Pedro Morales, the WWE Hall of Famer and the company’s first Triple Crown champion, died at age of 76 on February 12th, 2019.
Morales had been the hug start of the company when it was known as the WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) and was operating in New York under Vince McMahon Sr.
His title of the WWWF World Champion lasted for three years and was an icon for the Hispanic population as they would turn out in thousands for watching his match at the famous Manhattan venue; Madison Square Garden.
Morales, who was the native of Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, moved to New York City when he was young and had his wrestling debut back in 1959 when he was only 17years old.
Morales left the wrestling momentarily and made a comeback in 1970 and managed to win the WWE Championship from Ivan Koloff at the Garden.
In 1972, to watch his battle against his close friend and former champion Bruno Sammartino in the main event of the inaugural Showdown at Shea supercard; more than 22000 fans came to watch this historic battle. The match was judged as a draw after 75 minutes in accordance with the state athletic commission’s strict 11 pm curfew.
Morales retired from wrestling back in 1987 but continued to be the brand ambassador of the sport. He also served the role of commentator for WCW and WWE’s Spanish announce teams. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 1995.
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