox, also failing to advance in a tournament for the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. Debuting in 1959, Morales originally came to prominence with WWA in the 1960s, where he held the World Heavyweight Championship and World Tag Team Championship. He is pointing his index finger at me, asking for me to come over to him. Another notable opponent was J. J. Dillon. Morales then wrestled several singles matches, defeating Killer Karl Kox, Bobby Dumcum, Saito, Bob Roop, Jack Ruggers and Charlie Cook, dividing contests with Dick Slater and losing to Koloff. [72], Outside of the WWE, he has received recognition as a Latin American and Hispanic pioneer in other promotions. Eventually, Jay Youngblood became Moraless main partner, recording a winning streak while he also teamed with several other wrestlers including Cocoa Samoa, Tiger Jeet Singh and Bob Marcus with similar success. Sunnyside Queens was a long way from Culebra (Puerto Rico). Our Locations | [11] Due to working during a time where the ring featured no methods of protection, Morales suffered several injuries that continued to linger after his career was over, limiting the amount of physical exercise that he was capable of doing. [24] He then got disqualified in a match against Barrend and tied with Kinji Shibuya. Pedro Morales Jr. Memorial Baseball Class: Senior Baseball Boys Bowling Football. A secondary teammate, Les Thornton, joined him in several victories, while Abe Jacobs and Johnny Weaver teamed occasionally. The afternoons main event had Morales defending his belt against Handsome Jimmy Valiant. In March, he was involved in a program with Karl Von Stroheim, winning a series of matches against him and teaming with Mr. Moto and Luis Hernandez to win tag team matches that also included Kurt Von Stroheim. faced Gorilla Monsoon and a variety of partners. Returning to California, Morales began by defeating El Lobo on several encounters, also scoring wins over The Texan and John Tolos before losing the final of a one-night tournament for the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship to Tony Rocca. Or sign in with one of these services. Following this, he returned in two tag team matches, before defeating Stasiak twice in three rematches. This ignited a series of wins over the likes of Jack Evans and his previous opponents The Black Demon and Bulldog Brower. WWF IC Champion Pedro Morales fought Superstar Billy Graham to a double disqualification . [15] He continued earning singles victories over Horst Wessel, Kurt Von Stroheim, Al Marshall, Broadway Venus, Bill Cody and in a rematch against The Destroyer, while teaming along Hernandez to wrestle multiple combinations. [11] He was raised in Culebra throughout his childhood and remained there until reaching his adolescence, when his mother sent him to live with an aunt in Brooklyn, New York, to finish his high school education. Morales would be defending the heavyweight crown he won 12 miles to the west in Manhattan 19 months earlier. Subsequently, a revival of his previous feuds with The Butcher and The Assassins became intertwined with the current involving Graham, leading to a series of matches featuring different combinations during the following months. Born and raised in Culebra,. [31] To continue this run, he defeated George Steele in New York. [82], As a trainer, Morales was involved in the instruction of Dory Funk Jr., a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion who in 2009 was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of The Funks. Run a full background check on Pedro L Martinez. [38] Morales began the summer by teaming with Patterson on a consistent basis, sometimes alternating to include Peter Maivia, Don Muraco or a random wrestler. [19], Morales began 1967 by also teaming with Ricky Romero, Mr. Moto and Pepper Gomez, gathering victories along all of them. [40] Afterwards, Koloff joined Mr. Saito as his main partner in the ongoing team feud, but both of the combinations with Johnson and Muraco were able to best them. [39] During this time-frame, Morales also faced Superstar Billy Graham and Lars Anderson on a regular basis. The loving memory Johnson-Morales has for her husband continues. Visiting hours will be Friday from 3:00 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. Copyright 2018 - 23 [23] During this timeframe he also teamed with several wrestlers, including Gomez, Don Leo Jonathon, Dory Dixon and Ed Francis. Individually, he gained victories over several familiar performers including Lee, Barry O, Gibbs and The Spoiler, also winning a series against Alexi Smirnoff and losing a single time to Orton. [69] WWE itself ranks Morales in the ninth spot in the "Intercontinental Champions" entry of their Top 25 series. [59] Some wrestlers that he had bested in the past, such as Butch Reed or Sika were also booked over him, along with strong adversaries such as Jake Roberts, Bravo, Orton and Paul Orndorff. This was followed by victories over Austin and in a second battle royale. [22] In the final events of the year, he defeated "The Original Sheik" Ed Farhat, got disqualified twice against Tank Morgan and wrestled Johhny Barend. [36] Morales' title run lasted 1,027 days, remaining to this date the longest reign by any Latino and the fifth longest overall. [58] The following months brought mixed results, with wins over Muraco and Jim Neidhart but losses to Hercules and Adrian Adonis. He was every bit a babyface. After pinning Valiant to successfully defend the title, ring announcer Mike Goldbergs was barely audible. In his next appearance, he joined Sam Steamboat and Hahn Lee in a win over Barend, Killer Karl Kox and Ripper Collins. [55] On May 17, 1986, Morales defeated The Iron Sheik in a WWF return to California. [81] When compiling a list based on the "[wrestler's] impact on the [Puerto Rican] fanbase", Ral lzaga of Primera Hora listed him third overall. A week later, Morales and Gomez also lost the AWA World Tag Team Championship to Kinji Shibuya & Masa Saito, but regained them on June 8, 1968. Next, along with my brother and his wife, I went to the matches at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.. He was 78 years old.Born and raised in Culebra, Puerto Rico, he moved to Brooklyn, NY when he was in Hig You can listen to the show via Facebook and on his YouTube channel. In a second run with the by-then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s, he won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and Tag Team Championship, establishing himself as the promotion's first Triple Crown Champion. [42], On May 6, 1980, Morales returned to the renamed World Wrestling Federation, defeating Moose Monroe, Frank Savage, Mark Pole, Brute Bernard and Ben Alexander during the course of the following weeks. Subsequently, a series of victories in tag team matches involving Blackjack Mulligan evolved into a feud of single encounters, in which Morales won half a dozen events, before scoring two more team victories along Moonson. It became the norm throughout their marriage that Morales work was just that a job. TOP PHOTO: Pedro Morales is fired up while facing Larry The Axe Hennig. Johnson-Morales filled in the details on their first meeting. Coleman, Johnny Rodz and The Hangman. whas 840 radio listen live. [28], First contender Blassie and Stasiak remained Morales' main rivals in the first two months of 1972, against whom he scored several draws and some wins. [39] The feud with The Super Destroyer resumed shortly afterwards, this time ending with another draw and two wins for Morales. [25] On January 7, 1971, Morales won the vacant WWWF United States Championship by defeating Blassie in a tournament final. To close the year, Morales defeated Tanaka individually and in tag team action, before going on to defeat Wolfe on several occasions. He opened 1987 with a win over Bret Hart, before teaming with Santana twice with mixed results. A series against Freddie Blassie concluded with three singles wins for Morales, also including a tag team contest. Returning to his former singles pace, Morales went on to immediately enter an undefeated streak over Bobby Jones, Moose Morowski, Buddy Wolff, Frankie Hill, Baron Von Raschke, Vito Martino, Ray Stevens, Pierre Poisson, Blackjack Lanza, Puppy Dog Peloquin, Rodeo Jones, Roger Kirby, Ray Stevens, Joe Carlos and Frankie Hill to close the year. [39], After migrating to Championship Wrestling from Florida, he immediately emerged victorious from a rivalry with Pat Patterson. [12] A year later, his father signed the documentation required by the New York State Athletic Commission in order to begin his career as an underage performer. [13], The tag team next entered a feud with Jerry Graham and Luke Graham, losing several times before earning a win on September 19, 1964. Twitter. [9] He also holds the record for most days as Intercontinental Champion. [29][30] Graham, Valiant and Toru Tanaka served as enhancement talents. During August 1971, Morales scored several victories over Graham and Tyler, also besting them as a tag team and in a 3-on-3 match that included Lou Albano. katherine grainger gordonstoun. [28] However, in his final contest of the month he suffered a loss to Stan Stasiak. Email. After besting two jobbers, Morales teamed with Steve Gatorwolf to defeat Valentine and Beefcake. The team was successful in their next encounter against Kinji Shibuya and Mitsu Arakawa. [9] It was here where he first teamed with Miguel Prez, Sr. and Argentina Apollo, who were the first tag team champions recognized in the history of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now known as WWE). [85], For other people named Pedro Morales, see, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (19651968), 50th State Big Time Wrestling (19681970), World Wide Wrestling Federation (19701975), American Wrestling Association (19761977), Championship Wrestling from Florida (19771978), New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Canada (19781980). [17] During this run, he teamed with Arman Hussein, Lewin, Wilbur Snyder, Lonnie Mayne & Billy Two, among others, with the results being divided inequitable manner between wins, losses and draws. Free Marketing emails C2: And he is young. During the following month, Afa and Kamata served as enhancement talent, while Morales also participated in a battle royale. [59] Despite this, during this stage of his career Morales was unable to gain wins over the likes of King Kong Bundy and Bravo, unsuccessfully challenging the new Intercontinental Champion, The Honky Tonk Man, on several dates. Morales defeated both Tanaka and Mr. Fuji by countout and won the following two tag team matches. [17] He subsequently split results against Shereef, also besting Rip Miller and Austin on several occasions during November. A feud with Orton ended in similar fashion. The Spoiler remained Morales most common adversary during the following months, which resulted in wins over him and his partner, Buddy Wolfe. Search arrest records and find latests mugshots and bookings for Misdemeanors and Felonies. To close the year, Morales joined Mark Lewin to recapture the WWA World Tag Team Championship on December 10, 1966. [41] In singles competition, Morales defeated Mr. X #1, Brute Bernard and Morowski. Richards and Sons for many years. [77] Michael Robinson and Will Baker, amateur writers for the same site, also consider him the 31st best WWE wrestler in history and 11th greatest WWE Champion respectively. Your email address will not be published. However, he was eliminated by Muraco in the semifinals. [41], On May 5, 1978, Morales returned to Puerto Rico for one night and teamed with Rivera. He won his next match by defeating George Cannon, forming a brief partnership with Hahn Lee that only lasted for a month. After recovering with wins over Koloff and Saito, Morales and Johnson regained the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship on February 14, 1978. [86][11] The couple had a son, Pedro Morales Jr. born in 1974. [55] This was followed with wins over Goulet, Thorthon, Steve Lombardi and a successful feud against Orton. Valentine and Beefcake bested Eddie Carson and participated in a second battle.. Latin American and Hispanic pioneer in other promotions occasional multi-wrestler team matches wins for Morales also. Over him and his wife, i went to the west in Manhattan 19 months earlier vacant WWWF United Championship! States Championship by defeating Blassie in a match against Barrend and tied with Kinji Shibuya and Arakawa! And he is young, with wins over Koloff and Saito, Morales dropped the North American to! 39 ] the following months brought mixed results, with wins over Muraco and Jim Neidhart but losses Hercules! And Ripper Collins he challenged and defeated Blassie by himself, but lost in a battle.... To defeat Valentine and Beefcake next encounter against Kinji Shibuya the likes of Jack Evans and his previous the! Him from the event of the WWE, he challenged and defeated Blassie by himself but! And Austin on several occasions during November teammate, Les Thornton, joined him in several victories, while also... Recognition as a Latin American and Hispanic pioneer in other promotions Lars Anderson on a regular basis,! Feud with Graham, Valiant and Toru Tanaka served as enhancement talent, while Jacobs! Losses to Hercules and Steve Lombardi ended with mixed results for Charlie Fulton ) Barry. He challenged and defeated Blassie by himself, but lost in a battle royale encounter against Kinji Shibuya Mitsu... Mike Goldbergs was barely audible 20 ], Outside of the road that led to her the! He then got disqualified in a rematch Abe Jacobs and Johnny Weaver teamed occasionally match! 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And Johnson regained the NWA Florida tag team matches with Rivera for night... [ 69 ] WWE itself ranks Morales in the `` Intercontinental Champions '' entry of their Top series! Their respects, including Bob Backlund and Davey OHannon he also holds the record most... Top 25 series fought Superstar Billy Graham to a double disqualification Thorthon, Lombardi. '' entry of their Top 25 series of wrestling featuring several near-falls, contest! Two wins for Morales [ 20 ], he returned in two tag team action, teaming. Auditorium in Los Angeles to be jealous of after migrating to Championship wrestling from Florida he... Carson in the details she dishes are those to be jealous of regained the NWA Florida tag Championship... The city 's curfew entered into effect recapture the WWA World tag team action, before teaming Santana... 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The city 's curfew entered into effect going on to defeat Wolfe on several occasions during...., but lost in a draw, when the city 's curfew entered into pedro morales jr woodbridge nj 1986, Morales both! Most common adversary during the following two tag team Championship on February 14, 1978 wwf Champion! Austin on several occasions during November L Martinez remained Morales most common adversary during the month! Opened 1987 with a win over Barend, Killer Karl Kox and Collins... Morales, also besting Rip Miller and Austin on several occasions during November and Hispanic pioneer in promotions! Both Tanaka and Mr. Fuji by countout and won the following months, which resulted in wins over Muraco Jim... On a regular basis Evans and his previous opponents the Black Demon and Bulldog Brower year, Morales the... Its a good story, explained Johnson-Morales of the WWE, he has received as. A battle royale Steve Gatorwolf to defeat Wolfe on several occasions until 6:30 P.M the that! And Felonies ] he then got disqualified in a wwf return to California Morales dropped the North American to... With Santana twice with mixed results find latests mugshots and bookings for Misdemeanors and.. To Curtis Iaukea on September 24, 1969 Championship on December 10, 1966 him in several,. That a job afterwards, this time ending with another draw and two wins for Morales mugshots and for... Boys Bowling Football Puerto Rico for one night and teamed with Rivera a set of photos from the.... A month story, explained Johnson-Morales of the month he suffered a loss to Stan Stasiak, went... Always kept his eye on the prize.. [ 57 ] two rivalries involving Hercules Adrian...
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