Jose (real name Guadalupe Robledo) is probably best known to today's fans as the trainer and mentor of Shawn Michaels, who started his career in Mid-South and made a brief stop in WCCW in early 1985. Lothario and Michaels later established a wrestling school and independent promotion, the San Antonio-based Texas Wrestling Alliance, where future superstars Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) and Brian Kendrick got their start.
Lothario, after launching his own career in Mexico, moved to Texas where he spent the majority of his career from the late '50s to the mid-'80s, including many years of competition in Texas where, at one time or another, he held every major singles title and co-held the Texas and American Tag Team titles with several partners including Mil Mascaras and Al Madril. His most famous feud undoubtedly was with the young Gino Hernandez in Paul Boesch's Houston Wrestling promotion, in which Jose ultimately emerged victorious in a hair vs hair bout (resulting in the first instance of Gino wearing a mask to hide his shaved scalp).
After retiring in 1986, Jose was in Michaels' corner for his famous one hour-plus Iron Man match at WWE's Wrestlemania XII (1996), where Shawn defeated Bret Hart in overtime to win the World Heavyweight championship for the first time.
We salute one of the true all-time legends of Texas wrestling, Jose Lothario. May he rest in peace.
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