Villano III

In this Mexican name, the surname is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Mendoza.
Villano III
Villano III in July 2018
Personal information
BornArturo Díaz Mendoza
(1952-03-23)March 23, 1952[1]
Mexico City, Mexico[1]
DiedAugust 21, 2018(2018-08-21) (aged 66)[2]
Guadalajara, Mexico
Spouse
La Infernal (wife)
Children
Parents
Relatives
Professional wrestling career
Ring names
  • Búfalo Salvaje
  • Mancha Roja
  • Pulpo Blanco
  • Ray Rosas
  • Rokambole
  • Villano III
Billed height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Billed weight96 kg (212 lb)[1]
Trained by
DebutJanuary 29, 1970[1]
RetiredMay 13, 2017

Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018), best known by his ring name Villano III (Spanish: "Villano Tercero"; English: "Villain the Third"), was a Mexican professional wrestler. A second-generation wrestler, he was the son of professional wrestler Ray Mendoza and the father of fellow professional wrestlers Villano III Jr. and El Hijo del Villano III. All five of the Díaz brothers used the Villano name; José de Jesús (Villano I), José Alfredo (Villano II), Tomás (Villano IV) and Raymundo (Villano V). Of the five Villanos, Arturo was considered the most successful in terms of championship and Lucha de Apuestas ("bet match") wins, as well as the most talented professional wrestler in the family.[4] Due to health issues stemming from wrestling, he retired in 2015. A few days after his death, he was inducted in the AAA Hall of Fame.

During his 35-year career, Díaz was a featured performer for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) and all major Mexican promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), as well as numerous notable smaller Mexican promotions like International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). Díaz was a masked professional wrestler until 2000, when he lost to Atlantis and had to unmask as a result. The match against Atlantis was later voted "Match of the Year" in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter year-end awards. In contrast, one of his last matches ever, which took place at Triplemanía XXIII, was voted the "worst match of the year" in 2015.

Professional wrestling career

Arturo Díaz was born into a wrestling family; his father, Ray Mendoza, became a successful professional wrestler when Arturo was very young. His two older brothers, José de Jesús and José Alfredo, had begun wrestling in early 1969 when Arturo was just 17 years old. Arturo was trained both by his father and Felipe Ham Lee, a family friend, while also getting a degree in physical education in case professional wrestling did not work out for him. His debut on January 29, 1970 took place earlier than expected, as he was asked to replace someone who did not show up for a match. He was billed as "Ray Rosas" (Ray after his father and "Rosas" after the color of his wrestling attire) and worked without a mask.[4]

To avoid revealing that he was the son of Ray Mendoza, Arturo began wrestling under various masked characters such as Pulpo Blanco (Spanish for "White Octopus") and Mancha Roja ("Red Stain").[4] At one point, he competed under the name Búfalo Salvaje ("Savage Buffalo"), which was used by his older brothers early in their careers when they worked as Búfalo Salvaje I and II. After several short-lived names, Arturo began wrestling as Rokambole, a name he would use for several years.[4] The name would later be used by his younger brother Raymundo as well.[5] In late 1970 or early 1971, his older brothers began wrestling as Villano I and Villano II, which they established as their permanent identity, creating what would later turn into a family tradition.[5]

Universal Wrestling Association (1973–1994)

In 1973, Arturo's father and older brothers finally deemed him experienced enough to use the Villano name, taking the name Villano III ("Villano Tercero").[6] In 1975, Arturo's father joined with wrestling promoter Francisco Flores and investor Benjamín Mora Jr. to form a new wrestling promotion called Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), which was in direct competition with the company Ray Mendoza and Flores had worked for up until that point, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL). One of the reasons behind the split was that Mendoza felt that EMLL was not giving his sons enough opportunities in the ring.[5] All three Villanos followed their father to the newly formed UWA. While his brothers worked as a tag team, Villano III became a singles competitor and was pushed as one of its top stars, due to his father's influence and being labeled the Villanos' most talented wrestler.[5] On December 14, 1975, Villano III won a tournament to became the inaugural UWA World Welterweight Champion, holding the championship until May 29, 1977, when he lost it to El Solar.[7] He then moved from the welterweight division (with a maximum weight of 78 kg (172 lb)) to the light heavyweight division (with a maximum of 97 kg (214 lb)). On March 1, 1981, he defeated Fishman to win the UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, but lost it in a rematch 140 days later.[8]

In 1982, Villano III started a storyline feud against Los Misioneros de la Muerte ("The Missionaries of Death"; El Signo, El Texano and Negro Navarro). UWA officials noticed Villano III's increasing popularity and used the feud to make him a tecnico (a face, those that portray the good guys in wrestling).[9] Afterwards, Villano III, Aníbal and El Solitario formed a trio called Los Tres Caballeros ("The Three Gentlemen"), who would go on to main event a series of sold-out UWA shows. His first major opponent after the turn was Perro Aguayo, starting a long-running, intense feud over the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, which the UWA promoted at the time. On March 20, 1983, Villano III defeated Aguayo to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, beginning the first of seven reigns for Villano III, tied with Aguayo for most reigns with that title.[10] His first reign lasted 140 days before Aguayo regained the title.[10] The feud between the two also saw Villano III defeat Aguayo in a hair vs. mask Lucha de Apuestas ("bet match") on August 21.[11] Villano III won his second WWF Light Heavyweight Championship from Gran Hamada in 1985.[10] His second title reign lasted 826 days, which is the longest of any WWF Light Heavyweight Champion in its history.[10]

During the mid-1980s, his two younger brothers began using the names "Villano IV" and "Villano V", often teaming with Villano I. Over the following years, Villano III traded the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship with Aguayo, Rambo and Sangre Chicana.[10] In 1991, Villano III began working against the young Canadian Pegasus Kid, who New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) sent to Mexico to train and gain experience. Villano III and Pegasus Kid had a series of matches throughout the year, which included Pegasus Kid winning the title from Villano III on March 3, 1991.[10] Later that year, before the end of Pegasus Kid's learning excursion, Villano III defeated him in a Lucha de Apuestas, forcing him to unmask and reveal his real name: Chris Benoit.[11] On July 18, 1994, Villano III defeated El Signo for his seventh and final reign with the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, which he vacated after the UWA closed in January 1995.[10]

AAA (1995–1997)

Following the closure of UWA in 1995, Los Villanos signed with Antonio Peña's Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where they wrestled as a trios group, marking Villano III's transition from being primarily a singles wrestler to working more trios matches.[5] In March 1996, Los Villanos defeated Cien Caras, Heavy Metal and Latin Lover to become the inaugural holders of the AAA Americas Trios Championship, a title created by Peña specifically for Los Villanos, as AAA did not have an active trios championship before.[12] The team held the championship until November 19, when they lost to Los Oficiales (Guardia, Oficial and Vigilante), but regained it less than two months later.[12] Los Villanos also became the first ever Mexican National Atómicos Champions, teaming with Pierroth Jr. to win the four-man team exclusive championship.[13] By mid-1996, Villano IV and Villano V had begun working for the US-based World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1997, most of the wrestlers that worked for WCW split off from AAA to form Promo Azteca, which included the Villano brothers. By leaving AAA, Los Villanos vacated both the Americas Trios Championship and the Mexican National Atómicos Championship.[12][13]

World Wrestling Council / Independent circuit (1997–1998)

After his AAA departure, Villano III toured Puerto Rico several times in 1997 and 1998 for the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He began the tour on November 27, 1997, defeating Ricky Santana to win the WWC Puerto Rican Championship. Two days later, Santana regained the championship, which Villano III won back on December 21.[14] Villano did not work in Puerto Rico between January and April, only returning to the island to lose the championship to Glamour Boy Shane at WWC's 25th Anniversary Show on August 1.[14] He also worked on the independent circuit and made sporadic appearances for both Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Promo Azteca at the time. On July 18, 1998, Villano III was one of 32 wrestlers putting their masks on the line in a Ruleta de la Muerte ("Roulette of Death") tournament, where the losing teams advance and, in the end, the final team would face off in a Lucha de Apuestas. Villano III and his partner, Shocker, lost to Mil Máscaras and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in the first round, but defeated El Hijo del Santo and Guerrero del Futuro in the second round to preserve their masks.[15]

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (1999–2002)

In late 1998, Villano III began working almost exclusively for CMLL. On December 25, 1999, Villano III and Super Astro teamed up to wrestle against Lizmark and Fishman in a Relevos Suicidas. When Villano III and Super Astro lost, they were forced to wrestle against each other in a Lucha de Apuestas, in which Villano III was victorious and forced Super Astro to unmask.[16]

On November 22, 1999, Villano III defeated Atlantis to win the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship.[17] The title change was just one of the highlights of a long-running feud between Atlantis and Villano III, a feud that also included III's younger brothers Villano IV and Villano V, who no longer worked for WCW. On March 17, 2000, at Juicio Final ("Final Judgment"), Villano III was forced to unmask after losing to Atlantis in a critically acclaimed Lucha de Apuestas, which was voted the Wrestling Observer 2000 Match of the Year.[18] In 2010, Súper Luchas Magazine suggested that this may have been the professional wrestling match of the decade for the 2000s.[19]

Post-unmasking (2000–2017)

A few months later, Villano III, IV and V defeated Escuadron de la Muerte ("The Death Squadron"; Cyborg Cop, Maniac Cop and Vader Cop) to win the IWRG Intercontinental Trios Championship. Los Villanos still worked for CMLL, but they had a talent sharing arrangement with International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) that allowed Los Villanos to work for IWRG as well.[20] Villano III's CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship reign ended on September 7, 2001, when he was pinned by Shocker. Following the title loss, Los Villanos worked more infrequently for CMLL, taking bookings both in IWRG and on the Mexican independent circuit. On March 21, 2002, Villano III's last title reign ended when Los Villanos were stripped of the IWRG Intercontinental Trios Championship, as Villano V was injured and unable to defend the title.[21] On July 30, 2005, Villano III teamed up with rookie wrestler Gallo Tapado Jr. for IWRG's La Copa Black Shadow tournament. The duo defeated the teams of El Matemático and Black Man Jr., Rambo and Bobby Lee Jr. and Brazo de Plata Jr. and Brazo de Oro to win the tournament.[22]

In the latter half of the 2000s, Villano IV and V worked for CMLL on a regular basis, while Villano III's CMLL appearances were more sporadic, wrestling mainly on the independent circuit. Villano III frequently appeared in Lucha de Apuestas matches, having won the hair of Scorpio Jr. (twice), Brazo de Oro, Brazo de Platino and El Cobarde II during that time period, only losing one Apuesta to L.A. Park in a multi-man match on May 5, 2007, which resulted in the loss of his hair.[11] Around 2010, Díaz's wrestling appearances were reduced, as he was dealing with both age and ring related ailments, working a much lighter schedule. 2013 saw him work eleven confirmed matches,[23] and in 2014, he only competed in seven.[24]

In May 2015, Arturo Díaz announced that he would retire from active competition due to several knee injuries and diminishing eyesight, leaving him unable to compete competitively.[25] However, Díaz agreed to another match on August 9, teaming with his younger brothers to take on Los Psycho Circus (Psycho Clown, Monster Clown and Murder Clown) at Triplemanía XXIII, AAA's biggest show of the year, promoting it as Villano III's retirement match after a 45-year career. While Los Villanos won the match, the age of the Villanos and deteriorating health of Villano III and V led to many mistakes in a heavily criticized match, which was voted the "worst match of 2015" by the readers of the Wrestling Observer.[26] Despite his retirement announcements and ailing health, Díaz did work one match in both 2016 and 2017.[27]

Personal life

Arturo Díaz Mendoza was the third son and third child overall of José Díaz Velazquez and Guadalupe "Lupita" Mendoza. His brothers, like himself, all became wrestlers: Alfredo (Villano II),[3] José de Jesús (Villano I),[3] Raymundo (Villano V),[3] and Tomás (Villano IV).[3][5] His mother Lupita died in 1986, his oldest brother Alfredo died in 1989, his second oldest brother José de Jesús died in 2002, and his father José Diaz died on April 16, 2003.[5] Díaz was adamant that his sons get a good education instead of becoming wrestlers, wishing that they become lawyers or doctors as he wanted to spare them his own physical suffering. Once he realized that his two oldest sons had begun wrestling under masks, he agreed to train them and aid in their careers. He was also instrumental in training the rest of his sons, although he insisted they both get college degrees before they were allowed to begin wrestling. Since his youngest son, Tomás, finished his education first, he became known as "Villano IV", while Raymundo, the second youngest son, became "Villano V".[5]

Díaz was married to Luz Lorena Velarde Murillo,[28] who was a professional wrestler for many years, working under the name "La Infernal". Together, they have at least two children, two sons who wrestle under the names Villano III Jr. and El Hijo del Villano III.[25] His nephews (sons of Raymundo) are also wrestlers, known as Rokambole Jr. and Villano V Jr.[29] On March 17, 2017, CMLL honored Villano III as part of their annual Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to Two Legends") show, their version of the Hall of Fame.[30]

Arturo Díaz died of a cerebral infarction on August 21, 2018, after dealing with health issues, including complications from a stroke earlier in the year.[2] Four days later, at Triplemanía XXVI, AAA inducted Arturo Díaz into the AAA Hall of Fame, honoring his career and his legacy, with his sons El Hijo del Villano III and Villano III Jr. accepting the honor on his father's behalf.[31] CMLL also paid tribute to Villano III during the first edition of Super Viernes after Díaz's death, with Villano IV, V, El Hijo del Villano III and Villano III Jr. all acknowledged and honored during the show. Mephisto and L.A. Park both wore wrestling tights/masks resembling what Villano III wore during his career.[32]

Professional wrestling persona and style

In the 1970s and 1980s, Villano III was one of the top box office draws for the UWA, and has been referred to as one of the biggest stars in the history of lucha libre.[33] A testament to his in-ring talent was the fact that he was often selected as the opponent for various top light heavyweight wrestlers from around the world.[33] The 2000 Lucha de Apuestas match against Atlantis was voted the "Match of the Year" in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter year-end awards by the readers, the only Mexican match to ever earn this distinction.[33]

Villano III's in-ring style focused more on fast action and explosive moves that looked realistic over the high flying style normally associated with light heavyweight wrestlers, although he would perform dives out of the ring and off the top rope.[1] His in-ring speed helped make his La magistral cradle so effective that he was able to apply it to an opponent instantly.[34] Over the years, he often used a DDT, where he would drive the opponent's head into the mat, and then swiftly transition into locking his "Media Cerrajera" submission hold (a standing figure-four leglock, chickenwing submission) to win matches.[1] In a May 2008 article on Villano III, he claimed to have won approximately 140 masks and 100 hairs in his career, with the article itself outlining details for 77 Luchas de Apuestas matches.[11][35] The Wrestling Observer stated that he had 58 successful Apuestas matches prior to his mask loss.[33]

Arturo, as well as all other Díaz family members who have used the "Villano" name, have all worn the same distinctive mask, originally on a black base with a red "X" across the face and golden outlines around the eye holes, similar to a "bandit mask" worn by criminals in cartoons.[6] Over the years, Los Villanos have changed their color schemes, such as red, blue, purple and, most notably, pink versions of the mask and tights. The pink color scheme earned Villano III the nickname "Pantera Rosa" or "Pink Panther", leading to Villano III often using "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini as his entrance music.[1]

Championships and accomplishments

Luchas de Apuestas record

See also: Luchas de Apuestas
Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
Villano III (mask) Oso Polar (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Mr. Niebla[b] (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Oso Polar II (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) César Valentino (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Indio Vitela (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Rubén Rubio (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Toro Zúñiga (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) El Cuervo (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) El Cuervo (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) El Mariscal (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Roy Meneses (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Coloso Colosetti (hair) Live event Unknown Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Centella Nolasco (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Carlos García (hair) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Orfeo Negro (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) El Fantasma de Hidalgo (mask) Live event Unknown Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) La Momia del Convento (mask) Live event Unknown Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Mr. Dollar (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) El Médico I (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Bestia Roja (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) The Tempest (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) and Unknown (hair) Los Hippies (hair)
(Renato Torres and El Vikingo)		 Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III and Búfalo Salvaje II (masks) Los Ángeles Infernales (masks) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) and Unknown (mask) Las Momias de Guanajuato (mask) Unknown Live event Unknown [11]
Villano III (mask) Rudy Espinosa (hair) Ahuizotla, Mexico State Live event April 22, 1973 [11]
Villano III (mask) La Cobra (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event February 17, 1974 [35][11]
Villano III (mask) El Jabalí (hair) Tampico, Tamaulipas Live event May 6, 1974 [11]
Villano III (mask) Ray Acosta (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event August 4, 1974 [11]
Villano III and El Matemático (mask) Los Hermanos Corzo I and II (mask) Monterrey, Nuevo León Live event September 27, 1974 [11]
Villano III and El Matemático (mask) Los Hermanos Corzo I and II (hair) Monterrey, Nuevo León Live event October 1974 [11]
Villano III (mask) Rudy Valentino (hair) Tamaulipas Live event December 12, 1974 [11]
Villano III (mask) Zebra Kid (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Infernal II (mask) Unknown Live event February 4, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) Orqídea Negra (mask) Unknown Live event February 25, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) La Sombra (mask) Unknown Live event April 6, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Desalmado (mask) Unknown Live event July 13, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) Lobo Rubio (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event July 26, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) Máscara Negra (mask) Monterrey, Nuevo León Live event August 10, 1975 [35][11]
Villano III (mask) Estrella del Sur (mask) Unknown Live event November 23, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) Memo Ventura (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event December 14, 1975 [11]
Villano III (mask) Babe Face (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event June 16, 1976 [11]
Villano III (mask) and Bobby Lee (mask) Los Escorpiones I and II (mask) Mexico City, Mexico Live event August 13, 1978 [11]
Villano III (mask) Alberto Muñoz (hair) Veracruz, Veracruz Live event April 28, 1979 [11]
Villano III (mask) Máquina Salvaje (hair) Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State Live event December 7, 1979 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Signo (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event August 1, 1982 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Texano (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event August 15, 1982 [11]
Villano III and Unknown (mask) El Estudiante I and El Estudiante II (mask) Mexico City, Mexico Live event January 20, 1983 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Fantasma del Himalaya (mask) Unknown Live event July 22, 1983 [11]
Villano III (mask) Perro Aguayo (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event August 21, 1983 [11][41]
Villano III (mask) Flama Roja (mask) Juárez, Chihuahua Live event May 1987 [11]
Villano III (mask) Rambo (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event September 25, 1987 [35][11]
Villano III (mask) and Perro Aguayo (hair) Black Power I and Black Power II (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event May 5, 1988 [11]
Villano III (mask) Lockard (mask) Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State Live event October 21, 1988 [35][42]
Villano III (mask) Pegasus Kid (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event November 3, 1991 [11][43]
Villano III (mask) Rambo (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event September 24, 1993 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Signo (hair) Puebla, Puebla Live event July 25, 1994 [11]
Villano III (mask) El Mastodonte (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event February 9, 1997 [11][c]
Villano III (mask) Super Astro (mask) Tijuana, Baja California Live event December 25, 1999 [d][16]
Atlantis (mask) Villano III (mask) Mexico City, Mexico 2000 Juicio Final March 17, 2000 [44]
Villano III (hair) Máscara Año 2000 (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event August 4, 2000 [e][11][41]
Villano III (hair) Rambo (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event June 21, 2001 [11]
Villano III (hair) El Signo (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event July 29, 2001 [11]
Villano III (hair) Super Brazo (hair) Cuernavaca, Morelos Live event February 28, 2002 [11]
Villano III (hair) Brazo de Oro (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event August 8, 2002 [11][41]
Villano III (hair) Brazo de Plata (hair) Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State Live event September 16, 2002 [11][41]
Villano III (hair) Kraken (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event March 15, 2003 [11]
Villano III (hair) Pirata Morgan (hair) Reynosa, Tamaulipas Live event October 28, 2003 [f][11]
Villano III (hair) El Cobarde II (hair) Juárez, Chihuahua Live event March 21, 2004 [11]
Villano III (hair) Brazo de Oro (hair) Unknown Live event July 11, 2004 [g][11]
Villano III (hair) El Signo (hair) Querétaro, Querétaro Live event August 13, 2004 [11]
Villano III (hair) Veneno (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State Live event October 17, 2004 [11]
Villano III (hair) El Signo (hair) Naucalpan, Mexico State] Live event January 16, 2005 [h]
Villano III (hair) Super Brazo (hair) Tampico, Tamaulipas Live event February 14, 2005 [i][11]
Villano III (hair) Rambo (hair) Acapulco, Guerrero Live event June 11, 2005 [11]
Villano III (hair) Scorpio Jr. (hair) Xalapa Live event December 1, 2005 [11]
Villano III (hair) Brazo de Oro (hair) Querétaro Live event January 3, 2006 [11][41]
Villano III (hair) Brazo de Platino (hair) Cuautitlan Live event May 16, 2006 [j][11]
Villano III (hair) El Cobarde II (hair) Pico Rivera, California Live event March 10, 2007 [k][11]
L.A. Park (mask) Villano III (hair) Mexico City, Mexico Live event May 5, 2007 [l][11]
Draw Villano III (mask)/Mano Negra (mask) Mexico City, Mexico Live event November 25, 2007 [m][11]
Villano III (hair) Scorpio Jr. (hair) Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico State Live event February 26, 2009 [n]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Villano III won the championship seven times, but none of the reigns are officially recognized by the World Wrestling Entertainment. No reign prior to December 1997 is officially recognized by the WWE.
  2. ^ This was the original Mr. Niebla, not related to the current Mr. Niebla
  3. ^ This was a steel Cage match
  4. ^ Atlantis and Super Astro lost a Relevos Suicidas match against Lizmark and Fishman and were forced to wrestle each other.
  5. ^ This was a steel cage match that also included Perro Aguayo and Pierroth Jr.
  6. ^ This was a steel cage match.
  7. ^ Villano III and Brazo de Oro lost a Relevos Suicidas match against Shocker and Perro Aguayo Jr. the previous week.
  8. ^ Part of a Los Villanos vs. Los Misioneros de la Muerte match, the man pinned lost his hair.[11]
  9. ^ This was a four-way match that also included Villano IV and Brazo de Platino
  10. ^ Part of a Los Villanos (III/IV/V) vs. Los Brazos (Oro/Plata/Platino) Cage Match where the last man in the ring had his hair shaved off.
  11. ^ This was a three-way match that also included El Satánico.
  12. ^ This was a Cage of Death match that also included Blue Demon Jr., Villano IV, Villano V, Silver King, Satánico and Hijo del Solitario.
  13. ^ Exhibition match with wrestlers putting on masks they had lost in the past – and then going to a draw, with both "losing" their masks again.
  14. ^ The two met in the finals of a "Losers advance" Ruleta de la Muerte tournament.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 2001: 64 Villano III". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. September 27, 2001. p. 21. October 2000.
  2. ^ a b "Falleció el legendario Villano III por un infarto cerebral" [The legendary Villano III passed away due to a cerebral infarction]. MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Almarez, Lau (August 21, 2018). "Muere Villano III". Cultura Colectiva (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Luchas 2000" [Villano III: The Last King]. Villano III: El Ultimo Rey (in Spanish). Juárez, Mexico: Publicaciones citem, S.A. de C.V. pp. 1–35. Especial 37.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Madigan, Dan (2007). "Dorada de lucha libre: Las Leyendas, las peleas, los fósforos del resentimiento (the golden age of lucha libre: the legends, the feuds, the grudge matches): Ray Mendoza and Los Villanos". Mondo Lucha a Go-Go: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling. HarperCollins Publisher. pp. 193–197. ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
  6. ^ a b "Lucha Libre: Conoce la historia de las leyendas de cuadrilátero" [Professional wrestling: Learn the history of the legends of the squared circle]. Villano III (1952 o 1953) (in Spanish). Mexico. 2008. p. 63. Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre.
  7. ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: Universal Wrestling Federation Welterweight Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 397. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  8. ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: UWA Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 400. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  9. ^ Esparza, Alfredo (August 24, 2018). "Villano III (1952 - 2018)". Lucha World. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Mexico: UWA WWF World Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 399. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc "Luchas 2000" [Villano III and his vicims]. Villano III y sus Victimas (in Spanish). Juárez, Mexico: Publicaciones citem, S.A. de C.V. pp. 24–27. Especial 30.
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  17. ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: CMLL EMLL Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 395. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  18. ^ "Luchas 2000" [Atlantis and his victims]. Atlantis y sus Victimas (in Spanish). Juárez, Mexico: Publicaciones citem, S.A. de C.V. pp. 32–36. Especial 30.
  19. ^ Dark Angelita (March 17, 2010). "Hace 10 años Atlántis desenmascaraba a Villano III – ¿Es la mejor lucha en México de la última década?" [10 years ago Atlántis unmasked Villano III - Is it the best match in Mexico of the last decade?]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  20. ^ a b "2000 Especial!" [2000 Special]. Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 9, 2001. pp. 2–20. issue 2488.
  21. ^ "2002: considerar detrás" [2002: looking back]. Box y Lucha Magazine (in Spanish). January 19, 2003. issue 2593.
  22. ^ a b "La Copa Black Shadow". WrestlingData. July 30, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "Villano III >> Matches >> 2013". CageMatch. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Villano III >> Matches >> 2014". CageMatch. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  25. ^ a b "El Villano III anunció su retiro" [Villano III announces his retirement]. MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  26. ^ a b Meltzer, Dave (January 25, 2016). "January 25, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Observer Awards Issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 42. ISSN 1083-9593.
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  29. ^ Lizarraga, Alfonso (March 12, 2018). "Hay nuevos campeones de parejas en Naucalpan" [We have new tag team champions in Naucalpan]. The Gladiatores (in Spanish). Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  30. ^ Valdés, Apolo (March 17, 2017). "Diamante Azul se pulió y 'destapó' a Pierroth" [Diamante Azul polished off and unmasked Pierroth]. MedioTiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  31. ^ a b Valdés, Apolo (August 26, 2018). "Villano III, El Apache y Dr. Alfonso Morales, exaltados al Salón de la Fama AAA" [Villano III, El Apache and Dr. Alfonso Morales, inducted in the AAA Hall of Fame]. MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  32. ^ "El CMLL indio homenaje al Villano III" [CMLL paid tribute to Villano III]. MedioTiempo (in Spanish). MSN. August 25, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
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  38. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: Universal Wrestling Federation Junior Light Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 397. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
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  43. ^ Ssio, Sergio (November 3, 2008). "Villano III vs Pegasus Kid; Máscara vs. Máscara" [Villano III vs Pegasus Kid; mask vs. mask]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  44. ^ Centinela, Teddy (March 17, 2015). "En un día como hoy… 2000: Atlantis vence a Villano III en duelo de máscaras… Último Guerrero, estrella del futuro" [On a day like today… 2000: Atlantis defeated Villano III in a mask duel… Último Guerrero, future star]. Súper Luchas Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved July 1, 2015.
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