Pedro Morales: WWE’s Forgotten Champion and Hero

Pedro Morales was a childhood hero of mine. Anybody who grew up and attended WWWF events is sure to share the same deep love and respect for him. He was a longtime WWWF and Intercontinental Champion back when it actually meant something, and sadly, he passed away on February 12th, 2019, at the age of 76. Though WWE rarely acknowledges his groundbreaking achievements today, Morales’ legacy as the first Triple Crown Champion—holding the WWWF World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles—cements his place in wrestling history.

Pedro Morales, and a More Simpler Time

In 1974, professional wrestling was pretty simple.

Meat and potatoes, if you will.

You cheered the face; you booed the heel. When "your guy" won, you were elated. When "your hero" lost, you were that crestfallen kid dreaming about next month’s rematch and revenge.

So, on June 24th, 1974, when I entered Madison Square Garden for my very first wrestling card, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. The goose-stepping Otto Von Heller was met with a cascade of boos, while heroes like 601-pound Haystack Calhoun and fresh-faced Larry Zbyszko came out to hearty applause.

But suddenly, when the former WWWF World Champion, Pedro Morales, walked out, it was the kind of thunderous response I’d only heard with the ’69 and ’73 championship Knicks at MSG. A deafening, building-shaking chorus that nearly a half-century or so later still rings in my ears.

Because in the middle of all that volume was love.

With no blaring entrance music, in nothing but a plain pair of tights, Pedro stood mid-ring as the flashcubes popped in a blinding symphony as twenty-two or so thousand of us stood in sheer adoration.

And who was opposite him on that unforgettable night? The infamous Black Gordman of Gordman and Goliath tag team fame.  He had somehow miraculously stepped out of my black and white television from California’s Olympic Auditorium, where I saw him week in and week out on Channel 41. And man, we knew he was "double tough," as they used to say.

Gordman, a great old-school heel, used every dirty trick in the book. He dominated much of the match. To this 14-year-old "mark," things looked grim for Pedro. And I felt each and every one of us those clobbering blows. But when Pedro made that inevitable comeback, the eruption was volcanic. It was like Clyde Frazier or Earl "The Pearl" Monroe had made the winning playoff shot.

And when his hand was raised in victory, a tidal wave of sound once more swept the building; we were just lost in the sheer joy of the moment.

I’d breathlessly sit in front of the TV a mere few days later, waiting to hear who he’d wrestle next.

"Say something for your Spanish-speaking fans," a pre-billionaire Vince McMahon, in his most yellow of jackets, would say to Pedro on countless TV promos. And when Morales spoke earnestly in Spanish, his base was primed. Hey, back then, in those pre-politically correct times, his villainous opponents weren’t shy about bringing up Pedro’s Puerto Rican heritage, and they were far from kind.

Pedro was a star in other territories long before his New York coronation. Debuting in the WWWF in 1963 as a fiery 21-year-old, he cut his teeth in Los Angeles’ WWA under promoter Mike LeBell, where his connection with Latino crowds earned him two World Heavyweight Championships and tag team gold with Luis Hernandez.

By 1971, when he unseated the villainous Ivan Koloff for the WWWF title at Madison Square Garden, Morales wasn’t just a wrestler—he was a cultural bridge, his Puerto Rican heritage resonating with marginalized fans in ways corporate marketing couldn’t replicate.

Pedro transcended race, creed, and color. We ALL loved him. He’d take a pounding from far bigger men like a Killer Kowalski, Don Leo Jonathan, and the legendary Don Muraco. For when Bob Backlund proved not to be the draw that Bruno was, the Intercontinental title was created, and Pedro held that then-prestigious title on two occasions.

His 1980 victory over Ken Patera to claim the Intercontinental Championship completed WWE’s first Triple Crown—a feat unmatched for 12 years. And on many a night, a Muraco-Pedro match was our reason for being there, even more so than the main event.

Pedro was a star in other territories, the WWA World Champ, worked in Japan, but I doubt he was quite as popular anywhere else as he was in New York City. He held the WWWF title for three years, headlined Shea Stadium vs. Bruno, returned there to win the tag team championship with Backlund over the fierce and seemingly unbeatable Samoans, and as IC champ, was the clear #2 guy before Vince’s mid-’80s expansion.

Pedro Morales Transcended Race, Creed, and Color

To anyone who sat in MSG in the ’70s and ’80s, who saw him wrestle all-time greats like Ken Patera, Sgt. Slaughter, and Greg Valentine in brutal brawls, Pedro Morales was, like our beloved Bruno, the forever champ.

His technical mastery—that devastating Boston Crab—and endurance made him a ring general. Even after Parkinson’s claimed him in 2019, the echo of 22,000 voices roaring "PEDRO!" remains the truest testament to a man who embodied wrestling’s golden era.

Although placed in the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995, to this day, there are some whispers as to why he’s barely been mentioned in the longest time by the WWE, and some might even say disgracefully almost forgotten.

WWE’s Mostly Forgotten Star

Despite his historic achievements as WWE’s first Triple Crown Champion – a distinction earned by holding the WWWF World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles – Pedro Morales exists in a peculiar limbo within the company’s narrative.

Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995, he was notably absent from his own ceremony due to contractual obligations as a Spanish announcer for WCW at the time. This logistical conflict, never addressed by WWE, set the tone for decades of institutional ambivalence.

While Bruno Sammartino’s legacy is routinely celebrated, Morales’ 1,027-day reign as WWWF Champion, one of the longest in company history, is relegated to footnotes. His 1980 Intercontinental Championship victory over Ken Patera completed the Triple Crown, a concept WWE wouldn’t formally recognize until 1997. Even his record-setting 619-day combined Intercontinental reign, unmatched until Gunther’s 2024 run, receives scant mention in official retrospectives.

The company’s selective memory extends to curious omissions. Both Morales and Sammartino had their championship belts stolen from their cars, yet only Bruno’s ordeal is documented in WWE archives. Morales’ belt resurfaced in a Bronx pawnshop months later, but the incident remains absent from network specials and documentaries.

Similarly, his 1980 tag team title victory with Bob Backlund, which was a landmark moment drawing 26,295 fans to Shea Stadium, was abruptly voided the next day, a decision Capt. Lou Albano later attributed it to "keeping Pedro from overshadowing the corporate chosen ones."

At 5’10", Morales defied the McMahons’ preference for towering champions like André the Giant. Yet promoter Jess McMahon famously defended Morales’s 1971 title win, barking, "Who cares if he’s not 6’5"? The Garden sounds like San Juan when he walks out!"

This tension between Morales’ organic connection with Latino fans and WWE’s corporate priorities followed him beyond the ring. After losing the world title to Stan Stasiak in 1973, he revitalized territories from Verne Gagne’s AWA to San Francisco’s NWA circuit, mastering the technical style that fueled his 1980s resurgence.

Outside WWE’s walls, Morales’ influence thrives unabated. In Puerto Rico, he’s revered as the island’s greatest export by legends like Tomás Marín Rodríguez. Terry Funk lauded his "flawless ring psychology," while Konnan credits him for mentoring WCW’s Latino talent during the Monday Night Wars.

Promotions from TNA to Japan’s UWFi have honored him as a trailblazer, and in 2013, after a decade of declining invitations, Morales headlined WWC’s Aniversario 40 in San Juan on September 21st, 2013, a bittersweet capstone to a career overshadowed in his adopted home.

He taught us how to be champs, not just in the ring, but in life." — Karen Morales

For those of us who lived it, no corporate oversight can dim Pedro’s legacy. Every time a Latino superstar main-events WrestleMania or a luchador’s dive brings fans to their feet, we hear the echoes of that building-shaking chorus.

Pedro Morales wasn’t just a champion; he was proof that heart could transcend heritage, that a man in plain tights could outshine the flashiest gimmicks. And in the hearts of those who roared for him, he remains undefeated.

These stories may also interest you:

• The Party Pedro Morales and Buddy Austin Barely Escaped Alive
• 21 Hall of Famers WWE Never Crowned Champions
• Stu Hart and The Truth About His Stolen Plane (and Other Ribs)

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