When Morales made his way through the crowd of 2,500, his police escort struggled to get him past his adoring fans, and into the ring. On August 31, 2006, as part of a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling taping, Morales was mentioned by Konnan along fellow Hall of Famers Carlos Coln, Mil Mscaras and the Guerrero family, being acknowledged as Latinos that paved the way within the wrestling industry. His (Pedros) mom was a businesswoman, and advised him often. It was after the matches, Pedro sees me. Entered into eternal rest peacefully at home, on Saturday, F [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. [61] This accomplishment has since been duplicated by Jack Melndez and Willie Urbina. > Obituary Archive
C2: And he is young. [25] After snapping this streak with a win over Abdullah the Butcher, he dropped the North American Heavyweight Championship to The Destroyer. He always kept his eye on the prize.. C1: He sure is good" as part of a discussion of dangerous adversaries that could be possible opponents for an aging wrestler. Individually, Morales went on to defeat Mr.X several times, Gibbs, Lombardi and Barry O twice, Rene Goulet four times and Tiger Chung Lee. After recovering with wins over Koloff and Saito, Morales and Johnson regained the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship on February 14, 1978. [11] The resources gathered in the industry were reinvested in "stocks, bonds and properties" which allowed them to capitalize in the long term. [39], After migrating to Championship Wrestling from Florida, he immediately emerged victorious from a rivalry with Pat Patterson. Pedros career was building popularity, and it was around this time, when he was in Hawaii, Vince McMahon, Sr., began talking to him about coming to New York, stated Johnson-Morales. [67] Jeremy Thomas of 411.com ranked him fifth as part of a debate among the website's staff. He was a 1992 graduate of Woodbridge High School whre he played football. [60], 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. [57] Like the year before, he entered the King of the Ring tournament, advancing with a win over Rudy Diamond. 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. Facebook. He is pointing his index finger at me, asking for me to come over to him. [85] They dated for five years, with her working as a teacher while his career often took him abroad to other states and countries. [17] He subsequently split results against Shereef, also besting Rip Miller and Austin on several occasions during November. [28] The following month brought wins over Tyler and Valiant, but also included an encounter where he bested Freddie Blassie and a continuation of the feud against Stasiak during the second half. > Gaming
SHARE. [19] After winning two more matches along Lewin, their team ceased to exist, costing them the titles. After defeating Barend in a stretcher match, Morales defeated Les Roberts and advanced to the second round of the Strelich Tournament, a single-knockdown competition for the Strelich Perpetual Trophy, with a win over Woody Farmer. [19] While individually, Morales entered a brief period where he recorded more draws and losses than wins, his team with Rivera won their first five encounters, which also featured him besting DiBiase and Gotch in singles. [33], This was followed with a rematch, this time teaming with Andr the Giant. In March, he was involved in a program with Karl Von Stroheim, winning a series of matches against him and teaming with Mr. Moto and Luis Hernandez to win tag team matches that also included Kurt Von Stroheim. Cremation will be private. He has reported on professional wrestling, baseball, boxing, and hockey for print and radio since the 1970s. > Photo Galleries
Apr 1: WWE WrestleMania Mar 5: AEW Revolution He was 40 years old. [38] The rivalry eventually shifted to singles competition, where Morales defeated Muraco on three dates before losing once. On May 24, 1985, he wrestled Strong Machine #1 to a draw in a NJPW show. His wins over this time-span were over Moondog Spot, Sika and Jimmy Jack Funk. [52] On June 25, 1983, he defeated Buddy Landel to add the CSP North American Heavyweight Championship. However, it was wrestling that brought them together in California decades ago. He was a 1992 graduate of Woodbridge High School whre he played football. He wrestled Valentine three more times, winning in a Brass Knuckles match and by countout. [20], He challenged and defeated Blassie by himself, but lost in a rematch. for Charlie Fulton) fought Barry Hart to a draw . word document slow to save; pedro morales jr woodbridge nj. [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. I taught for three years, elementary children. After his 1987 retirement, Morales remained active in wrestling as a road agent and a Spanish-language commentator. Sadly, for me and countless others who found joy in wrestling, beginning back in the early 1970s, we lost our hero on February 11, 2019. Morales closed the year by rejoining Gomez as a full-time partner, defeating the team of Blassie and The Great Malenko. Due to the nature of his work, Morales had lived in over a dozen cities throughout his career, including some time in Japan. [55] He won his first two contests of 1986 Moondog Spot and Lee, before losing to Terry Funk. Morales and Muraco went on to exchange results, but neither one was able to dominate cleanly, with most wins being consequence of count outs and disqualifications. [42] On November 8, 1979, Morales returned to NJPW, besting Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi, drawing with Tatsumi Fujinami and losing to Antonio Inoki. A rivalry with Nick Bockwinkel also took place in parallel, recording a no contest and a victory. When dating, Morales bookings would take him to Los Angeles, Long Beach, Bakersfield, and frequently to Japan, Australia, and Hawaii. Required fields are marked *. [84], His mother Teodora was a businesswoman, who continued to advise him on economic decisions throughout his life. His work has appeared on the web for the past two decades. [13] Morales also experienced success in matches outside storyline, besting Jesse Rose, Charlie Kalani, Ruffy Colden, Billy Red Lyons, Kenny Yates, Don Savage, Luke Graham, Hard Boiled Haggerty, some of them more than two consecutive times. [14], On March 12, 1965, Morales defeated "The Destroyer" Dick Beyer to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in a three-fall match. Visiting hours will be Friday from 3:00 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. Copyright 2018 - 23 [26] A team-up with Gorilla Monsoon also took place in two draws involving The Mongols. [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. "He was so good to me, and took care of me. Born in Manhattan, NY; He resided in Woodbridge most of his life. [11][12] However, due to living outside of Puerto Rico, he declined the opportunity. [15][32] Subsequently, both performers embraced, signifying the end of their rivalry and the reformation of the tag team. His next two feuds featured him getting disqualified and defeated by Muraco, exchanging results with Hercules and dominating Moondog Rex. [60] May was marked by several unsuccessful matches that formed part of a rivalry with Ron Bass, but finished with a win over Lombardi. No question, he was beloved. In his final phase of this run for the promotion, Morales was victorious over Butcher Vachon, wrestling his final match on March 1, 1975. [22] On October 13, 1969, he added the Hawaii Tag Team Championship to his other titles along Francis, holding it for a couple of weeks. Sign in with Facebook. Morales made a one-night appearance in Hawaii during the summer, besting Pat Patterson. 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. To close the year, Morales earned singles victories over Buddy Roberts and Tank Patton. [59] At 44 years old, Morales was entering his final year as an active wrestler, now being moved back in the card. 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. Admin. After emerging victorious in a feud over Nelson Royal, he relocated to Washington, D.C. and Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he wrestled Miguel Torres, Angelo Savoldi and Lou Albano, while entering into a rivalry with Tony Altomare. [11] However, he remained a frequent visitor to The Club, a gym located in Woodbridge. [41] In singles competition, Morales defeated Mr. X #1, Brute Bernard and Morowski. Born and raised in Culebra,. Free Marketing emails [51] Morales continued his feud with Buddy Rose, defeating him by disqualification. [31] The following month featured feuds which ended in Morales earning several victories over Pampero Firpo, Tanaka, Iaukea and Albano. Morales advanced further by besting Mike Rotundo in the quarterfinals and Nikolai Volkoff in the semifinals, but lost the final to Harley Race. [65] Terry Funk, Stan Hansen, Greg Valentine and Magnificent Muraco have expressed having enjoyed working matches with Morales. He became involved in a feud against The Assassins and The Butcher, steadily gaining the upper hands both individually and in tag matches. [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. 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. In his final matches for the WWA, Morales defeated The Raider and El Mongol twice. [25], Morales made his first appearance for the World Wide Wrestling Federation, now known as WWE, on November 21, 1970, by teaming with Chief Jay Strongbow in a draw against The Mongols, Newton Tattrie and Josip Peruzovic, as part of a one-night appearance. Menu [59] Some wrestlers that he had bested in the past, such as Butch Reed or Sika were also booked over him, along with strong adversaries such as Jake Roberts, Bravo, Orton and Paul Orndorff. Whitemarsh Jr. High School - May 25, 1983 The scheduled Eddie Gilbert vs. Johnny Rodz match was cancelled Pete Doherty (sub. [52] On September 10, 1983, The Medics recovered the titles from Morales and Coln. A series against Freddie Blassie concluded with three singles wins for Morales, also including a tag team contest. Jul 1: Money in the Bank [9] He also holds the record for most days as Intercontinental Champion. He (Pedro) battled back so many times (from cancer), said Johnson-Morales. At Madison Square Garden, on February 8, 1971, Morales dethroned The Russian Bear Ivan Koloff for the title. [34] Throughout April and May, he successfully faced a number of recycled adversaries, including Mayne, Wolfe and Tanaka, along with wins over new ones such as Don Leo Jonathan and Mike McCord, aka Austin Idol. [42] He formed a tag team with Bob Backlund, which won its first two contests. (Pedro) was a very smart businessman." The couple were married for 52 years. In 2003, he expressed interest in returning to live permanently in a coastal town near the Caribbean Sea once his wife retired. When the evenings show finally arrived for the main event that January 15, I was so sold on the action I would see in the title clash and for the next three decades wrestling would consume me. [76] Modern fan reaction has also been positive in regards to the historical significance of his accomplishments. [68] In a similar discussion held at Slam! The following year, Morales began visiting several more states, often teaming 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. At his first show in Tokyo, he had a draw against Don Lewin. In his next appearance, he joined Sam Steamboat and Hahn Lee in a win over Barend, Killer Karl Kox and Ripper Collins. Fernwood Gold III and Thor Jensen of UGO Networks listed him as the 36th best face wrestler in history, noting how he appealed to the fanbase in New York. [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. [24] In late May, Hard Boiled Haggerty arrived to the promotion. katherine grainger gordonstoun. [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. [44] After defeating and drawing with St. It seemed that the fans and everybody was crazy about him. On August 5, 1970, Morales regained the North American Heavyweight Championship from Barend. Much of Morales business prowess, as his widow tells, came from his mother Theodora. Find Pedro L Martinez's address, phone number, email, photos, and social media accounts. To open the following year, Morales relocated to Canada, where he defeated David Patterson, Mr. X #1, The Scorpion, Doug Somers and Brute Bernard, but lost a series to Ox Baker in alternate dates at South and North Carolina. This reignited their feud in two encounters that favored Morales, who won a tag team match and tied in singles. He was then involved in a series of matches involving John Tolos, whom he defeated in a tag team competition but lost in singles. [60] Morales made a final in-ring appearance as professional wrestler by participating in a battle royale held on November 16, 1987. On October 25, 1971, Morales defeated Stasiak in a Texas Death match. [14] Hernandez was eventually replaced by Adalberto Torres as Morales's tag team partner, along whom he also 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. To close the year, Morales joined Mark Lewin to recapture the WWA World Tag Team Championship on December 10, 1966. Morales made his only WrestleMania appearance in 1986 when he was a part of a 20-man invitational battle royal at WrestleMania 2. Concurrently to this series, he was involved in a 3-on-3 match. The former WWWF champion was laid to rest at the Costello-Greiner Funeral Home in Woodbridge, predeceased by their son, Pedro Morales Jr., in 2014. [53] Morales entered the 1985 King of the Ring tournament, besting Johnny V in the opening contest before receiving a bye during the quarterfinals. [41], On May 5, 1978, Morales returned to Puerto Rico for one night and teamed with Rivera. Away from the squared circle, his widow, Karen Johnson-Morales, paints an even better picture of just how special of a man the champ was. We found 100+ records for Pedro Morales in Woodbridge, NJ. The date on this ticket reads September 30, 1972. | Funeral Home Website by Batesville Home | He lost a series of matches against Bravo, but, bested Muraco before entering a feud with Nick Kiniski that featured several draws before he gained the upper hand in the final bout. On that crisp, fall evening, 22,508 fans swarmed into New Yorks Shea Stadium in Queens for the WWWFs Showdown at Shea. You can listen to the show via Facebook and on his YouTube channel. The details she dishes are those to be jealous of. For the fans, Morales was an athlete to admire. [69] WWE itself ranks Morales in the ninth spot in the "Intercontinental Champions" entry of their Top 25 series. [49] He was successful in four rematches against Muraco, with Valentine systematically becoming his main adversary. Morales wrestled Pat Patterson in two tag matches, losing along Rivera but winning with Gomez. Morales opened 1963 by performing in several tag team matches against Johnny Barend and Magnificent Maurice and returning to New York and New Jersey in a program along Gordo Chihuahua, who worked as enhancement talent. Richards and Sons for many years. Tamben le sobreviven sus nietos: Jorge Juan Morales, Elisa Rangel, Afredo Rangel Jr., Rogelio Reyna, Mariel Alvarez, Jonathan Reyna, Amayra Reyna, Edith Morales and Arely Alvarez. 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