 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Salvador Guerrero Quesada (1921-01-11)January 11, 1921[3] Ray, Arizona, U.S.[3] |
| Died | April 18, 1990(1990-04-18) (aged 69)[4] El Paso, Texas, U.S.[4] |
| Cause of death | Cirrhosis due tohepatitis |
| Family | Guerrero |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | José Martínez[1] Gory Guerrero[1] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 210 lb (95 kg)[2] |
| Trained by | Diablo Velasco[3][4][5] Indio Mejía[3][4] |
| Debut | September 14, 1937[3][4] |
| Retired | 1985 |
Salvador Guerrero Quesada[3] (January 11, 1921 – April 18, 1990), better known asGory Guerrero, was an American and Mexicanprofessional wrestler, promoter, and booker. He was a major star ofLucha Libre during his time, and worked primarily inEmpresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (EMLL) between the 1940s and 1960s, as well as for theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in the United States. He was thepatriarch of theGuerrero wrestling family.
Guerrero was born inRay, Arizona to a family ofmigrant workers.[1][3] He attended school in the United States until the age of nine when his mother died.[3] His family moved toMexico, and Guerrero's father used his English-language skills to work as an interpreter inGuadalajara.[3]
In Mexico, Guerrero joined a gym with the intention to learn to box, but instead learnedlucha libre fromDiablo Velasco and El Indio Mejía.[1][3] He wrestled his first professional wrestling match on September 14, 1937,jobbing to El Rojo.[1][3] He began his career in Mexico working under thering name Joe Morgan, but later changed his name to Gory Guerrero—a reference to his bloody matches.[4][6]
He made his debut for theMexico City promotionEmpresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (EMLL) in 1943 and was named "Rookie of the Year" later that year.[6] In 1945, he briefly held theMexican National Welterweight Championship.[6][7][8] Several months later, he won theMexican National Middleweight Championship, which he held for approximately one year.[6][9][10]
Guerrero and his brothers alsofeuded withCavernario Galindo and his brothers.[6] In the late 1940s, Guerrero begantag teaming withEl Santo as the undefeatedLa Pareja Atómica (The Atomic Pair).[4][6] Guerrero also appeared in some of El Santo's films.[6] He also feuded withEnrique Llanes and his tag team partnerTarzán López.[11] He defeated Lopez for theNWA Middleweight title.[12] In 1954, he wrestled a championship match againstNWA World Heavyweight ChampionLou Thesz but did not win the title.[4][6]
Guerrero broke away from EMLL in 1966 after refusing to drop theNWA World Light Heavyweight Championship toRay Mendoza.[1][11] He worked as an independent in the mid-1960s.[11] He also began to branch out into booking and training withDory Funk Sr.[11] In addition, he helped run shows inNWA Hollywood Wrestling for two years, and later he booked shows forWorld Class Championship Wrestling.[13] With age his in-ring performing decreased until his ultimate retirement in the 1980s. Guerrero is credited with the invention ofLa de a Caballo (Camel Clutch) and theGory Special, a type ofbackbreaker[1][11] stretch hold which has been modified into a facebuster move (Gory Bomb), a piledriver (Barry White Driver), a powerbomb (Stu Hart Special), a reverse STO (The Deal) or a neckbreaker/backbreaker (Widow's Peak).
Guerrero's wife Herlinda was the sister of wrestlerEnrique Llanes.[11] They married in 1947.[11] They had six children: four sonsChavo,Mando,Héctor,Eddie, and two daughters, Maria and Linda.[1][11] His grandson,Chavo Guerrero Jr. is also a wrestler. After retiring from active wrestling, Guerrero sold auto insurance. Guerrero would also open his home to aspiring wrestlers, training them in the backyard in an old ring.[13]
In early April 1990, Guerrero's liver failed and he developedcirrhosis due tohepatitis.[14] Two weeks later on April 18, he died at the age of 69.[14]
1The NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is no longer a championship that is sanctioned or acknowledge by the National Wrestling Alliance as a world title.
2The NWA World Welterweight Championship is no longer sanctioned or recognized by the NWA as a world title.
3This title would later be recognized by the NWA, though Guerrero's reign with it occurred prior to the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance. The NWA World Middleweight Championship is also currently not sanctioned or recognized by the NWA as a world title.
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gory Guerrero (hair) | The Red Mistery (mask) | Mexico City | Live event | April 27, 1945 |
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