Black Guzmán

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This article is about the professional wrestler named Miguel Guzmán. For the professional golfer, see Miguel Guzmán.
Black Gúzman
Birth name Miguel Wenceslao Guzmán Huerta
Ring name(s) Miguel Gúzman
Black Gúzman
Born 1916
Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico[1]
Died December 1, 1973 (aged 56–57)
Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Billed from Mexico City, Mexico[1]
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Guzmán and the second or maternal family name is Huerta.

Miguel Wenceslao Guzmán Huerta (1916 – December 1, 1973) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador as they are known in Spanish, who worked under the ring name Miguel Guzmán and Black Guzmán, a nickname he had earned due to his dark skin.Guzmán was the brother of Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, better known as the wrestling legend "El Santo", as well as the brother of wrestlers Pantera Negra and Jimmy Guzmán. He was the uncle of El Hijo del Santo and the great uncle of Axel. Guzmán style was centered on the headscissors, pioneering several variations of the Headscissors takedown and one of the first Luchadors to work a fast paced, aerial style. Guzmán was the first Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion, winning a tournament in 1943. Guzmán also competed for Texas based Southwest Sports, Inc. (Later World Class Championship Wrestling) for a number of years, including eight reigns as the NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion and one run with the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship alongside Rito Romero.

Biography

Guzmán was born in 1916 in Tulancingo in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, to Jesús Guzmán Campuzano and Josefina Huerta (Márquez) de Guzmán as the fourth of seven children, the family moved to Mexico City in the 1920s in order go earn a living.[2] When got old enough Miguel Guzmán began training for his professional wrestling career alongside his younger brother Rodolfo.

Professional wrestling career

Guzmán made his professional wrestling debut in the early 1930s working under his real name. He quickly earned the nickname "Black Guzmán", due to his dark skin. He also earned the nickname "Indio de Tulacingo" (Spanish for "Idian from Tulacingo"). Black Guzmán was initially a bigger star than his younger brother Rodolfo as he pioneered a high flying, fast paced style of wrestling focused around the Headscissors takedown.[3] Of course later on Rodolfo would adopt the name "El Santo" and become the biggest wrestling star Mexico has ever seen.[2] On December 16, 1941 Black Guzmán defeated Tarzán López to win the World Middleweight Championship, one of the top titles in Mexico at the time.[4] Guzmán only held the title for 57 days before López regained it.[4] Two years later Guzmán won a tournament to become the first ever Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship in March.[5] Guzmán held the title until September 20, 1944 when he lost the title to Gorilla Ramos.[5]

By the mid-1940s Guzmán started working across the border in Texas for Southwest Sports, Inc. (Later World Class Championship Wrestling), run by Ed McLemore. In Texas he was billed as "Miguel Guzmán" and despite being a bit older and a bit slower than when he headlined in Mexico he still held several championships and headlined several cards throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He won his first Texas based title on August 1, 1947 when he defeated Sonny Myers for the vacant Texas Heavyweight Championship.[6] Guzmán would win the title an additional two times before Southwest Sports, Inc. joined the National Wrestling Alliance, renaming the title the "NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship".[6] Guzmán would win the title a total of eight times, defeating Yukon Eric, Danny McShain, Wild Red Berry, Sonny Myers, Danny Savish and Wayne Martin for the title. Guzmán vacated the title in 1951 due to injuries.[6] Guzmán was also a successful tag team competitor, teaming with Rito Romero to win the Texas Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions. The team defeated Al Lovelock and Danny McShain to win the title the first time, losing them to Duke Keomuka and Danny Savich in November, 1950.[7] On February 1, 1952 Guzmán teamed with Ray Gunkel to hold the Texas Tag Team title for three weeks. Guzmán and Romero would join up twice more to win the Tag Team title, defeating Duke Keomuka and Mr. Moto. The team ended their third and final run with the titles in May, 1954 when they lost to Ivan Kamlikoff and Karol Krauser.[7]

Guzmán's career slowed down by the mid-1950s, retiring in the 1960s. On December 1, 1973 Miguel Guzmán died.[3]

A famous Lucha family

Guzmán is part of an extende Lucha Libre family that includes some of the biggest stars ever to compete in Mexico; Guzmán's brother Rodolfo is better known as the Mexican Icon "El Santo" and Rodolofo's son still wrestles as "El Hijo del Santo". His brothers also wrestled as "Pantera Negra" and Jimmy GUzman. Miguel Guzmán is the great uncle of wrestlers Axxel and Rocker II.[8]

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Headscissors variations[3]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Various (2005). "The Silver Masked-Man". Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. pp. 280–285. ISBN 968-6842-48-9. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Madigan, Dan (2007). "what's in a name". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizare and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperColins Publisher. pp. 209–211. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Enciclopedia staff (November 2008). "Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre". Black Guzmán (in Spanish) (Portales, Mexico). p. 7. 17. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: EMLL NWA World Middlweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 389–390. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. pp. 251–253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
  8. ↑ Madigan, Dan (2007). "El Santo". Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizare and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperColins Publisher. pp. 209–211. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3. 
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