Joe Gomez (born July 2, 1964) is an American retired
professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1990)
Gomez began wrestling in Southeastern regional promotions during the late 1980s and, while in
Championship Wrestling from Florida, he and
Mike Graham defeated
Kendall Windham and
Robert Fuller for the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship in
Tampa, Florida on May 8, 1990. Following Graham's retirement later that year, he would be replaced by Hurricane Walker although they would soon lose the titles to Sgt. Rock and Mark Starr on September 13, 1990.
World Championship Wrestling (1990–1991)
In September 1990, Gomez began wrestling in
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Alan Iron Eagle" substituting for
Terry Taylor at the
UIC Pavilion in
Chicago, Illinois on September 30. Teaming with
Lou Perez against
The Fabulous Freebirds on
NWA Power Hour several days later, he would also face
The Iron Sheik,
Buddy Landell,
Stan Hansen,
Mike Rotunda and, in a tag team match with
Tim Horner, lost to the
Master Blasters
''Master Blasters'' is an American game show that debuted on July 27, 2005. A team of challengers competes against the home team, the Master Blasters, each week to construct rocket-based machines in a timed competition. The series premiered on th ...
(
Steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and
Blade) at the UIC Pavilion on November 30, 1990.
The following year, he would also face
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...
,
Moondog Rex and, in an 8-man tag team match with
Steve Armstrong,
Tracy Smothers and Tim Horner, defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
, WCW World Television Champion
Arn Anderson,
Barry Windham and
Sid Vicious at the Cobb County Civic Center in
Marietta, Georgia on January 14, 1991. Appearing on
WCW Power Hour, he and Greg Sawyer lost to
Motor City Madman and
Big Cat when Gomez was pinned by the Motor City Madman on January 21.
In his last appearance in the promotion, he teamed with
"Wildfire" Tommy Rich losing to The Fabulous Freebirds (
Michael Hayes and
Jimmy Garvin) at
Clash of the Champions XIV
''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
on January 30, 1991.
Independent circuit and Japan (1991–1996)
Gomez competed on the
independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
from 1991 to 1996. In 1994, he engaged in a lengthy tour of Japan with the
International Wrestling Association of Japan.
Return to WCW (1996–1999)
Gomez made his return in
World Championship Wrestling in early 1996 later facing
V.K. Wallstreet at the first annual ''
Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show'' at the
War Memorial Auditorium in
Buffalo, New York on June 7. He would appear in a backstage segment during a live interview on ''
WCW Monday Nitro'' with
Gene Okerlund,
Bobby Heenan and
Debra McMichael
Debra Gale Marshall (formerly McMichael and Williams; born March 2, 1960) is an American former Manager (professional wrestling), professional wrestling valet, occasional professional wrestler, and actress. She is best known for her appearances w ...
. After Debra McMichael was heard screaming after entering the locker room of
The Four Horsemen, Gomez attempted to help and was ambushed by Arn Anderson and Ric Flair who put Gomez in a
figure-four leglock. He would make one of his first television appearances several weeks later, defeating
Disco Inferno on ''Monday Nitro'' on June 17 in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
.
The following month, he faced The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson,
Chris Benoit and
Steve McMichael) in an 8-man tag team match with
The Renegade and
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (
Ricky Morton and
Robert Gibson) on ''Monday Nitro'' on July 1. Several days later, he would lose to Steve McMichael at
Bash at the Beach
Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994–2000. As the title implied, the show centered on a b ...
in
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...
on July 7.
He would later engage in a short-lived feud with
Dungeon of Doom teaming with
Alex Wright and
Jim Powers in a 6-man tag team match to defeat
The Leprechaun,
Hugh Morrus and
The Taskmaster via disqualification on ''Monday Nitro'' on July 22, 1996. At
Hog Wild the next month, he would again face the Dungeon of Doom losing a 6-man tag team match with Jim Powers and
Mark Starr to The Taskmaster and
The Faces of Fear (
Meng and
The Barbarian). Later that year, he would also try his luck in the newly created Cruiserweight Division losing to
Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera.
Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
at ''Monday Nitro'' on September 9, 1996.
On November 24 in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, he participated in the 3-ring 60-man battle royal at
World War 3
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since a ...
and was eliminated by
The Giant
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
. In December, he began teaming regularly with The Renegade and, appearing on ''Monday Nitro'' during the next several weeks facing the
Amazing French Canadians (
Jacques and
Pierre
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
) and
High Voltage (
Robbie Rage and
Kenny Kaos), he and The Renegade would also appear on
WCW Saturday Night where they lost to Jim Powers and
Bobby Walker on January 11, 1997.
After losing to Harlem Heat at
Clash of the Champions XXXIV in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 21, he and The Renegade split up for a time as Gomez would appear in
dark matches
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
facing Kevin Sullivan and
Lasertron on ''Monday Nitro'' during the next few weeks. Losing to Hugh Morris in a dark match at
SuperBrawl VII
SuperBrawl VII was the seventh SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on February 23, 1997 fro ...
on February 23, he would again lose to him the following night on ''Monday Nitro''.
By early March, he and The Renegade had begun teaming again as they defeated
Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
DeWayne Bruce (born August 2, 1962) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker.
Professional wrestling career
World Championsh ...
and
Sgt. Craig Pittman on
WCW Pro after Gomez pinned Buddy Lee Parker. In a rematch against Harlem Heat on March 15, they were disqualified when
The Public Enemy (
Johnny Grunge and
Rocco Rock) attacked Harlem Heat during the match. During the next two days, they would also lose matches to Jim Powers and Bobby Walker on WCW Pro and
Konnan and Hugh Morrus on ''Monday Nitro''. After Gomez was pinned by Hugh Morris, he and The Renegade began arguing after the match.
Presumably splitting up shortly after, Gomez appeared in a singles match two days later defeating Mark Starr in a dark match on WCW Saturday Night and, on ''Monday Nitro'' days later, he was attacked by his former tag team partner while attempting to come to the defense of
Chris Jericho who was being attacked by
Lord Steven Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...
after losing to Jericho. On April 14, he would also team with
Ice Train
The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...
to defeat The Extremists (
Ace Darling
Michael Maraldo (born June 27, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Ace Darling. Darling has wrestled in various independent promotions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, most notably for the East Coast W ...
and
Devon Storm) with their valet
Kimona Wanalaya in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on ''Monday Nitro''.
Feuding with The Renegade over the next few weeks, he was attacked by The Renegade after he had submitted to the "Tongan Death Grip" following a match against Meng during ''Monday Nitro'' on May 31. However, The Renegade's interference backfired as he was put in the submission hold by Meng as well.
He later defeated
Mr. JL on WCW Pro, however he would lose matches to
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2 ...
,
Konnan,
Dave Taylor and WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
Jeff Jarrett during the next two months. Seen less frequently over the next two years, in one of his last appearances he defeated
Bobby Eaton on WCW Saturday Night on March 13, 1999.
Independent circuit (1999–2006)
In 1999, he left WCW to return to
NWA Florida then under promoter Howard Brody defeating
Al Green
Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...
in Tampa on December 12. Later that month, he would also appear at a fund-raising event for the International Wrestling Federation teaming with
Pat Tanaka against
The Powers of Pain (
The Warlord and
The Barbarian) at the
Bergeron Rodeo Grounds The Bergeron Rodeo Grounds were founded in the early 1940s. They are located in the historical western theme downtown district of Davie, Florida. They serve as Davie's main tourist attraction. This indoor/outdoor facility has been building and estab ...
in
Davie, Florida.
He has remained semi-active in the Southeastern
independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
competing in
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), Maximum Pro Wrestling and
NWA Florida.
Championships and accomplishments
*All Star Wrestling
**ASW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Tatanka
*
Championship Wrestling from Florida
**
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (
1 time) – with
Mike Graham
*IWF
**IWF Tri-State Championship (8 times)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Joe
1964 births
American male professional wrestlers
Living people
Professional wrestlers from Florida
Sportspeople from Tampa, Florida
NWA Florida Tag Team Champions