Jack Veneno

Jack Veneno (born Rafael Antonio Sánchez; May 2, 1942 – April 6, 2021) was a Dominican professional wrestler and politician.[2][3]

Jack Veneno
A statue of Veneno in Santo Domingo.
Birth nameRafael Antonio Sánchez
Born(1942-05-02)May 2, 1942
San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic
DiedApril 6, 2021(2021-04-06) (aged 78)[1]
Dominican Republic
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)El Hijo de Doña Tatica
Jack Veneno
Billed height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Billed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Retired2000

Professional wrestling career

He became interested in wrestling as a teen, watching the Mexican luchador El Santo.[4] Also known as "El hijo de Doña Tatica" (Mrs. Tatica's Son), he worked for many years on Color Visión channel 9 during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, on a wrestling show called Lucha Libre Internacional.[5] He was the main star of the show as well as the owner of the production company Dominicana de Espectaculos.

On September 7, 1982, Veneno challenged Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Santo Domingo. The match ended when Veneno applied his signature sleeper hold to Flair, with the bell ringing to signify the expiration of the match's time limit as Flair's arm dropped for a third time. The fans then celebrated Veneno "winning" the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[6] The title change was not recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance. Flair reportedly instructed Veneno to defeat him due to fears of the audience in the oversold stadium turning violent if the popular Veneno lost.[7][8][9] In the Dominican Republic, Veneno was reported to have surrendered the title back to Flair due to not being willing to leave the country to defend it.[8]

Veneno retired himself in 2000.[4]

In 2007 a trailer for a documentary featuring the lost footage of his match with Flair aired throughout the Dominican Republic, but was not released at that time. In April 2015 the documentary was finally released on the internet for free, and shows the only footage known to exist of the famous match, the film "Jack; La Historia de Jack Veneno" features Jack and others discussing his career and life. The film was produced by Benjamin Irish, a protege of Veneno, and is widely attributed to Veneno's resurgence of celebrity in the country after 2007.

Political career

Although retired from wrestling, Veneno ran for Mayor of Santo Domingo Norte, one of the Santo Domingo Province municipalities, on the 2006 Congressional and Municipal Elections with the Institutional Social Democratic Bloc party.[4] In 2007, he was appointed by the Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernández as Vice-Minister of Sports.[5][10]

Legacy and death

A movie trilogy about Veneno's life is planned; the first part was released in 2018.[11]

On April 13, 2019, a statue was unveiled in Veneno's honor in the Eugenio María de Hostos Park in Santo Domingo.[12]

On April 6, 2021, Veneno died from pancreatic cancer, which had metastasized to his lungs. He was 78 years old.[13]

Championships and accomplishments

1 ^ Veneno's reign is not recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance.

References
  1. "Muere el legendario luchador dominicano Jack Veneno".
  2. "Jack Veneno's OWOW profile page". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  3. "Jack Veneno Profile on PWA". Pro Wrestling Archive. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  4. Peña, Carlos (2012-08-24). "Jack Veneno gana primera caída; espera sea su última lucha contra cáncer de próstata". El Nacional (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2013-01-06. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  5. "Designan a Jack Veneno subsecretario de Sedefir". Listin Diario (in Spanish). 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  6. Flair, Ric; Greenberg, Keith Elliot (2005). Ric Flair: To Be the Man. Simon and Schuster. pp. 139–141. ISBN 978-0-7434-9181-5.
  7. Meltzer, Dave (July 2004). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. p. 13.
  8. Jacobs, Glenn (2019). Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Politics. Center Street. pp. 28–29. ISBN 978-1-5460-8582-9.
  9. Letawsky, Craig (July 15, 2002). "Ask 411 7.15.02: Raven's Nest, Jack Veneno, Super Crazy, LWO, Rocky King". 411Mania.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  10. Cáceres, José (2007-08-24). "Posesionan a Veneno; dice Leonel dignifica atletas RD". El Nacional (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2013-01-06. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  11. Garcia, Sandra E. (May 27, 2018). "A Dominican Wrestling Hero Gets a Biopic to Match His Star Power". The New York Times.
  12. Méndez, Abraham (13 April 2019). "Develan estatua en honor a "Jack Veneno"". El Caribe. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  13. Soldevila, Dionisio (6 April 2021). "Muere Jack Veneno, el Campeón de la Bolita del Mundo". Diario Libre. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  14. "Lucha Libre Republica Dominicana Recordando A Los Luchadores – Jack Veneno". Sigamos con Jesús (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  15. "Dominican Republic Tag Team Title".
  16. "Dominican Republic Heavyweight Title".
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