Villano I
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José de Jesús Díaz Mendoza (June 28, 1950 – January 4, 2001), best known by his
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Villano I (
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
: "Villano Primero";
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
: "Villain the first"), was a Mexican ''
luchador ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...
'' '' enmascarado'' (or masked
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 ...
). He was the son of ''luchador''
Ray Mendoza José Díaz Velázquez (July 6, 1929 – April 16, 2003), better known by his ring name Ray Mendoza, was a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). After working for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mendoza had great success in th ...
, and the first of the five Díaz brothers to become a ''luchador'', although not the oldest. His elder brother Alfredo wrestled as
Villano II José Alfredo Díaz Mendoza (September 25, 1949 – April 17, 1989), best known by his ring name Villano II (Spanish: "Villano Segundo"; English: "Villain the second"), was a Mexican ''luchador'' '' enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestle ...
until his death in 1989, while his younger brothers wrestled under the names
Villano III Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018), best known by his ring name Villano III (Spanish: "Villano Tercero"; English: "Villain the third"), was a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). A second-generation wrestler ...
(Arturo),
Villano V Raymundo Díaz Mendoza (March 22, 1962 – August 29, 2024), best known by his ring name Villano V (Spanish: "Villano Quinto"; English: "Villain the fifth"), was a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). Following his unmasking in 20 ...
(Raymundo) and
Villano IV Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965), best known by his ring name Villano IV (Spanish: "Villano Cuarto"; English: "Villain the fourth"), is a Mexican ''luchador''. He has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), Lucha Libre AAA ...
(Tomás).


Professional wrestling career

José de Jesús Díaz Mendoza was the second son of ''luchador''
Ray Mendoza José Díaz Velázquez (July 6, 1929 – April 16, 2003), better known by his ring name Ray Mendoza, was a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). After working for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mendoza had great success in th ...
and grew up watching his father compete as a very successful light heavyweight wrestler. When he and his elder brother Alfredo were old enough they began training to be wrestlers themselves, Mendoza insisted that both brothers should get a college education to fall back on in case wrestling failed. As Mendoza was still very much in demand all over Mexico and thus travelled a lot,
Bobby Bonales Roberto Aceves, (September 25, 1916 – June 26, 1994), better known under the ring name Bobby Bonales, was a Mexican '' luchador'', or professional wrestler who was active during the early days of ''Lucha Libre'' in Mexico, making his debut in ...
was responsible for most of the Díaz's training. Both José de Jesús and Alfredo made their professional wrestling debut in 1969, reportedly without their father knowing about it initially, and began working as a
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 ...
known as ''Los Bestia Negras'' ("The Black Beasts"), with José de Jesús working as "Bestia Negra I" and Alfredo as "Bestia Negra II", even though Alfredo was older. Later on the team worked as ''Los Búfalo Salvaje'' ("The Wild Buffalos") again with José de Jesús as "I" and Alfredo as "II". In 1970, José de Jesús worked as "El Villano", soon renamed "Villano I" as the brothers became ''Los Villanos'' ("The Villains"); the name, along with a very distinctive "X" designed mask, stuck with them for the rest of their careers. Villano I and II held the Distrito Federal Tag Team Championship at one point, although records are unclear on who they defeated for the championship. The brothers began working for
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre 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 ...
(EMLL), the same promotion for which their father worked. Soon they were joined by their younger brother Arturo, who became
Villano III Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018), best known by his ring name Villano III (Spanish: "Villano Tercero"; English: "Villain the third"), was a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). A second-generation wrestler ...
. Villano I and II won the Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship in the early 1970s, but did not achieve much else while working for EMLL. In 1975, José de Jesús' father joined with wrestling promoter Francisco Flores and investor Benjamín Mora Jr. to form a new wrestling promotion called
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), in direct competition with EMLL. One of the reasons behind the split was that Mendoza felt EMLL were not giving his sons enough opportunities in the ring. All three of the Villanos followed their father to the newly formed UWA. While Villano III became a singles competitor and pushed as one of the top stars of the promotion, Villano I and Villano II continued to work as a tag team or as an occasional trio with their younger brother. Villano II began appearing less and less in the wrestling ring as the 1970s wore on, usually explained by the promoters that he was injured. By 1983 José de Jesús' younger brothers had taken the names
Villano IV Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965), best known by his ring name Villano IV (Spanish: "Villano Cuarto"; English: "Villain the fourth"), is a Mexican ''luchador''. He has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), Lucha Libre AAA ...
and
Villano V Raymundo Díaz Mendoza (March 22, 1962 – August 29, 2024), best known by his ring name Villano V (Spanish: "Villano Quinto"; English: "Villain the fifth"), was a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). Following his unmasking in 20 ...
and became the regular partners of Villano I. On August 10, 1986, Villano I won his first ever singles championship as he defeated Fishman to win the
UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship The UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Semi Completo de UWA'' in Spanish) was a singles professional wrestling championship initially promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion Universal Wrestling As ...
, a title both his father and his younger brother Villano III had previously held. He reigned as champion for 160 days before being defeated by Zandokan. Villano I along with Villano IV and V won the
UWA World Trios Championship The UWA World Trios Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. Since then, the championship has been defended in various p ...
in 1988, although it is not confirmed who they defeated for the title. ''Los Villanos'' also became embroiled in a storyline feud with another wrestling family known as ''Los Brazos'' ("The Arms"), in this case the three oldest brothers Brazo de Oro,
Brazo de Plata José Luis Alvarado Nieves (March 19, 1963 – July 26, 2021) was a Mexican '' luchador'' best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata, a name he had used since his debut in 1977. He is also well known for his appearances in WWE as Super Por ...
, and
El Brazo Juan Alvarado Nieves (July 30, 1961 – October 15, 2013) was a Mexican '' luchador'' (professional wrestler). He was best known under the ring name El Brazo (Spanish for "the Arm"), which he used since his debut in 1980. Alvarado was part of th ...
. The feud saw the trios clash several times, usually with at least one or more of the participants bleeding when the match was over. The feud between the two families led to a ''
Lucha de Apuesta ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...
'' (mask vs. mask match), between the two sets of siblings. On October 21, 1988, in
Monterrey 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 ...
,
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 ...
, ''Los Villanos'' defeated ''Los Brazos'' and forced them to unmask after the match. This was the biggest ''Apuesta'' win of Villano I's career and one of the biggest ''Apuetas'' matches in Lucha Libre. ''Los Villanos'' regained the UWA Trios Championship in 1990, but lost the title to ''Los Brazos'' a few months later. The protracted feud between ''Los Villanos'' and ''Los Brazos'' saw Villano I defeat El Brazo in an ''Apuesta'' match where El Brazo's hair was on the line. Following the match, Villano I watched as El Brazo was shaved bald. Later on ''Los Villanos'' regained the Trios title from ''Los Brazos''. In early 1991, ''Los Villanos'' became involved in a feud with The Hawaiian Beasts ( Fatu,
Great Kokina Rodney Agatupu Anoai (October 2, 1966 – October 23, 2000) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. He was also known for hi ...
, and The Samoan Savage). The Trios traded the title on April 7, 1991, and then back again on May 31, 1991. ''Los Villanos'' fourth and final reign as UWA World Trios Champions lasted 275 days and ended when they were defeated by Black Power II,
Negro Navarro Negro Navarro (born June 12, 1957) is the ring name of Miguel Calderón Navarro, a Mexican '' luchador'', or professional wrestler. Navarro works as a freelancer on the Mexican independent circuit as well as making regular appearances for Internat ...
and
El Signo Antonio Sánchez Rendón (born September 4, 1954 — June 6, 2024) was a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, best known under the ring name ''El Signo'' (Spanish for "The Symbol"). Rendón was part of '' Los Misioneros de la Muerte'' ( ...
. On July 19, 1991, ''Los Villanos'' defeated ''Los Mercenarios Americanos'' (Mercenario I, Mercenario II and Mercenario III) in an ''Apuesta'' match to unmask them. This ended up being Villano I's last major in-ring success as he began focusing more on training wrestlers at UWA's school than wrestling. When the UWA closed in January 1995, Villano quietly retired from wrestling.


Personal life

José de Jesús Díaz Mendoza was the second son of José Díaz Velazquez and Guadalupe "Lupita" Mendoza. His brothers, like himself all became wrestlers: Alfredo (Villano II), Arturo (Villano III), Raymundo (Villano V) and Tomás (Villano IV). His mother Lupita died in 1986, his older brother Alfredo died in 1989, and his father José Diaz died on April 16, 2003. Díaz was adamant that his sons get a good education instead of becoming wrestlers, wishing that they become lawyers or doctors as he wanted to spare them the physical suffering he experienced himself. Once he realized that his two oldest sons had begun wrestling under masks he agreed to train them and help their wrestling careers. He was also instrumental in training the rest of his sons, although he insisted they both get college degrees before they were allowed to begin wrestling. Since his youngest son Tomás finished his education first, he became known as "Villano IV" while Raymundo, the second youngest son, became "Villano V". José de Jesús was married to Delia Valero, daughter of an influential ''lucha'' magazine writer/owner, and together the couple had two daughters, Alma Guadalupe and Blanca Olivia.


Death

In late 2000, José de Jesús Díaz had undergone brain surgery for a blood clot caused by the hard bumps taken during his wrestling career. In the days leading up to January 4, 2001, he had been talking about getting back in shape for a retirement match but his health took a turn for the worse on January 4. The official cause of the death was a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
caused by a
cerebral haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...
. He was buried the next day, wearing the Villano mask and a cape with the UWA logo on it. The funeral was attended by a number of ''luchadors'', including the Brazos family, Perro Aguayo,
Cien Caras J. Carmelo Reyes González (born May 11, 1949) is a Mexican retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Cien Caras ("Hundred Faces"). He is best known for his appearances with the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Personal life ...
,
Universo 2000 Andrés Reyes González (April 18, 1963 – May 1, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, who was best known under the ring name Universo 2000. Reyes made his professional wrestling debut in 1985 and worked for Consejo Mundial de ...
,
El Felino Jorge Luis Casas Ruiz (born March 22, 1964), better known by his ring name El Felino ("The Feline"), is a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler) working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Casas start ...
,
Ringo Mendoza Genaro Jacobo Contreras (born September 19, 1949), better known by his ring name Ringo Mendoza, is a Mexican professional wrestling trainer and retired '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler) for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Mendoza wr ...
, and others.


Championships and accomplishments

*
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre 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 ...
** Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with
Villano II José Alfredo Díaz Mendoza (September 25, 1949 – April 17, 1989), best known by his ring name Villano II (Spanish: "Villano Segundo"; English: "Villain the second"), was a Mexican ''luchador'' '' enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestle ...
**
Mexican National Tag Team Championship The Mexican National Tag Team Championship ''()'' is a national Mexican professional wrestling championship controlled by the (Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission) and competed for by two-man tag teams. The championship was created in 1 ...
( 1 time) - with
Villano II José Alfredo Díaz Mendoza (September 25, 1949 – April 17, 1989), best known by his ring name Villano II (Spanish: "Villano Segundo"; English: "Villain the second"), was a Mexican ''luchador'' '' enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestle ...
**Distrito Federal Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Distrito Federal Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Villano IIis sometimes listed as "Estadio de Mexico"/"Mexico State". *
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 ...
**Toreo de Cuatro Caminos Trios Championship (1 time) – Unknown partners **
UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship The UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Semi Completo de UWA'' in Spanish) was a singles professional wrestling championship initially promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion Universal Wrestling As ...
( 1 time) **
UWA World Trios Championship The UWA World Trios Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995. Since then, the championship has been defended in various p ...
( 3 times) – with
Villano IV Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965), best known by his ring name Villano IV (Spanish: "Villano Cuarto"; English: "Villain the fourth"), is a Mexican ''luchador''. He has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), Lucha Libre AAA ...
and
Villano V Raymundo Díaz Mendoza (March 22, 1962 – August 29, 2024), best known by his ring name Villano V (Spanish: "Villano Quinto"; English: "Villain the fifth"), was a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). Following his unmasking in 20 ...
*Mexican local promotions **Plaza de Toros La Aurora Middleweight Championship (1 time) *''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' **
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 2022)


''Luchas de Apuestas'' record


Footnotes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villano 1 1950 births 2001 deaths Mexican male professional wrestlers Masked wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Mexico City Mexican National Tag Team Champions 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Mexican professional wrestlers UWA World Trios Champions UWA World Light Heavyweight Champions CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Champions