Arturo Beristain

Arturo Beristain
Ring name(s) Santiago Ayala
Talismán
Hijo del Gladiador
Filoso (I)
Billed height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Billed weight 87 kg (190 lb)
Born September 5, 1949 (1949-09-05) (age 62)
Mexico City, Mexico
Resides Mexico City, Mexico
Billed from Mexico City, Mexico
Trained by Pedro Nieves
Rolando Vera
Rafael Salamanca
Debut 01971-01 January 1971
Retired 2005

Arturo Beristain (born September 5, 1949) is a retired Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador in Spanish, who currently works as a wrestling trainer at the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's (CMLL) gym in Mexico City, Mexico. Beristain is best known for working under two different ring names, Talismán and El Hijo del Gladiador, both personas started out as enmascarados, or masked and Beristain lost both masks in Luchas de Apuestas, he lost the Talismán mask to Atlantis in 1984 and the Hijo del Gladiador mask to Rencor Latino in 2000. As Talismán Beristain won the Mexican National Welterweight Championship twice, the Mexican National Middleweight Championship and the Mexican National Lightweight Championship. As el Hijo del Gladiador he has won the CMLL World Trios Championship with Gran Markus, Jr. and Dr. Wagner Jr. and the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship. When Beristain lost the "Hijo del Gladiador" he was announced as "Arturo Beristain Ramírez" to further the storyline that he was actually the son of wrestler "El Gladiador", but his last name is not actually Ramírez.

Contents

Professional wrestling career

Arturo Beristain made his professional wrestling debut in 1971 at the age of 21, wrestling under the ring name Santiago Ayala. A few years later Beristain adopted an enmascarado (masked) ring persona by the name of Talismán.[1] The change to the Talismán character was so successful that Beristain began working for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mexico's largest wrestling promotion. On August 30, 1978, Talismán defeated Mario Valenzuela to win the Mexican National Lightweight Championship, his first professional wrestling championship.[2] He held the title for 221 days before losing the title to Rodolfo Ruiz on April 8, 1979.[2] It would be almost two years before Talismán won another title, defeating El Supremo for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship on March 30, 1982.[3] Talismán successfully defended the title several times, including a rematch with the deposed champion, until losing it on November 12, 1982 to Mocho Cota.[3] In 1984 Talismán entered and won a tournament for the vacant Mexican National Welterweight Championship, defeating Américo Rocca in the finals.[3] On September 21, 1984, Talismán lost a Luchas de Apuesta, bet match, to Atlantis and was forced to unmask after the match and reveal his real name per lucha libre traditions.[1] Talismán held the Welterweight title for 222 days before Rocca finally managed to defeat Talismán.[3] On March 2, 1986, Talismán gained a measure of revenge on Atlantis by defeating him for the Mexican National Middleweight Championship.[4] He would successfully defend the title for 273 days before losing it to Mogur on November 30, 1986.[4]

In the late 1980s Beristain switched ring characters, becoming an enmascarado once more, using the name El Hijo del Gladiador (Spanish for "The Son of the Gladiator"), using a storyline blood relation to deceased wrestler El Gladiador. Hijo del Gladiador began teaming with Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Gran Markus, Jr. to form the group La Ola Blanca, a group that continued the tradition started by Dr. Wagner, Jr's father Dr. Wagner and Ángel Blanco in the 1960s and 1970s. On April 22, 1994, La Ola Blanca defeated Los Brazos (El Brazo, Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata) to win the CMLL World Trios Championship (EMLL had been renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in 1990).[5] The trio held the title for almost a year, 343 days in total, before losing the Trios title to Bestia Salvaje, Emilio Charles, Jr. and Sangre Chicana on March 31, 1995.[5] On August 6, 1996, Hijo del Gladiador and Gran Markus, Jr. teamed up to defeat Atlantis and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. to win the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.[6] The team only held the title for 43 days before losing it to Atlantis and Lizmark on September 18, 1996.[6] After the loss of the tag team title La Ola Blanca broke up with each wrestler going their separate ways. Due to the CMLL/International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) talent-exchange agreement Hijo del Gladiador began working for IWRG in late 1997, and in early 1998 he defeated El Pantera to win the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship.[7] He defended it a couple of times in the following 186 days before losing the title to Magnum Tokyo on July 5, 1998.[7] On August 4, 2000, El Hijo del Gladiador was one of the participants in a Torneo cibernetico, where the last man eliminated would be forced to unmask. On that night he was bested by Rencor Latino and forced to unmask as a consequence of his loss. Beristain announced that his full name was "Arturo Beristain Ramírez" to keep up the storyline that he really was the son of El Gladiador. It was later confirmed that his last name was not Ramirez.[8] Arturo Beristain retired from wrestling in 2005 and became a full time wrestling trainer for CMLL in their wrestling school in Mexico City, where he still works, training several of CMLL's rookie wrestlers.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Lucha de Apuesta record

See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Masks Talismán and Mr. Niebla (1st version) Los Tigres del Ring Tijuana Baja California 01977-04-01 April 1, 1977  
Hair Talismán Irazu Mexico City, Mexico 01977-08-23 August 23, 1977  
Hair Talismán Tauro Mexico City, Mexico 01978-04-02 April 2, 1978  
Hair Talismán Huroki Sito Mexico City, Mexico 01978-06-23 June 23, 1978  
Mask Talismán Arisona San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi 01979-11-21 November 21, 1979  
Mask Talismán El Mago Mexico City, Mexico 01980-10-07 October 7, 1980  
Mask Talismán El Legendario Unknown 01980-12 December 1980  
Mask Talismán Tiburon Mexico City, Mexico 01981-09-29 September 29, 1981  
Mask Atlantis Talismán Mexico City, Mexico 01984-09-21 September 21, 1984 [1]
Hair Talismán Américo Rocca Mexico City, Mexico 01984-10-26 October 26, 1984  
Hair Talismán Lemus II Mexico City, Mexico 01905-06-08 June 8, 1905  
Hair Mocho Cota Talismán Mexico City, Mexico 01986-03-07 March 7, 1986  
Hairs Sangre Chicana and Mocho Cota El Faraón and Talismán Mexico City, Mexico 01986-03-07 March 7, 1986  
Hairs El Signo, El Texano and Negro Navarro El Dandy, Talismán and Jerry Estrada Mexico City, Mexico 01986-09-05 September 5, 1986  
Hair Américo Rocca Talismán Mexico City, Mexico 01987 1987  
Mask El Hijo Del Gladiador Sangre Guerrera Mexico City, Mexico 01988 1988  
Mask Rencor Latino El Hijo Del Gladiador Mexico City, Mexico 02000-08-04 August 4, 2000 Lost in the final of a Torneo Cibernetico.[8]
Hair Tony Rivera El Hijo Del Gladiador Puebla, Puebla 02001-02-19 February 19, 2001 [8]
Hair Ricky Marvin El Hijo Del Gladiador Mexico City, Mexico 02001-10-14 October 14, 2001  
Hair Justiciero El Hijo Del Gladiador Coacalco, Mexico State 02003-10-19 October 19, 2003  

References

  1. ^ a b c Enciclopedia staff (November, 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras" (in Spanish). Talismán (Mexico City, Mexico): pp. 12. Tomo V. 
  2. ^ a b c Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  3. ^ a b c d e Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "MEXICO: National Welterweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 392. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  4. ^ a b c Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Middleweight Championship". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 392. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  5. ^ a b c Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: EMLL CMLL Trios Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 396. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  6. ^ a b c Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: EMLL CMLL Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 395. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  7. ^ a b c Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: IWRG Intercontinental World Middleweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 402. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  8. ^ a b c Enciclopedia staff (September, 2007). "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras" (in Spanish). Hijo del Gladiador (Mexico City, Mexico): p. 25. Tomo II. 
Canek and Dr. Wagner, Jr.  · Los Cowboys (El Texano and Silver King)  · The Headhunters (Headhunter A and Headhunter B)  · Atlantis and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr.  · La Nueva Ola Blanca (El Hijo del Gladiador and Gran Markus, Jr.)  · Atlantis and Lizmark  · Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Silver King  · Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Emilio Charles, Jr.  · Mr. Niebla and Shocker  · Bestia Salvaje and Scorpio, Jr.  · El Hijo del Santo and Negro Casas  · Los Guerreros del Infierno (Rey Bucanero and Último Guerrero)  · L.A. Park and Shocker  · Atlantis and Blue Panther  · Averno and Mephisto  · Místico and Negro Casas  · Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Último Guerrero  · Los Guerreros de la Atlantida (Atlantis and Último Guerrero)  · Héctor Garza and Místico  · La Sombra and Volador Jr.  · Los Invasores (Héctor Garza and Mr. Águila)  · Los Guerreros de la Atlantida (Dragón Rojo, Jr. and Último Guerrero) (current)
Los Infernales (MS-1, Pirata Morgan and El Satánico)  · Los Intocables (Jaque Mate, Masakre and Pierroth, Jr.)  · Los Brazos (El Brazo, Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata)  · La Nuevo Ola Blanca (Dr. Wagner, Jr., Gran Markus, Jr., El Hijo del Gladiador)  · Los Chacales (Bestia Salvaje, Emilio Charles, Jr. and Sangre Chicana)  · Dos Caras, La Fiera and Héctor Garza  · Emilio Charles, Jr., Rey Bucanero and El Satánico  · La Ola Azul (Atlantis, Lizmark and Mr. Niebla)  · Black Warrior, Blue Panther and Dr. Wagner, Jr.  · Blue Panther, Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Fuerza Guerrera  · Atlantis, Black Warrior and Mr. Niebla  · Black Tiger III, Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Universo 2000  · Black Warrior, El Canek and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr.  · La Furia del Norte (Héctor Garza, Tarzan Boy and El Terrible)  · Los Guerreros de la Atlantida (Atlantis, Tarzan Boy and Último Guerrero)  · Los Perros del Mal (Héctor Garza, Mr. Águila and Perro Aguayo, Jr.)  · Los Ángeles Rebeldes (Héctor Garza, El Hijo del Fantasma and La Máscara)  · Los Guerreros Negros (Atlantis, Negro Casas and Último Guerrero)  · La Ola Amarilla (Hiroshi Tanahashi, Okumura and Taichi)  · La Generación Dorada (La Máscara, Máscara Dorada and La Sombra)  · Los Hijos del Averno (Averno, Ephesto and Mephisto) (current)