Pampero Firpo

Juan Kachmanian (April 6, 1930 – January 9, 2020), better known as Pampero Firpo, was an Argentine-American professional wrestler of Armenian descent.

Pampero Firpo
Ring name(s)Pampero Firpo
Ervan the Armenian[1]
Ivan the Terrible[1]
The Missing Link[1]
The Great Pampero[1]
Wild Bull of the Pampas[1]
Billed height5"8
Billed weight230 lbs
Born(1930-04-06)April 6, 1930[1]
Buenos Aires, Argentina
DiedJanuary 9, 2020(2020-01-09) (aged 89)
San Jose, California, U.S.[1]
Billed fromBuenos Aires, Argentina[1]
Trained byRudy Dusek[1]
Debut1953[1]
Retired1986

Career

An early pioneer of hardcore wrestling, Kachmanian usually wrestled as a heel, although he would go on to have a run as a face after being fireballed by The Sheik.[1] Other notable feuds in his career would include Nick Bockwinkel, Alberto Madril and Apollo Jalisco.[1]

Titles

Among the titles he held in his career were the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version), the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version), the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship and the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship,[1] as well as being the inaugural holder of the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship.[2]

Moves

Using the bear hug and the El Garfio as his signature moves, Kachmanian popularized the drawn-out catchphrase 'ohhh yeah!' which would later become associated with Randy Savage.[1] He retired in 1986 and then worked for the United States Postal Service in San Jose, California.[1]

Death

Firpo died on January 9, 2020 in San Jose, California at the age of 89.[3]

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 "Wrestler Profiles: Pampero Firpo". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  2. N.W.A. Americas Heavyweight Title
  3. Pampero Firpo dies at 89

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