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Hugo Savinovich | |
|---|---|
.png) Savinovich in 1984 | |
| Born | (1959-02-15)February 15, 1959 (age 66) Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Spouse(s) | Wendi Richter (div.) Diana Mendéz de Savinovich (1990–2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | El Muñecazo El Hombre Simio Babyface Savinovich Hugo Savinovich La Pantera Asesina La Ferretería Ambulante El Hijo de Doña Mélida El Deforme |
| Billed height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 105 kg (231 lb)[1] |
| Trained by | Angel "El Toro" Maldonado |
| Debut | 1978[1] |
| Retired | 1997, 2001,[1] 2023 |
Hugo Savinovich (born February 15, 1959) is an Ecuadorian sports commentator and retiredprofessional wrestler andprofessional wrestling manager. He is best known as part of theSpanish language commentary team for theprofessional wrestling promotionWWE from 1994 to 2011. He was signed toLucha Libre AAA as a Spanish commentator.[1]
Savinovich moved fromEcuador with his family ofCroatian descent to theBronx, New York in the 1960s. Before becoming a commentator, he wrestled for many years, performing throughout Latin America inPuerto Rico,Panama, and theDominican Republic. He claims that becoming a professional wrestler literally saved his life, as he was originally a gang member in the streets of New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He joined the sport under the guidance of Angel "El Toro" Maldonado.
Savinovich began his wrestling career in working for promoter Angel "El Toro" Maldonado in New York as the masked La Pantera Asesina. He later worked for Mexican wrestling promoter Arturo Mendoza, who took him to Puerto Rico to work in his wrestling company based in the west part of the island. Savinovich then moved on to theWorld Wrestling Council in 1978 was, where he was originally a "tecnico" (the Spanish wrestling term for a "face", or "good guy"); after breaking up with Mendoza and his original wrestling partner, Little Chief Cherokee, he joined the local World Wrestling Council franchise in Puerto Rico, Capitol Sport Promotions (owned partially byCarlos Colón), where he gained notoriety for being one of the "rudo" wrestlers (i.e., "heels", or wrestling villains), with a penchant for flamboyancy and self-promotion that gained him his most famous ring name, "El Muñecazo" ("The Big Baby Doll"). Savinovich is on record as stating that he modeled his role afterGorgeous George, although his looks were particular to him (long hair with a mullet andDavid Letterman-like gaped teeth).
Savinovich went on many occasions to Dominicana de Espectaculos in the Dominican Republic.
He would tour the United States forWestern States Sports andMid-South Wrestling in 1980 and Japan forAll Japan Pro Wrestling in 1984.
Hugo managed some the most notorious heels in professional wrestling such asAbdullah the Butcher,Ox Baker,The Sheik andBuddy Landell until he had a fallout with Barrabas Sr. becoming a face in 1984.
Savinovich eventually became a partner at World Wrestling Council, only to split with Colón a few years after a rather acrimonious business dispute with the company management forced him to leave and joined the rival American Wrestling Federation.
In 1991, Savinovich would come back to in-ring competition after seven years and feud withBilly Joe Travis, which would last a couple years in WWC and AWF.
During his wrestling run, he wrestled names likeBret Hart,Eric Embry and his biggest rival, El Profe.
He had a high profile match when he teamed withKane to defeatChicky Starr and Victor The Bodyguard on April, 7 2001 forIWA Puerto Rico.
Savinovich had his retirement match at WWC Summer Madness on July 22, 2023 inBayamón, Puerto Rico, where he lost the match to El Profe.[2]
Began announcing in 1984 for WWC when he replaced Rickin Sánchez. Did play by play in english for WWC. Quit WWC in 1991 to join rival American Wrestling Federation. Worked briefly in 1994 for a series of TV tapings forInternational Wrestling Association. Began working ofWorld Wrestling Entertainment in 1994 until 2011 when his contract was not renewed. Worked forLucha Underground from 2014 to 2018. He joinedLucha Libre AAA Worldwide in 2017 until been released in August 2024.
Savinovich reported in November 2019 that WWE wrestlers were kidnapped in Saudi Arabia. WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt denied Savinovich's version of the events in July 2020.[3]
In August 2020, while promoting an interview with wrestler Karrion Kross, Savinovich claimed in a live broadcast that Kross had allegedly been a hitman for the mob in his youth. Hours later, Savinovich retracted the statement and apologized to Kross, stating that there was a mistranslation of his words into English. However, video of the interview disputed this.Súper Luchas denied that Kross had been a real killer in his youth, stating that Savinovich only wanted to generate money for his YouTube channel Lucha Libre Online by exaggerating stories. Savinovich later claimed that Kross called him quite angrily to ask for an explanation for his words.[4]
During 2020 he started many auctions with the stated goal of trying to raise money for poor communities. However, this has been questioned since less money has been sent to the beneficiaries and also due to the delivery of that money to other evangelical pastors led by Savinovich.[5]
Savinovich was once married to former WWF women's championWendi Richter until the couple divorced. In 1990 he married Diana Mendéz and has two sons, Jovannie and Genaro. Diana Mendéz died on November 1, 2019, after a long battle with cancer.[citation needed]
On March 22, 1997, Savinovich suffered a severe episode of depression due to drug use and various personal problems that almost led him to attempt suicide in a hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, just one day before WrestleMania 13. In April of that year he was arrested in a raid on his apartment in New York City. He returned to WWE in 1998, after being sentenced to eight years in jail for which he spent on probation.[citation needed]
He is aborn-again Christian and travels most of South and Central America sharing his Christian testimony. Hugo is the author of his own autobiography book, Atángana Ring de Tentaciones. He has announced that he would publish a second book in 2024.[citation needed]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Profe (mask) | Hugo Savinovich (hair) | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 3 Kings Day card | January 6, 1988 |
He is portrayed by Puerto Rican actor Luis Ponce in the Eduardo “Transfor” Ortiz movieLas Super Estrellas de la Lucha Libre, based on Puerto Rican wrestling in Puerto Rico in the 1980s.[8]
,Internet Wrestling Database