Lizmark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lizmark |
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Lizmark during a match
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| Birth name | Juan Baños |
| Born | December 18, 1950 Santiago Llano Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico |
| Died | December 16, 2015 (aged 64) |
| Cause of death | Respiratory failure |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Lizmark |
| Billed height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Billed weight | 93 kg (205 lb) |
| Billed from | Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico |
| Trained by | Braulio Mendoza Abundio Radilla Hércules |
| Debut | March 14, 1976 |
| Retired | 2013 |
Juan Baños (December 18, 1950 – December 16, 2015) was a famous Mexican professional wrestler. He was known by his ring name Lizmark. He wore a mask, which is common for luchadores (Mexican wrestlers). His wrestling name came from the German battleship Bismarck.
Lizmark was a champion many times. He won titles in both singles matches and tag team matches. He wrestled for major companies like Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL/CMLL) and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). In 2001, Lizmark was honored in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. His nickname was El Geniecillo Azul, which means "The Little Blue Genius" in Spanish. His two sons, Lizmark, Jr. and El Hijo de Lizmark, also became professional wrestlers.
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Lizmark's Wrestling Journey
Juan Baños grew up in Acapulco, Mexico. Before wrestling, he worked in hotel management. He was also good at bodybuilding, winning local competitions. His uncle trained him to be a boxer. Lizmark started his professional wrestling career on March 14, 1976.
He chose to wear a mask to keep his wrestling identity a secret. This helped him separate his wrestling life from his hotel job. The name "Lizmark" came from his childhood interest in the German battleship Bismarck. Lizmark quickly became a new kind of wrestler. He brought exciting, high-flying moves to lucha libre. This style is very popular today, but it was new and thrilling in the 1970s.
Starting Big with EMLL
After wrestling in Acapulco for a few years, Lizmark joined Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) in 1978. This was a big step in his career.
On April 18, 1978, Lizmark won his first major title. He defeated Américo Rocca to become the Mexican National Welterweight Champion. He held this title for almost a year. This showed everyone that Lizmark was a rising star.
In June 1980, Lizmark won an even bigger title. He became the NWA World Welterweight Champion. He held this title for over 500 days. Lizmark then won the Mexican National Middleweight Championship by beating El Satánico. Satánico would become one of Lizmark's biggest rivals. They had many exciting matches together. Lizmark also won the NWA World Middleweight Championship and the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship. He was only the second wrestler ever to win NWA titles in three different weight classes.
Moving to AAA and New Rivals
In 1992, a new wrestling company called Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) started. Many wrestlers, including Lizmark, joined AAA. Lizmark became the first Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion in AAA.
In AAA, Lizmark had a long rivalry with La Parka. La Parka was a "rudo" (villain) who wore a skeleton suit. Their matches helped make La Parka a big star in AAA. One of their most famous matches was at the very first Triplemanía event. Lizmark defended his Mexican title against La Parka. Lizmark also teamed up with his son, Lizmark, Jr., in AAA.
Returning to CMLL
In 1995, Lizmark went back to EMLL, which was now called Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He continued his rivalry with Satánico. On September 18, 1996, Lizmark teamed with Atlantis. They formed a team called La Ola Azul ("The Blue Wave"). They won the CMLL World Tag Team Championship.
Later, on April 29, 1997, Lizmark, Atlantis, and Mr. Niebla won the CMLL World Trios Championship. They held this title for a long time.
Later Career and Retirement
In 1999, Lizmark had some health problems. Doctors told him he might not wrestle again. But after six months, he returned to the ring. He wrestled less often after that. In 2001, Lizmark was honored for his amazing career. He was put into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. He continued to wrestle for CMLL until 2008.
After leaving CMLL, Lizmark wrestled on the Mexican Independent circuit. This means he wrestled for different smaller wrestling shows. During this time, he introduced his second son, El Hijo de Lizmark, to the wrestling world. Lizmark announced that he was planning to retire soon.
Lizmark's Passing
Juan Baños, known as Lizmark, passed away on December 16, 2015. He was 64 years old, just two days before his 65th birthday. He died due to respiratory failure.
Championships and Achievements
Lizmark won many titles and was recognized for his wrestling skills:
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (1984)
- Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
- Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre / Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
- CMLL World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Atlantis
- CMLL World Trios Championship (1 time) – with Atlantis and Mr. Niebla
- Mexican National Middleweight Championship (2 times)
- Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #183 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1995
- PWI ranked him #175 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2001)
