Miguel Perez (1937-2005)

Real Name - Miguel Jose Perez, Sr.

Lifespan - 6/22/1937 - 7/16/2005

6’1” 238 lbs. - Puerto Rico

Athletic Background - n/a

Teacher(s) - n/a

Professional Background - Montreal(`54-`57), Capitol/WWWF(`57-`68), WWC(`74-`81), IWA(`75)

Aliases - Jose Miguel Perez, Miguel Perez Sr.

Peak Years - `56-`63

Place in History - The year after I Love Lucy ended its run as one of the most successful, a handsome young Puerto Rican wrestler made his debut in Madison Square Garden.  Although Miguel Perez might not be seen in the same light as Desi Arnaz, Ritchie Valens or his fellow countryman Roberto Clemente, he could certainly be recognized as belonging to generation of Latin America celebrities who found great success while embracing their cultural heritage.  Perez broke into the sport and even captured the Montreal Athletic Commission’s heavyweight champion while still a teenger.  He was well-built, worked an exciting style and his pencil mustache and dark complexion gave him an appeal among male and female fans alike.  Not unlike Enrique Torres and his brothers, Pepper Gomez, Luis Martinez and Argentina Apollo, Perez was able to get over strongly in markets with Hispanic fans and was pushed strongly.  In New York, he was the long-time partner of Antonino Rocca and worked on top of many MSG cards against most of the premier heels of the era.  Perez, while a credible star, was mainly the fall guy for the team, selling and getting over the heels that Rocca would inevitably vanquish with dropkicks and his trademark backbreaker.  The territory mainly featured tag team attractions on top and combinations of legends like Dick the Bruiser, Killer Kowalski, Johnny Valentine, Karl Von Hess and Skull Murphy as well as legendary teams like the Graham Brothers, the Fabulous Kangaroos and the Fargos all squared off with Rocca and Perez.  When the company shifted to Buddy Rogers and his crew, Rocca exited while Perez stayed.  He continued to make appearances up through the late 1960s, but mainly worked middle-of-the-card matches.  In the 1970s, his home country began pushing a local product more strongly than ever and needed established stars.  Perez and Carlos Colon against the Castillo Brothers was a hot feud on top that helped established the World Wrestling Council.  Perez also brought in Rocca for some special events to revisit their legendary tag team.  Jose Miguel Perez was still relatively young and was over strongly, so the company pushed him as a top heavyweight working opposite a variety of foreign heels for their top title.  While most folks remember Puerto Rico for the bloody battles between Colon and Abdullah the Butcher on top, Perez was was undoubtedly one of the key players that helped the WWC get off the ground and become a fixture on the island.  After retiring in 1984, his son Miguelito Perez became a top star as well.  Miguel Perez has often been dismissed as a Rocca’s sidekick in pro-wrestling history, but he was unquestionably a big star in his own right who was key to wrestling in New York City and Puerto Rico in the 1950s and 1970s respectively.