Rolando Hernández Verástegui (February 1, 1915 – March 29, 2001) was a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

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 wrestling trainer, better known as Rolando Vera. One of the most popular ''

luchadores 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 ...

'' in Mexico in the 1950s, he was also an early star of

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 ...

. Vera wrestled throughout the world during his long career and held the NWA World Middleweight Champion for over four years. He also trained numerous wrestlers during his life including father-and-son

Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known by the ring name Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican film actor and ''luchador enmascarado'' (Spanish for masked professional wrestler). Blue Dem ...

and

Blue Demon Jr. Blue Demon Jr. (born July 19, 1966) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is the adopted son of the original Blue Demon and is the first Mexican and the second masked wrestler to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship thus making him a one- ...

Sangre Chicana Sangre Chicana (Spanish for "Chicano Blood") is the ring name of retired Mexican professional wrestler Andrés Durán Reyes (born November 30, 1951). Reyes made his professional wrestling debut in 1973, wearing a red mask with a gold stripe, unde ...

, Angel Mortal,

René Guajardo Manuel Guajardo Mejorado (January 4, 1933 – May 11, 1992), better known as René Guajardo, was a Mexican professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career René Guajardo was born in Villa Mainero, Tamaulipas, Mexico. At the age of 16, Gua ...

and

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 ...

Professional wrestling career

Vera was born on February 1, 1915, in

Monterrey, Nuevo León Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

. Vera was the first local star in Nuevo León. He got his training in wrestling in

Tampico, Tamaulipas Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

, while working in a petroleum plant. During his rookie year, he was a recognizable face among the other local wrestlers, as he had been an amateur wrestler before becoming a professional. Vera has a legendary reputation as a tough wrestler, but he was not always a master of submission. Also, Vera had a four-year reign as NWA World Middleweight Champion at a time when that belt was the greatest prize worldwide in ''

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 ...

''. He won the belt from

El Santo Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (23 September 1917 – 5 February 1984), known professionally as El Santo or in English The Saint, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado (Spanish for "masked professional wrestler"), actor and folk hero. He is one of the mo ...

on October 19, 1956 in his home town of Monterrey, and lost it there on October 13, 1960 to his student

. He also wrestled in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

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and the United States. Nevertheless, many consider the most important part of his career to be the time he spent as a trainer. He left as his legacy many great wrestlers, such as

, René Guajardo, Mr. Lince, and Benny Morgan. He was a great '' técnico'', an innovative wrestler (he created moves such as the ''Reinera'' and the ''Regiomontana''). He died on March 29, 2001, at 11:30 pm after a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

while he slept in his home in ''Colonia Cumbres'' in Monterrey.

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 ...

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 ...

( 1 time)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

;General sources – Championship information * ;General sources – Career * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Vera, Rolando 1915 births 2001 deaths Mexican male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Nuevo León Sportspeople from Monterrey 20th-century professional wrestlers NWA World Middleweight Champions