{"id":38225,"date":"2019-02-12T16:11:47","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T21:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=38225"},"modified":"2019-02-12T16:17:12","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T21:17:12","slug":"former-wwe-world-champion-pedro-morales-passes-away-at-76","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/02\/12\/former-wwe-world-champion-pedro-morales-passes-away-at-76\/","title":{"rendered":"Former WWE World Champion Pedro Morales Passes Away at 76"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was revealed today by the WWE that former WWE World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer <strong>Pedro Morales<\/strong> has passed away at the age of 76. He had been battling Parkinson&#8217;s disease for the past few years. Pedro Morales was the first Triple Crown Champion in WWE history, holding the World, US and Tag Team titles.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Pedro Morales has passed away at age 76. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NYzYOthrQL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/NYzYOthrQL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1095417604280410112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Arguably the most successful Puerto Rican wrestler to work in the US, he began training to be a wrestler at 17 and took to it quickly. By the end of the year, he was on his first card in a match in New York City. He would spend the next few years working his way from the bottom of the card to the midcard, throughout various <strong>National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)<\/strong> territories in the Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. He also worked matches with <strong>Capitol Wrestling<\/strong> in New York (which would rebrand as the <strong>World Wide Wrestling Federation<\/strong> during his first tenure there).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38236\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38236\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38236\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/tumblr_ok8duudIHZ1rg89a6o1_500-e1550005794611.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"377\" height=\"500\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38236\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winning the WWA World title, 1965<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 1965, he headed to Los Angeles and joined the <strong>World Wrestling Alliance<\/strong>, where his stardom exploded. He would become a 2x WWA World Heavyweight Champion during the 1960s, feuding with the likes of<strong> The Destroyer<\/strong> (Dick Beyer), <strong>The Butcher<\/strong> (Don Jardine aka The Spoiler), <strong>Luke Graham<\/strong> and <strong>Gorilla Monsoon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38235\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/tumblr_nalwvrvfl81rg89a6o1_500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/tumblr_nalwvrvfl81rg89a6o1_500.jpg 469w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/tumblr_nalwvrvfl81rg89a6o1_500-264x300.jpg 264w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/tumblr_nalwvrvfl81rg89a6o1_500-370x420.jpg 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 1970, he returned to the WWWF. Gone were the days where he was opening the cards, as Morales returned a huge attraction. With the <strong>Bruno Sammartino<\/strong> experiment proving to be a huge success for the WWWF &#8211; appealing to the ethnic minorities of New York &#8211; Morales became another star that appealed to the blue collar immigrants of the Big Apple. Within a year, he was the WWWF United States Champion and when Bruno had to step away from the sport to recuperate from niggling injuries, Morales was just the man to step in. On February 8, 1971, he defeated<strong> Ivan Koloff<\/strong> to become the new WWWF World Heavyweight Champion.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL-LENGTH MATCH - MSG - Pedro Morales vs. Ivan Koloff\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ggk5ZQU1_hk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He held the title for over 1000 days, from the beginning of 1971 until the end of 1973, defending against such challengers as <strong>George &#8220;The Animal&#8217; Steele, &#8220;Big Cat&#8221; Ernie Ladd, Freddie Blassie, Mr. Fuji<\/strong>, and <strong>Blackjack Mulligan<\/strong>, but it was <strong>Stan Stasiak<\/strong> who finally pinned him in December of &#8217;73. By 1975, he departed the company once again.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWWF Championship Match @ MSG- Pedro Morales Vs George &quot;The Animal&quot; Steele 6-30-73\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kW4qZBtdmqs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He headed back to the NWA territories, working with <strong>Championship Wrestling From Florida<\/strong>, where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oyoE_yNV6O0\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he formed a 2x NWA Florida Tag Team Champion team with a young wrestler named Rocky Johnson<\/a>, as well as working for the <strong>American Wrestling Association (AWA), NJPW<\/strong> and others.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pedro Morales vs Sgt. Slaughter 6\/8\/81 - FULL MATCH\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pC8N8lTID0E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In 1980, he returned to the WWWF (now shortened to just WWF), where he immediately won the WWF World Tag Team titles with WWF World Champion <strong>Bob Backlund<\/strong>. He broke off after dropping the titles and added legitimacy to the WWF&#8217;s new Intercontinental Championship picture, holding it on two occasions during the early 1980s &#8211; his second run was nearly 500 days, and he fought off challenges from <strong>Sgt. Slaughter, Larry Zybszyko, Adrian Adonis, Buddy Rose<\/strong> and <strong>Bob Orton<\/strong>, including a classic rivalry against <strong>Don Muraco<\/strong>. He remained with the WWF until his retirement in 1987.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pedro Morales VS don Muraco 12 28 1982 MSG\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rqm7Q71NHSM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995. We send out our condolences to the Morales family and his fans and peers worldwide.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Man bummed out hearing of<br \/>Pedro Morales passing<br \/>Triple crown <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@wwe<\/a> Champ<br \/>Amazing babyface fire<br \/>Celebrate his greatness<br \/>Watch his career <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWENetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWENetwork<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jxGnt0X5UC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/jxGnt0X5UC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/THETOMMYDREAMER\/status\/1095412497920786434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ONE OF THE BEST EVER. THE PEDRO MORALES EXCELLENT WORKER. EXCELLENT BABY FACE. EXCELLENT BUSINESSMAN. EXCELLENT HUMAN BEING. RIP MY BROTHER. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ufUDakO8jw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ufUDakO8jw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/the_ironsheik\/status\/1095428292272783360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BookItGabe\/status\/1095419968026484736<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/courtbauer\/status\/1095430196272992256<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheRealXPac\/status\/1095424700400885760<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/FrankieKazarian\/status\/1095420672862343168<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Growing up a WWF fan, he was my IC Champ and as fiery a babyface as any. <br \/>RIP Pedro Morales <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fcYOI8NKbg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fcYOI8NKbg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bullyray5150\/status\/1095426527733444610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rest In Peace to wrestling legend and 1st ever WWF triple crown (World Title, Tag Title, Intercontinental title) Pedro Morales. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fX5s7hFUWU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fX5s7hFUWU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BlueMeanieBWO\/status\/1095419386381377537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was revealed today by the WWE that former WWE World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Pedro Morales has passed away at the age of 76. He had been battling Parkinson&#8217;s disease for the past few years. Pedro Morales was the first Triple Crown Champion in WWE history, holding the World, US and Tag [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":649,"featured_media":38229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,547,3],"tags":[929],"class_list":["post-38225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-in-memorium","category-wwe-universe","tag-pedro-morales"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/649"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}