Don’t ask me why, but I’ve had my mind on Jose Luis Rivera recently. Rivera was a jobber in the WWF in the 1980s, and even though he rarely won a match, he is easily one of the most remembered prelim wrestlers ever.
Why? I’m not entirely sure. I mean, he wrestled all of the time on Saturday morning wrestling back when all you got was squash matches. Some of the jobbers from back then were just as famous as the true stars — I’m sure the Unpredictable Johnny Rodz was recognized at airports.
But Rivera had little charisma, was unspectacular in the ring, and never seemed to be a crowd favorite. Back when I started watching in 1981, he was known simply as Mac Rivera. Sometime in late 1982, he started going by Jose Luis Rivera. I don’t know the details behind the switch in names. Did a promoter originally tell him, “You look like a Mac, so that’s your ring name” ? Or maybe instead someone thought the WWF would better grab the Hispanic demographic if a Jose Luis wrestled?
Either way, I saw Rivera fight countless times on TV and watched him live at the old Boston Garden and other local venues, and I cannot remember a single match of his that stands out or who any of his opponents were.
I don’t understand how someone like that remains burned in my memory, yet I know for a fact I will never forget the name Jose Luis Rivera. Ever.
Why?
p.s. Rivera probably had his greatest run as one half of Los Conquistadores with Jose Estrada, but I’m not sure it was common knowledge at the time that Rivera was one of the golden masked men.
I remember seeing a Johnny Rivera rassle here in the WWWF in the mid-70s who went on to have a successful career in Puerto Rico along with Jose Gonzalez, but I don’t know if he & Jose Luis are one in the same. Yes, it was good for house shows to have any hispanic wrestler on the card; the undercard draws them in the seats earlier in the show. On the mid-card you had Victor Rivera (face & heel),Tito Santana, and Pedro Morales was immensely popular in the NY market as champion in the early 70s. So being the IC champion in the early 80s wouldn’t be a step down necessarily in his case because the name recognition was already established.
Now this is funny: Obsessed with Wrestling lists Rivera’s “notable feuds” as:
René Goulet, Charlie Fulton, Tiger Chung Lee, Les Thornton, The Moondogs. I swear, Rivera-Fulton is what they used to call “a main event anywhere in the world!” But I think Rivera was constantly employed because he was good at making others look good.
Not much to say about this one, as I would only think that PERHAPS (big guess here) that as you may know Gorilla Monsoon owned a part of Capital Sports Promotions (WWC in Puerto Rico) not to be confused with the Capital Wrestling Corporation of the then WWWF. (not sure of the date he sold out though!, I will check on Wikipedia!)
Anyway prior to Rivera being in the WWWF, and WWF, he was a big star down in the Caribbean. In the 70′s. And I believe, (its really hard to get records of this, even if I can read and speak SOME SPANISH!), he was called Jose Luis Rivera in WWC. I maybe WRONG.
And then if I recall properly, when he returned to this name, WWF, did not have much of a roster. And I think the idea may of been to have a “known” Hispanic talent on the roster for the house shows. I recall seeing him a lot around the horn, and he was on tons of house shows. For a guy that was considered a “jobber” at the time to be on the loop and on the house shows, I think meant he was more than a JOBBER. Don’t you think?
Regardless I do recall him, along with Rocky King in the NWA, then WCW, and countless others. For some odd reason, the one I remember the most is LEE SCOTT. Remember him? He was basically Sid Vicious’ personal bump machine. I recall weekly watching him take the “whirlly bird” from Sid and seriously and seemingly BUMP further and further each time. Also Barry Horowitz (funny he was called Brett Hart in 1984… true story, see below).
I just recently watched the ENTIRE 1983 and 1984 years of Crockett Promotions TV show World Wide Wrestling (Mid Atlantic) and I got to say that basically a lot of guys went from no names to something due to the expansion of the WWF, and the need to create “stars”. And then when Id see these beaten up, over the hill guys on WWF, Id think WOW, Blackjack Mulligan, or Angelo Mosca, or someone of this nature, they was a lot of times introduced hot and then boom into JOBBER land. But while watching this, I started to see where the idea of it all come from, meaning the enhancement talent was just as important then, to the big stars, as anything… and now, enhancement talent is called the “MID CARD SHUFFLE” in WWE.
And people wonder why no one is getting over. Jesus its not ROCKET SCIENCE man… and what if a guy like Magnum TA (whom was a huge star in Mid South for Bill Watts) did not have the jobber squashes to get over the belly to belly in 30 seconds?? This is why we remember guys like Rivera, because he made the guys we remembered as the stars the REAL STARS in our eyes.
It’s a good point about Rivera working so many shows — it seems he had a full-time job. To me, that indicates a level of respect for his abilities from the locker room.
And I do remember Lee Scott for the exact reason you mentioned with Sid Vicious. That guy made it look like he was getting his ass kicked by the big wrestlers.