Manuel Guajardo Mejorado (January 4, 1933 – May 11, 1992), better known as René Guajardo, was a
Mexican professional wrestler
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
.
Professional wrestling career
René Guajardo was born in
Villa Mainero,
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities.
It is located in nor ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. At the age of 16, Guajardo decided to become a professional
luchador. He joined a wrestling gym in
Monterrey, Nuevo León
Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
, where he was trained by Gerardo Rodríguez Pérez (Zandor wrestler), Chema López and
Rolando Vera. René made his debut in 1954 against Oso Negro. His hard work and determination caught the eye of
EMLL
Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
recruiters who offered him a contract with their promotion company. He debuted for
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) in
Arena Coliseo
Arena Coliseo is an indoor arena in Mexico City, Mexico, located at República del Perú 77 in the Cuauhtémoc, D.F., Cuauhtémoc Boroughs of the Mexican Federal District, borough. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''luch ...
on October 8 of that same year.
During his first three years in the business, he wrestled as a
técnico, but in 1957 he watched the then rudo
Karloff Lagarde
Carlos Delucio Lagarde (July 27, 1928 – August 31, 2007) was best known as Karloff Lagarde, a Mexican '' Luchador'', or professional wrestler, who was immensely popular during the 1960s and 1970s. Through his career had faced most of Mexico's ...
wrestle in Monterrey and started to wonder if he'd have more success as a
rudo
Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, 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 famous throughout form ...
. René and Karloff would eventually become good friends. Lagarde was already an established main event star and held the National Welterweight Title, however, most main event matches were between
Tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
s, and he knew that he would have more success as a member of a tag team. Lagarde believed the young luchador had a lot of raw talent so he proposed that the two form a team, an offer which Guajardo accepted. After teaming with Lagarde, he began competing in main event matches in a matter of weeks. Guajardo thrived in the spotlight, his technical skills combined with his violent and energetic style made him one of the most hated rudos in Mexico. He was referred to as "un rudo con recursos" (a rudo with technical resources). On October 13, 1960, Guajardo defeated his mentor Rolando Vera in a match for the
NWA World Middleweight Championship
The NWA World Middleweight Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) between 1939 and 2010. For most of its existence, it was defended in the Mexican ''lu ...
. For the next 13 years, Guajardo would exchange that title with
Antonio Posa,
Rayo de Jalisco,
Aníbal,
Jerry London and
Ray Mendoza.
During the 60s, Ray Mendoza, Lagarde and Guajardo formed an alliance both inside and outside of the ring. In the ring, they competed alongside one another, outside of it, they were top negotiators. The pressure the three wrestlers placed on EMLL helped improve the conditions of other wrestlers working for that promotion. Guajardo and Lagarde's team, now known as "Los Rebeldes" (The Rebels), became National Tag Team champions in 1962. Guajardo, Lagarde and Mendoza would often team with one another, so when Lagarde and Mendoza were competing as a team, Guajardo would align himself with Rolando Vera and Benny Galán. On June 22, 1967, Guajardo achieved one of the greatest victories of his wrestling career when he defeated
El Santo
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (23 September 1917 – 5 February 1984), best known by his ring name El Santo (English language, English: "The Saint"), was a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador Wrestling mask, enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestlin ...
for the
Mexican National Middleweight Championship, a title which Santo held for four years. Guajardo held the title for a few months until he lost it on March 9, 1968 to
Alberto Muñoz
Ismael Muñoz Lopez (January 15, 1943 – December 15, 2019) was a Mexican ''Lucha libre, Luchador'' or professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known under the ring name Alberto Muñoz. Muñoz was active from 1964 until the 1980s. Muñ ...
. Guajardo regained the title on November 20, 1969, then lost it for the final time on May 13, 1970. In 1967, the Rebeldes team split up violently and both men started a long feud that culminated in their famous 1968 singles bout which saw Guajardo emerge victoriously.
When the famous EMLL split came in 1974, Guajardo, Mendoza and Lagarde played an instrumental role in the newly formed
Universal Wrestling Association
The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Promociones Mora y Asociados and ...
. On November 26, 1975, Guajardo became the first ever
UWA World Middleweight Championship
The UWA World Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship originally created and sanctioned by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) ...
by defeating Anibal in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. He would later lose the title then regain it on October 31, 1976 from
Gran Hamada
, better known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler, the first to adopt the high-flying Mexican lucha libre style. He wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Universal Wrestling Federation, Michinoku Pro, and All Japan Pro ...
, and finally lose it again on October 2, 1977 to Anibal.
Guajardo also began promoting "La Division del Norte" (The Northern Division) which was based in Monterrey and
Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
. His promotion company was very successful as it featured a less traditional style of wrestling that included a lot of ringside brawling and the use of bottles, chairs and illegal objects to "spice up" the matches. Guajardo competed sporadically until 1982 when he quietly retired from the ring.
During his career, Guajardo won several wager matches against famous wrestlers, such as Halcon de Oro, Ray Mendoza,
Black Shadow, Felipe Ham Lee, Chino Chow, Yamamoto and
Perro Aguayo. He also appeared in four
lucha libre action films. René Guajardo continued working as a wrestling promoter until his death on May 11, 1992, as a result of complications resulting from liver cancer. In 1996, he was inducted into the
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...
.
René 'Copetes' Guajardo - Filmography by year
/ref>
Championships and accomplishments
* Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre
:* Mexican National Middleweight Championship ( 2 times)
:* Mexican National Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) - with Karloff Lagarde
Carlos Delucio Lagarde (July 27, 1928 – August 31, 2007) was best known as Karloff Lagarde, a Mexican '' Luchador'', or professional wrestler, who was immensely popular during the 1960s and 1970s. Through his career had faced most of Mexico's ...
:*NWA World Middleweight Championship
The NWA World Middleweight Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) between 1939 and 2010. For most of its existence, it was defended in the Mexican ''lu ...
( 6 times)
*Universal Wrestling Association
The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Promociones Mora y Asociados and ...
:*UWA World Middleweight Championship
The UWA World Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship originally created and sanctioned by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) ...
( 2 times)
*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 (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...
( Class of 1996)
''Luchas de Apuestas'' record
References
;General sources - Championship Information
*
;General sources - Career
*
*
;Specific
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guajardo, Rene
1933 births
1992 deaths
Mexican male professional wrestlers
Mexican male film actors
20th-century Mexican male actors
Professional wrestlers from Tamaulipas
Mexican National Middleweight Champions
Mexican National Tag Team Champions
NWA World Middleweight Champions
UWA World Middleweight Champions