Médico Asesino (1920-1960)

Real Name - Cesáreo Anselmo Manríquez González

Lifespan - 8/27/20 - 6/16/60

6'3" 275 lbs. - Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico

Athletic Background - n/a

Teacher(s) - Verdugo, Joe Marín, Polo Torres

Aliases - Don Cesáreo, La Bestia, El Asesino, El Médico

Peak Years - `50-`59

Place in History - he meteoric rise of Médico Asesino is one of the most incredible stories of lucha libre that few outside of Mexico would know.  The man who became known as Médico Asesino spent several years working his way up the ladder.  From working as a timekeeper as a teenager to working on the undercards, he showed great potential from the early going.  The most famous and successful luchadores are seldom heavyweights, so having the size was both an advantage and disadvantage.  After a run as the masked La Bestia, he retired.  In 1952, he was reborn as Médico Asesino.  Stardom came quickly for the large rudo whose distinctive character and aggressive style moved him into main event matches and prominent movie roles.  Televicentro (the predecessor to Televisa) began promoting their own lucha libre rather than work with EMLL.  Their main star was an impressive luchador who dressed all in white and worked a rough style.  Some downplayed him as a Santo ripoff and an inauthentic tool of the Televicentro machine.  The promotional war escalated on television, but it was brought to an abrupt end by the local government.  The Mexico City legislation effectively killed off Televcentro’s lucha libre operation and many of its stars, yet Médico Asesino’s star continued to shine.  He soon came to Arena Mexico and began teaming with, curiously enough, El Santo.  In addition to that, Médico Asesino became the company’s premier heavyweight and began working as a top heel in Texas as well.  Working simply as El Médico, he battled Pepper Gomez, Johnny Valentine, Duke Keomuka and NWA Champion Lou Thesz on top of cards in Houston and San Antonio.  His character as doctor clad in white and hiding under a mask was fresh and undoubtedly influenced the Mysterious Medics and the Interns in the States and his long-time partner El Enfermero, Dr. Wagner and others in Mexico.  Tragically, Médico Asesino was diagnosed with cancer and his health deteriorated rapidly.  His death in 1960 ended an eight-year run that is truly legendary, although often overlooked.  Médico Asesino was a huge national star, second only to El Santo, and was the focal point of one of EMLL’s earliest rivals.  He is perhaps the most successful Mexican heavyweight to come to the United States, rivaled only by Rito Romero and Mil Mascaras.  Médico Asesino is also a fine case for how much can be shoehorned into a Hall of Fame career.