Enrique Juan Yañez González (August 24, 1919 – September 18, 2004), best known under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Enrique Llanes, was one of the premier Hispanic

professional wrestlers Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

in the early days of

Lucha Libre Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...

when most wrestlers were imported from outside of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Llanes held both the

Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship The Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Nacional Semicompleto'' in Spanish) is a national Mexican singles professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the ''Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F.'' (''Mexico City ...

and the

NWA World Middleweight Championship The NWA World Middleweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) between 1939 and 2010. For most of its existence, it was defended in the Mexican '' lucha libre'' promotion Consejo Mundial ...

during his career. Enrique Llanes is the brother-in-law to

Gory Guerrero Salvador Guerrero Quesada (January 11, 1921 – April 18, 1990), better known as Gory Guerrero, was one of the premier Mexican American professional wrestlers in the early days of Lucha Libre when most wrestlers were imported from outside Mexico ...

and uncle to

Mando Guerrero Armando Guerrero Llanes (born June 9, 1950), better known as Mando Guerrero, is a retired Mexican American professional wrestler. He also was the trainer for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, an all-female professional wrestling promotion. He ...

Chavo Guerrero, Sr. Salvador Guerrero Llanes (January 7, 1949 – February 11, 2017), better known as Chavo Guerrero or Chavo Guerrero Sr., and also known during the 21st century as "Chavo Classic", was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for ...

Hector Guerrero In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

and

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...

, his brothers Mario and Sergio Llanes also wrestled as did his son Javier Llanes. Llanes is credited with innovating the ''La Cerrajera'' ( Modified abdominal stretch) submission hold.

Biography

Enrique Juan Yañez González was born on August 24, 1919 in Otumba, a Mexico State municipality with a current population of about 8,000. He was the son of José Yañez López, a telegraphist aligned with the Mexican revolutionists, and María González Moreno, a direct descendant of Pedro Moreno, a famous insurgent of the early 19th century.

Professional wrestling career

Enrique Yañez made his professional wrestling debut on June 21, 1942 after training under

Tarzán López Carlos López Tovar (28 August 1912 – 28 August 1975) was a luchador who was active in the 1930s and 1940s, better known by the ring name Tarzán López. Known as "Tarzan" because of his bodybuilder's physique, Lopez held the Mexican national ...

and began working for

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...

(EMLL) not long after his debut using the

Enrique Llanes. In EMLL Llanes quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the most popular Mexican wrestlers during the early days of EMLL, where the biggest names were mostly from the United States. He formed a very successful tag team with his mentor Tarzán López that main evented many shows throughout the 1940s. In December, 1940 Llanes defeated

Cavernario Galindo Rodolfo Galindo Ramirez (September 27, 1923 – July 19, 1999) was a Mexican luchador and film actor, best known by his ring name Cavernario Galindo (Caveman Galindo), who was active in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre from the 1930s to the 1990s. W ...

to win the

. Llanes had to vacate the title in 1951 for unknown reasons. On September 24, 1951 Llanes defeated

Sugi Sito Francisco Javier Mar Hernández (December 4, 1926 – May 4, 2000) was a Mexican professional wrestler and promoter, known by the ring name "El Orgullo de Oriente" ("The pride of the Orient") Sugi Sito. He was born in Guanajuato to a Mexican fathe ...

to win the

. Llanes defended the title several times but was forced to vacate the title in February, 1952 due to an injury that kept him out of the ring. Llanes retired in the 1970s after 30 years as a professional, finishing a career that had earned him the nickname ''El Sol de Otumba'' (The Sun of Otumba), for his stellar career. In the 1980s Enrique Llanes served as head of the commission for Boxing and Wrestling in Mexico City, a commission that regulated most wrestling events in Mexico.

Death

Enrique Juan Yañez González died on September 19, 2004.

Championships and accomplishments

Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...

( 1 time) **

( 1 time)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Llanes, Enrique 1919 births 2004 deaths Mexican male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from the State of Mexico People from Otumba NWA World Middleweight Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champions