Juan Rivera  |
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|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | The Boss T.N.T. Kwang Kwang the Ninja Savio Vega |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 248 lb (112 kg/17.7 st) |
| Born | August 10 1966 Vega Alta, Puerto Rico |
| Debut | 1989 |
Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1966 in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) is a former professional wrestler best known under the name Savio Vega. He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation.
Contents |
World Wrestling Council
After graduating from high school, Vega went to Miami, Florida, where he auditioned for the WWF. He was accepted and sent back to Puerto Rico, where he wrestled for the World Wrestling Council and was managed by El Profe and feuded with Chicky Starr, Abdullah The Butcher, Rip Rogers and Carlos Colon. In 1989, he debuted under the identity of “T.N.T.” and once he had gained enough wrestling experience, he was sent back to the United States.
World Wrestling Federation
Kwang
Following a series of television spots hyping his character, Rivera made his WWF debut under a mask, as Kwang in late 1993 after being built up for several weeks through a series of vignettes.[1] He was managed by Harvey Wippleman, Kwang spent most of the following year as a “jobber to the stars.” He was best known for spitting green mist at his opponents, in the tradition of other mysterious “Asian” wrestlers, such as The Great Muta.[1]
Savio Vega
On May 14, 1995, the Kwang gimmick was dropped, as Rivera appeared in street clothes during the WWF's first In Your House pay-per-view. When wrestler Razor Ramon was being attacked after a match by Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie, Rivera jumped over the rails and rescued Razor Ramon. Later on in the PPV, Ramon introduced his rescuer as his friend, the fiery Puerto Rican Savio Vega.[1] Vega enjoyed some measure of popularity during the remainder of 1995. He competed four times in one night at the King of the Ring, beating IRS, Yokozuna and The Roadie before losing to Mabel in the finals (his match against IRS was a qualifying match for the spot vacated by the injured Ramon).[2] The next night on Monday Night RAW, Vega came within inches of defeating Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title. Vega would spend the rest of the year teaming with Razor Ramon. In 1996, Vega fought "Ring Master" Steve Austin in both men's WrestleMania debut.[3][1] Austin would defeat Vega.[4] A few months later, the two had a rematch at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog. They fought in a Caribbean Strap Match. Unlike WrestleMania, Vega was victorious this time. According to the stipulations, Austin's manager Ted DiBiase had to leave the WWF. Thus, this was DiBiase's last appearance on WWF programming until 2005. [5] Also during this time, he was the first recipient of Steve Austin's Stone Cold Stunner.
Nation of Domination
In 1997, he became a member of the Nation of Domination with fellow wrestlers Crush and Faarooq. He joined after turning on partner Ahmed Johnson during a tag team match. [6]
Los Boricuas
Vega soon left that group and formed his own alliance known as Los Boricuas with Miguel Perez, Jose Estrada, and Jesus Castillo. This group feuded with Faarooq's Nation of Domination and Crush's Disciples of Apocalypse. In late 1998, Vega competed in the WWF Brawl For All tournament, making it to the quarterfinals before he lost to Darren Drozdov. He was released later that year.
International Wrestling Association
While wrestling in the International Wrestling Association he competed in Revolution X-treme Wrestling based in Panama, performing in a royal rumble to determine the winner of the vacant RXW World Heavyweight Championship , where he won the event.[7] On November 24, 2007 he became the leader of a new heel stable known as Los Auntenticos along Miguel Pérez, Jr. and Ricky Vega.[8] This faction was quickly involved in an agle dealing with a power struggle with several other stables within the company.[9]
Semi-retirement
In 2001, Vega announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to the vertebrae problems he had suffered since participating in the Brawl for All. Vega now owns, operates and works in International Wrestling Association, a wrestling promotion company in Puerto Rico.
Finishing and signature moves
- Caribbean Kick (Spinning Heel Kick)
- Jumping High Kick
- Cobra Clutch
Championships and accomplishments
- Americas Wrestling Federation
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- AWF Americas Championship (1 time)
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- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
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- PWI ranked him #321 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the “PWI Years” in 2003.
- Revolution X-Treme Wrestling
- RXW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) [7]
1The Million Dollar Championship wasn't an official WWF Championship. It was a championship created in promoting Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Man character and only changed hands during certain storyline feuds.
Personal life
Vega was born in the town of Vega Alta (where the “Vega” in his wrestling name comes from), where he received his primary education. He participated in wrestling events during his high school years.
See also
| Puerto Rico Portal |
References
- ^ a b c d Savio Vega's OWW Profile. onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ King of the Ring 1995 Results. onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ WrestleMania XII Facts/Stats. WWE.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ WrestleMania XII Results. WWE.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- ^ Ted DiBiase's Slam! Profile. slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ N.O.D. FAQ. wrestleview.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ a b PANAMA: Savio Vega se corona campeón. Puerto Rico Wrestling (2007-11-25). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ Jose Maldonado (2007-11-24). IWA: Reporte Impacto Total 11/24. Puerto Rico Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ José Maldonado (2007-12-30). IWA: Reporte Impacto Total 12/29. Puerto Rico Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
