Falcon Coperis
| Falcon Coperis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Louis Velazquez |
| Born |
August 16, 1969 Bronx, New York |
| Resides | Queens, New York |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Louis Velazquez Falcon Coperis |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| Billed from | Queens, New York |
| Trained by | Bobby Boldeagle |
| Debut | 1991 |
Falcon Coperis, real name Louis Velazquez (born August 16, 1969), is a retired American professional wrestler.
Career
Early career
Louis Velazquez grew up in the Bronx in New York City until the age of 13 when his family relocated to the borough of Queens. In 1984, Velazquez trained in martial arts with Louis Rebollo of Rebollo Martial Arts until Rebollo's death in 1991.
In 1988, Velazquez began to train as a professional wrestler under the tutelage of Bobby Boldeagle. Velazquez wrestled in small venues, anywhere from a local Moose Lodge to bars in New Jersey and Delaware. Following a shoulder injury in 1994 he was forced to leave wrestling for a year.
Ultimate Championship Wrestling
In 1995, Velazquez returned with Ultimate Championship Wrestling (UCW), a wrestling promotion forged by a group of professional wrestlers who were looking to create something special. After several weeks of brainstorming with his fellow wrestlers, Velazquez developed the trademarked ring name "Falcon Coperis". Falcons are top predators in the world and "Coperis" was derived from the name of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Velazquez was intrigued by the universe, hence the creation of Coperis.
From 1995 until 1998, he wrestled for UCW, fighting with Bruce Hart, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Chris Chavis "Tatanka", Marty Jannetty, King Kong Bundy, Bam Bam Bigelow, Tiger Khan, Tommy Cairo and Teddy Reade. Some of the last matches that were being arranged but never came to fruition included top names such as The Ultimate Warrior and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Bruce Hart, son of Stu Hart and Helen Hart, comes from the most prestigious family in professional wrestling which produced such great talent as Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, The Honky Tonk Man, Brian Pillman, Dynamite Kid, Nikolai Volkoff, Edge and many others. Bruce Hart added the missing element in the UCW organization which helped elevate the young talent to new heights, including Falcon Coperis, Marlon Kalkai (aka "Tiger Khan") and "Ironman" Tommy Cairo from Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). He was the driving force within Stampede Wrestling and continues to be one of the most outspoken personalities in professional wrestling today.
Coperis held the UCW Heavyweight Championship title until 1997 when we was defeated by Chris Chavis "Tatanka" in New York, shortly after being struck in the head with a crutch by his tag partner against Jim Neidhart and Chavis, former partner of one time WWE Champions Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty.
There was no rematch for the title as Coperis had sustained a back injury which forced him to withdraw from various other scheduled matches.
Although he has not ruled out a return to the ring, even in a non-wrestling capacity, this has not been a priority in his life. He continues to do positive things for children, using his time in the ring as a foundation for connecting with youth and providing them with positive messages in life when possible.
Film, radio and music
In 2005, Coperis worked on some music videos projects, including both the filming and subsequent editing process for two modern rock/pop songs.
From July 2009, Coperis hosted UCW RADIO, an entertainment radio show that features interviews with music artists, actors, models, authors, professional wrestlers and behind-the-scenes figures.
In 2009, he was working with a team to create a television version of his radio show as well as on two film projects and various music related projects, including the development of new talent.
Personal life
He is currently involved in the financial industry and works with various charitable organizations assisting with fundraising projects. He is a strong supporter of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, due to the circumstances that paralyzed his older brother and lead to his death in 2003.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
References
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falcon Coperis. |
- Falcon Coperis Official website
- Louis Velazquez Official website
- Louis Velazquez MySpace page
- Louis Velazquez Facebook page
- Louis Velazquez Twitter page