Black Guzmán

Biography

Guzmán was born in 1916 in Tulancingo in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, to Jesús Guzmán Campos and Josefina Huerta Márquez as the fourth of seven children. The family moved to Mexico City in the 1920s in order go earn a living. When old enough Guzmán began training for his professional wrestling career alongside his younger brother Rodolfo, who later became known as El Santo.

Guzmán is part of an extended lucha libre family, that includes his brothers Pantera Negra and Jimmy Guzmán. He is the uncle of El Hijo del Santo and the great-uncle of wrestlers Axxel, Santo Jr. and Rocker II.

Professional wrestling career

Guzmán made his professional wrestling debut in the early 1930s working under his real name. He quickly earned the nickname "Black Guzmán", due to his dark skin. He also earned the nickname "Indio de Tulacingo" (Spanish for "Indian from Tulacingo"). Black Guzmán was initially a bigger star than his younger brother Rodolfo as he pioneered a high flying, fast-paced style of wrestling focused around the headscissors takedown. His fame was later surpassed by Rodolfo, who adopted the name "El Santo". On December 16, 1941, Black Guzmán defeated Tarzán López to win the World Middleweight Championship, one of the top titles in Mexico at the time. Guzmán only held the title for 57 days before López regained it. Two years later Guzmán won a tournament to become the first ever Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship in March. Guzmán held the title until September 20, 1944, when he lost the title to Gorilla Ramos.

By the mid-1940s Guzmán had started working across the border in Texas for Southwest Sports, Inc. (Later World Class Championship Wrestling), run by Ed McLemore. In Texas he was billed as "Miguel Guzmán" and despite being a bit older and a bit slower than when he headlined in Mexico he still held several championships and headlined several cards throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He won his first Texas based title on August 1, 1947, when he defeated Sonny Myers for the vacant Texas Heavyweight Championship. "Baron" Michele Leone at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium. The match was in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,400 and ended in a 60-minute time limit draw. On February 1, 1952, Guzmán teamed with Ray Gunkel to hold the Texas Tag Team title for three weeks. Guzmán and Romero joined forces twice more to win the Tag Team title, defeating Duke Keomuka and Mr. Moto. The team ended their third and final run with the title in May 1954, when they lost to Ivan Kamlikoff and Karol Krauser.

Guzmán's career slowed down by the mid-1950s, and he retired in the 1960s. On December 1, 1973, Guzmán died.

Championships and accomplishments

• Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre
  • Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
• Southwest Sports, Inc.
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
  • NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Rito Romero (3) and Ray Gunkel

References

References

1. (2005). "Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling". Distributed Art Publishers, Inc..
2. Madigan, Dan. (2007). "Mondo Lucha A Go-Go: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling". HarperCollins Publishers.
3. Madigan, Dan. (2007). "Mondo Lucha a Go-Go: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling". HarperCollins Publishers.
4. (November 2008). "Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre". Black Guzmán.
5. "World Heavyweight Title (Los Angeles)".
6. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
7. (2006). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
8. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present". Archeus Communications.
9. "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.
10. (2000). "Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present". Archeus Communications.
11. "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". wrestling-titles.com.