| Carlos Colón, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Carlos Colón Carlitos Colón Prince Kukuya Carlos Belafonte (Stampede) |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 246 lb (112 kg)[1] |
| Born | July 18, 1948 [2] Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico |
| Resides | Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico |
| Billed from | Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico[1] |
| Debut | February 16, 1966 |
| Retired | July 19, 2008 |
Carlos Edwin Colón, Sr. (born Carlos Edwin Colón Gonzalez on July 18, 1948, in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico) is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, better known in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling circles as Carlos Colón or Carlitos Colón. He is the father of wrestlers Carly Colón, known professionally as Carlito, and Eddie Colón, known professionally as Primo Colón.[1] He is also the uncle of WWE wreslter Epico, whose real name is Orlando Colón.
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Colón was born in the Jauca Ward of Santa Isabel, agricultural community in southern Puerto Rico.[2] One of seven children, he emigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1961, along with the rest of his family. Given his admiration for wrestlers Antonino Rocca and Miguel Pérez, he became a member at the gym they trained at, practicing wrestling moves and cleaning the place occasionally to pay for his dues. His dedication and affability helped him gain the respect of his peers, as well as the occasional wrestling match. His first bout occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 16, 1966, when he wrestled Bobo Brazil.[2] Colon was paid US$15.00 for his participation in his first match. He eventually became an itinerant wrestler in the eastern states of the United States and in Canada ,including 1 match in WWF in December 1967, and several in 1968. over the following three years, with Montreal as his place of residence.[2]
Feeling homesick and noticing a void in the Puerto Rican wrestling scene, Colón returned to Puerto Rico in 1973.[2] Colón and Croatian-born wrestler Victor Jovica founded a promotional company, Capitol Sports Promotions, which aired wrestling television shows each Saturday and Sunday on WAPA-TV. He wrestled during a time where local stars such as Barrabas, Black Georgie and Pérez shared the spotlight with international wrestlers such as Argentine-born Rocca, Cuban-born Huracán Castillo and others. He set the stage for local stars such as Los Super Médicos, Los Invaders and Chicky Starr to develop. His wrestling company was also responsible for inviting major American wrestling stars such as Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen and others to wrestle in Puerto Rico. The nemesis of Colón's character was Abdullah the Butcher, with whom he staged a long-standing feud which lasted almost two decades.[2] Colón is quoted as saying: "Eighty percent of the blood I've shed in the ring I've shed because of Abdullah."
He was the WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion in Puerto Rico 26 times between 1982 and 1999. In 1983, after losing a match to Bruiser Brody, he required hospitalization due to injury at Brody's hands. News of his hospitalization made the covers of El Vocero and El Nuevo Día newspaper. Two weeks later, his character defeated Brody in a rematch.
On January 6, 1983, he defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair in a "unification" match to win the title and also create the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title, but the match never made it to NWA television. He supposedly lost the title back to Flair on January 23, 1983. The title change is not considered official and the NWA does not consider Colón a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Footage of the match shows the referee giving Carlos his WWC Title after the victory, but he is never given the NWA Title. In subsequent interviews, Ric Flair has stated that the NWA Title was not on line for this match; Flair stated that the "unification" was proposed, but he vetoed it. This was most likely turned into a storyline on WWC television to get the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title instant credibility.[2]
In 1993, Colón briefly participated in the World Wrestling Federation, including making an appearance in the 1993 Royal Rumble.[1] After this, he decided to temporarily retire from professional wrestling, choosing to help train his sons, Carly Colón, and Eddie Colón, who have followed Colón into the sport. He also has two daughters, Stacy Colón and Melissa.[3]
He sports over 70 scars on his forehead, and has said publicly that he wears them as awards given to him because of all the brutal, bloody bouts he has fought in.
Carlos Colón appeared on the September 11, 2006, edition of WWE Raw from Madison Square Garden in the audience cheering his son. He also negotiated a deal for his other son Eddie Colón to work for World Wrestling Entertainment.
Colon's official retirement took place on Aniversario 2008, which was organized in the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum on July 19, 2008.[4] Colon appeared on the December 24, 2009 edition of WWE Superstars supporting his son Eddie Colón but known as Primo.