José "Joseph" Serapio Palimino Gomez (April 21, 1927 – May 6, 2004) was an American

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

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuse ...

, better known by his

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 projectin ...

, Pepper Gomez. Known for his exceptional

abdominal muscles The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso ...

, he would allow rivals to perform stunts such as jumping onto his stomach from the top of a ladder or driving a

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

over his stomach, earning him the nickname "The Man with the Cast Iron Stomach". He wrestled as a

blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and po ...

Latino babyface.

Early life

Gomez was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

in 1927. While at high school, he competed at football,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

and track. He attended

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

, where he played football as a

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

Bodybuilding career

In 1947, Gomez began participating in

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

. His training partners included

Armand Tanny Armand Tanny (March 5, 1919 – April 4, 2009) was an American Muscle Beach bodybuilder. He won national titles in 1949 and 1950. After attending the University of Rochester, he moved to Los Angeles, transferring to UCLA. He enlisted in ...

and Joe Gold. He took part in a series of bodybuilding competitions over the next five years, winning the " Mr. Muscle Beach" contest in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

in 1950. In 1951, he placed fifth in the AAU Mr. America contest. Gomez was featured in the November 1948 issue of ''

Strength & Health ''Strength & Health'' was a bodybuilding/fitness/Olympic weightlifting magazine, one of the earliest magazines devoted to fitness and bodybuilding. Until the late 1960s, it was the most popular weightlifting magazine in the United States. It was p ...

'' and the January 1952 issue of ''Muscle Power''.

Professional wrestling career

Pepper Gomez - Mesquite Wrestling Official Program - 14 April 1960

Gomez was trained to wrestle by

Black Guzmán Miguel Guzmán Huerta (1916 – December 1, 1973) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or ''Luchador'' as they are known in Spanish, who worked under the ring names Miguel Guzmán and Black Guzmán, a nickname he had earned due to his tan skin co ...

. He debuted in January 1953 in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

. Early in his career, he toured

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

with the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

-based Big Time Wrestling promotion, winning the Northwest Tag Team Championship three times in 1953. In the mid-1950s, Gomez joined the

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

-based promotion Big Time Wrestling, winning the

NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today. The title has us ...

15 times between 1955 and 1971. Gomez also held the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship on ten occasions between 1955 and 1961 and the Texas-version of the

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA Worl ...

five times between 1958 and 1961. In the early-1960s, Gomez began competing for the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

-based American Wrestling Alliance (later renamed Big Time Wrestling). In 1962, Gomez embarked on a heated

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...

with

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty ...

. After Stevens convinced Gomez to allow him to jump off a ladder onto Gomez' stomach, Stevens instead delivered his signature "Bombs Away"

diving knee drop Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

to Gomez' throat, leaving him coughing up blood. Gomez and Stevens went on to wrestle in a series of matches that sold-out the

Cow Palace The Cow Palace (originally the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena located in Daly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboring San Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a po ...

and the

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena Oakland Arena is an indoor arena located in Oakland, California, United States. From its opening in 1966 until 1996, it was known as the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. After a major renovation completed in 1997, the arena was renamed ...

. Gomez won the vacant AWA United States Heavyweight Championship in July 1962, losing the championship to Stevens in February 1963. Gomez also held the AWA World Tag Team Championship on three occasions between 1963 and 1968 and the San Francisco version of the

on seven occasions between 1963 and 1977. In the late-1960s, Gomez began competing for the

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

-based

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

. He began a heated feud with Killer Kowalski after Kowalski delivered a knee drop to his throat in an echo of the Ray Stevens angle. The feud saw Kowalski unable to apply his signature stomach claw to Gomez' muscular stomach. In the mid-1970s, Gomez joined the Indianapolis,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

-based World Wrestling Association. In November 1975, he defeated

Ox Baker Douglas Albert Baker Sr. (April 19, 1934 – October 20, 2014) was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known professionally as Ox Baker. He was famous for his distinctive eyebrows and finishing move, the Heart Punch, sometimes ca ...

for the WWA World Heavyweight Championship. He held the championship until May 1976, when he was defeated by The Masked Strangler. Gomez also won the WWA World Tag Team Championship with Wilbur Snyder in 1974 and 1978. Gomez retired in 1982. He went on to work as a ''

maître d' ''Maître'' (spelled ''Maitre'' according to post-1990 spelling rules) is a commonly used honorific for lawyers, judicial officers and notaries in France, Belgium, Switzerland and French-speaking parts of Canada. It is often written in its abbr ...

'' in a restaurant in

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street. ...

Personal life

Gomez was of Mexican descent. He had five children. At the time of his death, he was married to Bonnie.

Death

Gomez underwent surgery in April 2004 and was placed on

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

. He died of

gastritis Gastritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Other poss ...

on May 6, 2004.

In popular culture

A minor character in the 2008 video game ''

Fallout 3 ''Fallout 3'' is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The third major installment in the ''Fallout'' series, it is the first game to be developed by Bethesda after acquiring ...

'' is named after Gomez.

Championships and accomplishments

Bodybuilding

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

**"Junior Mr. America" (8th, 1952) **" Mr. America" (5th, 1951) **"Mr. California" (2nd (Tall), 1947; 5th, 1952) **"Mr. Los Angeles" (2nd, 1947; 3rd, 1949; 3rd, 1950; 2nd; 1951; 3rd, 1952) **"Mr. Pacific Coast" (4th; 1948) **"Mr. Western America" (3rd, 1947) *Miscellaneous **"Mr. Muscle Beach" (winner, 1950)

Professional wrestling

* Big Time Wrestling ''(Boston)'' **BTW New England Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * American Wrestling Alliance / Big Time Wrestling ''(San Francisco)'' ** AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **AWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with José Lothario (1 time) and

Pedro Morales Pedro Antonio Morales (October 22, 1942 – February 12, 2019) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation ...

(2 times) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(San Francisco version)'' (7 times) – with

(2 times), Jose Lothario (1 time), Al Madril (1 time),

Pat Patterson Pat Patterson (born Pierre Clermont; January 19, 1941 – December 2, 2020) was a Canadian-American professional wrestler and producer, widely known for his long tenure in the professional wrestling promotion WWE, first as a wrestler, then as ...

(1 time),

Peter Maivia Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia (born Fanene Pita Anderson; April 6, 1937 – June 13, 1982) better known as Peter Maivia was a Samoan-American professional wrestler. Maivia was the maternal grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and was also part o ...

(1 time), and

Rocky Johnson Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Televisi ...

(1 time) * Big Time Wrestling ''(British Columbia)'' **Northwest Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Johnny Demchuck (2 times) and Ivan Kameroff (1 time) * Big Time Wrestling ''(Texas)'' **

(15 times)* ** NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bill Melby (1 time), Cyclone Anaya (1 time), Dory Dixon (2 times), Hogan Wharton (1 time), Larry Chene (1 time), Luigi Macera (1 time), El Medico (2 times), and Rito Romero (2 times) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Texas version)'' (5 times) – with El Medico (1 time), Rito Romero (1 time), Ciclone Anaya (1 time), Torbellino Blanco/ Wilbur Snyder (1 time), and Dory Dixon (1 time) *

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...

**Other honoree (1992) *

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to a ...

** NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ''(Florida version)'' (1 time) * NWA Hollywood Wrestling **

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. The championship began as the WWA World Tag Team Championship ...

(1 time) – with Black Gordman * Western States Sports ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Amarillo version)'' ( 1 time) - with Jose Lothario *

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

** NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Herb Freeman * World Wrestling Association ** WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** WWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Wilbur Snyder

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Pepper 1927 births 2004 deaths 20th-century professional wrestlers American bodybuilders American male professional wrestlers American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent NWA Southern Heavyweight Champions (Florida version) People associated with physical culture People from Los Angeles Professional wrestlers from California NWA Americas Tag Team Champions