El Supremo (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Salvador Cuevas Ramírez (July 8, 1942 – May 3, 2010) was a Mexican
Luchador
, or professional wrestler
, known under the ring name
El Supremo. Cuevas was originally an enmascarado
(masked wrestler) but lost his mask in 1992 to Pierroth, Jr.
.
, Baja California
, Mexico
in 1942. As a teenager he began working out in various gyms, developing his body for bodybuilding
competitions. He would later travel to Guadalajara
, Mexico and then to Mexico City
during his body building career. At some point in the 1960s or 1970s he won both the "Mr. Western Mexico" and the "Mr. Mexico" bodybuilding competitions.
"Power Man". He was later forced to change his name as the promoters in the area had a rule about not using English names at that point in time. He changed his name and began wrestling under the name "El Magnifico" (Spanish
for "The Magnificent One") wearing a gold mask and golden outfit. A week after he made his debut as El Magnifico a Chihuahua, Mexico based wrestler complained to the boxing and wrestling commission that he owned the rights to the name and Cuevas was forced to change his wrestling name. Cuevas almost did not get permission to use his chosen name "El Supremo" ("The Supreme One") for religious reasons, that it may be offensive to Catholic
s, but in the end he was allowed to use the name. Early on in his career El Supremo formed a successful tag team with Espectro, Jr.
. In late 1979 El Supremo teamed up with El Vikingo to face off against El Santo and Robot R-2 (A wrestler inspired by R2-D2
from the 1977 Star Wars movie
) under Lucha de Apuesta, mask vs. mask rules where the wrestler who was pinned had to unmask. In the end El Supremo pinned Robot R-2 to claim his first Apuesta victory. On February 29, 1980 he continued his in ring success as he unmasked a wrestler called Lawrence de Arabia following a Lucha de Apuesta match. On May 4, 1980 El Supremo defeated Kato Kung Lee to win the NWA World Welterweight Championship
, one of the most prestigious titles in Mexico at the time. El Supremo only held the title for a month before losing it to Lizmark
on June 6, 1980. The following year El Supremo defeated Franco Columbo
to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship
on February 1, 1981. El Supremo held the Mexican Welterweight title for 422 days, making several high profile title defenses in some of Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre
's (EMLL) major venues. On March 30, 1982 El Talismán
defeated El Supremo to win the Welterweight title.
El Supremo was booked for the main event of EMLL's 52nd Anniversary show
, where he was going to win a Luchas de Apuesta, mask vs. mask match against El Dorado but the match was cancelled as Mexico City was hit by a major earthquake
the day before the show and it was cancelled. The scheduled match never took place and El Dorado later lost his mask to El Fantasma instead. In the early 1990s EMLL, now renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
(CMLL), introduced a wrestler called "El Supremo II" to team up with El Supremo, Supremo II was introduced so that the original Supremo could work a lighter schedule due to injuries and age. On December 8, 1992 El Supremo was unmasked as he lost a Luchas de Apuestas match against Pierroth, Jr.
and was forced to unmask and reveal his real name after the match per Lucha Libre tradition. At the time of his unmasking he announced that he was born in 1950, not 1942 to make himself appear younger than he actually was. Supremo and Supremo II teamed together until 1995 where El Supremo retired from wrestling and Supremo II changed his ring character to "Linx". After his retirement he moved back to Tijuana and worked for the local boxing and wrestling commission for a while. Cuevas's son currently wrestles as "El Supremo, Jr."
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Luchador
Lucha libre
Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
, or professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, known under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
El Supremo. Cuevas was originally an enmascarado
Wrestling mask
A Wrestling mask is a fabric based mask that some professional wrestlers wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. Professional wrestlers have been using masks as far back as 1915 and they are still widely used today, especially in Lucha Libre in Mexico.-History:In 1915 a North American...
(masked wrestler) but lost his mask in 1992 to Pierroth, Jr.
Pierroth, Jr.
Norberto Salgado Salcedo is a retired Mexican luchador , best known under the ring name Pierroth, Jr.. Salgado made his professional wrestling debut on July 1, 1984 working as an Luchador Enmascarado, or masked wrestler, using the name Pierroth, Jr...
.
Biography
Salvador Cuevas was born and raised in TijuanaTijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1942. As a teenager he began working out in various gyms, developing his body for bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
competitions. He would later travel to Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, Mexico and then to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
during his body building career. At some point in the 1960s or 1970s he won both the "Mr. Western Mexico" and the "Mr. Mexico" bodybuilding competitions.
Professional wrestling career
While in Guadalajara he began training for a professional wrestling career under legendary Mexican wrestling trainer Diablo Velazco. Later when he travelled to Mexico City he received additional training by Felipe Ham Lee. Cuevas made his debut in 1976 on his 34th birthday, using the ring nameRing name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
"Power Man". He was later forced to change his name as the promoters in the area had a rule about not using English names at that point in time. He changed his name and began wrestling under the name "El Magnifico" (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "The Magnificent One") wearing a gold mask and golden outfit. A week after he made his debut as El Magnifico a Chihuahua, Mexico based wrestler complained to the boxing and wrestling commission that he owned the rights to the name and Cuevas was forced to change his wrestling name. Cuevas almost did not get permission to use his chosen name "El Supremo" ("The Supreme One") for religious reasons, that it may be offensive to Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s, but in the end he was allowed to use the name. Early on in his career El Supremo formed a successful tag team with Espectro, Jr.
Antonio Peña
Antonio Hipolito Peña Herrada was the founder of the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración in 1992, which today is the largest wrestling promotion in Mexico. Peña's promotion reached its height of popularity in the early 1990s before the downturn of the...
. In late 1979 El Supremo teamed up with El Vikingo to face off against El Santo and Robot R-2 (A wrestler inspired by R2-D2
R2-D2
R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...
from the 1977 Star Wars movie
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
) under Lucha de Apuesta, mask vs. mask rules where the wrestler who was pinned had to unmask. In the end El Supremo pinned Robot R-2 to claim his first Apuesta victory. On February 29, 1980 he continued his in ring success as he unmasked a wrestler called Lawrence de Arabia following a Lucha de Apuesta match. On May 4, 1980 El Supremo defeated Kato Kung Lee to win the NWA World Welterweight Championship
NWA World Welterweight Championship
The NWA World Welterweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . For the majority of its existence, the title has been promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where it was known as the Campeonato Mundial Welter de...
, one of the most prestigious titles in Mexico at the time. El Supremo only held the title for a month before losing it to Lizmark
Lizmark
Lizmark is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler. His ring name is taken from the German battleship Bismarck. He is a multiple-time champion, having held singles and tag team championships in both Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre / Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and...
on June 6, 1980. The following year El Supremo defeated Franco Columbo
Franco Columbo
Javier Descalza Coronado is a Mexican retired Luchador, or professional wrestler, currently working as a match maker for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre...
to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship
Mexican National Welterweight Championship
The Mexican National Welterweight Championship is a Mexican professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. . While the commission sanctions the title, it does not promote the events at which the title is defended...
on February 1, 1981. El Supremo held the Mexican Welterweight title for 422 days, making several high profile title defenses in some of Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre is a Lucha Libre-style professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City while running cards in Guadalajara, Puebla and elsewhere in central and southern Mexico...
's (EMLL) major venues. On March 30, 1982 El Talismán
Arturo Beristain
Arturo Beristain is a retired Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador in Spanish, who currently works as a wrestling trainer at the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's gym in Mexico City, Mexico...
defeated El Supremo to win the Welterweight title.
El Supremo was booked for the main event of EMLL's 52nd Anniversary show
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Anniversary Shows
The Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Anniversary Show is the biggest annual professional wrestling event promoted by Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , held in September every year, commemorating the creationg of CMLL, then known as Empressa Mexican de Lucha...
, where he was going to win a Luchas de Apuesta, mask vs. mask match against El Dorado but the match was cancelled as Mexico City was hit by a major earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
the day before the show and it was cancelled. The scheduled match never took place and El Dorado later lost his mask to El Fantasma instead. In the early 1990s EMLL, now renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre is a Lucha Libre-style professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City while running cards in Guadalajara, Puebla and elsewhere in central and southern Mexico...
(CMLL), introduced a wrestler called "El Supremo II" to team up with El Supremo, Supremo II was introduced so that the original Supremo could work a lighter schedule due to injuries and age. On December 8, 1992 El Supremo was unmasked as he lost a Luchas de Apuestas match against Pierroth, Jr.
Pierroth, Jr.
Norberto Salgado Salcedo is a retired Mexican luchador , best known under the ring name Pierroth, Jr.. Salgado made his professional wrestling debut on July 1, 1984 working as an Luchador Enmascarado, or masked wrestler, using the name Pierroth, Jr...
and was forced to unmask and reveal his real name after the match per Lucha Libre tradition. At the time of his unmasking he announced that he was born in 1950, not 1942 to make himself appear younger than he actually was. Supremo and Supremo II teamed together until 1995 where El Supremo retired from wrestling and Supremo II changed his ring character to "Linx". After his retirement he moved back to Tijuana and worked for the local boxing and wrestling commission for a while. Cuevas's son currently wrestles as "El Supremo, Jr."
Death
Salvador Cuevas Ramírez died on May 3, 2010 from a heart attack. Ramírez had been in fine health before his heart attack.In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Supremo Special (Figure four necklock)
- Signature moves
- Plancha Suicida (Suicide dive out of the ring)
Championships and accomplishments
- Empressa Mexican de Lucha LibreConsejo Mundial de Lucha LibreConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre is a Lucha Libre-style professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City while running cards in Guadalajara, Puebla and elsewhere in central and southern Mexico...
- Mexican National Welterweight ChampionshipMexican National Welterweight ChampionshipThe Mexican National Welterweight Championship is a Mexican professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. . While the commission sanctions the title, it does not promote the events at which the title is defended...
(1 time) - NWA World Welterweight ChampionshipNWA World Welterweight ChampionshipThe NWA World Welterweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . For the majority of its existence, the title has been promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where it was known as the Campeonato Mundial Welter de...
(1 timeNWA World Welterweight ChampionshipThe NWA World Welterweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship governed by the National Wrestling Alliance . For the majority of its existence, the title has been promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where it was known as the Campeonato Mundial Welter de...
)
- Comision de Box y Lucha D.F.
- Districto Federal Welterweight Championship (1 time)
Lucha de Apuesta record
| Wager | Winner | Loser | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mask | El Supremo | Robot R-2 | Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... |
Supremo teamed with Vikingo against Robot R-2 and El Santo, person pinned is unMasked | |
| Mask | El Supremo | Lawrence de Arabia | Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... |
||
| Mask | El Supremo | Guerrero Azteca | Monterrey Monterrey Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the... , Nuevo León Nuevo León Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S... |
||
| Mask | Pierroth, Jr. Pierroth, Jr. Norberto Salgado Salcedo is a retired Mexican luchador , best known under the ring name Pierroth, Jr.. Salgado made his professional wrestling debut on July 1, 1984 working as an Luchador Enmascarado, or masked wrestler, using the name Pierroth, Jr... |
El Supremo | Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... |