Jack O'Brien (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Marcelo Andreani was an American-born Mexican
professional wrestler
best known under the ring name
"Roughouse" Jack O'Brien and worked mainly in Mexico for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre
(EMLL) where he held the Mexican National Lightweight Championship
, Mexican National Welterweight Championship
and NWA World Welterweight Championship
twice during his career that spanned from 1934 until 1956. O'Brien is credited with inventing the Abdominal Stretch, or Tirabuzón (Spanish
for "Corkscrew").
, born into an Italian Mexican
family. Andreani moved to Mexico to study dental surgery and played baseball in his free time. Andreani was also a talented pole vault
er and swimmer.
by defeating Dientes Hernández in the final of a tournament. O'Brien used a move called Tirabuzón, the Mexican version of the "Abdominal Stretch" which O'Brien is credited with introducing to Lucha libre
. O'Brien held the Lightweight title from 1934 until June 28, 1937 when Dientes Hernández defeated him to win the championship. The following May O'Brian regained the Lightweight title and held it for two years before Bobby Bonales defeated him for the championship on May 5, 1940. After losing the lightweight championship O'Brien moved into the Welterweight division, probably the most prestigious weight class in Mexico at the time. On November 23, 1941 Jack O'Brien defeated Lobo Negro to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship
. O'Brien held the title for just over four months before losing it to Ciclón Veloz. After the loss of the Welterweight title O'Brien began a long running, very successful storyline
feud El Santo and Gory Guerrero
, the team known as La Pareja Atómica ("The Atomic Pair"). On February 18, 1944 O'Brien defeated El Santo to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship
, a rare loss for El Santo at the time. El Santo gained a measure of revenge on April 8, that same year when he defeated Jack O'Brien in a Luchas de Apuesta, hair vs. mask match, that forced Jack O'Brien to have his head shaved bald per Lucha Libre traditions. On April 20, 1945 Santo's partner Gory Guerrero defeated Jack O'Brien to win the Mexican Welterweight title from him. O'Brian participated in the tournament to crown the first ever World Welterweight Championship
(A title that would later be renamed the "NWA World Welterweight Championship" when EMLL joined the National Wrestling Alliance
). O'Brien lost to El Santo in the final, but managed to win the title from El Santo on February 14, 1947. O'Brien held the World Welterweight title for over two years until losing it to Gory Guerrero on April 29, 1949.
After losing the Welterweight title O'Brien began teaming with Rito Romero
, forming a team that would be named La Pareja Perfecta ("The perfect team") by the fans and promoters alike for their smooth teamwork and timing. O'Brien would also begin wrestling in Texas around the same time, working for various Texas promotions under the name "Roughhouse" Jack O'Brien. In 1952 O'Brien appeared in his first Lucha film
as he both acted and wrestled in the movie Huracán Ramírez, he was also one of the men that found Daniel Garzia
to fill the role of the title star. He also appeared in two more movies El Enmascarado de Plata and La Bestia Maginfica. Along with acting O'Brian also tried his hand at promoting wrestling events in 1952, funded by the Televicentro network O'Brien and promoters Jesús Garza and Elías Krui were the first promoters to oppose Salvador Lutteroth
's EMLL wrestling empire in Mexico. When funding for the promotion ran out O'Brien made peace with the Lutteroth family, retired from active wrestling and started working as a local promoter for EMLL in Acapulco
, Guerrero
and Mexico City. He later retired from promotion when he was offered a government job in Cuernavaca
, Morelos
by the newly elected governor, who was a college friend. O'Brien briefly returned to wrestling in the mid-1960s working as the enmascarado
(masked) character "Doctor O'Brian", teaming with Doctor O'Borman. After his brief foray into wrestling he became the official doctor of the Ciudad Juarez
, Chihuahua wrestling commission. O'Brien died on September 14, 1982.
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...
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...
best 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:...
"Roughouse" Jack O'Brien and worked mainly in Mexico for 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...
(EMLL) where he held the Mexican National Lightweight Championship
Mexican National Lightweight Championship
The Mexican National Lightweight Championship is a Mexican professional wrestling singles championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F....
, 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...
and 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...
twice during his career that spanned from 1934 until 1956. O'Brien is credited with inventing the Abdominal Stretch, or Tirabuzón (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 "Corkscrew").
Biography
Marcelo Andreani was born on February 8, 1910 in Houston, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, born into an Italian Mexican
Italian Mexican
An Italian-Mexican or Italo-Mexican is a Mexican citizen of Italian descent or origin. Most people of Italian ancestry living in Mexico arrived in the late 19th century, and have become generally assimilated into mainstream society.-History:...
family. Andreani moved to Mexico to study dental surgery and played baseball in his free time. Andreani was also a talented pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er and swimmer.
Professional wrestling career
By 1934 Andreani had obtained Mexican citizenship and made his professional wrestling debut in 1934, taking the ring name "Jack O'Brien". O'Brien's athletic background and charisma quickly made him a very popular and successful wrestler, so successful that he became the first ever Mexican National Lightweight ChampionMexican National Lightweight Championship
The Mexican National Lightweight Championship is a Mexican professional wrestling singles championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F....
by defeating Dientes Hernández in the final of a tournament. O'Brien used a move called Tirabuzón, the Mexican version of the "Abdominal Stretch" which O'Brien is credited with introducing to Lucha libre
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...
. O'Brien held the Lightweight title from 1934 until June 28, 1937 when Dientes Hernández defeated him to win the championship. The following May O'Brian regained the Lightweight title and held it for two years before Bobby Bonales defeated him for the championship on May 5, 1940. After losing the lightweight championship O'Brien moved into the Welterweight division, probably the most prestigious weight class in Mexico at the time. On November 23, 1941 Jack O'Brien defeated Lobo Negro 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...
. O'Brien held the title for just over four months before losing it to Ciclón Veloz. After the loss of the Welterweight title O'Brien began a long running, very successful storyline
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
feud El Santo and Gory Guerrero
Gory Guerrero
Salvador Guerrero Quesada , better known as Gory Guerrero, was one of the premier Hispanic professional wrestlers in the early days of Lucha Libre when most wrestlers were imported from outside of Mexico. He wrestled primarily in Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre between the 1940s and 1960s...
, the team known as La Pareja Atómica ("The Atomic Pair"). On February 18, 1944 O'Brien defeated El Santo 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...
, a rare loss for El Santo at the time. El Santo gained a measure of revenge on April 8, that same year when he defeated Jack O'Brien in a Luchas de Apuesta, hair vs. mask match, that forced Jack O'Brien to have his head shaved bald per Lucha Libre traditions. On April 20, 1945 Santo's partner Gory Guerrero defeated Jack O'Brien to win the Mexican Welterweight title from him. O'Brian participated in the tournament to crown the first ever 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...
(A title that would later be renamed the "NWA World Welterweight Championship" when EMLL joined the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
). O'Brien lost to El Santo in the final, but managed to win the title from El Santo on February 14, 1947. O'Brien held the World Welterweight title for over two years until losing it to Gory Guerrero on April 29, 1949.
After losing the Welterweight title O'Brien began teaming with Rito Romero
Rito Romero
Rito Romero Loza was a successful luchador who wrestled in Mexico and in the NWA territories of Texas and Los Angeles. He appeared in several films in his native country along with a number of other luchadors...
, forming a team that would be named La Pareja Perfecta ("The perfect team") by the fans and promoters alike for their smooth teamwork and timing. O'Brien would also begin wrestling in Texas around the same time, working for various Texas promotions under the name "Roughhouse" Jack O'Brien. In 1952 O'Brien appeared in his first Lucha film
Lucha film
The sport of Lucha Libre became so popular in Mexico, that it spawned a genre of Luchador films starring some of the most popular masked luchadores in the sport. These masked superheroes engaged in battles against a range of characters from spies, to vampires and martians...
as he both acted and wrestled in the movie Huracán Ramírez, he was also one of the men that found Daniel Garzia
Huracan Ramirez
Huracán Ramírez was a fictitious character invented for the 1952 Mexican Lucha film of the same name. In the film a young Mexican, whose father is a professional wrestler, decides to follow in his father's footsteps by adopting the secret identity of Huracán Ramírez, a masked luchador, and he...
to fill the role of the title star. He also appeared in two more movies El Enmascarado de Plata and La Bestia Maginfica. Along with acting O'Brian also tried his hand at promoting wrestling events in 1952, funded by the Televicentro network O'Brien and promoters Jesús Garza and Elías Krui were the first promoters to oppose Salvador Lutteroth
Salvador Lutteroth
Salvador Lutteroth was a Mexican professional wrestling promoter of the mid-twentieth century. Lutteroth's promotion, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre , has been the dominant Mexican promotion since its founding in 1933, until Lutteroth left the company in the 1950s...
's EMLL wrestling empire in Mexico. When funding for the promotion ran out O'Brien made peace with the Lutteroth family, retired from active wrestling and started working as a local promoter for EMLL in Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
and Mexico City. He later retired from promotion when he was offered a government job in Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
, Morelos
Morelos
Morelos officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 33 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca....
by the newly elected governor, who was a college friend. O'Brien briefly returned to wrestling in the mid-1960s working as the 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) character "Doctor O'Brian", teaming with Doctor O'Borman. After his brief foray into wrestling he became the official doctor of the Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, Chihuahua wrestling commission. O'Brien died on September 14, 1982.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Tirabuzón (Abdominal stretch) – Introduced in Mexico
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 Lightweight ChampionshipMexican National Lightweight ChampionshipThe Mexican National Lightweight Championship is a Mexican professional wrestling singles championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F....
(2 times) - 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...
(2 times) - 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...
(2 timesNWA 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...
)
Lucha de Apuesta record
| Wager | Winner | Loser | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | El Santo | Jack O'Brien | 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... |