Espanto III
Espanto III | |
---|---|
Heart attack[1] | |
Children | Espanto IV and V (sons)[2] |
Family | José Eusebio Vázquez Bernal (brother)[1] |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Mickey Vázquez Espanto III "Miguel Vázquez Cisneros" |
Debut | before November 13, 1962 |
Retired | 1984[1] |
Miguel "Miguelito" Vázquez Bernal (February 11, 1940 – December 8, 1996), was a Mexican
Los Espantos was one of the first examples of an identical trio, where all three members of the team used the same name, mask and wrestling gear only distinguished by a number. After his retirement he trained his sons for a professional wrestling career, and the later followed in his footsteps as Espanto IV and Espanto V.
Early life
Miguel Vázquez Bernal, known as "Miguelito" to his friends and family, was born on February 11, 1940, in
Professional wrestling career
Miguel Vázquez trained for his professional wrestling career in the local wrestling school in Torreón, the same place where his brother José Eusebio first wrestled. He worked as "Mickey Vázquez" in the early 1960s, but records are unclear as to when he made his debut.[1]
Los Espantos
In 1958 or 1959 José Eusebio had begun working as "El Espanto" ("The Terror") and a short time after José Eusebio's best friend Fernando Cisneros Carrillo adopted the character
The Los Espantos trio got their biggest win ever when they defeated the "dream team" of Mexican tecnicos (those that portray the good guys) El Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras.[1] In the early parts of 1964 Espanto III won two additional Lucha de Apuestas matches, leaving both Alex Montaña and Humberto Garza without their hair as a result.[3] The Apuesta wins were used to build a storyline feud between Espanto III and Huracán Ramírez through the first half of 1964. The storyline came to a conclusion on June 12, 1964 where Espanto III was unmasked after losing a Lucha de Apuestas match to Ramírez. As each Espanto lost their mask they claimed that their last name was "Vázquez Cisneros", combining their last names to hide the fact that they were not all brothers.[3]
On May 30, 1968, Miguel's older brother José, as well as fellow wrestler Popeye Franco, was killed by the owner of a cantina during a bar fight. At the time of his death, Los Espantos were set to do a world tour with dates planned for Germany, France, Spain and Japan. The promoters offered Espanto II the opportunity to go alone or with Espanto III, but he declined due to the loss of his close friend. After the death of his brother, Miguel wrestled less regularly and by the early 1970s both Miguel and Cisneros became semi-retired from wrestling, working only a limited schedule in Northern Mexico. As Espanto II and III, the duo held the Northern Tag Team Championship at one point in the 1970s before Espanto II retired in 1979.[1] At one point during the 1970s Espanto III lost a Lucha de Apuestas match to La Sombra,[a] marking the first time he lost his hair after losing a Lucha de Apuestas match.[3] In 1984 he lost another Lucha de Apuestas match to Black Charly. A short time later he retired from wrestling.[3]
Personal life
After his retirement from in-ring competition Vázquez took part in training his sons for a professional wrestling career, they would eventually become known as
Legacy
The Los Espantos trio influenced several subsequent teams and individual wrestlers to use the Espanto name, not just limited to his sons Espanto IV and V. In 1984 Vázquez and Cisneros allowed Jesús Andrade Salas to adopt the identify of "
Championships and accomplishments
- Northern Middleweight Championship (1 time)[1]
- Northern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Espanto II[1]
- Ciudad Juárez Lucha Libre Hall of Fame (2010)
Luchas de Apuestas record
Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Espanto III (mask) | Javier Escobedo (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Independent Show | 1962 | [3] |
Espanto III (mask) | Alex Montaña (hair) | Tampico, Tamaulipas | Independent Show | 1964 | [3] |
Espanto III (mask) | Humberto Garza (hair) | Mexico City | EMLL Show | May 1, 1964 | [3] |
Huracán Ramírez (mask) | Espanto III (mask) | Mexico City | EMLL Show | June 12, 1964 | [3] |
La Sombra (hair)[a] | Espanto III (hair) | Torreón, Coahuila | Independent Show | 1970s | [3] |
Black Charly (hair) | Espanto III (hair) | Torreón, Coahuila | Independent Show | 1984 | [3] |
Footnotes
- ^ La Sombra.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre". Espanto I (in Spanish). Portales, Mexico. November 2008. p. 23. 17.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Encyclopedia staff (July 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Los Espantos (in Spanish). Mexico. pp. 27–28. Tomo II.
- ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^ Encyclopedia staff (October 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Santo (in Spanish). Mexico. pp. 29–30. Tomo IV.
- ^ Encyclopedia staff (July 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Espanto IV y V (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 29. Tomo II.
- ^ Encyclopedia staff (July 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Espanto Jr. (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 30. Tomo II.
- ^ "Confecencia de prensa 79 aniversario del CMLL". Súper Luchas Magazine (in Spanish). August 27, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Encyclopedia staff (July 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Los Hijos del Espanto (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 44. Tomo II.
- ^ Encyclopedia staff (July 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras". Espantito (in Spanish). Mexico. p. 31. Tomo II.