Enrique Torres

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Enrique Torres (July 4, 1922 – September 10, 2007) was a Mexican-American professional wrestler, the oldest three Torres brothers in wrestling, and a major star in the late 1940s and 1950s. [1]

Torres was born to Mexican parents in Santa Ana, California and after a long amateur career entered professional wrestling in 1946 and was very successful in the booming televised wrestling market in the California. He had no gimmick or stage name, though a Mexican-market newspaper billed him as the "Panther from Sonora, Mexico." In his first year he won the California version of the world heavyweight championship before losing it Gorgeous George, only to win it back the following year. [2]

In 1952 Torres and then-rival were involved in a case that went all the way to the Santa Monica Superior Court due to two fans claiming they were injured when Leone threw Torres into the crowd. Leone claimed if he was capable of the feat he'd leave wrestling to play for the Southern Cal football team, and the two were exonerated. [3] One of Torres' greatest matches was in February 1953 while he was reigning Pacific Coast champion, and he wrestled world heavyweight champion Lou Thesz to a one-hour draw. The gate was a then-record $5000 in Sacramento. He also the Central States championship in 1952 and 1963. [4]

Due to his success Torres' brothers Alberto and Ramon wanted to join him in the industry, but he first required them to join wrestling teams, which they did in San Francisco and the YMCA. Upon doing this they received Enrique's blessing. The three would be invovled in a 'Vachon-Torres brother war' in Georgia against the Vachon wrestling family. In 1971 Alberto would be the first to die, having unknowingly wrestled with a ruptured pancreas. Ramon would later die in 2000. [5]

In addition to his singles titles, Torres also held various tag team championships teamed with Bobo Brazil, Leo Nomellini, Ronnie Etchison, Johnny Barend, Jess Ortega, and his brothers in the 1950s and 1960s, ranging from Texas to the Central States territory. [6]

Torres retired in 1968 after one last run as a headline star, spending time in California and Nevada before moving with his wife Kata to Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1977. In his later years he had suffered a stroke and was on kidney dialysis in additional to receiving a kidney transplant in 2006. On September 10, 2007 he died as a resident of the Carewest George Boyack Nursing Home in Calgary. [7]

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

Central States Wrestling

Georgia Championship Wrestling

NWA Georgia Southern Tag Team Championship (10 times) - with Alberto Torres (6) and Ramon Torres (4)
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (5 times) - with Alberto Torres (2) and Ramon Torres (3)

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling

NWA Mid-Atlantic Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with George Becker

NWA All-Star Wrestling

NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time) - with Bearcat Wright

NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions

NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Alberto Torres
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)

NWA Los Angeles

NWA American Heavyweight Championship (Los Angeles version) (1 time)

NWA San Francisco

NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (4 times)
NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (6 times) - with Gino Garibaldi (1), Leo Nomellini (1), Ramon Torres (1), Ron Etchinson (2), and Sandor Kovacs (1)
NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (8 times) - with Leo Nomellini (2), Johnny Barend (1), Bobo Brazil (2), Ronnie Etchison (1), Rip Miller, (1), and Reggie Parks (1)