Blue Demon
| Blue Demon | |
|---|---|
Mask of Blue Demon
|
|
| Birth name | Alejandro Muñoz Moreno |
| Born | April 24, 1922 García, Nuevo León, Mexico |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.[1] |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Blue Demon (Demonio Azul), El Manotas (The Big Handed One), The Professor[2] Tosco Muñoz |
| Trained by | Rolando Vera |
| Debut | 1948 |
| Retired | 1989 |
Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known as Blue Demon (Demonio Azul in Spanish), was a Mexican luchador Enmascarado (Masked professional wrestler) who was widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of his time. He was affectionately referred to as "Blue" and was known for his signature blue wrestling mask.
Contents
Biography
Early life
Alejandro Muñoz Moreno was born April 24, 1922 in García, Nuevo León Mexico.[3] He was the child of farmers and was the fifth of twelve children. At a young age, Alejandro dropped out of school and moved to Monterrey, where his uncle gave him a job working on the National Railroad. His co-workers there gave him the nickname 'Manotas', referring to his large, powerful hands.
Professional wrestling career
A chance meeting with the famous Mexican wrestler Rolando Vera piqued his interest in Lucha Libre, Vera even offering to tutor him and help him start a career. He began wrestling without a mask in Laredo, Texas. His first match was against Chema Lopez on March 12, 1948, which he won handily. Adopting the mask and persona of The Blue Demon, he headed back to Mexico to start a real career. His first appearance as The Blue Demon was in Mexico City in September 1948, where he fought Benny Arcilla. Blue began his career in the ring as a rudo (a bad guy). From there, he formed a famous tag-team with another well-known masked luchador named The Black Shadow, and the two became known as Los Hermanos Shadow (The Shadow Brothers).
In 1952, the famous wrestler Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring, which triggered Blue's decision to become a técnico (a good guy) in the ring, and a legendary feud between The Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Blue's beating el Santo in a well-publicized series of matches in 1952 and another in 1953. In 1953, Blue won the NWA World Welterweight Championship from Santo, and held it until 1958. Their rivalry never entirely abated in later years (although they co-starred over the years in a number of Mexican horror films) since Santo always remembered his defeat at the Blue Demon's hands.[4]
During the 1960s, one of Blue Demon's greatest rivals was el Rayo de Jalisco. In 1988, the year he retired, Blue Demon finally beat Jalisco in a mask vs. mask match, taking the mask of another of Mexico's wrestling legends.[5][6]
Film career
Blue Demon first appeared in cameos in a couple of luchador films made in 1961, "The Killers of Lucha Libre" and "Fury in the Ring", in which he was one of several wrestlers more or less in the background. But in 1964, Enrique Vergara, the producer of the then-successful Santo movies, decided to diversify by allowing the 42-year-old Blue Demon to star in a series of luchador films of his own. The plots of the Blue Demon films are thought to be extremely similar to those of Santo's films. Santo was asking for a salary increase at the time and Vergara wanted to cultivate a second movie star.
From 1964 to 1977, Blue Demon starred in a total of 25 luchador films. Of those 25 films, Santo co-starred with him in nine of them, though the two were never good friends in real life. In three of his films, Blue Demon starred as the leader of a squadron of masked superheroes known as Los Campeones Justicieros (The Champions of Justice). Membership in the Champions included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras, Tinieblas, Rayo de Jalisco, El Medico Asesino, El Fantasma Blanco, El Avispon Escarlata and Superzan. (Santo never co-starred with Blue in any of the 3 Champions films, since he was so busy making his own movies at the time.)
Retirement and death
Blue Demon retired from the ring (at age 67) in 1989 at the Monterrey Arena, where he appeared in a final match, teaming up with his adoptive son, Blue Demon, Jr., who has had a successful career of his own. That same year, Blue Demon was the subject of a feature-length Mexican documentary entitled Blue Demon, the Champion (1989).
Blue Demon died just before noon on Saturday, December 16, 2000 from natural causes.[1] Apparently Blue Demon suffered a fatal heart attack on a park bench near a subway kiosk while on his way home from his regular morning training session at The Blue Demon Instituto Atletico, where he enjoyed teaching others his fighting skills. Although an attempt was made to get him to a hospital, he was unable to be revived. He was 78 years old. Blue Demon was buried wearing his trademark blue mask, the mask he never removed in public as he always kept his true identity a secret.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
Championships and accomplishments
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Luchas de Apuestas record
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| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Demon (mask) | Jorge Allende (hair) | Unknown | Live event | Unknown | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Moloch (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | Unknown | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Baby Olson (hair) | Unknown | Live event | Unknown | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Tony Borne (hair) | Unknown | Live event | November 27, 1953 | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Cavernario Galindo (hair) | Unknown | Live event | March 12, 1954 | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Conde Giuseppe Daidone (beard) | Mexico City, Mexico | Live event | March 12, 1955 | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Espectro II (mask) | Tijuana, Baja California | Live event | December 3, 1971 | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Máquina Salvaje (mask) | Mexico City, Mexico | Live event | December 2, 1979 | |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Rayo de Jalisco (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | July 30, 1989 | [6] |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Matemático (mask) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | August 27, 1989 | [7] |
| Blue Demon (mask) | Matemático (hair) | Mexico City, Mexico | Live event | September 6, 1989 | [Note 1] |
Filmography
- 1961
- Asesinos de la Lucha Libre (The Killers of Wrestling) featured Blue in a cameo in the ring, but he did not star in this film
- Furia en el Ring (Fury in the Ring) featured Blue in a cameo in the ring, but he did not star in this film
- 1964
- Blue Demon (aka El Demonio Azul)[8]
- Blue Demon contra el poder satánico (Blue Demon vs Satanic Power)[8] Santo had brief cameo appearances in this film
- 1966
- Blue Demon en la sombra del murciélago (Blue Demon in "Shadow of The Bat")[8]
- Blue Demon contra las aranas infernales (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Spiders)[8] Demon's last B&W film
- Blue Demon contra cerebros infernales (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Brains)[8] Demon's first Color film
- Blue Demon contra las diabólicas (Blue Demon vs The Diabolical Women)[8]
- 1967
- Blue Demon destructor de espías (Blue Demon, Destroyer of Spies)[8]
- Blue Demon en pasaporte à la muerte (Blue Demon in "Passport To Death")[8]
- 1968
- Blue Demon contra las invasoras (Blue Demon vs. The Women Invaders)[8] aka Blue Demon y las seductoras (Blue Demon and the Seductresses)
- 1969
- Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (Santo vs Blue Demon in Atlantis)[8]
- Santo y Blue Demon contra los monstruos (Santo and Blue Demon vs the Monsters)[8]
- Santo y Blue Demon en "El Mundo de los Muertos" (Santo and Blue Demon in "World of the Dead")[8]
- 1970
- Las momias de Guanajuato (The Mummies of Guanajuato) co-stars Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras[8]
- Los campeones justicieros (The Champions of Justice) co-stars Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras, Tinieblas, El Médico Asesino, and La Sombra Vengadora[8]
- 1971
- Blue Demon y Zovek en "La invasión de los muertos" (Blue Demon and Zovek In "The Invasion of the Dead")[8]
- 1972
- Blue Demon en "La noche de la muerte" (Blue Demon in "Night of Death")[8]
- Blue Demon en "La mafia amarilla" (Blue Demon in "The Yellow Mafia")[8]
- Vuelven los campeones justicieros (The Champions of Justice Return) co-stars Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras, El Fantasma Blanco, El Rayo de Jalisco, and El Avispón Escarlata[8]
- Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dracula and the Wolfman)[8]
- Santo y Blue Demon en "Las bestias del terror" (Santo and Blue Demon In "The Beasts of Terror")[8]
- 1973
- El triunfo de los campeones justicieros (Triumph of the Champions of Justice) co-stars Blue Demon, El Fantasma Blanco and Superzan[8]
- Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dr. Frankenstein)[8]
- 1974
- Blue Demon en "El hijo de Alma Grande" (Blue Demon in "The Son of Alma Grande")[8]
- 1975
- La mansion de las siete momias (Mansion of the Seven Mummies) co-starring Blue Demon and Superzan[8]
- 1977
- Misterio en las Bermudas (Mystery In Bermuda) co-stars Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras[8]
- 1989
- Blue Demon, el campeón (Blue Demon, The Champion) Documentary, video release only
Footnotes
- ↑ Triangle match that also included Rayo de Jalisco, Sr.
References
- General sources - Championship Information
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- General sources - Career
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- Specific
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Deceased Superstars - The Blue Demon
- ↑ Santoandfriends.com
- ↑ Blue Demon's entry at InternationalHero.co.uk
- ↑ John F. Molinaro, The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time, (Winding Stair Press: 2002), page 195.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 8.22 8.23 8.24 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
