Gran Markus Jr.
| Gran Markus Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Cándido Robles Cruz |
| Born | August 14, 1953 Guadalajara,Jalisco,Mexico |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gran Markus Jr. Tony Benetto |
| Billed height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Billed weight | 130 kg (287 lb) |
| Billed from | Guadalajara, Jalisco |
| Trained by | Diablo Velasco |
| Debut | 1977 |
| Retired | 2000s |
Cándido Robles Cruz(born August 14, 1953) is a retiredMexicanLuchador,orprofessional wrestler.Cruz is best known under thering nameGran Markus Jr.and for his work in the Mexicanprofessional wrestling promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre(CMLL). Cruz originally worked under the name "Tony Benetto" but in the late 1980s he changed to being anenmascarado,or masked wrestler, taking the name Gran Markus Jr. Cruz is not related to wrestler Gran Markus – it is astorylinerelationship. Cruz has both teamed with and fought against the original Gran Markus. Cruz lost the "Gran Markus Jr." mask on June 29, 1997 when he lost aLuchas de Apuestamatch, or "bet match" toMil Máscaras.
Professional wrestling career
[edit]Cándido Robles made his professional wrestling debut in 1977, adopting thering nameTony Benetto upon his debut. As Benetto he initially wrestled on theindependent circuitbefore signing withEmpresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre(EMLL), Mexico's largest and the world's oldest wrestling promotion.[1]On January 16, 1980 Benetto won his first championship when he defeatedEl Halcónto win theMexican National Heavyweight Championship.[2]His first reign with the title lasted until July 26, 1980, when he lost to rising newcomerCien Caras.[2]Over the next couple of years Benetto would team withRayo de Jalisco Sr.,defeatingSangre Chicanaand Cien Caras to win theMexican National Tag Team Championshipon October 28, 1985. The duo held on to the championship until April 16, 1986 where they lost toLos Hermanos Dinamitas(Cien Caras and his brotherMáscara Año 2000).[3]
In 1987 Robles abandoned the "Tony Benetto" character in favor of anenmascarado,or masked character, called "Gran Markus Jr.". A character that, in storyline terms, was being presented as the son of Gran Markus, even if they were not actually related. Robles began wrestling under the white mask that had been Gran Markus' trademark for years, reinvigorating his professional wrestling career.[4]On December 17, 1987, he became a two time Mexican National Heavyweight Champion, although it was not officially recognized as such at the time since there was no connection between the "Tony Benetto" character and Gran Markus Jr.[2]The second reign ended on August 7, 1988, when he was defeated for the title byAlfonso Dantés.[2]In 1989 Gran Markus Jr. began a storyline with the original Gran Markus, through which it was revealed that he was not actually the son of Gran Markus. During the storyline Gran Markus Jr. defeated Gran Markus in aLuchas de Apuesta,or bet match, where Gran Markus ended up shaved bald after the match.[4]On July 9, 1990 Gran Markus Jr. won his third Mexican National Heavyweight Championship, defeating Popitekus for the belt. This third and final reign lasted three months before he lost the belt toRayo de Jalisco Jr.,son of his former tag team partner.[2]In the early-1990s Gran Markus Jr.El Hijo del GladiadorandDr. Wagner Jr.formed a team calledLa Ola Blanca( "the White Wave" ), named after the originalLa Ola Blancathat consisted of Dr. Wagner Jr.'s fatherDr. WagnerandÁngel Blanco.The trio defeatedLos Brazos( "The Arms";El Brazo,Brazo de OroandBrazo de Plata) on April 22, 1994, to win theCMLL World Trios Championship.[5]La Ola Blancaheld the titles for almost a year, until March 31, 1995, when they were defeated byLos Cachales( "The Jackals";Bestia Salvaje,Emilio Charles Jr.andSangre Chicana).[5]The following year Gran Markus Jr. and Hijo del Gladiador defeatedAtlantisand Rayo de Jalisco Jr. to win theCMLL World Tag Team Championshipon behalf ofLa Ola Blanca.[6]Their reign with the tag team belts only lasted for a month as Atlantis andLizmarkwon the belts on October 18, 1996.[6]In the late 1990sLa Ola Blancadisintegrated, helped along by Gran Markus Jr. losing his white mask in aLucha de Apuestamatch againstMil Máscarason June 29, 1997.[4]Following the mask loss Gran Markus Jr. worked a feud against Los Brazos, defeating Brazo de Oro in aLucha de Apuesta,hair vs. hair match, but ended up losing his own hair to Brazo de Plata on May 29, 1998.[4]In the years that followed Gran Markus Jr.'s career slowed down, working less dates and usually in smaller venues. During the early part of the 2000s Gran Markus Jr. lostLuchas de Apuestamatches against Atlantis, Rayo de Jalisco Jr.,La ParkaandPierroth Jr.,having his hair shaved off each time.[4]
After Cándido Robles' retirement, another wrestler began using the "Gran Markus Jr." name on the Northern Mexican independent circuit. It was the more recent "Gran Markus Jr." who died due to complications from diabetes in March 2015, not Robles.[7]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre(CMLL)
- CMLL World Tag Team Championship(1 time) – withEl Hijo del Gladiador[6]
- CMLL World Trios Championship(1 time) – with El Hijo del Gladiador andDr. Wagner Jr.[5]
- Mexican National Heavyweight Championship(3 times)[2]
- Mexican National Tag Team Championship(1 time) – withRayo de Jalisco Jr.[3]
- Comision de Box y Lucha D.F.
- Distrito Federal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Luchas de Apuestasrecord
[edit]| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Torres (hair) | Tony Benetto (hair) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | N/A | |
| El Satánico(hair) | Tony Benetto (hair) | N/A | Live event | N/A | |
| El FaraónandRingo Mendoza(hair) | Tony Benetto and Herodes (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | June 27, 1980 | |
| Halcón Ortiz (hair) | Tony Benetto (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | April 30, 1982 | |
| Ringo Mendoza,César Curieland Rey Salomón (hair) | Tony Benetto, Herodes andAdorable Rubi(hair) | Mexico City | Live event | December 10, 1982 | [8] |
| Halcón Ortiz (hair) | Tony Benetto (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | November 28, 1983 | |
| Ringo Mendoza(hair) | Tony Benetto (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | September 1984 | |
| Gran Markus Jr. (mask) | Gran Markus (hair) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Live event | 1989 | [4] |
| Mil Máscaras(mask) | Gran Markus Jr. (mask) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico | Live event | June 29, 1997 | [Note 1][4] |
| Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Brazo de Oro(hair) | Mexico City | 42. Aniversario de Arena México | April 24, 1998 | [4][9] |
| Brazo de Plata(hair) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | May 29, 1998 | [4] |
| Atlantis(mask) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | July 19, 1999 | [4] |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr.(mask) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | January 30, 2000 | [4][10] |
| La Parka(mask) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas | Live event | July 17, 2000 | [4][10] |
| Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Veneno(mask) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 17, 2002 | [4] |
| Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Veneno(hair) | Mexico City | Live event | November 20, 2002 | [4] |
| Pierroth Jr.(hair) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Mexico City | Homenaje a Dos Leyendas | March 21, 2003 | [4] |
| Loco Zandokan II (hair) | Gran Markus Jr. (hair) | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Live event | June 10, 2007 |
Footnotes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Madigan, Dan (2007). "A family affair".Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling.HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 128–132.ISBN978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^abcdefRoyal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Heavyweight Title".Wrestling Title Histories.Archeus Communications. pp. 390–391.ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
- ^abRoyal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Tag Team Titles".Wrestling Title Histories.Archeus Communications. pp. 396–397.ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
- ^abcdefghijklmno"Enciclopedia de las Mascaras".Gran Markus Jr.(in Spanish).Mexico City, Mexico.August 2007. p. 47. Tomo II.
- ^abcRoyal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: EMLL CMLL Trios Title".Wrestling Title Histories.Archeus Communications. p. 396.ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
- ^abcRoyal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: EMLL CMLL Tag Team Title".Wrestling Title Histories.Archeus Communications. p. 396.ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
- ^Zellner, Kris (March 15, 2015)."The Lucha Report".Pro Wrestling Insider.RetrievedMarch 16,2015.
- ^Centinela, Teddy (December 10, 2014)."En un día como hoy… Satánico y Sangre Chicana empatan en lucha de cabelleras".Súper Luchas(in Spanish).RetrievedJune 29,2015.
- ^Lucha 2000 Staff (April 2006). "Arena México: 50 anos de Lucha Libre".Lucha 2000(in Spanish). Especial 28.
{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ab"SLAM! Wrestling International -- 2000: The Year-In-Review Mexico".Slam Wrestling!.Canoe. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016.RetrievedJuly 31,2015.
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