Raul Mata
Encyclopedia
Raul Mata is a retired Mexican
Luchador
, or professional wrestler
who was mostly active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Mata holds the distinction of having the longest individual reign as Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion
, 1.164 days in total. Mata often teamed with his brother Carlos Mata and together they held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
promoted by NWA Hollywood
in the Southern California region. Raul would also win the tag team title with Dory Dixon
, Ray Mendoza
, David Morgan, Victor Rivera
) and Chavo Guerrero twice.
(EMLL) in the late 1960s. Mata's first major championship was the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship
, a championship he won on April 11, 1968 when he defeated Dr. Wagner
to win the vacant title. The championship reign lasted until June 18, 1972 where Mata lost the title to Enrique Vera
. In the early 1970s Raul Mata had begun working for the Southern California based NWA Hollywood
based in Los Angeles, CA. In NWA Hollywood he held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
with a multitude of partners. In 1972 Mata held the title with both Dory Dixon
and Ray Mendoza
, both regular EMLL wrestlers as well. between December 21, 1973 and October 28, 1976 Mata held the Americas tag title a further five times, teaming with David Morgan, Victor Rivera
, Chavo Guerrero twice and finally his brother Raul Mata. In 1977 Mata won the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship
when he defeated El Halcón on December 18, 1977 to win the title to win the title. Mata held the title until July 1, 1978 where he lost the title to El Nazi. In 1970 Mata won his NWA Americas Tag Team Championship again, this time teaming with Mando Guerrero
to defeat Leroy Brown and Allen Coage
for the titles, holding them for a month before losing the belts to the Twin Devils. Raul Mata also held the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
for 11 months, winning it on January 20, 1980 from Alfonso Dantés
, losing it back to Dantés on December 15, 1980. In 1982 Carlos Mata teamed up with The Kiss to win his seventh and final NWA Americas Tag Team Championship when they defeated Los Brazos (Spanish
for "the Arms"; Brazo de Oro
and Brazo de Plata
), losing them to The Scorpions. Carlos Mata retired from professional wrestling at some point during the 1980s.
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...
who was mostly active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Mata holds the distinction of having the longest individual reign as Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion
Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship
The Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship is a national Mexican singles professional wrestling championship controlled by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F....
, 1.164 days in total. Mata often teamed with his brother Carlos Mata and together they held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
promoted by NWA Hollywood
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...
in the Southern California region. Raul would also win the tag team title with Dory Dixon
Dory Dixon
Dorrel "Dory" Dixon is a retired Jamaican professional wrestler who worked for the majority of his career in Mexico, where he eventually became a Mexican citizen...
, Ray Mendoza
Ray Mendoza
José Díaz Velazquez was a Mexican Luchador, or professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Ray Mendoza. Diaz had great success in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was a five time World Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as the first Mexican to hold the championship...
, David Morgan, Victor Rivera
Victor Rivera
Víctor Rivera is a volleyball player from Puerto Rico, who was a member of the Men's National Team that ended up in sixth place at the 2007 FIVB Men's World Cup in Japan. In the same year the wing-spiker was named Best Spiker at the NORCECA Championship in Anaheim...
) and Chavo Guerrero twice.
Professional wrestling career
The exacte year Raul Mata began wrestling is uncertain, only that he was wrestling for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha LibreConsejo 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) in the late 1960s. Mata's first major championship was the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship
Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship
The Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship is a national Mexican singles professional wrestling championship controlled by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F....
, a championship he won on April 11, 1968 when he defeated Dr. Wagner
Dr. Wagner
Manuel González Rivera was a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner. González made his professional wrestling debut in 1961 and worked the majority of his career for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Empressa Mexicana de Lucha Libre . As Dr...
to win the vacant title. The championship reign lasted until June 18, 1972 where Mata lost the title to Enrique Vera
Enrique Vera
Enrique Daniel Vera Torres, nicknamed Rambert is a Paraguayan football midfielder who plays for LDU Quito and the Paraguayan national team.-Club career:...
. In the early 1970s Raul Mata had begun working for the Southern California based NWA Hollywood
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...
based in Los Angeles, CA. In NWA Hollywood he held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
with a multitude of partners. In 1972 Mata held the title with both Dory Dixon
Dory Dixon
Dorrel "Dory" Dixon is a retired Jamaican professional wrestler who worked for the majority of his career in Mexico, where he eventually became a Mexican citizen...
and Ray Mendoza
Ray Mendoza
José Díaz Velazquez was a Mexican Luchador, or professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Ray Mendoza. Diaz had great success in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was a five time World Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as the first Mexican to hold the championship...
, both regular EMLL wrestlers as well. between December 21, 1973 and October 28, 1976 Mata held the Americas tag title a further five times, teaming with David Morgan, Victor Rivera
Victor Rivera
Víctor Rivera is a volleyball player from Puerto Rico, who was a member of the Men's National Team that ended up in sixth place at the 2007 FIVB Men's World Cup in Japan. In the same year the wing-spiker was named Best Spiker at the NORCECA Championship in Anaheim...
, Chavo Guerrero twice and finally his brother Raul Mata. In 1977 Mata won the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship
Mexican National Heavyweight Championship
The Mexican National Heavyweight Championship is a Mexican Lucha Libre 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 in which the Championship is defended...
when he defeated El Halcón on December 18, 1977 to win the title to win the title. Mata held the title until July 1, 1978 where he lost the title to El Nazi. In 1970 Mata won his NWA Americas Tag Team Championship again, this time teaming with Mando Guerrero
Mando Guerrero
Armando Guerrero Llanes , better known as Mando Guerrero, is a retired professional wrestler. He also was the trainer for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, an all female professional wrestling promotion.-Movie stuntman career:...
to defeat Leroy Brown and Allen Coage
Allen Coage
Allen James Coage was an American professional wrestler with the WWF and Stampede Wrestling among many other companies, better known by his ring names Bad News Brown and Bad News Allen. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division...
for the titles, holding them for a month before losing the belts to the Twin Devils. Raul Mata also held the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is a currently inactive professional wrestling championship promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance . For the majority of its existence it has been promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where it was known as the Campeonato...
for 11 months, winning it on January 20, 1980 from Alfonso Dantés
Alfonso Dantés
José Luis Amezcua Díaz was a Mexican professional wrestler who wrestled during the 1960s and 1970s under the ring name Alfonso Dantés . He would later receive the nickname El Tanque for his short but thick build...
, losing it back to Dantés on December 15, 1980. In 1982 Carlos Mata teamed up with The Kiss to win his seventh and final NWA Americas Tag Team Championship when they defeated Los Brazos (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 Arms"; Brazo de Oro
Brazo de Oro (wrestler)
Jesús Alvarado Nieves is a Mexican Luchador who works under the name Brazo de Oro . Alvarado currently works as a booker for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and as head of the wrestlers' union...
and Brazo de Plata
José Alvarado Nieves
José Alvarado Nieves is a Mexican Luchador best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata that he has been using since his debut in 1977 and also for his appearences for WWE as "Super Porky"...
), losing them to The Scorpions. Carlos Mata retired from professional wrestling at some point during the 1980s.
Championships and accomplishments
- Empresa Mexicana de la 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 Heavyweight ChampionshipMexican National Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Mexican National Heavyweight Championship is a Mexican Lucha Libre 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 in which the Championship is defended...
(1 time - Mexican National Light Heavyweight ChampionshipMexican National Light Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship is a national Mexican singles professional wrestling championship controlled by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F....
(1 time) - NWA World Light Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA World Light Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is a currently inactive professional wrestling championship promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance . For the majority of its existence it has been promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where it was known as the Campeonato...
(1 timeNWA World Light Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship is a currently inactive professional wrestling championship promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance . For the majority of its existence it has been promoted by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where it was known as the Campeonato...
)
- NWA HollywoodNational Wrestling AllianceThe 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...
- NWA Americas Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Americas Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
(7 times) – with Dory DixonDory DixonDorrel "Dory" Dixon is a retired Jamaican professional wrestler who worked for the majority of his career in Mexico, where he eventually became a Mexican citizen...
(1), Ray MendozaRay MendozaJosé Díaz Velazquez was a Mexican Luchador, or professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Ray Mendoza. Diaz had great success in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was a five time World Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as the first Mexican to hold the championship...
(1), David Morgan (1), Victor RiveraVictor RiveraVíctor Rivera is a volleyball player from Puerto Rico, who was a member of the Men's National Team that ended up in sixth place at the 2007 FIVB Men's World Cup in Japan. In the same year the wing-spiker was named Best Spiker at the NORCECA Championship in Anaheim...
(1), Chavo Guerrero (2), Carlos Mata (1), Mando GuerreroMando GuerreroArmando Guerrero Llanes , better known as Mando Guerrero, is a retired professional wrestler. He also was the trainer for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, an all female professional wrestling promotion.-Movie stuntman career:...
(1), The Kiss (1)
Lucha de Apuesta record
| Wager | Winner | Loser | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | El Nazi | Raul Mata | Unknown | Unknown |