Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jun 16, 2016 23:55:00 GMT -6
www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2016/0617/612733/gypsy-joe-passes-away-at-82/
Gypsy Joe Passes Away At 82
Veteran wrestler Gilberto "Gypsy Joe" Melendez passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 82.
Melendez began his wrestling career at the age of 18 in 1951 and wrestled his last match on January 7, 2011 at the age of 76. Dave Meltzer noted on F4Wonline that Melendez was known for years as "the oldest active pro wrestler."
Melendez was inducted into the Nashville Professional Hall of Fame by Mick Foley on November 7, 2015.
We would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of Melendez. Dave Meltzer has more on Melendez's storied career at F4WOnline, which you can read by clicking here.
www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/gypsy-joe-passed-away-82-214736
GYPSY JOE PASSES AWAY AT 82 YEARS OLD
BY DAVE MELTZER | @davemeltzerwon | JUN 16, 2016 10:41 AM
Gilberto Melendez, who for years was known as the oldest active pro wrestler, passed away Wednesday night at the age of 82.
Melendez wrestled regularly until about five years ago, and was one of the few people who wrestled in seven different decades. While there was a 1950s era Midwest junior heavyweight start Gypsy Joe who preceded him and who his records are sometimes confused with, he was a legitimate name from the 60s through the early 90s when he worked under a mask as El Grande Pistolero.
He wrestled under a number of other names, including Gene Madrid, not to be confused with Jan Madrid.
He was best known as a mid-card regular in the 70s and early 80s with All Japan Pro Wrestling with his gimmick being his toughness and his ability to absorb wickedly hard chair shots, often to the back but sometimes to the head. He was also a training fanatic who maintained an impressive physique into his late 50s and, to a degree, into his early 70s.
He wrestled regularly in Japan from 1977 to 1993, starting in the IWE promotion where he had bloody matches with Rusher Kimura, including being the first person to come off the top rope in a cage match. After IWE went down, he began as a regular with All Japan, working mostly mid-card matches. At the end, he was working for the W*ING promotion, although he wrestled as late as 2002 in Japan. He was known for hardcore brawling and bloody style matches.
He was best known as a journeyman wrestler in Tennessee with his best success coming from 1977 to 1980 working for Nick Gulas where he held a multitude of tag team championships with Frankie Martinez under a mask as The Blue Infernos.
He started wrestling in 1951 in Puerto Rico, and came to the U.S. in 1963, working for the WWWF.
Joe had serious health issues with gout in recent years which caused his right foot to be amputated in 2013.
Gypsy Joe Passes Away At 82
Veteran wrestler Gilberto "Gypsy Joe" Melendez passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 82.
Melendez began his wrestling career at the age of 18 in 1951 and wrestled his last match on January 7, 2011 at the age of 76. Dave Meltzer noted on F4Wonline that Melendez was known for years as "the oldest active pro wrestler."
Melendez was inducted into the Nashville Professional Hall of Fame by Mick Foley on November 7, 2015.
We would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of Melendez. Dave Meltzer has more on Melendez's storied career at F4WOnline, which you can read by clicking here.
www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/gypsy-joe-passed-away-82-214736
GYPSY JOE PASSES AWAY AT 82 YEARS OLD
BY DAVE MELTZER | @davemeltzerwon | JUN 16, 2016 10:41 AM
Gilberto Melendez, who for years was known as the oldest active pro wrestler, passed away Wednesday night at the age of 82.
Melendez wrestled regularly until about five years ago, and was one of the few people who wrestled in seven different decades. While there was a 1950s era Midwest junior heavyweight start Gypsy Joe who preceded him and who his records are sometimes confused with, he was a legitimate name from the 60s through the early 90s when he worked under a mask as El Grande Pistolero.
He wrestled under a number of other names, including Gene Madrid, not to be confused with Jan Madrid.
He was best known as a mid-card regular in the 70s and early 80s with All Japan Pro Wrestling with his gimmick being his toughness and his ability to absorb wickedly hard chair shots, often to the back but sometimes to the head. He was also a training fanatic who maintained an impressive physique into his late 50s and, to a degree, into his early 70s.
He wrestled regularly in Japan from 1977 to 1993, starting in the IWE promotion where he had bloody matches with Rusher Kimura, including being the first person to come off the top rope in a cage match. After IWE went down, he began as a regular with All Japan, working mostly mid-card matches. At the end, he was working for the W*ING promotion, although he wrestled as late as 2002 in Japan. He was known for hardcore brawling and bloody style matches.
He was best known as a journeyman wrestler in Tennessee with his best success coming from 1977 to 1980 working for Nick Gulas where he held a multitude of tag team championships with Frankie Martinez under a mask as The Blue Infernos.
He started wrestling in 1951 in Puerto Rico, and came to the U.S. in 1963, working for the WWWF.
Joe had serious health issues with gout in recent years which caused his right foot to be amputated in 2013.