Martín Karadagián (April 30, 1922 — August 27, 1991) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

professional wrestler 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 ...

and actor.

Biography

Karadagián was born in the

San Telmo San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...

ward of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

to a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

mother and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

father. He learned

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...

when he was a child,Quinta Dimensión: Biography
/ref> and won his first national championship in 1947. Martin Karadagián wrestled in America from August to December 1949 wrestling in New York City and the surrounding east coast cities such as Asbury Park, New Jersey, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and Passaic, New Jersey. He wrestled under the name "The Mighty Karadagián (often misspelled Karadijian)." He also held the nickname "the wild man of South America." He was undefeated during this time defeating men like Marvin Mercer, Mike Clancy, Steve Karras, The Golden Superman, and Sam Berg. He began his career as an actor in the 1957 drama ''Reencuentro con la gloria'' (''Reencounter with Glory''), in which he played a fighter who accidentally kills his opponent. He later appeared in

Alberto Olmedo Alberto Olmedo (24 August 1933 – 5 March 1988) was an Argentine comedian and actor, popularly regarded as one of the most important comedians in the history of his country, for his outstanding work in television, cinema and theater. Olmedo ...

's 1963 comedy, '' Las Aventuras del Capitán Piluso en el castillo del terror'' (''The Adventures of Captain Piluso at the Castle of Terror''). Karadagián became well known for his recurring role in the wrestling

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

'' Titanes en el ring'' (''Titans in the ring''), which aired intermittently from 1962 to 1983. The series became popular elsewhere in Latin America, and during a 1974 episode filmed in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, Karadagián reportedly entered into a bout with presidential candidate Gerardo Wenceslao Villalobos (who won). Karadagián made his last film appearance, with the Titans of the Ring, in 1984. He appeared in a number of

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advertisements in his later years, but had developed

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, and ultimately had a leg amputated. He died in Buenos Aires in 1991, and was buried at

La Recoleta Cemetery La Recoleta Cemetery ( es, Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Recoleta Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, includi ...

.Microsemanario 30 (August 26 — September 1, 1991)
/ref> A bust of likeness was later unveiled at his Pacheco de Melo Street gym.

Championships and accomplishments

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards :*

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of t ...

( Class of 2008)

Filmography

*''Reencuentro con la gloria'' (1957) *''Las Aventuras del Capitán Piluso en el castillo del terror'' (1963) *'' El hombre invisible ataca'' (''The Invisible Man Attacks'') (1967) *''Titanes en el ring'' (1973) *''Los superagentes y la gran aventura de oro'' (''The Superagents and the Great Gold Adventure'') (1980) *''Titanes en el ring contraataca'' (1984)

References

External links

* * 1922 births 1991 deaths Argentine people of Armenian descent People from Buenos Aires Argentine male film actors Argentine male stage actors Argentine male television actors Argentine male professional wrestlers Armenian professional wrestlers Deaths from diabetes Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery 20th-century Argentine male actors Ethnic Armenian sportspeople Argentine expatriates in the United States {{Prowrestling-bio-stub