Pedro Morales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pedro Morales |
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Morales as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion
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| Birth name | Pedro Antonio Morales |
| Born | October 22, 1942 Culebra, Puerto Rico |
| Died | February 12, 2019 (aged 76) Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States |
| Spouse(s) |
Karen Morales
(m. 1972) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | John Kilonis Johnny Como Johnny Ricco Pedro Morales |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | Culebra, Puerto Rico |
| Trained by | Barba Roja |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Retired | 1987 |
Pedro Antonio Morales (born October 22, 1942 – died February 12, 2019) was a famous Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He was well-known for his amazing performances in the United States. He wrestled for Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).
Pedro Morales started his wrestling career in 1959. He became very popular in the 1960s with WWA. There, he won the World Heavyweight Championship and the World Tag Team Championship. In 1970, he joined the WWWF. He won their top titles: the World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship.
Later, in the 1980s, he returned to the company, which was then called the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and the Tag Team Championship. This made him the first wrestler in the promotion to achieve the Triple Crown. This means he won three major championships: the World, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles. He stopped wrestling in 1987.
Pedro Morales was a very popular champion, especially among Puerto Rican and Latino fans. He was the first Latino wrestler to win a world heavyweight championship. His time as WWWF Heavyweight Champion was one of the longest in history. He also held the record for the most total days as Intercontinental Champion, with 619 days. This record was only broken in February 2024 by Gunther. Pedro Morales was honored in the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2015 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2017.
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Early Life and Wrestling Start
Pedro Morales was born on October 22, 1942. His hometown was Culebra, a small island near Puerto Rico. He came from a very big family. He once said that many people in Culebra were related to him!
He grew up in Culebra until he was a teenager. Then, his mother sent him to live with his aunt in Brooklyn, New York. This was so he could finish high school. In New York, a friend of his sister introduced him to a wrestling club. He quickly became interested.
Pedro started as an amateur wrestler at age 13. He practiced at his school and a local YMCA. He also became a big fan of professional wrestling. He enjoyed watching famous wrestlers like Miguel Pérez, Sr. and Antonino Rocca.
Besides wrestling, Pedro also played baseball. When he was 16, a professional baseball team in Puerto Rico, the Leones de Ponce, wanted him to play. But since he lived in New York, he decided not to. Instead, he chose to focus on becoming a professional wrestler. He gained twenty pounds to prepare. A year later, his father signed papers so Pedro could start his career as a wrestler, even though he was underage.
Life After Wrestling
After he stopped wrestling in 1987, Pedro Morales took on new roles. He became a "road agent" for WWF. This meant he helped organize events behind the scenes. He also became a commentator for WWF's Spanish-language shows. He was the first Puerto Rican to do this for a major international wrestling company.
He continued this role in the 1990s for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He narrated shows like Nitro and pay-per-views.
Pedro Morales didn't make many wrestling appearances after his time in WCW. He mostly attended autograph signings at fan events. He reunited with fellow wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino at one event in 2007. Even though he lived a quiet life, he continued to inspire many people. He considered himself an "old school" wrestler. He preferred traditional wrestling over the flashy "sports entertainment" style of modern wrestling.
Pedro Morales' Legacy
Pedro Morales was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995. Many wrestling experts and fans have praised his contributions to the sport. Some consider him the best Puerto Rican wrestler ever. They admired his wrestling style and his honorable behavior in the ring.
Other famous wrestlers like Terry Funk and Greg Valentine enjoyed working with him. He was also listed as one of the best "face" (good guy) wrestlers in history. His time as the first Latin American Intercontinental Champion is often celebrated. Many lists of top Intercontinental Champions include him very high up. Some even rank him as the best to ever hold that title. WWE itself ranked him ninth among Intercontinental Champions. They noted he was the first to win the title twice and held it for over 600 days.
WWE also included him in a list of the "Top 50 Good Guys in Wrestling History." In 2016, WWE and NBC Universo honored him during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Outside of WWE, Pedro Morales is recognized as a pioneer for Latino wrestlers. Other wrestling companies have mentioned his importance. For example, Konnan of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) credited Morales with teaching him a lot about the wrestling business. The World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico tried for years to honor him. Finally, in 2013, Morales accepted their invitation to be honored at their Aniversario 40 event.
He even had his own fan club in the 1970s! Many modern fans also see him as one of the greatest. Some consider him the best Intercontinental Champion of all time. Others rank him among the top WWE wrestlers in history. His impact on the Puerto Rican fanbase was also very significant.
Pedro Morales also helped train other wrestlers, including Dory Funk Jr., a former world champion. In 2022, his family signed a deal for him to appear in a line of wrestling action figures.
Personal Life and Passing
Pedro Morales' mother, Teodora, was a smart businesswoman. She often gave him advice about money throughout his life. Pedro met Karen Johnson in 1965. She was at a wrestling event where he was performing. They dated for five years and got married in 1972 in Puerto Rico. They had a son, Pedro Morales Jr., born in 1974.
Because of his wrestling career, Pedro lived in many different cities and even spent time in Japan. But when his son was ready for kindergarten, the family bought a house in central New Jersey. His wife became a teacher there. Pedro invested the money he earned from wrestling in "stocks, bonds, and properties." This helped his family in the long run.
After his last job as a Spanish-language commentator for WCW, Pedro retired from wrestling for good. He settled down in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. He enjoyed gardening as a hobby, especially growing tomatoes.
Wrestling in his era was very tough on the body. Pedro suffered many injuries that stayed with him after he retired. These injuries limited how much physical exercise he could do. However, he still often visited a gym in Woodbridge. Even though he lived in New Jersey, he loved Puerto Rico and visited several times a year. He hoped to move back to a coastal town there when his wife retired, but this didn't happen.
In his final years, Pedro's health declined. He suffered from an advanced case of Parkinson's disease. He also developed heart problems and cancer. Pedro Morales passed away on February 12, 2019, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He was 76 years old. He was survived by his wife, Karen. Sadly, their son, Pedro Jr., had passed away earlier in 2014.
Championships and Awards
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Pedro Morales won many championships and received many awards during his career:
- 50th State Big Time Wrestling
* NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bing Ki Lee (1) and Ed Francis (2)
- American Wrestling Alliance / Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
* NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times) – with Pepper Gomez (2 times) and Pat Patterson (1 time)
- Cauliflower Alley Club
* Other honoree (1994)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
* NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocky Johnson * NWA Florida Television Championship (1 time) * NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time) * NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (3 times)
* Class of 2015
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
* Wrestler of the Year (1972) * Ranked No. 111 of the top 500 singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates
* WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times) * WWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Luis Hernandez (1), Mark Lewin (1), Ricky Romero (1), and Victor Rivera (1)
- World Wrestling Council
* WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times) * WWC World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Carlos Colón, Sr.
- World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation
* WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (2 times) * WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Backlund * WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * WWWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * First WWF Triple Crown Champion * WWF Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
* Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)
