He was a pretty bland wrestler in the 80s and I dont know a lot about his earliercareer. 40 years later I still remember it. Weight and Height. Longtime wrestling commentator Hugo Savnovich (WWF/WWE Spanish Announcer from 1994 to 2011 with Carlos Cabrera, and now with AAA) was a former wrestler and WWC's longstanding English and . jian@magenboys.com. I tried to tell him not to change my ticket.". Savoldi would have Marzino put everybody over. All Star Wrestling 12/15/1979 In December 1969, Rivera teamed with Tony Marino at Madison Square Garden to win the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in 2 straight falls from Professor Toru Tanaka and Mitsu Arakawa. His cavity and stomach area have been ruptured. is mentioned about his main event status run in the WWF in late 1979! Once outside, the cameras and some concerned fans looked on and followed the group of wrestlers as they looked to place Invader 3 in a car instead of an ambulance. Rodz has trained many students who have gone on to have successful careers in and out of the ring for various wrestling promotions, serve as high-level executives at television networks, and some even went on to become high level government officials at agencies such as FDA and FDIC. Thats because Fred Marzino was an excellent actor. for 40 reps, and 380 lbs. Can you imagine the look? Palumbo vehemently denied that Triple H was taking steroids, because it would be a violation of WWEs Wellness Policy and went on to say that he was sure that Triple H would love to take steroids. [14], On May 24, 2018, at the 30th Annual Sheriff Buford Pusser Festival in Adamsville, Tennessee, Matt Riviera won the 1st Annual Sheriff Buford Pusser Memorial Cup, presented by Bert Prentices USA Championship Wrestling, in a battle royal by last eliminating Superstar Bill Dundee.[15]. To make matters even more bizarre, Swede Hanson WON! He just took me under his wing. AJ Bordenet (12) INF - 2022: Made an impact as a freshman starting in 45 of 50 games played . Wrestlers trained by Rodz include: Tazz, Tommy Dreamer, D-von Dudley, Damien Demento, Marti Belle, Wendy Choo, Big Vito, Masha Slamovich, William Morrissey, Vince Russo, PJ Savage, Cowboy Bad Billy Walker, The Honchos and many more. This was after Schultzs 20/20 debacle, and he was obviously out of favor with the company. The Unpredictable Johnny Rodz - Rodz was one of those prelim wrestlers who was a step above . They finally relaxed the rule when Mil Mascaras came along. "You know where the chest cavity is- it caused him to bleed in the chest cavity, and he spit it out. "I still watch this incident, and I get goosebumps. 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I believe that match is on Youtube now. In addition to the wrestling business, he has also appeared in movies and television shows. But I confess that it was dangerous.". The confusion of Mannys timeline of events is either on purpose or by accident, as demonstrated throughout this piece. So, my mindset was, One of these guys is going to pay for it one way or the other., I got back, and I said, This has got to be done., I planned it out; my wife was a flight attendant for U.S. Air; I had my ride, did my thing, and got the hell out of there.". Knowing that there is a man named Johnny Rivera, the Invader 3, who dared to sacrifice himself for the good of lucha libre was something. La Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame una delle Hall of Fame di wrestling; la sua particolarit che esiste solo sulla carta, non essendo prevista alcuna cerimonia di introduzione.. A differenza di quanto accade nel baseball o nel basket, nel mondo del wrestling professionistico non esistono Hall of Fame che prevedono che sia un gruppo di esperti del settore (indipendenti dalle . Ray Sepulveda 2 concerts. He flipped a coin to decide and it chose the UK, where he began working in October 1959. Manuel Soto, Jose estrada, and the jobber of all jobbers the great joe turco, I also remember an obese guy named Rusty Brooks, balding with a moustache, who often appeared in the early to mid-80s. He died of complications from a stroke in 2001 at age 54, if I remember right. Take A Listen Today! [1], In 1996, Rodz was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class of 1996[13] by Arnold Skaaland.[1]. [20] He plays a large role in Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Muldoon's poem, "My Father and I and Billy Two Rivers". He also appeared in several films. However, he was not Mexican and considered a foreigner or an "invasor," to be more precise (which in English translates to "invader"). Started 34 games as a shortstop, while finding playing time as a Dundee would accept the metal briefcase & then nail Riviera & Bradford with it before taking off with the money. This included writing articles and taking photographs. How could you forget jobber Fred Marzino? Dave Palumbo WWE Wellness Policy Controversy, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Matt Riviera Online World of Wrestling", "Traditional Championship Wrestling / Global Pro Wrestling (Arkansas)", "Local wrestling company lands deal - Traditional Championship Wrestling (TCW) is about to become a lot more familiar to both the citizens of Russellville and the rest of the United States. What about Dusty Wolff and A.J. Johnny Rivera is considered one of the premier Junior light heavyweights to come out of Puerto Rico. There arent many names I forget from the 80s when writing this blog, but I havent thought of Sylvano Sousa in years. Here are the Mat Pack's latest individual rankings for the seven-county South Jersey region. [6] However, as TCW folded, Riviera began to focus more on his in-ring career and less on promoting. I got so excited I ran to my front door and screamed outside to anybody within earshot that Special Delivery was going to win!!! [10], Matt Riviera and Jerry Lawler would face off in a match on May 17, 2018 at CWA WrestleRaise V in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with the stipulation that if Lawler lost, he would kiss Rivieras foot and if Riviera lost, Lawler would get 5 minutes in the ring with Rivieras manager, Boyd Bradford. That was one strange rule at MSG about no masks. I remember Michael Saxon. Johnny began using a mask design containing scattered stars and a planet resembling Saturn on each side even before his future tag team partner Invader 1, did. Two more knees came crashing down onto Invader 3- this time closer to the sternum. Wildfire Tommy Rich, wearing a referee shirt attempted to take the key from outside official, Jerry Calhoun, before being stopped by Dangerous Doug Gilbert. I mean, who among us who grew up watching Championship Wrestling will ever forget that guy? [2] In 1978 Rivera returned to the WWWF as a heel under manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie and challenged Bob Backlund for the WWWF title in several cities, including at the Philadelphia Spectrum. DaveMeltzer noted in the April 24, 2011, issue of the Wrestling Observer that Lee, under the name Tiger Toguchi, was considered one of the two top talents fromKorea while wrestling in Japan 1979. on Oct.22,1979! We would be pleased if you would write one. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz. The match would see Jerry Lawler unintentionally throw a fireball into the face of one referee & Riviera pile drive another referee. Gilbert had been legitimately injured in a car wreck months earlier, which became part of the plotline leading to Superstars angle. Johnny Rivera is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 1 concert across 1 country in 2023-2024. Tidbits. 10/6/76; Hamburg, PA; Fieldhouse 10/23/76 - included the Strongbow & Whitewolf vs. Executioners match from the 10/23/76 Championship Wrestling: Tor Kamata vs. Kevin Sullivan Nikolai Volkoff vs. Sunshine Jackson Stan Stasiak vs. Johnny Rivera Riviera stated in a press release: I seriously appreciate the support that I have received for the duration of my time as an active talent and promoter in pro wrestling. Bob Bradley He landed flush with his right knee above Invader 3s stomach. The show would only go on to air three episodes due to controversy surrounding one of the contestants. Dubbed the "Fire Brand From the Bronx" and the "Unpredictable", he was a proficient worker and a solid heel. what about lee wong, paul vachon,, leo burke?, the hangman was neil guay from quebec, poirrier, was baron gattoni ever a jobber? Youre right, he was a classic jobber who for a while seemed to be a pushed star, but settled into the prelim matches. If anyone remembers wrestling from the Capitol Arena (Washington, DC) 1960-1965, with announcer Ray Morgan, we certainly had our share of jobbers getting their butts kicked by the best in the business. Manny Fernandez could be as aggressive and unforgiving working face or heel. They were true jobbers. Watch the match in question, Manny Fernandez vs. Invader 3: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. In 2009, Matt Riviera further solidified his status as one of Arkansas' premier athletes when he won the Pro Wrestling Arkansas Heavyweight Championship. After a temporary visit to Puerto Read Full Biography. During the interview, Riviera asked Palumbo repeatedly about the types of supplements that Triple H was taking, inferring that Triple H may have been using steroids. [2] In the UK, Paul LeDuc said he was "treated like a god". With referee James Beard down, Riviera would hit Lawler with an object and pin Lawler. hi there i am looking for info on Bill Eichenberger are you able to email me? And I distinctly remember Jones getting promo time. Yup, Ron Shaw was a guy who was on almost every week when I watched in the early 1980s. From 1957 to 1959, he wrestled primarily in North Carolina, also teaming with Antonino Rocca and Red Bastien. It was really great to see Swede get a big win. After he retired, he helped train Mick Foley and Shane Douglas. ", "Yeah. [17] Riviera played a deputy in the film. [22], On August 31, 2017, Matt Riviera launched "The Matt Riviera Show" Podcast.[23]. Plus, Ken Patera, Larry Zbyszko, and many more in action! That knee must have broken ribs, perforated a lung, maybe even his liver or spleen! He also wrestled for the WWF tag team title with Victor Rivera against Putski and Santana.Swede Hanson defeated Ivan Putski, Cheif Jay Straongbow and Ted Dibiase in singles matches in 1979. Name: Preferred Name: Johnny Rivera. Seriously, Rodz is more famous than a lot of WWE main roster talent. People will believe anything. Between 1967 and 1981, he held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship 12 times, the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship five times, the WWF International Tag Team Championship, and numerous other titles. Marzino and Doherty were good friends and both were from Massachusettes. He crushed Doctor D and then humiliated him on the mic. Pete Sanchez, among others, have already been mentioned here but others were Toms Marin, Eugenio Marin, Vctor Rivera (born May 25, 1944) is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. Story Links. [21], After learning a photograph of him was to be featured on the cover of Van Morrison's September 2017 album, Roll with the Punches, Two Rivers sued the singer and his label, Universal Music Group, in July, claiming they did not seek permission to use his likeness. Victor Rivera & Johnny Rivera vs. WWWF Tag Team Champions the Executioners via disqualification. It is infamous for some of the most passionate and rabid wrestling fans who, throughout history, often take things a little too far. "When I saw that he was going to land on me, I couldnt move. He began wrestling professionally in 1953 and retired in 1977, having worked in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. retired in 1986. Ron shaw, Moondog spot. Matches: 16 (0 Pay Per View) He was in a 6-man teaming with The Hart Foundation against the Islanders and Haku. Either way, the fans bought that Hanson was tough, and even the way Vince McMahon would talk about Hanson during matches implied he was someone to take seriously as an opponent. 1964. I remember one Saturday afternoon thinking that Sd Jones was actually going to win a match. Signature moves: Dropkick. cowboy frankie laine, don kernodle (ex-Kangaroo) ricky sexton, johnny defazio, smasher sloan, sonny king, chuck oconnor, swede anderson, great yatsu, chief big heart, tony altimore, pete sanchez, kevin sullivan? the murder of Bruiser Brody in July of 1988, Johnny Rivera/Invader 3 Facebook fan page, the foremost reasons Bill Apter has lasted five decades in this business is his consummate professionalism and respect towards the wrestlers, Bruiser Brody: Details on His Murder and Influence in Wrestling, Leon White (Vader) and His Horrible Rookie Mistake Against Bruiser Brody, 13 of the Best Old-School Bleeders in Wrestling, The WWE Controversy Seldom Talked About From 1993, https://popcultureretrorama.wordpress.com/author/javierojst/, Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. Similar artists. As such, Doctor D unexpectedly fought Swede Hanson! Do you remember this great Lou Albano promo with the Golden Terror, which I blogged about in 2011: https://bostongardenbalcony.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/youll-laugh-at-this-memorable-promo-involving-the-captain-and-the-duke/, Canadas greatest athlete, black arm brace & grunts, Iron mike sharpe & rene goulet w/his michael Jackson glove. Go figure that one out. Joe Turco, the Continental Nobleman. (LogOut/ Pete Sanchez Sanchez was always one of those guys who sandwiched the main events at the Boston Garden by either wrestling really early in the show or really late. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. pseudo-jobber status in his last WWF run (about 1982-1985), not much He was respected by the fans and Ponyo 15th Anniversary - Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 movie times and local cinemas near Pico Rivera, CA. Poor Freddie Marzino. And like a magician, I wont reveal completely what happened. Riviera and Lawler would next meet on February 16 at USA Championship Wrestlings Thunderdome event in Jackson, TN in a Thunderdome Cage Match. Pick up any wrestling biography or peruse the hundreds of articles available here at Pro Wrestling Stories, and youre bound to run across some crazy tales of Puerto Rico. And Mario Mancini. The Mohawk people objected to the plan to cut down a sacred grove of pines and build on their burial ground. However, at age 21, Riviera stuck with wrestling as he trained for six months as well as attended wrestling school for four months. And Ron Shaws biggest claim to fame was that he defeated David Sammartino on All Star Wrestling. Current Profile. Matt Riviera had his first professional wrestling match in 2001 for the Arkansas Association of Wrestling by teaming with Running Wolf to take on the team of Frank Thornton and "Big" Wes Jones. He got his first chance to be featured in a movie in the 2009 thriller, Blood Forest. Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ruben Gray, Peekskill - 285-pound champion as 14-seed Sportsmanship Award: George Wright, Hen Hud Full brackets ( if window below doesn't load or display properly . A classic. The Japanese, they changed my ticket around. I must have seen this 4 or 5 times in the early 80s. At a USA Championship Wrestling event in Jackson, Tennessee on July 7, Matt Riviera and Boyd Bradford would present Superstar Bill Dundee with a briefcase containing $100,000 if Dundee would agree to retire from wrestling. My mom always told me to take care of myself, and I did, but some things are inevitable.". In addition to the wrestling business, he has also appeared in movies and television shows. To this day, they look at it and say, Geez, what happened with that? Wrestler Links. I first started watching WWWF All Star wrestling back in 1966 and he was already a fixture on T.V. But the jobberiest jobbers of em all were the Mulkeys. JJ Rivera (21) OF - Career Achievements: All-Crossroads League Second Team (2022) . The Rivera brothers decided that Jacqie would be the executor Photo Instagram Chamonic. matches but won a fair share,too. in 82. The Big Show Takes Care of a Heckling Fan, Lands Himself in Court, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Nasty Boys Fight in Front of Fans, Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash: Their Heated Backstage Fight, Michel Martel The Tragic Passing of Rick Martels Brother, Sam Sheppard How a Murder Inspired a Wrestling Career, Randy Savage and Road Warrior Hawk: Their Real-Life Fights, How Randy Orton Got Mr. Kennedy Fired from WWE, Jack Donovan Deal One of Wrestlings Most Heinous Attacks, 4 Times a Fan Unexpectedly Ambushed a Wrestler, New Jack and the Soft Drink Concession Stand Incident, Vaders Shocking Rookie Error Against Bruiser Brody, Ric Flair and Mick Foley Their Real-Life Backstage Encounter. information about Berger or Three Rivers Wrestling Association is avalable now.I once bought an obscure Wrestling Revue magazine in the early 80s- Retired. Frankie Williams and Steve King, of course. Putski in 79. Ive called him Bostons favorite jabroni. asked the interviewer. How are you going to satisfy all the stupid people? Central Valley Classic on Feb 16, 2008 in Burbank, CA. so much! Its been so long since Ive seen so much blood on the mat like that! Hugo would claim. Mil Mascaras vs. Johnny Rodz Tony Garea fought WWWF Tag Team Champion Mr. Fuji to a 10-minute draw. In the 80s when I started first watching the WWF, yes, he was a jobber, but as you note, he wrestled for decades and was a star. The song features shout outs to WWE women wrestlers Ronda Rousey, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, and Nia Jax. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnny_Rivera&oldid=1092217870, This page was last edited on 8 June 2022, at 22:09. Unless you were the one getting hit with the knee! A. After the bell, James Beard discovered the object & reversed the decision in favor of Lawler. Riviera promoted Global Pro Wrestling, which after a name change, became Traditional Championship Wrestling. A rich WWF jobber history. Honerable mention to Manuel Soto and El Olympico. Its kind of sad the WWE doesnt hit cities like Fall River any more (probably because it doesnt have a modern arena), but then the tour will get to every mid-size city in upstate New York at least once a year. Ken Jugan Israel Matia [2], Two Rivers made his professional debut in February 1953 in Detroit, facing Rose Martino of Italy. I know you know him.". Higgins Jr. was selected to the first team, Taylor is a second team honoree and Whitney-Sidney lands on the third team. I want to erase from my mind what I just saw.. In 2015, Matt Riviera decided to team up with former WWE star as well as 2 time National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion Rob Conway. He was part of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) from its early years, appearing on WWWF cards as far back as 1965. The same argument might apply to Hennig, whom no one would call a career jobber, although he was a curtain-jerker in 1981. Johnny would often tag with Jose Estrada, and Frank "the Gypsy" Rodriguez. And I had a bottle of shampoo in my hand- whatever I could do with that! More blood, more panicking, and the screaming fans now on their feet made their presence felt. The high risk he took was incredible. Of course, he lost to King Kung Bundy in about 20 seconds on that big show. Paskelbta 16 birelio, 2022. johnny rivera wrestler In the third fall, Riviera was disqualified after hitting Terry with a chair. Not to be confused with Invader 1 (Jos Gonzalez), Johnny Rivera worked in the WWWF and later the WWF, NWA Hollywood, AJPW (two tours), and WWC in Puerto Rico. Recruits Add Event Add Wrestler Add Recruit. This lasted two years, during which time he increased his weight to 205 pounds from 185. [3] Traditional Championship Wrestling was able to secure a national cable deal in 2013 with Cox Sports Television that would allow people all over the country to see Riviera and other TCW stars perform weekly. Thanks for writing. [1], With George Becker, Two Rivers held his first championship belt. I found this page searching for a jobber on an old Pipers Pit, Dave Barbie. There was a Masked Executioner who got a push for a bit, then went to Jobberville. "Was this a spontaneous thing? Well, that goes back to the Bruiser Brody story- Im sure a lot of people know what happened to Bruiser Brody. While wrestling for these NWA promotions, Riviera has also won several regional championships such as the IHWE Heavyweight championship, NWA Lonestar Tag Team championships with partner Greg Anthony, and twice holding the Western States Heritage title. For a time, he also worked with Mike and Gene LeBell's NWA Hollywood Wrestling in the 1970s. [7] He is also the current NWA Mid South Unified champion, a championship that was unified with the TCW Heavyweight title when Traditional Championship Wrestling folded in 2014. The Invaders [2] with Invader #1 (as Invader #2) Mask Losses. Over the years, Manny Fernandez has changed the timeline of events claiming that he was avenging Bruiser Brody. Their next encounter would be at MSW: Legends of Wrestling on June 23, in Harrison, Arkansas. After being told at the age of 15 that he was too young to legally being training as a professional wrestler, Riviera began doing everything he could to get his foot in the door of the wrestling business such as creating wrestling programs. How are David Horowitz, or Iron Mike Sharpe? Subscribe To The PA Power Podcast On Apple Podcasts And Give Us A Review! The Mercenaries vs. Johnny Rivera & La Bala Negra. In 2010, Riviera had a role in the drama, Step Away from the Stone. 28 Feb 2023 17:35:29 Ion Croitoru, aka Johnny K-9, aka Bruiser Bedlam, has died. Track artist. He turned a circus act into a homicide! Very close to the Springfield Civic Center. He wore a feathered headdress, had a Mohawk hairstyle, and performed a war dance during some of his matches. He defeated Penn State's 2021 champion Roman Bravo-Young in the 2020 Big Ten final at Rutgers' Jersey Mike's Arena. They worked with each other many times and Marzino was taken as the heel by the fans if you can believe that one. Charlie Fulton was a very decent preliminary wrestler in the early 80s. McGraw is an interesting choice, because he did mostly lose on TV, but he was involved in angles at times, too. This text is hidden because it is only available in German language. In a 2021 interview with ewrestling.com, Manny defended his supposed shoot on Invader 3 and the theory that Invader 3 drank blood with vodka beforehand. Also, even though they were good friends, I cannot help but think that Marzino must have felt somewhat bad about being a doormat to The Duke (Doherty) so many times. "Did Manny have something hidden in his knee pad? won countless tag team titles with Rip Hawk and others. Ten days later at Destination X, he accompanied Team 3D to the ring for their Ghettobrawl match with LAX at the pay-per-view. Poor Freddie was just about every jobbers favorite pigeon, and was a guaranteed W for any ham and egger in need of an ego boost. a few times he was allowed to get offense in but mostly strictly took the punishment. He is formerly one half of the NWA World Tag Team Champions with Rob Conway as the tag team The Iron Empire. General Information. not on this list? Palumbo is a noted nutritionist to such WWE performers as Steve Austin, Triple H & Stephanie McMahon. as The Invader by Mano Negra ( 1983/02/20) as Invader #3 by Invader #2 ( 1998/08/01) Matches Fought. Bob Backlund for the Championship in M.S.Garden. Ha, someone called me out on Sharpe many years ago (and many comments down below). LOVE, Evan J Rodgers. He was about 275 lbs, and I was around 170 to 180 lbs. Perfect, but in 1981, a skinny Hennig was a young buck who gave the heels all he had before losing.