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96-793: The championship received its current name following a match between Carlos Colón (WWC World Heavyweight Champion) and Ric Flair ( NWA World Heavyweight Champion ) where the "Champion of the Universe" was supposed to be determined. The first champion was Abdullah the Butcher , who was billed as champion upon the title's creation. Since being established, the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship has been held by forty-nine different wrestlers and has also been held up on nineteen occasions and vacated or stripped thirteen times. The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship

192-466: A Cell PPV and a Fatal 4-Way tag team match at TLC. Cesaro dumped Colter as his manager on the Raw following WrestleMania XXX , instead revealing that he was a new client of Paul Heyman . Colter also started a feud with Paul Heyman , after accusing Heyman of "stealing" Cesaro from him. With The Real Americans dissolved, Swagger and Colter turned face by confronting Lana and Rusev . At SummerSlam , Colter

288-496: A TV wrestling show as he was responsible for four hours a week, 52 weeks a year, for a total of 208 hours a year for five years straight. His ratings also set records as his shows regularly ranged in the 12 to 15 range, with his highest being an 18.1, with a 55 share of the TV viewing audience while working for WWC in 2000. In 2003, Mantel began work behind the scenes as a writer/producer/agent for TNA Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and as

384-459: A beach on Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, with assistance from editors Ric Gross and Mark James. In December 2010, Mantel released his second book "Tales From a Dirt Road". On March 3, 2011, Mantel wrestled in the place of Jamie Dundee at XCW Midwest in Corydon IN. He took on local heel Lone Star, further cementing his semi-active status as a part-time wrestler. On March 22, 2011, Mantel was added to

480-466: A cage match, which Yurnet won to become the 50th Universal Heavyweight Champion. At Aniversario 2015, he defeated Carly Colón to retain. During his reign as champion, Yurnet would wear the belt in his appearances outside of Puerto Rico, carrying it with him in matches throughout the independent circuit of the United States and Canada. In an interview with WrestleZone, he explained that his intention

576-511: A champion vs. champion match between both. The title has also been acknowledged in another New York metropolitan area promotion, Amaro Productions, being referred to as the "WWC Campeon de Universal" while promoting a tour featuring former champion Figueroa in 2013. In 2014, during its brief alliance with the World Wrestling League (WWL), WWC allowed some of its talent to participate in cards held abroad by that promotion, while

672-411: A controversial finish. On September 26, 2009, Torres was booked to defeat Rosado, winning both belts and unifying the title, holding it for a day before dropping them to Shane Sewell. On November 1, 2009, Sewell and the incumbent IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, Joe Bravo , performed in a Dominican Wrestling Entertainment event, with Bravo's DWE Dominican National Championship being held up after

768-463: A full-time member of the booking/creative team. Mantel was instrumental in several successful creations for the company, most notably the TNA Knockouts division that helped to reinvigorate interest in women's wrestling in the United States. Mantel is credited with bringing Awesome Kong to TNA at Bound for Glory 2007 , along with her handler/manager, Raisha Saeed . On July 31, 2009, Mantel

864-590: A match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . However, the outcome of this match was not made official or aired on NWA television. Flair received the belt back in a phantom title change that took place on January 23, 1983. Later that year, Colón required hospitalization due to injury following a match against Bruiser Brody. This loss was publicized and made the covers of El Nuevo Día and El Vocero , both of which are mainstream newspapers. Two weeks later, Colón defeated Brody in

960-430: A match. This event led to the championship being vacated for the first time. He subsequently competed in a tournament to determine the new champion where he won it for a fifth time. After this he was involved in an angle where Hercules Ayala turned on him and won the championship. This led to the organization of several matches, before he won it on a rematch. Sadistic Steve Strong was the next champion, upon his entrance to

1056-568: A member at the gym they trained at in New York, practicing wrestling moves and cleaning the place occasionally to pay his dues. His dedication and affability helped him gain the respect of his peers, as well as the occasional wrestling match. His first bout occurred in Boston, Massachusetts , on February 16, 1966, when he wrestled Hobo Brazil. Colon was paid US$ 15.00 for his participation in his first match. He eventually became an itinerant wrestler in

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1152-399: A new belt design to Top Rope Belts in 2008, with the company creating a new template and design to create "something special". The new plaques were created to preserve a "classic feel to [them]" as noted by the manufacturer, which can be discerned with the re-design and relocation of several elements of the classic plaques, such as the eagle (now two smaller eagles flanking a much larger globe),

1248-412: A non-title match against "Toras Balboa" (subbing for the advertised Black Gordman), and Dory Funk Jr wrestling to a draw with Hercules Ayala. So the date of Funk winning the title from Colon is unknown. After a rematch ended in a draw, the title was held up for the first time since its foundation. After Colón defeated Flair, he would go on several undefeated streaks; this lasted until Funk "injured" him in

1344-473: A promotional company, Capitol Sports Promotions , which aired wrestling television shows each Saturday and Sunday on WAPA-TV . He wrestled during a time where local stars such as Barrabas, Black Georgie, and Miguel Pérez Sr. shared the spotlight with international wrestlers such as Argentine-born Rocca, Cuban-born Huracán Castillo and others. He set the stage for local stars such as Los Super Médicos, Los Invaders and Chicky Starr to develop. His wrestling company

1440-408: A rematch the following month. At Aniversario 2013 he teamed with Stacy Colón and defeated José Huertas González and "La Tigresa" Soldelina Vargas. Colón announced another short-lived retirement. He returned at Lockout 2013, resuming this feud by losing to Huertas González in an ambulance match, with both wrestling a no contest at Euphoria 2014. Colón's name began being rumored as a possible inductee to

1536-632: A rematch. In December 1983, Capitol Sports Promotions began a feud between Colón and Flair, which included a skit where the NWA champion criticized Capitol's title claiming that he was the only "real world champion", leading to a steel cage match to determine the "undisputed champion of the Universe". The encounter headlined an event held in Bayamón on December 18, 1983. Colón won cleanly, and the WWC World Heavyweight Championship

1632-500: A retirement ceremony earlier in the event. Torres won the tournament, defeating Colón by pinfall. After 36 days with the title, Torres left the company while still the champion and retaining physical possession of the belt, signing a contract with a promotion named Extreme Wrestling Organization, who was in association with a publicity company known as Wrestle Event, which facilitated the loan of large facilities. Shortly after, EWO's partnership with Wrestle Event dissolved and Torres joined

1728-516: A sold out red hot Memphis crowd. The match went a record 26 falls, taking one hour and 15 minutes to accomplish. The match saw Dutch Mantell reach his feet before Landell. In 1990, he worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a commentator on WCW WorldWide alongside Tony Schiavone and in 1991, WCW created a stable known as "the Desperados" consisting of Dutch Mantell, Black Bart and Deadeye Dick . The Desperados were packaged with

1824-402: A spot where Flair would criticize Capitol's championship, claiming that he was the only "real world champion". This led to a match on December 18, 1983 where both wrestlers competed in an event organized at Bayamón, Puerto Rico . The match was billed as a fight to determine the "undisputed champion of the Universe", and it took place inside a steel cage. Flair lost the match and Colón was declared

1920-460: A title defense which led to the fictional box and wrestling commission's decision to vacate the championship and award it to the number one contender, who at the moment was Miguel "Biggie Size" Maldonado. On December 29, 2007, the Universal championship was announced as "held-up" following the events where he was declared the champion following Hall's absence to Lockout . The commission's decision

2016-418: A tournament to determine the next champion. Eliminatories for this event lasted for six months, using a points system to select the finalists. The final was scheduled for July 19, 2008, as part of Aniversario 2008 , with Daniel Torres (otherwise known as Noriega) and Orlando Colón advancing to it. A new belt (designed by Mike Nicolau) was introduced, while the former design was awarded to Carlos Colón, who held

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2112-446: A transdermal monitoring device that would test the wearer's blood every 30 minutes. The bill, the first of its kind in the United States, had been pushed by Keown's family and went into effect July 1, 2014. Keown has a surviving granddaughter (Amelia's sister), in addition to their mother, Amanda, his daughter. In November 2024, a GoFundMe appeal was launched to help Mantel and his family pay for medical bills after he and his wife had

2208-486: A video to invite Beck to appear on Raw while justifying that the storyline was designed to elicit a crowd response for the protagonist, Alberto Del Rio , and the antagonists, Swagger and Colter. Beck rejected the invitation. On the April 8 episode of Raw , Colter teamed with Swagger in a Handicap match against Del Rio, though Colter never officially entered the ring, they were defeated by Del Rio by submission on Swagger. On

2304-689: A wrestler and manager with various promotions. The duo also produce a second show called Ask Dutch Anything , in which Mantell answer questions that are submitted by fans of their primary show. Keown regularly appeared as Zeb Colter in the WWE web series The JBL and Cole Show , until its cancellation in June 2015. Keown has appeared in two WWE video games as a manager (as Zeb Colter). He made his in-game debut at WWE 2K15 and appears in WWE 2K16 . In 2019, Keown narrated 5 episodes in season 1 of Dark Side of

2400-468: Is also the father of his nephew and fellow wrestler, Orlando Colón , known by the ring name of Epico. Colón's career has left him with over 70 scars on his forehead. He has publicly stated that he exhibits them with pride, considering them the proof that reflects the arduous work done during all of the bloody bouts in which he has been involved. Colón is WWE's representative in Puerto Rico, promoting

2496-564: Is an American professional wrestling manager , booker and retired professional wrestler , better known by the ring name Dutch Mantel (also spelled Dutch Mantell ). Since May 2022, Mantell has co-hosted Story Time with Dutch Mantell , hosted by James Romero on the WSI Network. Keown debuted in 1972, as Wayne Cowan . He achieved fame in the regional and independent circuits , as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as " Dirty " Dutch Mantell . Keown also worked with

2592-615: Is credited with this feat. Carlos Col%C3%B3n Sr. Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Carlos Edwin Colón González Sr. (born July 18, 1948) is a Puerto Rican wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler, better known as Carlitos Colón or simply Carlos Colón . He is, along with Victor Jovica , an owner of the Puerto Rican wrestling promotion World Wrestling Council (WWC), where he has held

2688-446: Is the longest in the history of the title, as he held the title for 655 days. Three wrestlers are tied for the shortest reign in history, with all three lasting less than one day, these are Carly Colón's 11th reign and Vampiro and Lance Hoyt's lone reigns. Unofficially, BJ is recognized as the youngest wrestler to win the championship at 20 years and 357 days. However, for storyline purposes, Ray González 's reign at 21 years and 355 days

2784-603: The National Wrestling Alliance . Mantel was instrumental in the careers of several huge wrestling stars of the nineties, including the Blade Runners, who later went on to achieve fame as Sting and The Ultimate Warrior . The Undertaker and Kane both were early recipients of Mantel's astute wrestling knowledge, which served them well in their careers. Mantel also is credited with giving Steve Austin his stage surname, since Austin's real name at

2880-504: The Puerto Rican World Wrestling Council as a wrestler and booker. Then he went to WWC rival promotion International Wrestling Association as a creative consultant, which included writing/producing and booking four hours of original TV programming per week. Mantel remained there until September 22, 2003. Mantel set a record while in Puerto Rico (IWA), in the number of hours that a single writer produced

2976-706: The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship a record 26 times. He is the patriarch of the Colón wrestling family, composed of his sons Carlos and Eddie , daughter Stacy and nephew Orlando . In 2014, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and the following year into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame . Due to his admiration for wrestlers Antonino Rocca and Miguel Pérez , Colón became

WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-436: The WWE Hall of Fame in late 2011. Despite expressing joy at the idea of accompanying Pedro Morales , he dismissed this as a rumor and noted that WWE personnel had not formally contacted him. Ultimately, the 2012 Class did not include him. The following year, Eddie and Orlando Colón noted that they supported a potential induction. On March 11, 2014, Colón was officially announced as part of that year's class. He considered it

3168-855: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as Uncle Zebekiah in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2010s as Zeb Colter . In the late 1990s, 2000s, and late-2010s, he worked as a booker for the World Wrestling Council (WWC), International Wrestling Association , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as well as Championship Wrestling from Florida. Keown graduated from Walhalla High School in Walhalla, South Carolina . He attended Clemson University for one year before being drafted into military service undergoing basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina before being assigned to

3264-546: The "realization of a dream" and admitted that at one point, he began to doubt that he was ever being inducted. This class was completed by The Ultimate Warrior , Jake Roberts , Lita , Paul Bearer , and Mr. T . He was inducted by his sons Eddie and Carly, and nephew, Orlando in the official ceremony held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana . Colón became the third Puerto Rican inducted,

3360-629: The "undisputed champion of the Universe", in the process the championship was renamed to WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship . It is alleged that on February 27, 1985, for the first time that the championship's holder changed outside of Puerto Rico, when Dory Funk, Jr. won it in Bangor, Maine on an ICW show. However, results for this show appeared in the Friday, March 1, 1985 edition of the Bangor Daily News. Results show Carlos Colon winning

3456-544: The 16,000-seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico for an unprecedented nine weeks in a row, a record that still stands. They had a unique gimmick, where they put US$ 1,000 all in silver dollar coins at stake to the team that could defeat them. Mantel's other notable achievement was in 1982 when he and Jerry "the King" Lawler faced off in a good guy vs. good guy series. Fans were torn between these two stalwarts of

3552-514: The 1990s and early 2000s. Fellow coach Allans Colón called him “an institution in [Puerto Rico]” and the local reference for anything involving professional wrestling. 1 ^ Colón's reign is not recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance. Dutch Mantel Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949)

3648-676: The April 29 episode of Raw , Colter was involved in a triple-threat match with Rodriguez and Big E Langston (representing Dolph Ziggler ), with the winner being able to determine the stipulation for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules . Colter lost the match after being pinned by Rodriguez. On the June 17 episode of Raw , after Jack Swagger suffered a hand injury, Colter aligned himself with Antonio Cesaro . Colter later paired Swagger and Cesaro as "The Real Americans". The Real Americans experienced little success, losing to Los Matadores at Hell in

3744-486: The April 4, 2011 WrestleMania morning WrestleReunion event in Atlanta, Georgia. The event honored Bruno Sammartino with several modern and legendary wrestlers including Carlito , Kamala , Scott Steiner , Tommy Dreamer , Christy Hemme , Bob Orton , Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik . On February 11, 2013, Mantel, under the name of Zeb Colter, returned to WWE as the manager of Jack Swagger . Colter's character

3840-537: The IWA Undisputed Champion. This forced WWC to return to the former design, with Ray González being the first to claim it in order to fill the vacancy. At Aniversario 2009, Torres returned to the company and removed the redesigned belt from the black bag that held it, being subsequently booked in an angle with the holder of the original belt, Ángel "BJ" Rosado. A first unification match was held at Summer Madness, with both titles being held up following

3936-589: The IWA retained physical possession of the championship. The belt was returned to WWC personnel following an ultimatum, which claimed that the company would take legal action if it wasn't returned within forty-eight hours. However, both the International Wrestling Association and the National Wrestling Alliance recognized the unification match, considering Lozada the first Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion in Puerto Rico. WWC organized

WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-468: The IWA, appearing in a backstage segment with the title, which was concealed in a black bag. During his next appearance, the distinctive strap of the belt was exposed outside the pouch, but the plaque remained hidden from view. Torres also addressed the crowd, stating that he was "collecting titles" and had arrived to the promotion because "the title in [his] possession was worthless because it was unified ten months [before]", prior to unsuccessfully challenging

4128-404: The International Wrestling Association's Histeria Boricua event, with the championship belt still in his possession and challenged Freddie "Blitz" Lozada, the current IWA World Heavyweight Champion to a unification match . The match took place later in the event with Lozada winning both belts. Following this match WWC's merchandise manager, José Roberto Rodríguez, who had been allowed entry into

4224-459: The Memphis ring wars. Mantel achieved what no other opponent could do while Lawler was a babyface and that was to get a clear cut win over the King. In 1986, after Lawler lost a "Loser Leaves Town" gimmick match against Bill Dundee , Lawler and Mantell finally mended their ways long enough to face Dundee and Buddy Landel in a Texas Tornado Death Match in Memphis' Mid South Coliseum in front of

4320-568: The Memphis-based promotion United States Wrestling Association where he was a well known star for the company. He was the last USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion defeating Jerry Lawler on August 8, 1997, in a Title vs All Body Hair match. Mantel kept his body hair. The title was vacated in November 1997 when the promotion closed its doors. After departing the WWF, Mantel later joined

4416-552: The NWA logo. The belt itself was black, similar to the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States Heavyweight Championship. The plaque and design was used constantly for nearly three decades, with the only notable changes being that the banners and other decorations were changed from its original black coloration to red and that the globe design that was originally golden was painted blue where the water bodies should be. WWC commissioned

4512-481: The Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame (Spanish: Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño) in 2023, a number of athletes from other sports supported his inclusion, including baseball player Yadier Molina , judo Panamerican champion Luis Martínez , basketball players Julio Toro and Ricardo Dalmau and Olympic medalist Jaime Espinal . All of them justified his inclusion by suggesting that while

4608-498: The Ring . In August 2012, Keown announced on Facebook that his 16-year-old granddaughter Amelia had died in a car crash. He also said that the driver of the other vehicle, who had drugs in his system, was on parole , and running from the police at the time, had also died. On June 3, 2014, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law Amelia's Law, which requires parolees whose crimes were related to drugs or alcohol to wear

4704-560: The U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division , Keown was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal for his service during the Vietnam War . Keown debuted in 1972 as "Wayne Cowan". He then became "Dutch Mantel", and added the "Dirty" nickname in 1980. The Dutch Mantel name was taken by an earlier wrestler named Alfred Albert Joe de Re la Gardiur . He wrestled for various Southern promotions , and achieved considerable success in

4800-501: The United States in general. Among the most prominent changes was the replacement of the flag of the United States present on top of the eagle in the NWA Mid-Atlantic title with a representation of two wrestlers locked in a grappling hold , and the replacement of a political map of the United States that was found in an oval located under the eagle's feet with a globe. Another attempt to distance it from its regional inspiration

4896-669: The Universal Championship would be promoted by the former in its media presentations of Shane Sewell and José Torres . On April 4, 2015, John Yurnet (otherwise known as Mr. 450 or Jesús de León) made an appearance in WWC and issued a challenge for the Universal Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Camino a la Gloria. However, the match ended without a clear winner and Carlos "Chicano" Cotto retained. The series between both peaked in

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4992-563: The Universal Heavyweight Championship against masked luchador Zoom Driver, marking the first time that the title had been on the line in Mexican territory. After this reign was concluded, his successor Carly Colón (now performing as Carlito Caribbean Cool) and the title were featured prominently in promotions for Wrestling Superstars' MysterioMania tour in Chile. Another aspect of this initiative included contracting foreign figures to challenge for

5088-514: The building, demanded that the belt was returned to him. However, by this time, the IWA's personnel had replaced the belt with Revolution X-Treme Wrestling's championship belt (which was in Savio Vega 's possession) and had transferred the Universal Championship to a secure location. This led to a discussion between personnel from both companies and Rodríguez's expulsion from the event. After the event's conclusion, police officers were contacted but

5184-407: The championship and engaging in a feud with Bronco, who won the championship on March 23, 1996. This led to a feud with Colón, who defeated Bronco in a retirement vs. deportation match. After this Colón retained the championship, with it being held up once during this period. On June 25, 1996, Jesús Castillo, Jr. won the title while working a tour in Puerto Rico. Castillo dropped the title to Colón on

5280-407: The championship for the last occasion in his career. González would win the championship back on January 6, 2000. This was followed by an angle that saw Carly win the title. The feud continued with González bringing foreign wrestlers to challenge him for the title, among whom were Curt Hennig and Jerry Flynn , who won the title eventually losing it to Bronco, who lost to Ray shortly after. González

5376-474: The championship in a day. By this time González left WWC and Carly was matched against Chicky Starr who won the championship and had a short run until losing it back. Carly's final feud before signing with World Wrestling Entertainment was against Sabu with both men trading the championship once. When Carly left to Ohio Valley Wrestling a tournament was scheduled, where Lightning won the championship. He feuded with Thunder for some time and would go on to lose

5472-409: The championship on February 9, 1990, eventually losing it to Abdullah the Butcher, who lost it to Colón. The title was held up numerous times in 1991, as part of feuds between Colón, Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo . On August 1, 1993, Colón announced that he was retiring, vacating the championship in the process. Following this a tournament was scheduled to determine a new champion. On August 8, 1993,

5568-588: The championship successfully against several international wrestlers, only losing it when a " feud angle " was being promoted. During December 1983, Capitol Sports Promotions gave a significant amount of promotion to an angle between Ric Flair and Carlos Colón. At the moment when the feud happened Colón was the WWC World Heavyweight Champion and Flair was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion . The angle included

5664-424: The championship to El Diamante on September 13, 2003. Diamante lost the championship, losing it to Carly who was on a temporal stay with the company and then losing it to Abdullah the Butcher on the final days of his stay. The wrestler didn't defend the title many times, however, and it was vacated. Bronco won a tournament organized for the championship and lost it to Eddie Colón , leading to a feud between both. Eddie

5760-406: The company he was billed as a "satanic heel". Both wrestlers traded the title until it was held up and won by Colón (in what marked his tenth title reign) who held it until December 17, 1989, when he lost it to Leo Burke . Following this Burke would go on to feud with Juan Rivera who at the time was referred to as "TNT". Both wrestlers had been involved in a mid-card feud prior to this. Rivera won

5856-493: The company; this led to a feud between Pierroth, Jr. and González. Both of them faced each other in a hair vs. mask match for the championship, where González won and Pierroth was forced to remove his mask. The following day Pierroth won the championship; this feud ended in a "loser leaves WWC" match that González won and thus became champion for a ninth time. Soon after this González was involved in an angle where Carly Colón made his debut in wrestling, eventually helping Colón win

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5952-638: The creative team booked a no contest. This marked the first instance that the two major champions worked together while holding full recognition by both promotions. Throughout 2012 the title made appearances in Brooklyn-based Fighting Spirit Wrestling (FSW), represented by Gilbert Cruz (who also held the FSW World Heavyweight Championship during this timeframe and carried both belts) and by Germán Figueroa (as Apollo), also being featured in

6048-634: The creative team. Mantel left Impact Wrestling in December 2017 after Don Callis and Scott D'Amore took over as Executive Vice Presidents. As of May 2022, Mantell stars in a weekly podcast and YouTube show called Story Time with Dutch Mantell on the Wrestling Shoot Interviews Network, with producer and creator James Romero as its host. The show sees Mantell and Romero discuss current events and happenings within professional wrestling, as well as Mantell's several decades as

6144-528: The early 2000s, is now featured prominent on top of the main plaque and in the smaller side plaques. The belt was officially introduced in July 2008, with the first holder being determined in that year's Aniversario event. WWC currently recognizes 150 individual Universal Heavyweight Championship reigns. Carlos Colón, Sr. holds the record with twenty-six championships and also holds the record for most cumulative days as champion, totaling 3,945 days. His second reign

6240-547: The eastern states of the United States and in Canada, including 1 match in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in December 1967, and several in 1968. Over the following three years, with Montreal as his place of residence. Feeling homesick and noticing a void in the Puerto Rican wrestling scene, Colón returned to Puerto Rico in 1973. Colón and Croatian-born wrestler Victor Jovica founded

6336-412: The final took place when Greg Valentine defeated Invader #1 to become the new champion, which led to a feud between both men. During this time Invader was part of the booking team and was interested in giving Ray González a push as the company's top face. Then on April 24, 1994, Invader was supposed to challenge Valentine for the championship but was replaced by González following an "injury". González won

6432-503: The first being Morales and the second being New York-born Johnny Rodz . WWC held a series of homages, the first of which was held by his immediate family. A more formal ceremony was held on March 30, 2014, and included the participation of long-time rival Chicky Starr, who participated in a skit where he expressed his respect and ended their animosity. The promotion went on to announce a Puerto Rico-wide tour, "La Despedida de Carlitos Colón", which would mark Colón's final retirement. Colón

6528-482: The gimmick of being three bumbling cowboys looking to meet up with Stan Hansen to go to WCW and become a team. Over the course of a few months, they were promoted through a series of vignettes by which they would be beaten up in saloons, searching ghost towns , and riding horses. Hansen reportedly wanted no part of the storyline and left for Japan , never to return to wrestle in North America. Without Hansen,

6624-511: The group were pushed into service as jobbers and were dissolved as a stable before the end of the year. When Jim Cornette's independent wrestling promotion Smoky Mountain Wrestling opened in 1991, Mantel, joined by Bob Caudle , served as the original color commentator for the television broadcasts, and would give something of a heel perspective. He also hosted a weekly talk segment called "Down and Dirty with Dutch," where he would interview

6720-424: The heel faction, Colón joined Gilbert Cruz and Ray González in a three-on-three match against his son, López and Germán Figueroa , but his team lost. On February 9, 2013, he lost to Savio Vega in a match for WWC's ownership. This evolved into a feud with the heel faction, while a secondary storyline involved a legal battle over the promotion. Colón defeated José Huertas González to recover ownership of WWC, but lost

6816-487: The house shows held by the company there. He has appeared on WWE programming, including the December 24, 2009, episode of WWE Superstars where he supported Eddie, known as Primo in WWE. Afterward, Colón made another appearance for WWE, attending its 2012 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. He attended as a guest of his son and nephew, who held the WWE Tag Team Championship at that time. Colón's main interest

6912-481: The last date of this tour. Colón was then involved in angles with El Nene and Jim Steele with both of them winning the title once before dropping it back. Following this Colón announced a semi-retirement and vacated the championship. A tournament was held with González winning it again. During this run Ray was pushed and his adversaries tried to put him over. This was followed by an angle where González and Colón would experience trouble and after González lost and regained

7008-414: The match and became the champion in an unexpected result. González wasn't well received as a face and subsequently lost the championship to Dutch Mantel on June 22, 1994. This led to an angle between Mantel and Colón, who won the championship a sixteenth time. He was subsequently involved in a feud with Mabel, in which both wrestlers had a reign, which Colón eventually ended with Abdullah the Butcher winning

7104-421: The outcomes of professional wrestling matches is predetermined, it still requires physical exertion and conditioning, general athleticism and at least a basic knowledge of actual grappling. Basketball coach Wilhelmus Caanen considered Colón “Tito Trinidad before Tito Trinidad”, in reference to former boxing world champion Félix Trinidad , whose wins would often gather impromptu celebrations on a massive scale during

7200-418: The placement of a set of screws. The main side plates remained round and proportional to its inspiration but were entirely redesigned, with the United States shield being abandoned for a depiction of two wrestlers in mid-hold decorated with mantling. The smaller side plates featured depictions of a royal crown with similar mantling, instead of the scene of two wrestlers struggling before a United States shield and

7296-424: The scene of wrestlers in a hold (now the central element and "stacked" over the globe), its coloration (the new scheme is black, red and blue, unifying both of the classic combinations) and the stars that were originally present in the main banner (which were now distributed throughout the main plaque). The side main side plaques present a modern depiction of the classic's wrestling match. WWC's current logo, adopted in

7392-714: The sport. Carlos Colón appeared on the September 11, 2006, episode of WWE Raw from Madison Square Garden in the audience cheering his son Carly, known as Carlito in WWE. He also negotiated a deal for his other son Eddie Colón to work for World Wrestling Entertainment. Colón held a retirement ceremony at Aniversario 2008 , which was organized in the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum on July 19, 2008. However, Colón left this retirement on September 8, 2012, defeating Félix "Barrabás" López in his return. After Carly Colón turned on him and gained control of

7488-516: The stars of SMW. He remained with Smoky Mountain until around 1994. From 1995 to 1996, Mantel appeared in the World Wrestling Federation as "Uncle Zebekiah." He was the manager of The Blu Brothers until they were released in October 1995 and in January 1996, he returned as just "Zebekiah" and managed Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw until Mantel was released in December 1996. In 1989, Mantel worked in

7584-578: The time was Steve Williams (which was currently in use in wrestling by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams ). Mantell originally considered giving Austin the stage names of either "Stevie Rage" or "William Stevenson III". At the time, he was a booker for Jerry Jarrett 's Memphis territory. Mantel formed several tag teams throughout his career, including The Kansas Jayhawks (with Bobby Jaggers ), and The Desperados, which lasted only two months. Mantel achieved his greatest notoriety in 1979 when he and then-partner, Cowboy Frankie Laine , as Los Vaqueros Locos, sold out

7680-567: The title against El Nene, both had a feud where Colón won the championship for a twenty-third time, but ended up losing it back to Ray the following day. González defended the title until November 26, 1998, when Glamour Boy Shane won it, losing it to González two days after. Over the course of three months Ray lost and regained the title against Colón again. This year the World Wrestling Council ran an invasion angle where personnel from Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA) wrestled in

7776-570: The title in WWC, highlighted by a defense against Rey Mysterio . The classic design of the belt referenced its origin as a NWA title by adopting the overall design of the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States Heavyweight Championship , albeit with several modifications. The central design that prominently features an eagle was left intact, however, the belt replaced all references to the latter's regional nature by removing all depictions relating to

7872-468: Was also responsible for inviting major American wrestling stars such as Randy Savage , Ric Flair , Bruiser Brody , Stan Hansen and others to wrestle in Puerto Rico. The nemesis of Colón's character was Abdullah the Butcher , with whom he staged a long-standing feud which lasted almost two decades. Colón is quoted as saying: "Eighty percent of the blood I've shed in the ring I've shed because of Abdullah." On January 6, 1983, Colón defeated Ric Flair in

7968-482: Was announced during the company's holiday recess and Maldonado still retained physical possession of the championship belt . On January 6, 2008, Jack Meléndez , who had been managing La Rabia , the stable where he performed, abandoned the company citing differences with the company's personnel. Following Meléndez's exit from the company, La Rabia abandoned the company as well, no-showing the special event scheduled for January 6, 2008. That same night, Maldonado appeared at

8064-513: Was attacked by Rusev, leaving him off television for two weeks. On the December 1 episode of Raw , Colter's leg was broken by Rusev, writing Colter off of television for nearly 11 months. In a storyline described by Rolling Stone as "the wildly unpopular MexAmerica storyline", Colter returned at Hell in a Cell 2015 , utilizing a mobility scooter , where he announced that the returning Alberto Del Rio would answer John Cena 's Open Challenge for Cena's United States Championship , where Del Rio

8160-528: Was born in the Jauca Ward of Santa Isabel an agricultural community in southern Puerto Rico. One of seven children, he emigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1961 along with the rest of the family led there by his mother, Esther González. Colón is married to a Canadian national named Nancy, who is the mother of his children, Carly , Eddie , Stacy, and Melissa. He is the brother of accountant José Colón, who has made several non-wrestling appearances in WWC and

8256-568: Was first introduced as the WWC World Heavyweight Championship, when it was awarded to Abdullah the Butcher , after he won a "tournament" that supposedly took place in Japan . The tournament was part of a storyline and was used to relate to Abdullah's previous run in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Three days later Carlos Colón became the first local wrestler to win the championship. During the championship's first years Colón would defend

8352-489: Was pushed and defended against Jim Steele, Abyss and Abdullah the Butcher with the championship being held up only once. This led to a feud with El Diamante where both traded the championship before El Diamante left the company. During this time Bryan debuted with the company and won the championship shortly after, getting involved in a feud with Glamour Boy Shane, who won it on the company's Aniversario event on November 6, 2005. On December 15, 2007, Scott Hall failed to attend

8448-421: Was released from TNA due to creative differences. Soon after, he returned to the IWA, once again working as a writer. In November 2009, Reno Riggins , announced that Dutch would be joining Showtime All-Star Wrestling promotion out of Nashville as a writer and on air talent. In December 2009, Mantel released his first book, "The World According to Dutch." Mantel wrote the book in around 5 weeks, while sitting on

8544-406: Was released from his WWE contract on May 6, 2016. Following his release from WWE, it was confirmed that Mantel signed to appear at a show co-promoted by Global Force Wrestling and WrestlePro on June 11, 2016. In January 2017, it was announced that Mantel would be working as a creative consultant for Impact Wrestling . In February 2017, his role was changed from creative consultant to head of

8640-615: Was renamed to Universal Heavyweight Championship as a result. In subsequent interviews, Flair has stated that the NWA title was not on the line for this match because an official unification was proposed, but he vetoed it. On January 24, 1993, Colón made a one-night return to the WWF, then known by the abbreviated name World Wrestling Federation, making an appearance in the Royal Rumble . After this, he decided to temporarily retire from professional wrestling, choosing to help train his sons, Carly , and Eddie , who have followed Colón into

8736-762: Was that of a heel caricature of the Tea Party movement who strongly advocated anti- illegal immigrant beliefs. On February 19, Fox News and various right-wing commentators including Glenn Beck claimed that Swagger and Colter's characters were a mockery of the Tea Party movement meant to "demonize" the Tea Party. WWE responded to the criticism by stating that they were incorporating "current events into [their] storylines" to "create compelling and relevant content for [their] audience" and that "this storyline in no way represents WWE’s political point of view". WWE followed by having Swagger and Colter break character during

8832-425: Was the removal of an "NWA" inscription on the top of the place, with the Universal Championship featuring a mantling design instead. The NWA Mid-Atlantic title's prominent "United States" inscription was replaced with the word "Universal", written in a slightly different font from its inspiration. Besides these changes, the plaque's design remains consistent with its source, with the only remaining difference being

8928-408: Was then involved in a feud where he retained against El Super Gladiador, during which the title was held up once. Carly won the championship back on the last show of 2001, which took place on December 1, 2001. This time he feuded with Vampiro who won the title once, with the title being subsequently held up and finally being won by Colón again. After this he was involved with Konnan who won and dropped

9024-493: Was to give the title the foreign exposition that it had when Carlos Colón and Dory Funk feuded over it in the NWA territories and that he wanted people to feel "[that] this guy is going over to Japan with the belt and representing the island there. [...] This guy is going to Ecuador and he's representing there." On October 16, 2015, he debuted in Caution Wrestling Federation (CWF) by successfully defending

9120-483: Was to see the inductions of Yokozuna and Mil Máscaras , both of whom worked for him in Capitol Sports Promotions. Colón was in the building the night that Bruiser Brody was killed. Colón testified on behalf of José González , who had killed Brody during a dressing-room altercation, and continued to employ him for many years after the event. When Colón was first nominated for induction into

9216-422: Was victorious. The next night on Raw , Del Rio and Colter began advertising a union between the United States and Mexico as "MexAmerica", leading to several confrontations with Colter's former protege, Jack Swagger. After Colter caused Del Rio to stumble during one of these confrontations on the December 7 episode of Raw , Del Rio ended his association with Colter. This marked his last appearance in WWE, as he

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