Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a Puerto Rican retired professional wrestler. He competed in many different National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliates, Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA), and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).
| Pedro Morales | |
|---|---|
_Champion.jpg) Morales during his reign as the WWWF Champion in the early 1970's | |
| Ring name(s) | Pedro Morales Johnny Como Johnny Ricco John Kilonis |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) – 240 lb (110 kg) |
| Born | October 22, 1942 Culebra, Puerto Rico |
| Died | February 12, 2019 (aged 76) Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Trained by | Barba Roja |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Retired | 1987 |
While he was in the WWWF, Morales was the first male wrestler in wrestling history to win all three of the major men's titles in the company. He won the WWWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the WWF World Tag Team Championship.[1] When he won the WWWF United States Championship, Morales became the first wrestler to hold four different titles within the promotion, a distinction which would later became known as a Grand Slam Championship.
Death
Morales died of complications from Parkinson's disease at his Perth Amboy, New Jersey home on February 12, 2019, aged 76.[2]
Championships
- American Wrestling Alliance
- AWA San Francisco World Tag Team Championship (2 times) (with Pepper Gomez)[3]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1994)[4]
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) (with Rocky Johnson)[5]
- NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time)[6]
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)[7]
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) (with Pat Patterson)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (1972)
- He was ranked #111 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003.
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2015[11]
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[12]
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) (with Luis Hernandez (1), Mark Lewin (1), Ricky Romero (1), and Victor Rivera (1))[13]
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[14]
- WWC World Tag Team Championship (1 time) (with Carlos Colón, Sr.)[15]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Most Overrated (1981, 1982)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WWE Championship - Pedro Morales (February 08, 1971 - December 01, 1973)WWE. Retrieved 2015-2-25.
- ↑ WWE Hall Of Famer Pedro Morales has passed away
- ↑ NWA World Tag Team Title (San Francisco 1960s - 1970s) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ List of CAC Award WinnersCauliflower Alley Club. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ Florida Tag Team Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ NWA Florida Television Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ Hawaii Heavyweight Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ Hawaii Tag Team Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ NWA North American Heavyweight Title (Hawaii) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ Pedro MoralesProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ WWA World Heavyweight Title (California) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ WWA World Tag Team Title (California) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ WWC North American Heavyweight Title (Puerto Rico) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ WWC World Tag Team Title (Puerto Rico) historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ Intercontinental Championship - Pedro Morales (December 08, 1980 - June 20, 1981)WWE. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ Intercontinental Championship - Pedro Morales (November 23, 1981 - January 22, 1983)WWE. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ World Tag Team Championships - Bob Backlund & Pedro Morales (August 09, 1980 - August 10, 1980)WWE. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
- ↑ WWWF United States Heavyweight Title historyWrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2015-2-26.
Other websites
- Pedro Morales on WWE.com