 Joe in 1975 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gilberto Meléndez (1933-12-02)December 2, 1933 |
| Died | June 15, 2016(2016-06-15) (aged 82) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Aztec Joe Blue Inferno El Grande Pistolero Gene Madrid Gypsy Joe Jan Madrid Inferno I Baby Grandpa |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Billed weight | 224 lb (102 kg) |
| Billed from | Villalba, Puerto Rico |
| Trained by | Pampero Firpo |
| Debut | 1951 |
| Retired | 2011 |
Gilberto Meléndez (December 2, 1933 – June 15, 2016) was a Puerto Ricanprofessional wrestler better known under the ring nameGypsy Joe. While attaining much of his United States success in theTennessee area, Meléndez also gained a following inJapan. His career lasted six decades, and his highly physical brawling style and tough reputation made him an early pioneer of thehardcore wrestling scene.[1]
Meléndez began his wrestling career in 1951 at age 18. During a lengthy tenure in his nativePuerto Rico, he went under various monikers and learned the ropes with the likes ofPedro Morales andCarlos Colón Sr. Meléndez made his United States debut atSunnyside Garden Arena inSunnyside, Queens,New York City in 1963. Primarily using the name Gypsy Joe by this point, he mainly worked forNick Gulas and laterJerry Jarrett in theSoutheastern region, particularlyMid-Southern Wrestling. During his Gulas run, he was often teamed withheels likeTojo Yamamoto, with whom he formed the No Pain Train, andThe Cuban Assassin. He also joined forces with Frank Martinez to be collectively known as the Blue Infernos. Themasked duo would attaintag team championships on numerous occasions. By the 1970s, Gypsy Joe was a local star ofChattanooga, Tennessee, regularly performing atSoldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium on Saturdays and appearing on localWDEF-TV. His career wasn't limited to the South, however, winning championships around the country as well as in Canada'sStampede Wrestling.
However, with therise of national promotions like theWorld Wrestling Federation andWorld Championship Wrestling in the 1980s, the local industry that Joe had developed a career in began to dwindle. He would not be among those fortunate enough to find success in the major US promotions. Joe eventually made his way overseas into theJapanese wrestling scene, to work forAll Japan Pro Wrestling where his highly physical brawling style akin toThe Sheik andAbdullah the Butcher was met with success. Bloody encounters with the likes ofMr. Pogo and a penchant for taunting his opponents to attack him with weapons earned Joe a strong reputation in thedeath match scene and helped solidify his cult following in the region. Despite his aging body, Joe remained active in Japan throughout the 1980s and 1990s where he also refereed and mentored upcoming stars of the hardcore style.
After many taxing years in the ring, an elderly Gypsy Joe returned to the United States in the 2000s where he performed on theindependent circuit primarily in the Southeast.[2] In 2001, he attended theInternational Wrestling Association's Juicio Final event held in his native Puerto Rico, where he received the recognition of the promotion.[3]
In April 2003, a 69-year-old Joe facedNew Jack in an infamous hardcore match before a small crowd. Due to Joe'sno-selling throughout the match and headbutting New Jackhard on the nose, New Jacklegitimately attacked Joe with a chain, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and several other weapons. With audience members angrily shouting racial slurs at Jack, the match ended in a chaotic no-contest and became a widely circulatedviral video.[4][5] New Jack was then arrested and charged with assault with a weapon.
During this period, although mainly working in his home state of Tennessee, the haggard Gypsy Joe maintained his reputation as a resilient veteran with indie appearances throughout the US. On July 30, 2005, he was enlisted as thespecial guest referee forCZWTournament of Death IV held inNew Castle, Delaware. The tournament featured various performers that credit Joe for pioneering the in-ring style they now emulate. In 2007,WWE Magazine named Gypsy Joe the world'soldest wrestler at the age of 73. On February 13, 2010, he appeared in the corner ofEddie Kingston andNecro Butcher as Butcher's mentor for their No Rules tag team match at theRing of Honor8th Anniversary Show in New York City.
Joe wrestled his last match at the Gypsy Joe retirement show on January 7, 2011. Held inTullahoma, Tennessee by the Southern Wrestling Federation, the bout marked an end to a career which began 60 years prior.[6]
Although he never found success in major American promotions, Gypsy Joe is known for his longevity in the wrestling business, which spanned seven decades, as well as his innate toughness as a hardcore brawler. According to legend, he was the first wrestler ever to jump successfully off asteel cage onto an opponent. Joe's extensive career inJapan and participation in death matches solidified this fierce reputation, and his highly physical in-ring approach helped popularize the hardcore style.
Gypsy Joe was inducted into the Tennessee Wrestling Hall of Fame on November 7, 2015, byMick Foley at Money Mark Productions' event "A Night with Foley" at theNashville Fairgrounds.
Meléndez was born inOrocovis, Puerto Rico[7] and then moved toTullahoma, Tennessee where he gained much of his US career success.
In August 2013, reports surfaced that, after a five-year struggle withgout, Meléndez had his right footamputated. It was elaborated that the veteran wrestler had also been struggling withrickets and that his entire leg may need amputation.[1] He died on June 15, 2016, from complications following an extended illness. He was buried at Maury Memorial Gardens inColumbia, Tennessee.
He was survived by a daughter named Jenee Beal and a nephew, Dan Wilson, who also served as his manager.[1] He also has a first-born daughter by the name of Debralee Suzette Meléndez, born in New York, on November 4, 1953, and known as Debra S. Anello (her married name), and a daughter and son by another union: Jeannette Melendez and Gilberto Melendez Jr..
Media related toGypsy Joe at Wikimedia Commons