Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales | |
---|---|
Birth name | Pedro Antonio Morales |
Born | Culebra, Puerto Rico | October 22, 1942
Died | February 12, 2019 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States | (aged 76)
Spouse(s) |
Karen Morales (m. 1972) |
Children | 1 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | John Kilonis Johnny Como Johnny Ricco Pedro Morales |
Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] |
Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[1] |
Billed from | Culebra, Puerto Rico |
Trained by | Barba Roja[2] |
Debut | 1959[3] |
Retired | 1987 |
Pedro Antonio Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a
Debuting in 1959, Morales originally came to prominence with WWA in the 1960s, where he held the
A popular champion, Morales had particular appeal to his native Puerto Ricans and the wider Latino audience.[4][5][6][7][8] The first Latino to hold a world heavyweight championship, his reign as WWWF Heavyweight Champion remains among the longest in history.[9] He previously also held the record for most cumulative days as Intercontinental Champion at 619 days across two reigns, having been surpassed by Gunther in February 2024. He was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995,[10] the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2015 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2017.
Early life
Morales was born on October 22, 1942, in the municipality of Culebra, an island off the shore of Puerto Rico's main island.[3][2] He was a member of a large family, with 85 cousins just on his mother's side.[11] Morales once claimed that sixty five percent of Culebra's population had some bloodline connection to him.[11] He was raised in Culebra throughout his childhood and remained there until reaching his adolescence, when his mother sent him to live with an aunt in Brooklyn, New York, to finish his high school education.[11] It was there that one of his sister's friends introduced him to the members of a wrestling club which quickly earned his interest.[11] After practicing in his school and at a local YMCA, Morales debuted as an amateur wrestler at the age of 13, competing in the 160 lb division.[12] In New York, he also became a professional wrestling fan, witnessing the tag team of Miguel Pérez, Sr. and Antonino Rocca.[12] Morales also played baseball. When he was 16 years old, he was selected in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico's (now known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente) first year draft by the Leones de Ponce.[11][12] However, due to living outside of Puerto Rico, he declined the opportunity. Instead, Morales elected to train in order to become a professional wrestler, in the process gaining twenty pounds.[12] A year later, his father signed the documentation required by the New York State Athletic Commission in order to begin his career as an underage performer.[11]
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1959–1965)
When he was 17 years old, Morales trained under Barba Roja to become a wrestler and participated on a card held in New York City in 1959. He debuted by earning a victory over Howard LaVine, who performed under the pseudonym Buddy Gilbert, going on to participate in tag team matches and other stipulation matches throughout the tri-state area the following year.[9] During the next two years, he wrestled in Virginia and North Carolina, particularly in the towns of Petersburg, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina. Morales frequently wrestled fellow Puerto Rican Gypsy Joe on these cards. He also earned wins over Jimmy Quinn, Don Savage and Sonny Fargo, while wrestling several local figures such as Swede Hanson, Laverne Baxter and Tony Nero. The following year, Morales began visiting several more states, often teaming up with different Latin luchadores, such as Pepper Gonzales and Gory Guerrero, while holding loose feuds with a wrestler simply known as “The Viking” and Mark Starr.[9] As a traveling performer, he amassed mixed results, with most of his victories taking place in British Columbia. While there, Morales defeated Tarzan Potvin, Tony Nero, Bud Rattal, Tommy O'Toole and Johnny Demchuk in a two-month period, before losing three challenges to Oliver Winrush. After a similar result in a short program with Hard Boiled Haggerty, he had two draws against Allan Garfield, before defeating him on July 16, 1962.[9] Over the following months, Morales served as a mid-carder, losing to several of the high-card talents. However, he gained wins over jobbers such as Poncho Pico, Sputnik Monroe and Gypsy Biviano, the latter of whom he won a three-fall match .[9]
The following August, Morales traveled to Texas and was involved in a series of matches with Jack and Jim Dalton, facing them along multiple tag team partners. After emerging victorious in a feud over Nelson Royal, he relocated to
The tag team next entered a feud with Jerry Graham and Luke Graham, losing multiple times before earning a win on September 19, 1964.[13] The team also exchanged results against Hans & Max Mortier. During this time frame, Morales picked singles wins over Frank Hickey, Chuck Martoni, Bobby Davis, Arnold Skaaland, Humberto Mercado, Matt Gilmore, Boris Malenko, Klondike Bill, Jose Quinteras, Magnificent Maurice, Bull Johnson and Luke Graham, while losing in matches against Wild Red Berry and Freddie Blassie. Morales then entered a double feud against Pedro Rodriguez and Gene Kiniski, dominating Rodriguez but losing to Kiniski. Alongside Pérez, he restarted their feud with the Grahams, earning a second victory. In the final months of 1964, Morales also gained wins over Robert Duranton and Steve Stanlee.[13]
Worldwide Wrestling Associates (1965–1968)
Morales opened 1965 by moving to
On March 12, 1965, Morales defeated "The Destroyer" Dick Beyer to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in a three-fall match.[15] He continued earning singles victories over Horst Wessel, Kurt Von Stroheim, Al Marshall, Broadway Venus, Bill Cody and in a rematch against The Destroyer, while teaming along Hernandez to wrestle multiple combinations. He became involved in a feud against The Assassins and The Butcher, steadily gaining the upper hands both individually and in tag matches.[14] Morales moved on from these angles and defeated Rod Orell, Billy Klutzer and The Mummy, before dropping the championship to Luke Graham on July 23, 1965.[16] Morales responded by defeating Graham in a three-fall chain match less than a month later, in the process winning a Brass Knuckles Championship. Meanwhile, his team with Hernandez won three consecutive matches against The Assassins by disqualification. Subsequently, a revival of his previous feuds with The Butcher and The Assassins became intertwined with the current involving Graham, leading to a series of matches featuring different combinations during the following months.[14] Hernandez was eventually replaced by Adalberto Torres as Morales's tag team partner, along whom he also faced Gorilla Monsoon and a variety of partners. On October 17, 1965, he defeated Graham to regain the WWA World Heavyweight Championship.[14] Morales went on to defeat Graham in two more rematches, scoring victories over Ox Anderson, Bandito Lopez and Jack Allen as well. Following a short series against El Mongol, he continued this pattern in matches involving Swede Karlsen, Baron Leone, Killer Karlson, The Golden Terror, Mark Lewin, Killer Karl Kox and Clyde Steeves.[14] Morales also won a battle royale held in Fort Worth, Texas and brought closure to his feud with El Mongol by besting him on February 13, 1966. During this stage, he also changed tag team partners frequently, teaming with Better Boucher, Ramon Torres and Billy Red Lyons among others, gathering mixed results.[17]
In the final months before making a tour to Japan, Morales defeated Mark Lewin and Indio Joe, but also lost to Lyons and Mark Lewin. At his first show in Tokyo, he had a draw against Don Lewin.[17] Morales continued this run by defeating Michiaki Yoshimura, Yoshino Sato, Mr. Moto, Mitsu Hirai, Umanosuke Ueda, tying against Kim Il in all of their encounters and losing only to Giant Baba by countout in singles.[17] During this run, he teamed with Arman Hussein, Lewin, Wilbur Snyder, Lonnie Mayne & Billy Two, among others, with the results being divided inequitable manner between wins, losses and draws. On May 27, 1966, Morales returned to California and went on another winning streak over Ray Shields, Jack Lanza, El Mongol, Stan Neilson, Baby Destroyer and Fritz Von Goering, before entering a series against Buddy Austin, losing the first three encounters and dropping the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to him on August 5, 1966, before winning the fourth match.[18] He also reformed his tag team with Luis Hernandez, finding success in this division as well by winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship on June 24, 1966, being a dual champion for over a month.[17] After a win over Art Mahalik, Morales wrestled Hernandez to a three-fall draw. This was followed by victories over Austin and in a second battle royale. Despite gathering singles wins over the likes of El Mongol, Austin, Magnificent Maurice, Joe Flores and Frank Marconi, during the following months, Morales focused on the tag team division, earning eleven wins, seven draws and only one loss before dropping the titles to Hard Boiled Haggerty and El Shereef on October 28, 1966.[17] He subsequently split results against Shereef, also besting Rip Miller and Austin on several occasions during November. To close the year, Morales joined Mark Lewin to recapture the WWA World Tag Team Championship on December 10, 1966.[19]
Morales began 1967 by also teaming with Ricky Romero, Mr. Moto and Pepper Gomez, gathering victories along all of them. In singles, he remained in the top of the card, defeating Paul Diamond, El Shereef, Killer Karl Kox, K.O. Murphy and Johnny Vander, while wrestling Haggerty and The Mad Russian to draws.
He challenged and defeated Blassie by himself, but lost in a rematch. Morales wrestled
50th State Big Time Wrestling (1968–1970)
Now a full-time performer for
He made a brief return to California, partnering with Freddie Blassie, but the team lost a series against Don Carson and the Great Kojika. Back in Hawaii, Morales defeated Bad Boy Shields, Mr. Fujiwara, Les Roberts and Mac MacFarland, only losing a match to Kinji Shibuya, during the following couple of months.
World Wide Wrestling Federation (1970–1975)
Morales made his first appearance for the
First contender Blassie and Stasiak remained Morales' main rivals in the first two months of 1972, against whom he scored several draws and some wins.
This was followed with a rematch, this time teaming with
Big Time Wrestling (1975–1976)
Four days later, Morales returned to California, wrestling for the Big Time Wrestling territory in San Francisco. Despite now serving mainly as a tag team performer along Manny Cruz, Raul Mata, Pat Patterson, Cowboy Lang and The Haitian Kid among others, he also remained a singles attraction, gathering wins over Ricky Hunter, The Brute and winning a feud over Kurt Von Brauner during the following two months.[38] Morales began the summer by teaming with Patterson on a consistent basis, sometimes alternating to include Peter Maivia, Don Muraco or a random wrestler.[38] Their main opponents during this timeframe were The Invaders, against whom they exchanged results, with Morales and Patterson winning the NWA San Francisco World Tag Team Championship on October 29, 1975.[38] Immediately afterwards, they became involved in a series against Don Muraco and Mr. Saito that lasted for the remainder of the year and from which they emerged with the best balance. To begin the following year, Mr. Saito and The Invaders were included in the feud, teaming with Muraco and Fuji on alternate events.[38] The rivalry eventually shifted to singles competition, where Morales defeated Muraco on three dates before losing once. To close this run, he lost a contest to The Great Fuji by being counted out. Morales made two appearances in St. Louis, winning two tag team matches and defeating Ox Baker individually.[39]
American Wrestling Association (1976–1977)
On October 30, 1976, he joined the American Wrestling Association as a full-time performer. Returning to his former singles pace, Morales went on to immediately enter an undefeated streak over Bobby Jones, Moose Morowski, Buddy Wolff, Frankie Hill, Baron Von Raschke, Vito Martino, Ray Stevens, Pierre Poisson, Blackjack Lanza, Puppy Dog Peloquin, Rodeo Jones, Roger Kirby, Ray Stevens, Joe Carlos and Frankie Hill to close the year.[39] To open 1977, he continued to trend in matches including Tom DeMarco, Mike Soma, Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, Poisson, Bobby Duncum, Moose Morowski and Jim Brunzell, also winning a battle royale and drawing in a series against The Super Destroyer. His streak continued the following month, this time over Bob Arnel and The Strangler, going on to include matchups against the opponents that he had already defeated.[39] The feud with The Super Destroyer resumed shortly afterwards, this time ending with another draw and two wins for Morales. A rivalry with Nick Bockwinkel also took place in parallel, recording a no contest and a victory. After briefly teaming with Peter Maivia, Morales defeated Armando Rodriguez and entered a series against Alfred Hayes, which ended with a balance of five wins, two losses and two draws.[39] Afterwards, he recorded mixed results in several contests against The Super Destroyer. In what marked the final stage of this AWA run, Morales continued defeating jobbers Mike York, Kenny Jay and The Strangler, but began losing more often to talent that he had bested earlier including Nick Bockwinkel and others such as Angelo Mosca.[39]
Championship Wrestling from Florida (1977–1978)
After migrating to Championship Wrestling from Florida, he immediately emerged victorious from a rivalry with Pat Patterson.[39] In this territory, Morales’ tag team with Johnson became more active and defeated the team of Patterson & Ivan Koloff on five consecutive encounters. A second feud, this time with Don Muraco was not as successful and he experienced mixed results, but also winning more often than he lost.[39] During this time-frame, Morales also faced “Superstar” Billy Graham and Lars Anderson on a regular basis. On October 8, 1977, Morales unsuccessfully challenged Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[40] Afterwards, Koloff joined Mr. Saito as his main partner in the ongoing team feud, but both of the combinations with Johnson and Muraco were able to best them. Morales then teamed twice with Dusty Rhodes in a draw and a win against Lars Anderson & Killer Karl Kox, also teaming with Muraco one last time to defeat Koloff and Saito.[40] On December 6, 1977, Morales wrestled Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, failing to win the belt. The following night he faced Race, Dick Murdoch, Baron Von Krupp and Mr. Sakuruda for the title, but was disqualified. To close the year, Morales earned singles victories over Buddy Roberts and Tank Patton.[40] His team along Johnson opened the year by winning their first two matches, going on to defeat Koloff and Saito to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship on January 24, 1978.[40] Concurrently, Morales wrestled Anderson and divided honors in a series which included a win in the Superbowl of Wrestling. A feud with Killer Karl Kox ended in individual and team losses, a streak which ended costing them the titles. After recovering with wins over Koloff and Saito, Morales and Johnson regained the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship on February 14, 1978.[40] This reign was short, lasting only two weeks before dropping them to Saito and Mr. Sato. Morales then wrestled several singles matches, defeating Killer Karl Kox, Bobby Dumcum, Saito, Bob Roop, Jack Ruggers and Charlie Cook, dividing contests with Dick Slater and losing to Koloff.[41] This was followed by three new partners, Tiger Conway, Jr., with whom he won four consecutive bouts, Joe Azzari, which led to two losses, and Jerry Brisco, who wrestled with him in two draws.[41]
New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Canada (1978–1980)
On May 5, 1978, Morales returned to Puerto Rico for one night and teamed with Rivera. Afterwards,
Return to WWF (1980 - 1983, 1985 - 1987)
Triple Crown Champion (1980–1983)
On May 6, 1980, Morales returned to the renamed World Wrestling Federation, defeating Moose Monroe, Frank Savage, Mark Pole, Brute Bernard and Ben Alexander during the course of the following weeks.
Jerry Johnson and Johnny Rodz served as jobbers during this run. After participating in a battle royale won by Angelo Mosca, the two entered a feud, from which Morales emerged victorious.[47] During the month of June, he also scored consecutive wins over his former rivals Killer Khan and Sgt. Slaughter, ending their respective storylines. This led to a feud against Don Muraco, to whom Morales dropped the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship on June 20, 1981.[48] Two subsequent rematches ended in one win, three losses and a draw. Morales began wrestling and defeating other adversaries, including George Steele, The Executioner and Larry Sharpe, besides the usual low card talents that he had consistently bested previously. The feud with Muraco continued and he earned two wins and a draw, leading to a titular rematch between them.[47] Morales entered the contest with wins over The Executioner and Greg Valentine, winning the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship back on November 23, 1981, in a Texas Death match.[47] With this win, Morales became the first man to hold the Intercontinental title twice, and he held it for fourteen months, the longest reign up until that point.[49] He was successful in four rematches against Muraco, with Valentine systematically becoming his main adversary. In his first bout of 1982, Morales defeated Valentine by disqualification.[47] He was able to dominate Hans Schroeder, Larry Dee and Killer Khan, but drew in another match against Valentine, who also went on to win their next encounter by disqualification. Their series continued with the equitable results of one win, one loss and a draw.[50] To continue, Morales won two consecutive contests, including a Brass Knuckles Alley Fight, but got disqualified in the third. This was momentarily interrupted with a short program against Mr. Fuji, Mr. Saito and Lou Albano, which also featured wins over Rodz and Adrian Adonis.[50] After being resumed, Morales won two more matches over Valentine, once again being disqualified in the third, before coming back to win in a Texas Death match. He then entered a winning streak, during which he defeated The Black Demon twice, Jesse Ventura by countout, Adonis thrice, Fuji and Valentine four times, two of these being Brass Knuckles Matches and other a Street Fight.[50] This came to an end when Morales was disqualified against Jimmy Snuka. He wrestled Valentine three more times, winning in a Brass Knuckles match and by countout.[50]
During the summer of 1982, Morales feuded with Bob Orton, Jr., gaining the upper hand after being disqualified in the open bout.
Puerto Rican tours (1983–1984)
On April 23, 1983, Morales began a tour in his native Puerto Rico performing for Capitol Sports Promotions (CSP), now known as the World Wrestling Council, challenging Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in his first appearance.[52]
After a brief interruption where he bested Swede Hanson in a WWF card held at New York, Morales returned to CSP joining
Various feuds and retirement (1985–1987)
During the months of March and April 1985, Morales participated in tag team matches for the WWF, including participation in a show held in Kuwait. Morales later went on to defeat Mr. X, Terry Gibbs and Steve Lombardi during the following months. On May 24, 1985, he wrestled Strong Machine #1 to a draw in a NJPW show.[53] Morales entered the 1985 King of the Ring tournament, besting Johnny V in the opening contest before receiving a bye during the quarterfinals. However, he was eliminated by Muraco in the semifinals.[54] During this time-frame, Tito Santana became his occasional tag team partner. Individually, Morales went on to defeat Mr.X several times, Gibbs, Lombardi and Barry O twice, Rene Goulet four times and Tiger Chung Lee. He was also successful in two team matches along Santana.[53] On September 12, 1985, Morales bested Muraco in New Jersey. The following night he claimed a win over Valentine. Morales defeated Bob Orton, Jr., Goulet and Barry O to conclude the month.[53] October began with a winning streak which featured Les Thornton and Matt Borne along with enhancement talent, until this victory spree was halted by The Missing Link.[53]
Morales made his following appearance in a WWF event held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he defeated The Spoiler.[53] The second half of the month brought wins in two matches along with Santana and singles success over opponents that he had previously wrestled. This pattern continued in November, when Morales and Santana exchanged results against Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. Individually, he gained victories over several familiar performers including Lee, Barry O, Gibbs and The Spoiler, also winning a series against Alexi Smirnoff and losing a single time to Orton.[55] Contests including Moondog Spot, Thorton and Lee ended in the same fashion, with Morales going on to win a rematch over Orton. On December 12, 1985, Goulet scored a rare win over him. In turn, Morales ended the year with wins over Matt Borne, The Spoiler, Smirnoff, Barry O and Mike Sharpe, in the process successfully teaming with Santana.[55] He won his first two contests of 1986 Moondog Spot and Lee, before losing to Terry Funk. This was followed by a series of tag team matches along Santana and Danny Spivey, which ended with a 2–1 balance. After besting two jobbers, Morales teamed with Steve Gatorwolf to defeat Valentine and Beefcake.[55] After four more wins over his regular opponents, he lost to Orton. This pattern was repeated once more, but this time Morales earned a disqualification victory over Orton after winning the first four contests. Concurrently to this series, he was involved in a 3-on-3 match. On February 15, 1986, Morales defeated Bret Hart in Phoenix, Arizona.[55] This was followed with wins over Goulet, Thorthon, Steve Lombardi and a successful feud against Orton. Morales made his only WrestleMania appearance in 1986 when he was a part of a 20-man invitational battle royal at WrestleMania 2.[56] After two tag team victories along Santana, Morales defeated Hercules and Beefcake among others. This was followed by a prolonged series with both members of the Moondogs, from which he emerged victorious.[55] On May 17, 1986, Morales defeated The Iron Sheik in a WWF return to California. His tag team with Santana remained successful, winning their contests throughout the summer. Meanwhile, Morales earned wins over Paul Christy, Roger Kirby, Lee, The Iron Sheik and Hercules, but began to lose more often against opponents such as Jake Roberts, King Kong Bundy and Savage.[57] Like the year before, he entered the King of the Ring tournament, advancing with a win over Rudy Diamond. Morales advanced further by besting Mike Rotundo in the quarterfinals and Nikolai Volkoff in the semifinals, but lost the final to Harley Race.[58] The following months brought mixed results, with wins over Muraco and Jim Neidhart but losses to Hercules and Adrian Adonis.[57]
Morales recovered by defeating Savage three times and Gibbs once, while drawing with Orton before losing a rematch to Race. He entered the Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament, winning his matchup against Funk in the opening round before being eliminated by Beefcake in the quarterfinals.
Retirement (1987–2019)
Following his retirement from the squared circle, Morales became a road agent and later a commentator for WWF's Spanish-language programming, the first time that a Puerto Rican performed this duty for an international promotion.
Morales made few wrestling related appearances since his WCW days, with his last appearances being at autograph signings in fan conventions. He appeared at Wrestling Reunion III in 2005 and Wrestling Reunion 5 in 2007, reuniting with Sammartino at the latter.[63] Despite living a low profile life following his retirement, he was the inspiration for homages and mentions throughout the decades which followed. A self-proclaimed "old school" wrestler, he was not interested in the overselling of gimmicks and spectacle that is seen in modern professional wrestling, despite admitting the economic success of the "sports entertainment" formula.[64]
Legacy
Morales was inducted into the
Outside of the WWE, he has received recognition as a Latin American and Hispanic pioneer in other promotions. In mid-1996, Morales appeared at an event of the short lived
As a trainer, Morales was involved in the instruction of Dory Funk Jr., a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion who in 2009 was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of The Funks.[84] In 2022, his estate signed a deal to appear in Greg Gagne’s AWA-inspired PowerTown action figure line.[85]
Personal life and death
His mother Teodora was a businesswoman, who continued to advise him on economic decisions throughout his life.[86] Morales met Karen Johnson in 1965, when she attended an event at Long Beach where he was performing.[86] They dated for five years, with her working as a teacher while his career often took him abroad to other states and countries.[86] The couple married in 1972, in a small ceremony held at Puerto Rico which was only attended by family and the judge, continuing this relationship throughout his wrestling career and afterwards.[87][11] The couple had a son, Pedro Morales Jr. born in 1974. Due to the nature of his work, Morales had lived in over a dozen cities throughout his career, including some time in Japan.[11] However, when his son was about to start kindergarten, the family bought a house in central New Jersey. His wife began working at Avenel Street Elementary School.[11] The resources gathered in the industry were reinvested in "stocks, bonds and properties" which allowed them to capitalize in the long term.[86]
After his last job in pro wrestling as a Spanish-language commentator in WCW, Morales retired from the sport and permanently settled in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey where he adopted gardening as a hobby, cultivating tomatoes in his personal garden.[11] Due to working during a time where the ring featured no methods of protection, Morales suffered several injuries that continued to linger after his career was over, limiting the amount of physical exercise that he was capable of doing.[11] However, he remained a frequent visitor to The Club, a gym located in Woodbridge.[11] Despite being a resident of this area, he continued to travel frequently to Puerto Rico, visiting the archipelago multiple times per year. In 2003, he expressed interest in returning to live permanently in a coastal town near the Caribbean Sea once his wife retired.[11] However, this did not materialize. An advanced case of Parkinson's disease prevented him from traveling to Puerto Rico during his final years.[88] By this point his health had deteriorated, with the emergence of cardiac afflictions and cancer as well.[86] Morales died on February 12, 2019, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey at the age of 76.[89] He was survived by his wife, with their son predeceasing them in 2014.[86]
Championships and accomplishments
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[23]
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bing Ki Lee (1) and Ed Francis (2)[23]
- American Wrestling Alliance / Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Class of 2015[92]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Wrestler of the Year (1972)[93]
- PWI ranked him No. 111 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.[94]
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[23]
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Luis Hernandez (1), Mark Lewin (1), Ricky Romero (1),[95] and Victor Rivera (1)[23]
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[23]
- Carlos Colón, Sr.[23]
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Backlund[23]
- WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[23]
- First WWF Triple Crown Champion[23]
- Class of 1995)[3]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Overrated (1981,1982)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)[96]
Notes
- ^ The title was renamed to WWWF Heavyweight Championship during this reign, since the promotion rejoined the NWA.
References
- ^ a b "Pedro Morales WWE". wwe.com. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Wrestler Profiles: Pedro Morales". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "WWE Hall of Fame: Pedro Morales". WWE. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "Ivan Koloff's WWE Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on July 15, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
Pedro Morales [defeated] Ivan Koloff for the [WWF] Championship...Morales would also go on to become the first Triple Crown winner [upon winning] the Intercontinental Championship and World Tag Team Championship.
- ISBN 0-8239-3432-2.
- ISBN 0-7434-6316-1.
- ISBN 0-275-98401-X.
- ISBN 0-7434-9181-5.
- ^ a b c d e f Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 13.
- ^ "Pedro Morales Death". Wrestler Deaths. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Michelle Sahn (November 13, 2003). "Pro wrestler now grows tomatoes in Woodbridge". Home News Tribune. Archived from the original on November 18, 2003. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ^ Slam! Sports. Archived from the originalon September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 15.
- ^ a b c Steven Slagle (2002). "Hall of Fame: Pedro Morales". The Ring Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ "Wrestler Profiles: Luke Graham". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 16.
- ^ "Wrestler Profiles: Buddy Austin". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 17.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 18.
- ^ a b c Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 20.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b c d e f Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 21.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 22.
- ^ "History of the WWWF United States Heavyweight title". wrestling-titles.com. May 20, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 23.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 24.
- ISBN 0-7434-6316-1.
- ^ "Freddie Blassie: classy to the very end - Phantom of the Ring - Obituary". Wrestling Digest. October 2003. Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 26.
- ^ ISBN 0-8239-3432-2.
- ^ Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 27.
- ^ a b c d e Trujillo, Alexander (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 28.
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External links
- Pedro Morales on WWE.com
- Pedro Morales at IMDb
- Pedro Morales's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database