Rolando Vera (wrestler)

Rolando Hernández Verástegui
Ring name(s) Rolando Vera
Born 01915-02-01 February 1, 1915
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Died March 29, 2001(2001-03-29) (aged 86)
Monterrey, Nuevo León
Trained by Joe Stanley

Rolando Hernández Verástegui, better known as Rolando Vera (February 1, 1915-March 29, 2001), was a Mexican professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. One of the most popular luchadores in Mexico in the 1950s, he was also an early star of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.[1] Vera wrestled throughout the world during his long career and held the NWA World Middleweight Champion for over four years.[2] He also trained numerous wrestlers during his life including father-and-son Blue Demon and Blue Demon, Jr., Sangre Chicana, Angel Mortal, René Guajardo and Sugi Sito.

Contents

Career

Vera was born on February 1, 1915, in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Vera was the first local star in Nuevo León. He got his training in wrestling in Tampico, Tamaulipas, while working in a petroleum plant. During his rookie year, he was a recognizable face among the other local wrestlers, as he had been an amateur wrestler before becoming a professional. Vera has a legendary reputation as a tough wrestler, but he was not always a master of submission. Vera traveled to the United States where he learned the art of holds from a Turkish man named Joe Stanley.

Also, Vera had a four-year reign as NWA World Middleweight Champion at a time when that belt was the greatest prize worldwide in lucha libre. He won the belt from El Santo on October 19, 1956 in his home town of Monterrey, and lost it there on October 13, 1960 to his student René Guajardo.

He also wrestled in Germany, Cuba, France, England and the United States. Nevertheless, many consider the most important part of his career to be the time he spent as a trainer. He left as his legacy many great wrestlers, such as Blue Demon, René Guajardo, Mr. Lince, and Benny Morgan. He was a great técnico, an innovative wrestler (he created moves such as the Reinera and the Regiomontana). He died on March 29, 2001 at 11:30 pm after a heart attack [2] while he slept in his home in Colonia Cumbres in Monterrey.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Lucha de Apuesta record

See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Mask Rolando Vera Hiena Roja Monterrey, Nuevo León 01953-05-19 May 19, 1953  

References

General sources - Championship Information
  • Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "MEXICO". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 389–402. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
General sources - Career
  • L.L. Staff (2008). "Lucha Libre: Conoce la historia de las leyendas de cuadrilátero" (in Spanish). Rolando Vera (1915-2001) (Mexico): p. 52. Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre. 
Specific
  1. ^ Paszt, Michael (2004-09-08). "SLAM! Wrestling: Viva la lucha libre!". SLAM! Sports. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/09/08/620727.html. 
  2. ^ a b Pro Wrestling Illustrated (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated: Wrestling History". PWI-Online.com. http://www.pwi-online.com/pages/wrestlingframe.html.