- Octavio Gaona
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Octavio Gaona Ring name(s) Octavio Gaona Billed height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) Billed weight 89 kg (200 lb) Born 1907
León, Guanajuato, MexicoDied 1996 Debut October 1934 Octavio Gaona (1907–1996) was a Mexican Luchador, or professional wrestler, known for his participation in the first ever high profile Lucha de Apuesta, or wager fight, against Murciélago Velázquez. Gaona held both the Mexican National Middleweight Championship and the Mexican version of the World Middleweight Championship. Gaona's son, adopted son, grandson and great grandson have all or are all professional wrestlers.
Contents
Professional wrestling career
Octavio Gaona made his professional wrestling debut in 1934, wrestling for various small promoters in Guanajuato and surrounding states. By 1937 Gaona wrestled full time for Salvador Lutteroth's Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL). On February 6, 1937 Gaona defeated Black Guzmán to win the vacant Mexican National Middleweight Championship.[1] Gaona held the title until September 2, 1938 where Firpo Segra won it but would regain it on January 1, 1939.[1] Gaona's second reign ended just over a month later on February 9, 1939.[1] The loss, however, was not a step down, instead he defeated Gus Kallio to win both the National Wrestling Association World Middleweight Champion and the Mexican version of the World Middleweight Championship.[2] Gaona's title win helped establish the World Middleweight title in Mexico.[2] Gaona unified both titles, only defending them together. On February 4, 1940 Gaona lost the titles to Tarzán López.[2]
Shortly after the title loss Octavio Gaona took part in one of the most pivotal events in Lucha Libre as he took part of the very first Lucha de Apuesta match.[3][4] After a long buildup of a storyline between Gaona and Murciélago Velázquez, one of the top Rudos ("Bad guy" or Heel character) of the time, Gaona challengede Velázquez to face him in a match where the masked wrestler would "bet" his mask on the outcome of the match. Since Velázquez was so much lighter than Gaona he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract: Octavio Gaona would have to put his hair on the line as well, creating the first match in Mexico where a two wrestlers "bet" either their hair or their mask.[3][4] On July 14, 1940 Octavio Gaona defeated Murciélago Velázquez, forcing him to unmask after the match in what would become a Lucha Libre tradition.[3][4] Since then Apuesta matches have become headliners all over Mexico, especially winning the mask of an opponent is seen as prestigious, the more famous the masked man is, the bigger the victory for the opponent is.[4][5] In 1942 Velázquez would get his revenege on Gaona when he defeated him to win the vacant Mexican National Middleweight Championship, although the victory could never equal the loss of the mask.[1]
By the end of the 1940s Gaona's wrestling career had slowed down, especially with the birth of his son Octavio Gaona, Jr. Gaona, Jr. would go on to become a professional wrestler, as would his son Arturo Gaona and Arturo's son Arturo Gaona, Jr. making the Gaona family a four generation wrestling family.[6] Octavio Gaona also adopted Francisco Ruiz Arreola, who would wrestle under the name "Tamba", nicknamed "the Flying Elephant".[6] Gaona came out of retirement in 1972, in his late sixties, defeating Tamba in a Lucha de Apuesta match to unmask him.[6]
Octavio Gaona died in 1996.
Championships and accomplishments
Lucha de Apuesta record
See also: Luchas de ApuestasWager Winner Loser Location Date Notes Mask Octavio Gaona Murciélago Velázquez Mexico City, Mexico July 18, 1940 [3] Hair Octavio Gaona Chale Romero Mexico City, Mexico July 1964 Mask Octavio Gaona Tamba Mexico City, Mexico 1972 [6] References
- ^ a b c d e Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Middleweight Championship". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 392. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b c d Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "EMLL NWA World Middlweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 389–390. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b c d Lourdes Grobet, Alfonso Morales, Gustavo Fuentes, and Jose Manuel Aurrecoechea (2005). Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Trilce. p. 115. ISBN 978-1933045054.
- ^ a b c d Madigan, Dan (2007). "The Mask in the match". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizare & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperColins Publisher. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^ Madigan, Dan (2007). "Okay... what is Lucha Libre?". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperColins Publisher. pp. 29–40. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^ a b c d Madigan, Dan (2007). "A family affair". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizare & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperColins Publisher. pp. 128–132. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "United States: 19th Century & widely defended titles - NWA, WWF, AWA, IWA, ECW, NWA: World Middleweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 14. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
Categories:- 1907 births
- 1996 deaths
- Mexican professional wrestlers
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