Rito Romero Explained

Rito Romero
Names:Rito Romero
Rayo Mexicano[1]
Birthname:Rito Romero Loza
Birth Date:May 19, 1927
Birth Place:Acatic, Jalisco, Mexico
Death Place:Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Trainer:Diablo Velasco[2]
Debut:1942
Retired:1960

Rito Romero Loza[1] (May 19, 1927 – January 18, 2001) was a successful luchador who wrestled in Mexico and in the NWA territories of Texas and Los Angeles. He appeared in several films in his native country along with a number of other luchadors. He is remembered for his innovation of the Romero Special/La Tapatia submission manoeuver, commonly known as the Surfboard.[3]

Career

Romero was trained as a luchador by Diablo Velasco,[4] a man also responsible for the training of Mil Máscaras and Gory Guerrero.His early career was spent in Mexico, making his debut in Guadalajara at aged just 15, having been in training for the previous 3 years.[4]

He began finding title success upon becoming a regular in NWA Texas (which would become World Class Championship Wrestling. With tag-team partner Black Guzmán (brother of El Santo) he would win the NWA Texas Tag Team titles 3 times, winning the same belts a further 5 times with different partners including Pepper Gomez.[5] He would also co-hold the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) twice (the belts being recognised as World Championships by WCCW and Dory Funk's Amarillo territory). As a singles competitor he had the distinction of being the inaugural NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Champion of the Los Angeles territory in 1953 as well as being a two-time NWA Texas Jr. Heavyweight Title back in the region in which he remained a perennial star. He became NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion twice, on the second occasion winning the title from Verne Gagne on 27 October 1950.[6] [7] In between his first title reign in 1949 and his retirement there was only one year (1960) during which Rito Romero did not enjoy at least some time with a championship.

During his career he became friends with the legendary Lou Thesz (against whom he had his biggest match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at a time when he was NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion) and travelled Europe with him. Thesz esteemed Romero so highly as to rate him as a better performer than his contemporaries El Canek and Gory Guerrero.[8]

Personal life

Romero was married to Yolanda and had 4 children. His brother Juventino Romero (1923–2009, also known as Cocoliso Romero and La Orquídea) was also a wrestler.[9]

Death

Rito Romero suffered a fatal heart attack on January 17, 2001. He had gone into hospital in his hometown of Guadalajara on the 16th with high blood-sugar levels where it was discovered he was suffering from appendicitis. Bored of being in hospital he decided to check himself.[4] While remonstrating with the hospital workers who were trying to make him return to his bed he collapsed.

Championships and accomplishments

Filmography

References

General
Specific

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rito Romero profile. Online World of Wrestling. 24 September 2011.
  2. Book: Madigan, Dan. Mondo Lucha A Go-Go: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperCollins Publisher. 2007. Dorada de lucha libre: Las Leyendas, las peleas, los fósforos del resentimiento (the golden age of lucha libre: the legends, the feuds, the grudge matches): Diablo Velasco. 203–205. 978-0-06-085583-3.
  3. Web site: Ocampo. Jorge. RVD y Daniel Bryan aplicando la tapatía la misma semana en TV en USA. 28 August 2011. SuperLuchas. Spanish. 24 September 2011.
  4. Web site: Rito Romero profile. WrestlingData. 30 January 2012.
  5. Book: Schire, George. Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling. 2010. Minnesota Historical Society Press. St. Paul. 0-87351-620-6. 76.
  6. Book: Schire, George. Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling. 2010. Minnesota Historical Society Press. St. Paul. 0-87351-620-6. 10.
  7. Web site: Zordani. Jim. American Wrestling Association. Regional Territories. Kayfabe Memories. 24 September 2011.
  8. http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=10;t=000505;p= WrestlingClassics.com Message Board: Rito Romero + Lou in Mexico
  9. Web site: Juventino Romero profile. WrestlingData. German. 30 January 2012.
  10. Book: Hornbaker, Tim. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. limited. 2006. ECW Press. Toronto. 1-55022-741-6. 115.
  11. Web site: World Junior Heavyweight Title (Los Angeles). Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 30 January 2012.
  12. Web site: International Television Title. Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 30 January 2012.
  13. Web site: International Television Tag Team Title (Los Angeles) . 2003 . Puroresu Dojo .
  14. Book: Royal Duncan & Gary Will . Wrestling Title Histories . (Texas) Dallas: NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title . 271 . Archeus Communications . 2006. 4th . 0-9698161-5-4.
  15. Web site: Texas Brass Knucks Title [East Texas] ]. December 22, 2019 . Wrestling-Titles.
    • Book: Will . Gary . Royal . Duncan . Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Archeus Communications . 2000 . Pennsylvania . Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title [Von Erich] . 0-9698161-5-4 . 268–269.
  17. Web site: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title . March 30, 2017 . Wrestling-Titles.
  18. Book: Will . Gary . Royal . Duncan . Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Archeus Communications . 2000 . Pennsylvania . Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich] . 0-9698161-5-4 . 275–276.
  19. Web site: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]]. December 27, 2019 . wrestling-titles.com.
  20. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Siegel, Boesch and McLemore].
  21. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [E. Texas] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
  22. Web site: Rito Romero Filmografía Parcial. Cinefanía. Spanish. 24 September 2011.
  23. Book: García Riera, Emilio. Historia Documental del Cine Mexicano: 1958. 1975. Ediciones Era. Mexico DF. 67.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rito Romero".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.