 Romero in 1956 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isabela Romero Rangel (1936-09-11)September 11, 1936 Serdan, Puebla, Mexico |
| Died | April 19, 1985(1985-04-19) (aged 48) |
Spouse | Destino Negro (husband) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Chabela Romero |
| Billed height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Billed weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Trained by |
|
| Debut | March 27, 1955 |
Isabela "Chabela" Romero Rangel (September 11, 1936 – April 19, 1985) was a Mexicanprofessional wrestler. She was one of the first Mexican women to become a professional wrestler when women became a regular fixture in the early 1950s. During her career she won theMexican National Women's Championship three times, and both theUWA World Women's Championship and the JapaneseAll Pacific Championship once.
Women's wrestling in Mexico prior to the 1950s was almost non-existent, with no known matches taking place from 1945 on and very few prior to that.[1] In the early 1950sJack O'Brien began training female wrestlers, including Isabela Romero, in his gym inLeón, Guanajuato. She would work under thering name Chabela Romero alongside other O'Brien trainees such asIrma González, La Enfermera,La Dama Enmascarada, andRosita Williams.[1] She made her in-ring debut on March 27, 1955, participating in an all-female tournament in Mexico City.[2]
Romero won her firstMexican National Women's Championship at some point in the late 1950s, 1958 at the latest.[3][4] Due to minimal written documentation from the time period it is uncertain as to who Romero won the championship from, nor who she lost it to.[3] Records indicate that she started her second reign on December 6, 1965.[3][4] In 1965 to 1966 Romero was involved in a storyline feud withJarocita Rivero, that saw the two women trade the championship, first on May 12, 1966, and then back to Romero on August 11 of the same year.[3][4] During the feud Jarocita Rivero defeated Romero in aLucha de Apuestas ("Bet match"), which forced Romero to have all her hair shaved off as a result of the match stipulation. Records are uncertain as to when Romero's third and final reign as the Mexican National Women's Championship ended, as records are missing from late 1966 through 1980.[3][4]
Over the years Romero had a long running storyline feud with Irma González, which included severalLucha de Apuestas matches between the two. Romero lost to González on June 20, 1971, and again on January 17, 1974, both times leaving the ring without hair.[5] Romero ended up winning the mask of Princesa Azul, as a result of herLucha de Apuestas victory on November 1, 1975.[6] At some point in the 1970s Romero gained a measure of revenge as she defeated González in aLucha de Apuestas in Panama.[5] The two ladies also took their feud to Japan, working forAll Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling for several tours throughout the mid-to-late-1970s. On May 20, 1978, Chabela Romero defeatedMaki Ueda in the finals of a tournament to win the vacantAll Pacific Championship.[7] She held the title for 81 days, before losing it to Ueda on a show in Tokyo, Japan.[7] On February 25, 1979, Irma González defeated Romero in their fourth and lastLucha de Apuestas match, on aUniversal Wrestling Association (UWA) show.[5] After the feud with González concluded Chabela Romero andVicki Williams became involved in a feud, in which Romero defeatedVicki Williams to win theUWA World Women's Championship.[8] The championship change led to aLucha de Apuestas between the two as well, with Vicki Williams pinning Romero, forcing her to be shaved bald afterward. Chabela Romero ended up vacating the UWA World Women's Championship on April 19, 1981, for undocumented reasons.[8]
Romero died on April 19, 1985.[2]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chabela Romero (hair) | Irma González (hair) | Panama | show | N/A | [5] |
| Jarocita Rivero (hair) | Chabela Romero (hair) | N/A | show | 1965 or1966 | [6] |
| Irma González (hair) | Chabela Romero (hair) | Torreón, Coahulia | show | June 20, 1971 | [5] |
| Irma González (hair) | Chabela Romero (hair) | Paducha, Mexico | show | January 17, 1974 | [5] |
| Chabela Romero (hair) | Princesa Azul (mask) | Monterrey, Baja California | show | November 1, 1975 | [6] |
| Irma González (hair) | Chabela Romero (hair) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico | UWA show | February 25, 1979 | [5] |
| Vicki Williams (hair) | Chabela Romero (hair) | N/A | UWA show | November 25, 1979 | [6] |
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