.jpg) A statue of Veneno in Santo Domingo. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rafael Antonio Sánchez (1942-05-02)May 2, 1942 San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic |
| Died | April 6, 2021(2021-04-06) (aged 78)[1] Dominican Republic |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | El Hijo de Doña Tatica Jack Veneno |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 209 lb (95 kg) |
| Debut | 1969 |
| Retired | 2000 |
Jack Veneno ("Jack the Venom"; bornRafael Antonio Sánchez; May 2, 1942 – April 6, 2021) was aDominicanprofessional wrestler andpolitician.[2][3]
He became interested in wrestling as a teen, watching theMexicanluchadorEl Santo.[4] He debuted in 1969. Also known as "El hijo de Doña Tatica" (Mrs. Tatica's Son), he worked for many years onColor Visión channel 9 during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, on a wrestling show calledLucha Libre Internacional.[5] He was the main star of the show as well as the owner of the production companyDominicana de Espectaculos.
On September 7, 1982, Veneno challengedRic Flair for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship in thePalacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto inSanto Domingo in front of an audience of circa 30,000 people.[6] The match ended when Veneno applied his signaturesleeper hold to Flair, with the bell ringing to signify the expiration of the match's time limit as Flair's arm dropped for a third time. The fans then celebrated Veneno winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[7] The title change was not recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance. Flair reportedly instructed Veneno to defeat him due to fears of the audience in the oversold arena turning violent if the popular Veneno lost.[8][9][10] In the Dominican Republic, Veneno was reported to have surrendered the title back to Flair due to not being willing to leave the country to defend it.[9]
Veneno retired himself in 2000.[4]
Although retired from wrestling, Veneno ran for Mayor ofSanto Domingo Norte, one of theSanto Domingo Province municipalities, on the2006 Congressional and Municipal Elections with theInstitutional Social Democratic Bloc party.[4] In 2007, he was appointed by the Dominican Republic presidentLeonel Fernández as Vice-Minister of Sports.[5][11]
A movie trilogy about Veneno's life is planned;the first part was released in 2018.[12]
On April 13, 2019, a statue was unveiled in Veneno's honor in theEugenio María de Hostos Park in Santo Domingo.[13]
On April 6, 2021, Veneno died frompancreatic cancer, which had metastasized to his lungs. He was 78 years old.[14]
1^ Veneno's reign is not recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance.
