Pedro Morales Pedro Morales ( October 22 , 1942 ) is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler . He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and won his first important championship , the WWA World Heavyweight Championship , while wrestling for the World Wrestling Association . After joining the World Wide Wrestling Federation , now known as WWE , Morales became the first man in wrestling history to win all three major men ' s titles in the WWWF Championship , the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF World Tag Team Championship . Morales proved to be a popular champion , to the point that he remains the only wrestler to be among the five longest reigning champions in the history of both of the two major titles , holding the WWWF ( WWE ) Championship for 1 , 027 days ( 5th All - Time ) and the Intercontinental Championship for 619 days ( 1st All - Time ) . Like Bruno Sammartino before him , Morales heavily appealed to a specific group , in his case Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general . During his career he also won titles at Mid - Pacific Promotions in Hawaii , Championship Wrestling from Florida and the World Wrestling Council in his native Puerto Rico . In 1995 Morales became the first Latin American and Hispanic to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame . Career . Early career , WWA World Heavyweight Championship . When he was only seventeen years old , Morales trained under Barba Roja to become a wrestler and participated in a card held at New York in 1959 , where he debuted by earning a victory over Howard LaVine , who performed under the pseudonym Buddy Gilbert , going on to participate in tag team matches and other stipulation matches throughout the tri state area the following year . The following two years , he made campaign in Virginia and North Carolina , particularly in the towns of Petersburg and Charlotte . Morales frequently wrestled fellow Puerto Rican Gypsy Joe in these cards , also earning wins over Jimmy Quinn , Don Savage and Sonny Fargo , while wrestling several local figures such as Swede Hanson , Laverne Baxter and Tony Nero . The following year , Morales began visiting several more states , often teaming with different Latin luchadores such as Pepper Gonzales and Gory Guerrero , while holding loose feuds with a wrestler simply known as “ The Viking ” and Mark Starr . As a traveling performer , he amassed mixed results , with most of his victories taking place in British Columbia , where Morales defeated Tarzan Potvin , Tony Nero , Bud Rattal , Tommy O ' Toole and Johnny Demchuk in a two - month period , before losing three challenges to Oliver Winrush . After a similar result in a short program with Hard Boiled Haggerty , he had two draws against Allan Garfield , before defeating him on July 16 , 1962 . During the following months , Morales served as a midcarder , losing to several of the high - card talents but gaining wins over jobbers such as Poncho Pico , Sputnik Monroe and winning a three - fall match over Gypsy Biviano . In August , Morales traveled to Texas and was involved in a series of matches with Jack and Jim Dalton , facing them along multiple tag team partners . After emerging victorious in a feud over Nelson Royal , he relocated to Washington , D . C . and Bridgeport , Connecticut , where he wrestled Miguel Torres , Angelo Savoldi and Lou Albano , while entering into a rivalry with Tony Altimore . It was here where he first teamed with Miguel Pérez , Sr . and Argentina Apollo , who were the first tag team champions recognized in the history of the World Wide Wrestling Federation ( WWWF ) . Morales opened 1963 by performing in several tag team matches against Johnny Barend & Magnificent Maurice and returning to New York and New Jersey in a program along Gordo Chihuahua , who worked as enhancement talent . Later in the year , he formed a recurrent tag team with Perez and feuded with Pedro Rodriguez . In June , Morales joined Bruno Sammartino , Bobo Brazil , Perez and Apollo to once again enter a storyline with Johnny Barend , who was now joined by Diamond Jack . [ 10 ] After this , Vittorio Apollo became his main stay tag team partner , along whom he challenged The Fabulous Kangaroos , Johnny Barend and Buddy Rogers on several dates . Morales finished the year by teaming with Pérez , earning three victories over the Fabulous Kangaroos . The team opened 1964 by feuding with Chris and John Tolos , losing the first two encounters but winning the three - fall rubber match . Individually , Morales defeated Chuck Martoni , Arnold Skaaland and Prince Nero on several occasions . The tag team next entered a feud with Jerry Graham and Luke Graham , losing several times before earning a win on September 19 , 1964 . The team also exchanged results against Hans & Max Mortier . During this time frame , Morales picked singles wins over Frank Hickey , Chuck Martoni , Bobby Davis , Arnold Skaoland , Humberto Mercado , Matt Gilmore , Boris Malenko , Klondike Bill , Jose Quinteras , Magnificent Maurice , Bull Johnson and Luke Graham while losing in matches against Wild Red Berry and Freddie Blassie . Morales then entered a double feud against Pedro Rodriguez and Gene Kiniski , dominating Rodriguez but losing to Kiniski . [ 10 ] Along Pérez , he retook their feud with the Grahams , picking a second victory . In the final months of 1964 , Morales also gained wins over Robert Duranton and Steve Stanlee . He opened 1965 by moving to Worldwide Wrestling Associates in California , an organization that had been created as a mirror to the National Wrestling Alliance , where he engaged in multiple concurrent feuds , defeating The Executioner in his first match , before going on to defeat several wrestlers with similar characters by winning against The Axeman twice , El Verdugo and The Hangman on several occasions during the first three months of the year . [ 10 ] Morales also experienced success in matches outside storyline , besting Jesse Rose , Charlie Kalani , Ruffy Colden , Billy Red Lyons , Kenny Yates , Don Savage , Luke Graham , Hard Boiled Haggerty , some of them more than two consecutive times . In March , he was involved in a program with Karl Von Stroheim , winning a series of matches against him and teaming with Mr . Moto and Luis Hernandez to win tag team matches that also included Kurt Von Stroheim . On March 12 , 1965 , Morales defeated " The Destroyer " Dick Beyer to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in a three - fall match . He continued earning singles victories over Horst Wessel , Kurt Von Stroheim , Al Marshall , Broadway Venus , Bill Cody and in a rematch against The Destroyer , while teaming along Hernandez to wrestle multiple combinations . He became involved in a feud against The Assassins and The Butcher , steadily gaining the upper hands both individually and in tag matches . Morales moved on from these angles and defeated Rod Orell , Billy Klutzer and The Mummy , before dropping the championship to Luke Graham on July 23 , 1965 . Morales responded by defeating Graham in a three - fall chain match less than a month later , in the process winning a Brass Knuckles Championship . Meanwhile , his team with Hernandez won three consecutive matches against The Assassins by disqualification . Subsequently , a revival of his previous feuds with The Butcher and The Assassins became intertwined with the current involving Graham , leading to a series of matches featuring different combinations during the following months . Hernandez was eventually replaced by Adalberto Torres as Morales ' s tag team partner , along whom he also faced Gorilla Monsoon and a variety of partners . On October 17 , 1965 , he defeated Graham to regain the WWA World Heavyweight Championship . Morales went on to defeat Graham in two more rematches , scoring victories over Ox Anderson , Bandito Lopez and Jack Allen as well . Following a short series against El Mongol , he continued this pattern in matches involving Swede Karlsen , Baron Leone , Killer Karlson , The Golden Terror , Mark Lewin , Killer Karl Kox and Clyde Steeves . Morales also won a battle royale held in Fort Worth , Texas and brought closure to his feud with El Mongol by besting him on February 13 , 1966 . During this stage , he also changed tag team partners frequently , teaming with Better Boucher , Ramon Torres and Billy Red Lyons among others , gathering mixed results . In the final months before making a tour to Japan , Morales defeated Mark Lewin and Indio Joe , but also lost to Lyons and Mark Lewin . In his first show at Tokyo , he had a draw against Don Lewin . Morales continued this run by defeating Michiaki Yoshimura , Yoshino Sato , Mr . Moto , Mitsu Hirai , Umanusuke Ueda , Michiaki Yoshimura , Mitsu Hirai , Yoshinosato , tying against Kim III in all of their encounters and losing only to Giant Baba by count out in singles . During this run , he teamed with Arman Hussein , Lewin , Wibur Snyder , Lonnie Mayne & Billy Two , among others , with the results being divided inequitable manner between wins , losses and draws . On May 27 , 1966 , Morales returned to California and went on another winning streak over Ray Shields , Jack Lanza , El Mongol , Stan Neilson , Baby Destroyer and Fritz Von Goering , before entering a series against Buddy Austin , losing the first three encounters and dropping the WWA World Heavyweight Championship to him on August 5 , 1966 , before winning the fourth match . He also reformed his tag team with Luis Hernandez , finding success in this division as well by winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship on June 24 , 1966 , being a dual champion for over a month . After a win over Art Mahalik , Morales wrestled Hernandez to a three - fall draw . This was followed by victories over Austin and in a second battle royale . Despite gathering singles wins over the likes of El Mongol , Austin , Magnificent Maurice , Joe Flores and Frank Marconi , during the following months Morales focused on the tag team division , earning eleven wins , seven draws and only one loss before dropping the titles to Hard Boiled Haggerty and El Shereef on October 28 , 1966 . He subsequently split results against Shereef , also besting Rip Miller and Austin on several occasions during November . To close the year , Morales joined Mark Lewin to recapture the WWA World Tag Team Championship on December 10 , 1966 . WWA and AWA World Tag Team Champion , triple titlist in Hawaii . Morales began 1967 by also teaming with Ricky Romero , Mr . Moto and Pepper Gomez , gathering victories along all of them . In singles , he remained in the top of the card , defeating Paul Diamond , El Shereef , Killer Karl Kox , K . O . Murphy and Johnny Vander , while wrestling Haggerty and The Mad Russian to draws . After winning two more matches along Lewin , their team ceased to exist , costing them the titles . Morales was then joined by Romero as his partner , once again winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship along him on February 10 , 1967 . The team went on to win almost a dozen matches , while he won contests against The Mighty Atlas , The Preacher and Mike DiBiase during the following months . Morales also ran a parallel team with Pepper Gomez , winning the American Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship along him after winning their two previous matches . He made his first appearance in Hawaiian territory along Gomez on April 26 , 1967 . After returning to California the following month , Morales entered a series against his former partner Mark Lewin , but lost both encounters . He then continued team with Gomez and Romero , recording a successful run until they became part - time partners in July 1967 , when he joined fellow Puerto Rican José Luis Rivera , immediately entering a long feud against Mike DiBiase , who teamed with a variety of wrestlers , but most frequently wrestled along Karl Gotch . While individually Morales entered a brief period where he recorded more draws and losses than wins , his team with Rivera won their first five encounters , which also featured him besting DiBiase and Gotch in singles . Concurrent to this , his team with Romero began experiencing more losses , while the one along Gomez remained consistently successful . While DiBiase and Gotch won in two consecutive events , the feud began to produce several draws . Morales and Rivera won the last encounter on August 16 , 1967 , then migrating to another rivalry against Freddie Blassie & Buddy Austin . Despite earning wins over several other teams , they were unable to best Blassie and Austin during this feud , only recording a single win . Individually , Morales gained victories over Tony Nero and Tony Altimore , both of whom eventually teamed and lost to the Puerto Rican team . He challenged and defeated Blassie by himself , but lost in a rematch . Morales wrestled Pat Patterson in two tag matches , losing along Rivera but winning with Gomez . The team with Rivera dissolved afterwards , with another teammate emerging in the figure of Antonio Pugliese . Both of Morales ' teams managed to record a successful run against an assortment of teams that included different combinations of opponents such as Stan Stasiak , Tom Andrews , Blassie , Austin , Patterson and Ray Stevens among others . Meanwhile , in one - on - one competition he bested Ron Romano , Baron Mikel Scicluna , Rick Renaldo , The Rebel and won an eight - man battle royale . Morales closed the year by rejoining Gomez as a full - time partner , defeating the team of Blassie and The Great Malenko . To open 1968 , he defeated The Peacher , The Rebel and Blassie , briefly rejoining Romero in a draw . Individually , Morales then entered a streak of draws , before rebounding with wins over Rick Renaldo , Rocky Montero , The Alaskan , Lou Anthony , Rocky Montero and The Masked Invader . Antonio Pugliese reappeared on May 4 , 1968 , only to drop the WWA World Tag Team Championship to The Medics . A week later , Morales and Gomez also lost the AWA World Tag Team Championship to Kinji Shibuya & Masa Saito , but regained them on June 8 , 1968 . Mil Máscaras became a new member of the team , whom he joined in winning a series against Jim Osborne and losing another to Blassie and Austin . Morales made a one - night appearance in Hawaii during the summer , besting Pat Patterson . Both of Morales teams began having mixed results , which brought in another winning streak as a single wrestler which included names such as Fritz Von Goering , Texas , Osborne , Lou Anthony , Rick Renaldo , Thunderbolt Patterson , Tony Romano , Rocky Montaro and The Masked Invader before being snapped by Blassie via disqualification . On November 7 , 1968 , Morales challenged Gene Kiniski for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship , but failed to win the match . He won his next match by defeating George Cannon , forming a brief partnership with Hahn Lee that only lasted during for a month . In his final matches for WWA , Morales defeated The Raider and El Mongol twice . Now a full - time performer for Mid - Pacific Promotions in Hawaii , he quickly entered a successful run with victories over Dave Ruhl , Austin and Tank Morgan . This resulted in Morales defeating Curtis Iaukea for the Hawaii Heavyweight Championship on May 21 , 1969 , and Kiniski for the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship less than a month afterwards . During this timeframe he also teamed with several wrestlers , including Gomez , Don Leo Jonathon , Dory Dixon and Ed Francis . Morales went on to defeat Austin and Kiniski in rematches , interrupting this run by unsuccessfully challenging Pat Paterson for the NWA San Francisco United States Heavyweight Championship in California . On October 13 , 1969 , he added the Hawaii Tag Team Championship to his other titles along Francis , holding it for a couple of weeks . After defeating Rocky Montero and Gorilla Monsoon , Morales dropped the North American Championship to Curtis Iaukea on September 24 , 1969 . However , in his following appearance he recovered the Hawaii Tag Team titles with Francis . After successfully teaming with Bing Ki Lee on three consecutive cards , Morales recovered the North American belt from Iaukea on November 5 , 1969 . In the final events of the year , he defeated " The Original Sheik " Ed Farhat , got disqualified twice against Tank Morgan and wrestled Johhny Barend . Morales began 1970 by wrestling in a series against Jack Bence , which later involved Bing Ki Lee and Tank Morgan . After defeating both Bence and Morgan , he returned to his feud with Barend dropping the North American Heavyweight Championship on February 7 , 1970 . Morales recovered by winning a match over Mac MacFarland and teaming with Bing Ki Lee to win the Hawaii Tag Team Championship from Barend and Ripper Collins . The team was successful in their next encounter against Kinji Shibuya and Mitsu Arakawa . After defeating Barend in a stretcher match , Morales defeated Les Roberts and advanced to the second round of the Strelich Tournament , a single - knockdown competition for the Strelich Perpetual Trophy , with a win over Woody Farmer . However , a loss to Don Carson in the quarterfinals eliminated him from the event . He made a brief return to California , partnering with Freddie Blassie , but the team lost a series against Don Carson and the Great Kojika . Back in Hawaii , Morales defeated Bad Boy Shields , Mr . Fujiwara , Les Roberts and Mac MacFarland , only losing a match to Kinji Shibuya , during the following couple of months . [ 20 ] In late May , Hard Boiled Haggerty arrived to the promotion . This reignited their feud in two encounters that favored Morales , who won a tag team match and tied in singles . Stan Frazier and Tony Borne were the next opponents that he bested during the summer . On July 1 , 1970 , Morales and Bing Ki Lee lost the Hawaii Tag Team Championship to Barend and Billy Robinson . In his next appearance , he joined Sam Steamboat and Hahn Lee in a win over Barend , Killer Karl Kox and Ripper Collins . In another tour to California , Morales lost to Black Gordman by count out and defeated Don Serrano , also teaming with Rocky Johnson for the first time to wrestle the Great Kojika and John Tolos . He the got disqualified in a match against Barrend and tied with Kinji Shibuya . On August 5 , 1970 , Morales regained the North American Heavyweight Championship from Barend . He was then involved in a series of matches involving John Tolos , whom he defeated in a tag team competition but lost in singles . During the following two months , Morales recorded a series of draws in matches against Ripper Collins , Billy Robinson and Kinji Shibuya twice . After snapping this streak with a win over Abdullah the Butcher , he dropped the North American Heavyweight Championship to The Destroyer . In his final two matches in MPP , Morales bested Jack Armstrong in a three - fall match and lost a 4 - on - 4 against Collins , Barend and The Destroyer while teaming with Sam Steamboat , Billy Robinson , Frank Allman and Hahn Lee . Returning to California , Morales began by defeating El Lobo on several encounters , also scoring wins over The Texan and John Tolos before losing the final of a one - night tournament for the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship to Tony Rocca . During his final months in the West Coast , he defeated Karl Heisinger and Billy Graham , also participating in several tag team matches along Rocca and Ray Mendoza . World Wide Wrestling Federation Championship . Morales made his first appearance for the World Wide Wrestling Federation , now known as WWE , on November 21 , 1970 , by teaming with Chief Jay Strongbow in a draw against The Mongols , Newton Tattrie and Josip Peruzovic , as part of a one - night appearance . Now a full - time member of the WWWF roster , he joined Gorilla Monsoon the following month , scoring a win in a three - fall rematch . In his singles debut , Morales defeated Joe Turco . This was followed by wins over The Black Demon , " The Wolfman " Willie Farkas and Bulldog Brower during the following month . On January 7 , 1971 , Morales won the vacant WWWF United States Championship by defeating Blassie in a tournament final . A team - up with Gorilla Monsoon also took place in two draws involving The Mongols . On February 8 , 1971 , Morales defeated Ivan Koloff to win the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship only a month after winning his first individual title within the promotion . The move also vacated the United States Championship . This ignited a series of wins over the likes of Jack Evans and his previous opponents The Black Demon and Bulldog Brower . Subsequently , a series of victories in tag team matches involving Blackjack Mulligan evolved into a feud of single encounters , in which Morales won half a dozen events , before scoring two more team victories along Moonson . Meanwhile , The Wolfman and Bulldog Brower became recurrent enhancement talents during this run . Morales also scored wins over the likes of Beautiful Bobby and Tarzan Tyler , who eventually teamed up with Luke Graham , which turned into a double feud against both . Tyler , The Black Demon , Graham and The Beautiful Bobby were the opponents faced by him during a winning streak that extended throughout the summer . Different tag teams along Monsoon , Jay Strongbow and Manuel Soto experienced similar success . During August 1971 , Morales scored several victories over Graham and Tyler , also besting them as a tag team and in a 3 - on - 3 match that included Lou Albano . However , in his final contest of the month he suffered a loss to Stan Stasiak . In September , Tyler and Graham brought in Jimmy Valiant as a teammate , which led to a series of matches including a win over him in a steel cage . On October 25 , 1971 , Morales defeated Stasiak in a Texas Death Match . The following month brought wins over Tyler and Valiant , but also included an encounter where he bested Freddie Blassie and a continuation of the feud against Stasiak during the second half . During this timeframe , Rivera joined Morales in the WWWF , becoming part of his usual partners along Monsoon and Strongbow . He closed 1971 by defeating Blassie in a “ Roman Gladiator ” match , Ray Stevens , Stan Stasiak twice and The Rugged Russians along Rivera . First contender Blassie and Stasiak remained Morales ' main rivals in the first two months of 1972 , against whom he scored several draws and some wins . Graham , Valiant and Toru Tanaka served as enhancement talents . On February 18 , 1972 , Morales and Rivera defeated The Rugged Russians , continuing this parallel rivalry . March featured several different matchups , in which he emerged victorious against " Baron " Mikel Scicluna , Smasher Sloan and Rugged Russian # 2 , while consistently teaming with Rivera against Curtis Iaukea & Scicluna , both of whom he defeated individually throughout April . The following month feuds that ended in Morales earning several victories over Pampero Firpo , Tanaka , Iaukea and Albano . After disposing of Valiant , Graham , Scicluna and Graham again , the feud against Albano continued with wins in regular and steel cage matches . During June 1972 , Morales also bested other notable opponents , including Nikita Mulkovitch , Blue Demon and Ernie Ladd . To continue this run , he defeated George Steele in New York . Following wins three wins over Tanaka and more against Firpo , Morales teamed with Sammartino on July 18 , 1972 , to face the former and Mr . Fuji . The match featured the two most popular wrestlers of the era , but finished in a no contest with both of the involved in a confrontation after Mr . Fuji threw salt in both of their faces , ensuing a fight . A rematch took place , this time in a team with Monsoon , but finished in a draw . Morales defeated both Tanaka and Mr . Fuji by countout and won the following two tag team matches . This was followed by a series involving Steele , Fuji , Ernie Ladd , Chuck O ' Connor and " The Spoiler " Don Jardine , none of whom were able to gain an upper hand against him . On September 30 , 1972 , Morales faced Bruno Sammartino in the first - ever match featuring two fan favorite , technical wrestlers . The crowd favored him , despite Sammartino ' s large fan base in the city of New York . After 75 minutes of wrestling featuring several near - falls , the contest ended in a draw , when the city ' s curfew entered in effect . Subsequently , both performers embraced , signifying the end of their rivalry and the reformation of the tag team . However , the lack of a resolution was not well received , the fans were noticeably angry , and some jumped into the dugouts to shake their fists at the wrestlers . The main event of the 1972 Showdown at Shea later became known as " The Match of the Century " and is still regarded as one of the best events in the history of professional wrestling . After scoring a win over The Spoiler , Morales joined Sammartino in a rematch against Tanaka and Mr . Fuji , this time emerging victorious in a three - fall contest . This was followed with a rematch , this time teaming with André the Giant . The Spoiler remained Morales most common adversary during the following months , which resulted in wins over him and his partner , Buddy Wolfe . Other wrestlers to fail their attempts were Ernie Ladd , The Sheik and Ray Stevens . To close the year , Morales defeated Tanaka individually and in tag team action , before going on to defeat Wolfe on several occasions . On December 2 , 1972 , he rejoined Rivera in a win . During the first months of 1973 , Morales bested Mr . Fuji , Buddy Wolfe and Lonnie Mayne , as well as Hans Schmidt , Lonnie Mayne and Curtis Iaukea . He also teamed along Moonson , Bobo Brazil and Strongbow . A feud with Mayne went on to include a steel cage match . A series against Freddie Blassie concluded with three singles wins for Morales , also including a tag team contest . Throughout April and May , he successfully faced a number of recycled adversaries , including Mayne , Wolfe and Tanaka , along wins over new ones such as Don Leo Jonathan and Mike McCord . Morales also defeated Blassie twice , including a steel cage match . Throughout the summer , he performed mostly as a singles wrestler , gathering wins over Toru Tanaka , Paul Jones , Lonnie Mayne , Jonathan , McCord and George Steele facing them repeatedly in cyclical fashion . This trend was broken with the arrival of August , when Morales bested other figures including Blackjack Lanza and Stan Stasiak . During the month of September 1973 , he was placed over Ib Solvang Hansen , McCord , Steele and Fuji . Morales went on to win a series against Lanza and a Texas Death Match involving Stasiak , before having Fuji serve as enhancement talent for the following weeks . On November 2 , 1973 , he made an appearance in AWA , winning a three - fall contst over Ray Stevens . Morales worked an angle with the then - villain Larry Hennig , besting him in singles . He followed this by entering a feud with Stasiak which featured mixed results , but concluded with him dropping the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship on December 1 , 1973 . Morales ' title run lasted 1 , 027 days , remaining to this date the longest reign by any Latino and the fifth longest overall . His reign was featured in independent film The Wrestler , where footage of him was shown while two characters remarked " Morales . . . Eastern league champion . And he is young . He sure is good . . . " as part of a discussion of dangerous adversaries that could be possible opponents for an aging wrestler . Following this , he returned in two tag team matches , before defeating Stasiak twice in three rematches . One of these matches was promoted by Sponsham wrestling and held at Roberto Clemente Coliseum . Morales remained successful as a singles wrestler , gathering wins over Fuji , Eddie Sullivan , Otto Von Heller , Johnny Rodz and Black Gordman during the first half of 1974 . During the second half of the year , he bested Nikolai Volkoff and Strong Kobayashi , before exchanging results in a long - running feud against Killer Kowalski . In his final phase of this run for the promotion , Morales was victorious over Butcher Vachon , wrestling his final match on March 1 , 1975 NWA San Francisco and Florida Tag Team Champion . Four days later , Morales returned to California wrestling for the NWA ’ s San Francisco territory . Despite now serving mainly as a tag team performer along Manny Cruz , Raul Mata , Pat Patterson , Cowboy Lang and The Haitian Kid among others , he also remained a singles attraction , gathering wins over Ricky Hunter , The Brute and winning a feud over Kurt Von Brauner during the following two months . Morales began the summer by teaming with Patterson n a consistent basis , sometimes alternating to include Peter Maivia , Don Muraco or a random wrestler . Their main opponents during this timeframe were The Invaders , against whom they exchanged results , with Morales and Patterson winning the NWA San Francisco World Tag Team Championship on October 29 , 1975 . Immediately afterwards , they became involved in a series against Don Muraco and Mr . Saito that lasted for the remainder of the year and from which they emerged with the best balance . To begin the following year , Mr . Saito and The Invaders were included in the feud , teaming with Muraco and Fuji on alternate events . The rivalry eventually shifted to singles competition , where Morales defeated Muraco on three dates before losing once . To close this run , he lost a contest to The Great Fuji by being counted out . Morales made two appearances in St . Louis , winning two tag team matches and defeating Ox Baker individually . On October 30 , 1976 , he joined the AWA roster as a full - time performer . Returning to his former singles pace , Morales went on to immediately enter an undefeated streak over Bobby Jones , Moose Morowski , Buddy Wolff , Frankie Hill , Baron Von Raschke , Vito Martino , Ray Stevens , Pierre Poisson , Blackjack Lanza , Puppy Dog Peloquin , Rodeo Jones , Roger Kirby , Ray Stevens , Joe Carlos and Frankie Hill to close the year . To open 1977 , he continued to trend in matches including Tom DeMarco , Mike Soma , Mad Dog Vachon , Baron Von Raschke , Poisson , Bobby Duncum , Moose Morowski and Jim Brunzell , also winning a battle royale and drawing in a series against The Super Destroyer . His streak continued the following month , this time over Bob Arnel and The Strangler , going on to include matchups against the opponents that he had already defeated . The feud with The Super Destroyer resumed shortly afterwards , this time ending with another draw and two wins for Morales . A rivalry with Nick Bockwinkel also took place in parallel , recording a no contest and a victory . After briefly teaming with Peter Maivia , Morales defeated Armando Rodriguez and entered a series against Alfred Hayes , which ended with a balance of five wins , two losses and two draws . Afterwards , he recorded mixed results in several contests against The Super Destroyer . In what marked the final stage of this AWA run , Morales continued defeating jobbers Mike York , Kenny Jay and The Strangler , but began losing more often to talent that he had bested earlier including Nick Bockwinkel and others such as Angelo Mosca . After migrating to Championship Wrestling from Florida , he immediately emerged victorious from a rivalry with Pat Patterson . In this territory , Morales ’ tag team with Johnson became more active and defeated the team of Patterson & Ivan Koloff on five consecutive encounters . A second one along Don Muraco was not as successful , experiencing mixed results , but also winning more often than losing . During this timeframe , Morales also faced “ Superstar ” Billy Graham and Lars Anderson on a regular basis . On October 8 , 1977 , Morales unsuccessfully challenged Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . [ 36 ] Afterwards , Koloff joined Mr . Saito as his main partner in the ongoing team feud , but both of the combinations with Johnson and Muraco were able to best them . Morales then teamed twice with Dusty Rhodes in a draw and a win against Lars Anderson & Killer Karl Kox , also teaming with Muraco one last time to defeat Koloff and Saito . On December 6 , 1977 , Morales wrestled Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship , failing to win the belt . The following night he faced Race , Dick Murdoch , Baron Von Krupp and Mr . Sakuruda for the title , but was disqualified . To close the year , Morales earned singles victories over Buddy Roberts and Tank Patton . His team along Johnson opened the year by winning their first two matches , going on to defeat Koloff and Saito to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship on January 24 , 1978 . Concurrently , Morales wrestled Anderson and divided honors in a series which included a win in the Super Bowl of Wrestling . A feud with Killer Karl Kox ended in individual and team losses , a streak which ended costing them the titles . After recovering with wins over Koloff and Saito , Morales and Johnson regained the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship on February 14 , 1978 . This reign was short , lasting only two weeks before dropping them to Saito and Mr . Sato . Morales then wrestled several singles matches , defeating Killer Karl Kox , Bobby Dumcum , Saito , Bob Roop , Jack Ruggers and Charlie Cook , dividing contests with Dick Slater and losing to Koloff . This was followed by three new partners , Tiger Conway , Jr . , along whom he won four consecutive bouts , Joe Azzari , which led to two losses , and Jerry Brisco , who wrestled with him in two draws . On May 5 , 1978 , Morales returned to Puerto Rico for one night and teamed with Rivera . Afterwards , Ron Mikolajczyk became a recurrent teammate , mostly in matches involving Butch Bronson and a chosen partner . During the following months , Morales scored wins over Len Denton , Butch Cassidy , Rick Oliver and Sir Winston , but lost to Killer Karl Kox , Dick Slater and The Spoilers . On June 23 , 1978 , he made a tour to New Japan Pro Wrestling , but only participated in tag matches . This was followed by a visit to Kansas , where Morales defeated Alex Perez and lost to Jesse Ventura . In October , he toured Germany , with a win over Amet Chong and losses to Kublai Khan . On November 11 , 1978 , Morales made a one night visit to California , teaming with Chavo Guerrero , Sr . in a win over Eddie Mansfield and The Grappler . The following year , he began making appearances in Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina and Georgia . His first partner became Skip Young , along whom he managed to gain mixed results in matches involving Moose Morowski , John Studd and Baron Von Raschke among others . In singles competition , Morales defeated Mr . X # 1 , Brute Bernard and Morowski . A secondary teammate , Les Thornton , joined him in several victories , while Abe Jacobs and Johhny Weaver teamed occasionally . Eventually , Jay Youngblood became Morales ’ s main partner , recording a winning streak while he also teamed with several other wrestlers including Cocoa Samoa , Tiger Jeet Singh and Bob Marcus with similar success . However , as a single performer he lost matches to Nick Bockwinkel , Len Denton and Killer Karl Kox , also failing to advance in a tournament for the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship . His victories during this timeframe were over Brute Bernard , Rudy Kay and Charlie Fulton . On November 8 , 1979 , Morales returned to NJPW , besting Kengo Kimura , Kuniaki Kobayashi , drawing with Tatsumi Fujinami and losing to Antonio Inoki . He also teamed with Singh and Bob Baclund in wins that included both Fujinami and Inoki , but lost along Greg Valentine in return matches . To open the following year , Morales relocated to Canada , where he defeated David Patterson , Mr . X # 1 , The Scorpion , Doug Somers and Brute Bernard , but lost a series to Ox Baker in alternate dates at South and North Carolina . In his final matches within the NWA circuit , Morales earned wins over Billy Starr , Frankie Laine and The Destroyer , both in singles and tag team matches . First WWF Triple Crown Champion , Capitol Sports Promotions . On May 6 , 1980 , Morales returned to the renamed World Wrestling Federation , eventually forming a tag team with Bob Backlund . They became the No . 1 contenders for the WWF World Tag Team Championship , held by the Wild Samoans , and at the 1980 Showdown at Shea event , Morales and Backlund defeated the Samoans in two straight falls to win the tag team championship . However , they had to forfeit the belts the same night , due to a rule stating that no heavyweight champion could hold a second title at the same time . Shortly thereafter , Morales returned to singles competition and became engaged in a feud with WWF Intercontinental Champion Ken Patera . Patera initially held back Morales ' challenge , including a double - disqualification during a televised match in October 1980 at Madison Square Garden . However , Morales eventually pinned Patera on December 8 , 1980 at Madison Square Garden , becoming the first WWF wrestler to win the Triple Crown Championship , which along his United States Championship reign also meant holding all of the promotion ’ s titles during his era , a recognition that only he held for almost two decades . ( The match , which was not televised , took place on the same night John Lennon was shot and killed . ) As the new champion , Morales was successful in rematches against Patera , and also feuded with Sgt . Slaughter , Larry Zbyszko , the Hangman , Killer Khan and Angelo Mosca ; he also met future WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan , defeating him by countout at a house show in Worchester , Massachusetts . In the spring of 1981 , he was challenged by a newcomer , The Magnificent Muraco , who vowed to defeat Morales and become the new champion . On June 20 , 1981 , at the Philadelphia Spectrum , Muraco used a foreign object to knock out Morales and win the championship . Morales and Muraco engaged in a series of rematches , with Morales usually winning by disqualification . After a bloody double - disqualification match earlier in the fall of 1981 , the two agreed to a Texas Death Match on November 23 , 1981 , at Madison Square Garden for the title ; toward the end of the match , Muraco attempted to hit Morales with a pair of brass knuckles , but Morales ducked , hit Muraco in the stomach to cause the champion to drop the knuckles , and Morales hit Muraco with the foreign object to regain the Intercontinental Championship and , In doing so , become the first two - time holder of that title . After defeating Muraco in a series of rematches , Morales ' main foe during 1982 was future Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine ; other foes included Adrian Adonis , Mr . Fuji , Mr . Saito , " Cowboy " Bob Orton , " Playboy " Buddy Rose and former WWF Champion " Superstar " Billy Graham . In late 1982 , Muraco – who had briefly left the WWF – returned , vowing to recapture the Intercontinental Championship . Their feud resumed , and on January 22 , 1983 , at Madison Square Garden , Morales dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Muraco . He was unsuccessful in a series of rematches , only able to get a few disqualification wins over Muraco , and in April 1983 , he began a tour in his native Puerto Rico performing for Capitol Sports Promotions ( CSP ) , now known as the World Wrestling Council , challenging Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in his first appearance . Later in 1983 , Morales returned to CSP joining Carlos Colón , Sr . to win the CSP World Tag Team Championship over The Medics . On June 25 , 1983 , he defeated Buddy Landel to add the CSP North American Heavyweight Championship , holding the championship until September 10 when Morales and Colón lost the titles to the Medics . He and Sweet Daddy Siki began feuding in later 1983 , trading the North American Heavyweight Championship before losing the belt for good to Randy " Macho Man " Savage . Morales returned to the WWF in 1985 , where he wrestled primarily lower - to mid - card matches , although he and Tito Santana did team to challenge The Dream Team ( Valentine and Brutus Beefcake ) , and had several matches against Savage , who was by now the Intercontinental Champion . His high - profile matches in 1986 included his participation in the 20 - man invitational WWF vs . NFL Players Battle Royal at WrestleMania 2 ( his only WrestleMania appearance as a competitor ) , and a match against Harley Race at The Big Event , losing by pinfall . He wrapped up his in - career in 1987 , teaming with Danny Spivey in an ultimately unsuccessful march for the World Tag Team Championship , losing to Rick Martel and Tom Zenk . , an unsuccessful challenge to The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Champion and making a final in - ring appearance by participating in a battle royale held on November 16 , 1987 . [ 46 ] Despite his in - ring appearances becoming less frequent , Morales was still seen occasionally on camera , including his attempt to stop The Islanders ( Haku and Tama ) from beating down Santana , but also getting beat up ; and – as a WWF official – making André the Giant return to the ring to face Hacksaw Jim Duggan during a match at the Boston Garden in 1988 , when André attempted to walk out . Retirement and legacy . Following his retirement from the squared circle , Morales became a commentator for WWF ' s Spanish - language programming , the first time that a Puerto Rican performed this duty for an international promotion . He returned to this role working for World Championship Wrestling during the 1990s , narrating WCW Monday Nitro and pay per views along Miguel Alonzo . This accomplishment has since been mimicked by Jack Meléndez and Willie Urbina . Morales has made few wrestling related appearances since his WCW days , the most recent being autograph signings in fan conventions , the first instance was at Wrestling Reunion III held in 2005 and the second at Wrestling Reunion 5 held in 2007 , where he was reunited with Sammartino . Despite living a low profile life following his retirement , he has been the inspiration for homages and mentions throughout the decades that followed . Morales has explained that he is no further involved with the discipline due to the way that it has changed over the years . A self - proclaimed " old school " wrestler , he is not interested in the overselling of gimmicks and spectacle that is seen in modern professional wrestling , despite admitting the economic success of the " sports entertainment " formula . Morales was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame as part the 1995 class . Professional wrestling critics and purists have discussed his contributions to the discipline in widespread publications . Tomás Marín Rodríguez " El Martillo " , part of a group led by José Antonio Geigel and one of the founding members of the first promotion in Puerto Rico , expressed in an interview that he considers Morales the best Puerto Rican wrestler in history . Marín considered that both his in - ring style and chivalry made him " unique " among performers . Terry Funk , Stan Hansen , Greg Valentine and Magnificent Muraco have expressed having enjoyed working matches with Morales . Fernwood Gold III and Thor Jensen of UGO Networks listed him as the 36th best face wrestler in history , noting how he appealed to the fanbase in New York . His run as the first Latin American Intercontinental Champions is universally lauded . Bill Barnwell of IGN Sports also included Morales in the site ' s list of Top Intercontinental Champions , placing him in the sixth slot . Jeremy Thomas of 411 . com ranked him fifth as part of a debate among the website ' s staff . In a similar discussion held at Slam ! Sports , writer Greg Oliver considered him the best wrestler to hold the belt , stating that when " he held the title , there was a sense of honour and pride with it . " WWE itself ranks Morales in the ninth spot in the " Intercontinental Champions " entry of their Top 25 series . The promotion mentions being the first wrestler to win the title twice and holding it for a combined record of over 600 days , more than any other wrestler , as merits for this recognition . WWE also included him in a compendium titled " Top 50 Good Guys in Wrestling History " , which featured wrestlers that performed as fan favorites during their careers . Outside of the WWE , he has received recognition as a Latin American and Hispanic pioneer in other promotions . In mid 1996 , Morales appeared at an event of the short lived American Wrestling Federation , in the championship match between Bob Orton , Jr . and Tito Santana , along with other superstars and legends like Sgt . Slaughter , Chris Adams , and special guest referee Jim Brunzell . On August 31 , 2006 , as part of a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling taping , Morales was mentioned by Konnan along fellow Hall of Famers Carlos Colón , Mil Máscaras and the Guerrero family , being acknowledged as Latinos that paved the way within the wrestling industry . This was part of an in - character celebratory speech following The Latin American Xchange ' s coronation as NWA World Tag Team Champions . In reality , Konnan credits him with " teaching a lot " about the politics of wrestling and " the things you need to do in the ring to be a success in this business " during his time in WCW . From 2003 onwards , the World Wrestling Council approached Morales and offered holding an Aniversario event in his honor , but he declined the invitations for ten years . In 2013 , Morales accepted being the honoree of Aniversario 40 . He was the centerpiece of the International Pedro Morales Fan Club , an independent organization that ran during the 1970s and that recruited members through wrestling magazines . In 2000 , The Ring Chronicle inducted Morales into its own version of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame . Modern fan reaction has also been positive in regards to the historical significance of his accomplishments . Besides the wrestling and sports media , the mun2 network also featured Morales in an article that listed their selection for the " 20 of the most memorable Latino wrestlers in WWE history " which was published in 2012 . When compiling a list based on the wrestler ' s impact on the Puerto Rican fanbase " , Raúl Álzaga of Primera Hora listed him third overall . Personal life . Morales was born in the municipality of Culebra , an island extending eleven square miles located off the shore of Puerto Rico ' s main island . He was a member of a large family , with 85 cousins just on his mother ' s side . Morales once claimed that sixty five percent of Culebra ' s population had some bloodline connection to him . He was raised in Culebra throughout his childhood and remained there until reaching his adolescence , when his mother sent him to live with an aunt in Brooklyn , New York to finish his high school education . It was there that one of his sister ' s friends introduced him to the members of a wrestling club , quickly earning an interest . After practicing in his school and at a local YMCA , Morales debuted as an amateur wrestler at the age of 13 , competing in the 160 lb division . In New York he also became a professional wrestling fan , witnessing Miguel Pérez , Sr . ' s run as one half of the only undefeated NWA Capitol ( WWWF ' s predecessor ) World Tag Team Champions along Antonino Rocca . Since early in his life , Morales had displayed aptitude for athletic competitions , mostly focusing in the practice of baseball . When he was 16 years old , he was selected in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico ' s ( now known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente ) first year draft by the Leones de Ponce . However , due to living outside of Puerto Rico he declined the opportunity . Instead , Morales elected to train in order to become a professional wrestler , in the process gaining twenty pounds . A year later , his father signed the documentation required by the New York State Athletic Commission in order to begin his career as an underage performer . He married his wife Karen in 1966 , continuing this relationship throughout his wrestling career and afterwards . The couple has a son , Pedro Morales , Jr . born in 1974 . Due to the nature of his work , Morales had lived in over a dozen cities throughout his career , including some time in Japan . However , when his son was about to start kindergarten , the family bought a house in Central New Jersey . His wife , a teacher herself , began working at Avenel Street Elementary School . After concluding his participation in WCW , Morales permanently settled in Woodbridge Township , New Jersey where he adopted gardening as a hobby , cultivating tomatoes in his personal garden . Due to working during a time where the ring featured no methods of protection , Morales suffered several injuries that continued to linger after his career was over , limiting the amount of physical exercise that he was capable of doing . However , he remained a frequent visitor to The Club , a gym located in Woodbridge . Despite being a resident of this area , he continued to travel frequently to Puerto Rico , visiting the archipelago multiple times per year . In 2003 , he expressed interest in returning to live permanently in a coastal town near the Caribbean Sea once his wife retired . However , this has yet to materialize . An advanced case of Parkinson ' s disease now prevents him from traveling to Puerto Rico .