Hugo Savinovich
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Hugo Savinovich (born February 15, 1959) is an Ecuadorian sports commentator and retired
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
professional wrestling manager In professional wrestling, a manager is a supporting character paired with a wrestler (or wrestlers) for a variety of reasons. A physically attractive woman accompanying, or "seconding", a male wrestler to a match is sometimes referred to as a v ...
. He is currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA as a Spanish commentator. He is best known as part of the
Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
commentary team for the
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
from 1994 to 2011.


Early life

Savinovich moved from Ecuador with his family to the
Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...
. Has wrestled for many years, performing in many Caribbean countries like
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
,
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, and the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
. He claims that becoming a professional wrestler literally saved his life, as he was originally a gang member in the streets of New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He joined the sport under the guidance of Angel "El Toro" Maldonado. Mexican wrestling promoter Arturo Mendoza took him to Puerto Rico to work in his Wrestling company based in the west part of the island.


Professional wrestling career

Savinovich began his wrestling career in working for promoter Angel "El Toro" Maldonado in New York as the masked La Pantera Asesina. Later worked for Arturo Mendoza who ran wrestling shows in the west area of Puerto Rico. Moved on to the
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
in 1978. He was originally a " tecnico" (the Spanish wrestling term for a "
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
", or "good guy"); after breaking up with Mendoza and his original wrestling partner, Little Chief Cherokee, he joined the local
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
franchise in Puerto Rico, Capitol Sport Promotions (owned partially by
Carlos Colón Carlos Edwin Colón González Sr. (born July 18, 1948) is a Puerto Rican wrestling promoter and former professional wrestler, better known as Carlitos Colón or simply Carlos Colón. He is, along with Victor Jovica, an owner of the Puerto Rican ...
), where he gained notoriety for being one of the "
rudo Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants. It is f ...
" wrestlers (i.e., "
heels The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exert ...
", or wrestling villains), with a penchant for flamboyancy and self-promotion that gained him his most famous ring name, "El Muñecazo" ("The Big Baby Doll"). Savinovich is on record as stating that he modeled his role after
Gorgeous George George Raymond Wagner (March 23, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeou ...
, although his looks were particular to him and him alone (long hair with a mullet and
David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
-like gaped teeth). He did promote his wrestlers using a high-pitched voice and fast narrative style, inspired in soccer transmitions, and which he pioneered in Puerto Rico, since then called ''"estilo lucha libre"'' (''"wrestling style"''), but a style that he copied from legendary Mexican sports announcer Gilberto Alberto Morales Villela, better known as Dr. Alfonso Morales, who was a prominent boxing and lucha libre Play-By-Play announcer and commentator. He would tour the United States for
Western States Sports Western States Sports (also known as the Amarillo Territory) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion headquartered in Amarillo, Texas in the United States. Founded by Dory Detton in 1946, the promotion enjoyed its ...
and
Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level rival ...
in 1980 and Japan for
All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
in 1984. Hugo managed some the most notorious heels in professional wrestling such as
Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling matc ...
,
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 c ...
, The Sheik and
Buddy Landell William Fritz Ensor (August 14, 1961 – June 22, 2015) was an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel. He was best known for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories. Early lif ...
until he had a fallout with Barrabas Sr becoming a face in 1984. Savinovich eventually became a partner at World Wrestling Council, only to split with Colón a few years after in a rather acrimonious business disputes with the company management forced him to leave and joined the rival American Wrestling Federation. In 1991, Savinovich would come out of retirement after seven years and feud with
Billy Joe Travis Gary Keith Mize (April 29, 1961 – November 23, 2002), better known by his ring name Billy Travis or Billy Joe Travis, was an American professional wrestler. He is most known for his time in Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) and the United S ...
, which would last a couple years in WWC and AWF. During his wrestler run, he wrestled names like
Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
,
Eric Embry Douglas Eric Embry (born July 10, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Championship Wrestling from Florida, World Class Championship Wrestling, and the United States Wrestling Association. H ...
and his biggest rival, El Profe. His last high profiled match was when he teamed with Kane to defeat
Chicky Starr José Anibal Laureano Colón (born June 24, 1958) is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler and manager. He is better known by his ring name, Chicky Starr. He's currently the general manager of the International Wrestling Association (IWA ...
and Victor The Bodyguard on April, 7 2001 for
IWA Puerto Rico The International Wrestling Association is a conglomerate of professional wrestling promotions that originated in Puerto Rico and currently operates there and in the state of Florida. Founded in 1999 by promoter Víctor Quiñones (who had also cr ...
.


Sports Commentary and Reporter

While working for Arturo Mendoza, Mendo noticed that Savinovich had the skills needed for a wrestling announcer. Savinovich later became an announcer in the World Wrestling Council, when he replaced Rickyn Sánchez who left the promotion in the fall of 1984. He remained there until November 1991, when he joined the American Wrestling Federation who ran in opposition to the World Wrestling Council. In 1994, Savinovich accepted an offer from the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
to work as a Spanish announcer. He was paired with
Carlos Cabrera Carlos Rodrigo Cabrera (born October 18, 1959) is a Colombian former newsman and formerly employed with WWE, where he was one half of the company's Spanish announce team in which he is the play-by-play announcer. His longtime broadcast partner w ...
to host the Spanish language versions of ''
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'', ''
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'', '' Superstars'', ''
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
'', and
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
(PPV) events. Savinovich and Cabrera provided live Spanish commentary for all weekly shows from the WWE Television Studios in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
and sat ringside for PPV events. This practice temporarily ended in mid-2006. Originally due to the addition of the now-defunct ''
ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...
'' brand, the announce teams of all three
brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
were present for tri-branded
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
s (
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
,
WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
,
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, and
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
). During this time, Savinovich and Cabrera provided commentary for these events from the WWE Television Studios, but were still placed at ringside for brand-exclusive PPV events. When the brand-exclusive pay-per-view concept ended in 2007, the announce teams of all three brands were placed at ringside for all PPV events. Beginning in 2009, a single three-man announce team, composed of announcers from the two current brands, was designated for pay-per-views. Savinovich and Cabrera returned to ringside for PPVs at The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania in 2009. However, they were not reinstated full-time until
WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI (also written as WrestleMania 26) was the 26th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown ...
in 2010. The Spanish announcers' table has become a staple in professional wrestling. It is a convenient device for wrestlers to execute dramatic moves on, such as the Piledriver or the
Pedigree Pedigree may refer to: Breeding * Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals ** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart) ** Pedigree (animal ...
. The moves almost always result in the destruction of the table. One of the most famous on-air incidents that Savinovich was involved in with WWE was at ''
WrestleMania XIX WrestleMania XIX was the 19th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The event took pl ...
'', when he accidentally received a chair shot to the head from
Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
in the match between Hogan and
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...
after McMahon ducked a chair shot. He was unable to continue with the broadcast and Cabrera had to finish the show by himself. Savinovich and Cabrera had a show at WWE.com called ''WWE En Español'' (WWE in Spanish), each episode of whice lasted about 30 minutes; it was a recap of ''Raw'', ''SmackDown'', ''NXT'', and pay-per-view events. The show celebrated its 100th episode in April 2006. WWE later launched a mini-show starring Hugo and Carlos called ''28 Segundos'', which consists of the announcers making fun of life. The show is in Spanish and can be found on WWE.com. In 2009 Savinovich returned to the World Wrestling Council after a 17-year absence, and the 2009 WWC Anniversary Card was dedicated to him. Savinovich was fired from WWE on October 5, 2011, although he only announced his dismissal on October 19 of that year. The details of his firing are not entirely clear, but different versions indicate that he did not leave on good terms with WWE, given that WWE did not say goodbye to the commentator on its official website. Savinovich was a guest commentator at the
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...
Triplemania XXI. Also at that event, he was in El Mesias' corner in a match against
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- ...
for the AAA Latin American Championship. During the inaugural season of Lucha Underground in 2014, there were two versions of the commentary shot, an English version with
Matt Striker Matthew Kaye (born June 26, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling commentator, actor and former high school teacher, using the ring name Matt Striker. During his career he has worked for WWE, Impact Wrestling, Luch ...
and
Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...
, and a Spanish version that was broadcast on Unimas, with Savinovich doing the play-by-play. Vampiro did the color commentary for the Spanish version also. In recent years Hugo Savinovich has been announcing for AAA in Mexico and promoting pro wrestling in Florida and throughout South America and Puerto Rico. In early January 2019, it was reported that Savinovich had signed with
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
as a Spanish commentator. He worked the events Double or Nothing and All Out along with
Alex Abrahantes Alex Abrahantes is an American professional wrestler and manager signed to All Elite Wrestling. For over 20 years, Abrahantes has worked in the professional wrestling industry. Abrahantes is also the manager for the Death Triangle ( Pentagón J ...
and Dasha Gonzalez. On March 16, 2019, at the Rey de Reyes event during a segment,
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
appointed Savinovich as a commentator for All Elite Wrestling (recently allied with AAA) sometime that he accepted. Savinovich participated in two PPVs in Spanish for AEW, however, due to contractual problems with AAA and other internal issues with AEW, he was not hired again. Hugo Savinovich currently works for Lucha Libre Triple A in Mexico as a Spanish Commentator. Hugo also works as head of creative staff for AAA along with
Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...
and AAA’s owner, Dorian Roldán. He also works for GWE in Panamá as a commentator and executive producer. Hugo was hired by wrestling promoter Darko Navarro to be the face of the pro wrestling company Wrestling Superstar along with Navarro in Chile. Savinovich also works for WAR in Ecuador, and for NGCW in Florida as a Producer, Commentator and Main Booker. He also worked for Imperio Lucha Libre in Perú. Hugo is currently a pro wrestling reporter in the spanish speaking community. He is part of Lucha Libre Online, along with Javier González and Michael Morales Torres. His work of reporting has been quoted by sources like Forbes, New York Post, among others, but not for his good work. He works live reports after WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling and AAA’s events on their Facebook Page. Hugo acts as an analyst of the latest wrestling events, while giving his point of view.


Controversies

Savinovich reported in November 2019 that WWE wrestlers were kidnapped in Saudi Arabia. In July 2020, he was involved in a controversy because throug
Superluchas.com
Jerry McDevitt, WWE's main lawyer, denied his version that the WWE Superstars had been kidnapped in Saudi Arabia in November 2019. In August 2020, Savinovich wanted to promote an interview with wrestler
Karrion Kross Kevin Kesar (born July 19, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Karrion Kross alongside his real life wife Scarlett Bordeaux. Prior to his time at WWE, Ke ...
, with whom he was good friends since they both worked at Lucha Libre AAA. However, Savinovich revealed in a live broadcast that Kross had allegedly been a hit man for the mafia in his youth. This caused quite a stir in the world of wrestling. However, hours later Savinovich had to apologize to the fans and Kross for his words and tried to hide behind a false translation error of his words into English. This error never existed, as proven by the video of the live broadcast. SUPER LUCHAS debunked that Kross had been a real murderer in his youth and revealed that Savinovich only wanted, through clickbait and exaggerating the
Kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...
, to generate money for his YouTube channel Lucha Libre Online. Savinovich revealed that Kross called him quite angry to ask for an explanation for his words. And while Savinovich said the two were still friends, the reality is that the relationship between them broke down and Kross never gave Savinovich the announced interview.


Critics

Lucha Libre Online, the project that Savinovich works on, has been criticized for its tabloid style of journalism and its tendency to clickbait. Savinovich himself has been criticized for allegedly taking a victim position when criticized, claiming that he cannot do anything wrong by being a religious pastor. During 2020 he started many auctions, stating that they are meant to help needy communities. However, this has been questioned since less money has been sent to the beneficiaries and also due to the delivery of that money to other evangelical pastors led by Savinovich. Savinovich has been criticized by media such as Super Luchas, to which the latter he has denied claiming that he is not as important a medium as the one he runs.


Personal life

Savinovich was once married to former female wrestler
Wendi Richter Victoria "Wendi" Richter (born September 8, 1961) is an American retired professional wrestler. She began her professional wrestling career in companies such as the National Wrestling Alliance, where she teamed with Joyce Grable, with whom she ...
until the couple divorced. In 1990 he married Diana Mendéz and has two sons: Jovannie and Genaro. Diana Mendéz died on November 1, 2019, after a long battle with cancer. On March 22, 1997, Savinovich suffered a severe episode of depression due to drug use and various personal problems that almost led him to commit suicide in a hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, just one day before WrestleMania 13. In April of that year he was arrested in a raid on his apartment in New York City. He returned to WWE in 1998, after being sentenced to eight years in jail for which he paid on probation. He is a
born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
and travels most of South and Central America sharing his Christian testimony. Hugo is the author of his own autobiography book, Atángana Ring de Tentaciones. He has announced that will be publishing a second book in 2024.


Championships and accomplishments

*
Western States Sports Western States Sports (also known as the Amarillo Territory) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion headquartered in Amarillo, Texas in the United States. Founded by Dory Detton in 1946, the promotion enjoyed its ...
**
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship The NWA International Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling title, originally created as the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports. The title wa ...
( 1 time) - with Mitsu Ishikawa *L&G Promotions ** L&G Caribbean Heavyweight Championship ( 4 times) *Dominican Wrestling Federation **DWF World Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Relámpago Hernández


''Luchas de Apuestas'' record


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Savinovich, Hugo 1959 births Converts to Christianity Ecuadorian male professional wrestlers Ecuadorian emigrants to the United States Ecuadorian people of Croatian descent Living people Sportspeople from Guayaquil Professional wrestling announcers Professional wrestling promoters Professional wrestling managers and valets All Elite Wrestling personnel