Pedro Morales

For other people named Pedro Morales, see Pedro Morales (disambiguation).

Pedro Morales
Morales as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion
Birth namePedro Antonio Morales
Born(1942-10-22)October 22, 1942
Culebra, Puerto Rico
DiedFebruary 12, 2019(2019-02-12) (aged 76)
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States
Spouse(s)
Karen Morales
​
(m. 1972)​
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)John Kilonis
Johnny Como
Johnny Ricco
Pedro Morales
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Billed weight235 lb (107 kg)[1]
Billed fromPuerto Rico Culebra, Puerto Rico
Trained byBarba Roja[2]
Debut1959[3]
Retired1987

Pedro Antonio Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).

Debuting in 1959, Morales originally came to prominence with WWA in the 1960s, where he held the World Heavyweight Championship and World Tag Team Championship. In 1970, he joined the WWWF, winning its World Heavyweight Championship and United States Championship. In a second run with the by-then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s, he won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and Tag Team Championship, establishing himself as the promotion's first Triple Crown Champion.[4] He retired from professional wrestling in 1987.

A popular champion, Morales had particular appeal to his native Puerto Ricans and the wider Latino audience.[4][5][6][7][8] The first Latino to hold a world heavyweight championship, his reign as WWWF Heavyweight Champion remains among the longest in history.[9] He previously also held the record for most cumulative days as Intercontinental Champion at 619 days across two reigns, having been surpassed by Gunther's one reign in February 2024. He was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995,[10] the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2015 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2017.

  1. ^ a b "Pedro Morales WWE". wwe.com. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference oww was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference WWEHOF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Ivan Koloff's WWE Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on July 15, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2007. Pedro Morales [defeated] Ivan Koloff for the [WWF] Championship...Morales would also go on to become the first Triple Crown winner [upon winning] the Intercontinental Championship and World Tag Team Championship.
  5. ^ Ross Davies (2001). Bruno Sammartino (p.72). The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-3432-2.
  6. ^ Fred Blassie and Keith Elliot Greenberg (2004). "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks (p.175). Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7434-6316-1.
  7. ^ Scott M. Beekman (2006). Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America (p.105). Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-275-98401-X.
  8. ^ Ric Flair (2005). Ric Flair: To Be The Man (p.90). Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7434-9181-5.
  9. ^ Alexander Trujillo (October 24, 2012). "Reportaje Especial". Pedro Morales: 70 años del pionero Latinoamericano (in Spanish). El Diario Culebrense. p. 13.
  10. ^ "Pedro Morales Death". Wrestler Deaths. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.