 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Benjamín Ramírez (1932-01-02)January 2, 1932 Colombia |
| Died | December 20, 1995(1995-12-20) (aged 63) NearBuga, Colombia |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Benji Ramirez Bennie Ramírez Benny Ramírez The Killer The Mummy |
| Billed height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Billed weight | 115 kg (254 lb) |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Retired | 1983 |
Benjamín Ramírez (January 2, 1932 – December 20, 1995) was a Colombianprofessional wrestler who competed in North American and Japanese promotions from the 1960s to early 1980s. He wrestled under his ring namesThe Mummy,Benji Ramírez,Bennie Ramírez,Benny Ramírez, andThe Killer.
After making his debut in Colombia in 1959, Ramírez moved to the United States and worked in theTexas territory of theNational Wrestling Alliance. In 1961, he was amasked wrestler under the ring name "The Mummy", a gimmick of a mummy who was revived in modern times. That gimmick was the brainchild of Maurice P. Siegel, aHouston-based promoter.[1] Wearing a white mask with long hair and wearing a strange costume that covered his whole body with dirty bandages, Ramírez suddenly became a sensational heel.[2][3] On May 18, 1962, he defeatedDory Dixon to win theNWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.[4] Ramírez challengedLou Thesz for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship on April 3, 1963 inSan Antonio and lost that match.[5][6]
In April 1964, Ramírez came to the Japanese promotionJapan Pro Wrestling Alliance and participated in the6th World League tournament withGene Kiniski,Calypso Hurricane,Bull Curry, andBilly White Wolf. In the first round, he defeatedUmanosuke Ueda, but in the league match, he lost to wrestlers such asToyonobori andGiant Baba.[7] Although Ramírez's battle record was poor, he created a sensation by putting powder in the gaps between his bandages and causing white dust to fly up from his body when he was attacked by an opponent. There was also a story that he was wiping his skin and covered his skin with a bandage to hide it.[3]
Ramírez returned to the Texas promotions, and in the late 1960s, he wrestled in various places such asFlorida,North Carolina, andSouth Carolina, andCalifornia. He was active in the Carolinas in 1967 teaming withApache Bull Ramos.[8] On May 16, 1968 inAmarillo, Texas, Ramírez unsuccessfully challengedDory Funk Sr. for theNWA North American Heavyweight Championship,[9] and on January 15, 1969 inSacramento, California, he teamed withMasa Saito.[10]
In the 1970s, Ramírez took off his mask and turned face, calling himself "Benji Ramírez" or "Benny Ramírez" and started working inHeart of America Sports Attractions. In September 1972, he came to Japan forInternational Wrestling Enterprise (IWE) as Benji Ramírez, and on October 16 inYamato, he wrestledStrong Kobayashi in a barbed wired match. After that, Ramírez jumped ship toStampede Wrestling and on July 20, 1973, he teamed up withGil Hayes to win theInternational Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles toThe Samoans (Afa &Sika) on August 31.[11][12]
In June 1974, Ramírez put on a mask again and transformed into a new masked wrestler called "The Killer" and returned to Japan for IWE. Under the rumor that he had a bloody battle withMad Dog Vachon inMontreal,[13] he lost to Great Kusatsu in a Texas chain death match on July 1 atFukuoka Kyuden Kinen Gymnasium inFukuoka.[14] On September 8, 1975, The Killer teamed up withGypsy Joe to challenge Kusatsu andAnimal Hamaguchi for the IWA World Tag Team Championship in a losing effort.[15]
After leaving IWE, Ramírez worked as a jobber in Central States Wrestling. After his semi-retirement, he occasionally appeared in undercard matches for the promotion until about 1982.[16]
On December 20, 1995, Ramírez and his wife died in the crash ofAmerican Airlines Flight 965.[17] On that day, he was supposed to return to his home country of Colombia to visit relatives with his wife and youngest daughter, from North Kansas City Missouri where he resided. He and his wife were survived by their two daughters.[18]
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