Jack Poison

Rafael Antonio Sánchez, known as Jack Veneno (San José de Ocoa, May 2, 1942-Santo Domingo, April 6, 2021) was a professional wrestler. Dominican.

He called himself 'The World Ball Champion', and is considered the most famous professional wrestler in that country and one of the best-known Dominicans. He was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion on one occasion, six-time World Light Heavyweight Champion of the defunct Dominican Entertainment Company, and was once the North American Tag Team Champion alongside the Puerto Rican wrestler José Rivera in the World Wrestling Council of Puerto Rico. Jack Veneno together with the wrestler Relámpago Hernández, his rival, took Lucha Libre in the country to levels never before reached, turning the Dominican Republic into an important place worldwide in terms of professional wrestling during the decades of the 70s. 80s and early 90s of the 20th century.

Childhood

He was born in San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic, he completed academic studies in Santo Domingo, up to the degree of intermediate education. He later dedicated himself to sports, practicing baseball, volleyball and basketball. As an adult he completed high school, thinking about pursuing a career but time was not enough.

His beginnings as a fighter

When he was 13 or 14 years old he watched the El Santo movies (El Enmascarado de Plata) and that motivated him to be a wrestler. When he was 16 years old, wrestling was practiced in the Dominican Republic. There was a promoter who was also a merchant named José A Brea Peña, who owned several Radio Comercial stations and brought wrestlers from Mexico. So, apart from the movies, Jack went to watch the fights, and one day when he was around 16 years old he joined as an amateur to practice wrestling. That's where he turned professional in the late '60s.

His mother didn't like him, she suffered a lot. Jack once even put on a mask so that she wouldn't know, but his mother eventually discovered it and then realized that it was impossible for him to give up the fight, that was his passion. He was able to reach professionalism and then later left the country. He has fought at Madison Square Garden in New York, in Los Angeles, he also fought in Mexico where he partnered with the famous Mexican wrestler El Santo, and also with Blue Demon. He was also invited to inaugurate the Puerto Rico Safari Park for a technical wrestling exhibition.

During much of the 1970s, he fought for the World Wrestling Council (WWC) of Puerto Rico, there he was once crowned North American tag team champion alongside the Puerto Rican wrestler José Rivera, he obtained a title for the first time. world title in the first half of the 1970s by defeating the American wrestler John Richard, who still retains that belt, which has the name of its former holder engraved on it. Later Relámpago Hernández would be his archrival in his country, obtaining the WWC Dominican Republic Heavyweight Champion. One of his most memorable fights on the neighboring island of Puerto Rico, when he teamed up with his compatriot the wrestler 'El Puma'. when they faced "Los Hermanos Muerte" in 1975 who in that decade were his fiercest adversaries, mainly the eldest of the brothers & # 34; the first death & # 34;.

It is worth mentioning some confrontations with several foreign fighters such as the American Adrian "The Exotic" Street, the Japanese "Killer Khan", the Guatemanteco the mad monk, the American Nick Bockwinkel, the Ecuadorian Hugo Savinovich and his most bitter fight against the Mexican "Buddy Montes", who while They were facing each other in combat, he suffered cardiac arrest and died in the hospital.

His two fights against Ric Flair

The wrestling company, "Dominicana de Espectáculos" which was directed by the wrestling promoter and retired wrestler Arcadio Disla Brito (Vampiro Cao) was the only one that operated in the country and was affiliated with the American National Wrestling Alliance. By then Ric Flair was the world champion and Jack Veneno arrived to be placed among the first challengers for the title, he said that his "Golden Dream" was to become both the NWA World Champion and the Dominican Showbiz World Light Heavyweight Champion. Thus, on January 7, 1982, the long-awaited fight was held in the Sports Palace of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before more than 14,000 people. On that fight card, it is worth remembering some fights, such as that of Carlos Colón against Relámpago Hernández and that of Víctor Jovica and Sabud against the masked Dominican fighter Kimba (deceased) and the rude fighter Cruz Diablo.

At 16 minutes into the fight Flair against Veneno, the latter had practically defeated Ric Flair with his famous key "La Conlemica" or the sleepyhead, and at minute 19, Relámpago Hernández, who was Veneno's rival in the country, entered, dressed as Santa Claus, intervening in said fight in favor of Flair in order to disqualify the fight. The fighter Técnico Sabud also intervened in favor of Veneno., there was a lot of displeasure on the part of the fans at the outcome of the fight.

That same year, Jack Veneno defeated the famous American wrestler Tommy Rich at the Hiram Birthon Stadium in Puerto Rico, thus becoming the number one challenger to the title held by Flair again. On August 29 of the same year, Jack Veneno obtained his revenge and the fight was held in the country again, this time Flair was accompanied in his corner by the famous American wrestler Roddy Piper, in the final moments of the fight while Ric Flair was preparing to fight. applying a suplex to Jack Veneno, the latter surprises him with a roll up and in this way wins the fight and becomes the new NWA champion. On that fight card, fights such as Víctor Jovica against the American Roddy Piper, The Black Knight against Relámpago Hernández, among others, are remembered.

There has been a lot of talk about the outcome of this fight, it is said that the fight was fixed so that Jack Veneno would win, because the original plan was that Piper would intervene in the fight in favor of Flair, but that did not happen for In order to avoid euphoria and discontent in the public present, it is said that the NWA did not recognize Veneno as champion and had to return the title to Flair. On the other hand, it was also commented that Jack Veneno, as NWA champion, had the obligation to move to the United States to defend the title; when he refused, he was forced to hand it over.

Fame and popularity

After the fight with Ric Flair Jack Veneno became an icon of popular culture throughout the 80's. The television program 'Lucha Libre Internacional', which the Dominican Entertainment Company recorded on Thursdays and was broadcast on Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. m., to later be broadcast the same day at 12:00 p.m. m., and then on Sundays at noon, it became a nationwide curfew, producing audience records that no other television program could match.

During the course of the program there was a space called "La Tertulia Induveca", a space that was sponsored by the sausage company "Induveca", in said gathering Jack Veneno appeared with the commentators Alberto Tamarez and the late Silvio Paulino where children could be seen receiving from the hands of the fighter some popular products for the time, such as sausages, self-shining for shoes, malts, etc.

During his career as a wrestler he had a rivalry with the Dominican wrestler Relámpago Hernández, who was the most popular rude wrestler in the country. In addition, his rivalry with the now retired wrestler of Ecuadorian origin and current commentator in Spanish for the World Cup also stood out. Wrestling Entertainment, Hugo Savinovich, who was one of the best rude fighters who have fought in the country and who later formed pairs with Relámpago Hernández being called 'Los desalmados', managed to defeat Jack Veneno on two occasions and to snatch the World Light Heavyweight title, thanks to this rivalry cage fights became popular in which the fighter who came out first over the cage won the fight, as well as fights with the ring surrounded by barbed wire. Savinovich arrived for the first time in the Dominican Republic in 1976, standing out for his particular way of fighting, in 1981 he returned to the country under the masked character 'El Hombre Ape'. who in a mask-to-mask fight against the technical fighter Puño de Hierro, lost it to the astonishment of many fans, on that same fight card Jack Veneno faced the American fighter 'Bounty Hunter', a fight that He would have the ring surrounded by both technical and rude fighters, but at the end of it Savinovich intervened in favor of the American, hitting him with a wooden board, thus beginning his rivalry with him.

He also had rivalries with fighters of the stature of Fist of Iron (when he switched from the technical to the rude side), El Galeno, Astroman, Sweet Daddy Davis, The Animal, Jason The Terrible, Hiroshi Hatanaka, among others. Another of the moments remembered about him was the challenge that 'Mr. Lanza' made to him. To Veneno, this man of Argentine origin came to the country to perform demonstrations of strength such as lifting heavy things, pulling trucks with chains, going into a cold room full of ice for several hours. In his confrontation against Jack Veneno he was defeated.

He was several times champion in pairs in which he stood out with the deceased and charismatic masked fighter "Puño de Hierro", also with the fighter from Santiago de Los Caballeros "El Caballero Negro" 34;, also with the deceased fighter "Maravilla", among others.

It has sometimes been said "We Dominicans will know that we lost a lot when 'Pololo' Julio Cesar Matías (comedian), when Joaquín Balaguer (politician) no longer returns and when Jack Veneno stops being the champion of the world's bolita.

Fall in audience ratings and decline in popularity

At the end of the 80s, the promoter and owner of Dominicana de Espectáculos Arcadio Disla Brito (Vampiro Cao) died and said company then became directed by Jack Veneno himself. From that moment on, its management began. to take another direction. During the course of 1990, the "Dominican Wrestling Federation" which was created to compete with Dominicana de Espectáculos, this company was made up from its beginnings by the majority of the best fighters who were in Dominicana de Espectáculos, from Relámpago Hernández himself, Los Hermanos Broncos (Bronco #1 would be the main figure), Johnny Gómez, Kimba, El Galeno, among others.

To the bad luck of Dominicana de Espectáculos, the DWF began to beat it in the television ratings and even Jack Veneno himself began to lose popularity, the DWF was characterized by bringing several wrestlers from the neighboring island of Puerto Rico, such as Carlos Colón, El Invader #1, Huracán Castillo (from whom Bronco #1 snatched the WWC Universal Title) and the Ecuadorian Hugo Savinovich, there were even wrestling exchanges both in the country and in Puerto Rico.

The Dominican Wrestling Federation lasted around two years, since it is said that Jack Veneno himself had a hand in the disappearance of said company.

"Dominicana de Espectáculos" It was later renamed 'Raff Sanzz Promotions', which was the abbreviated name of Jack Veneno himself. He began the project of producing and starring in a film called "Jack V, the Return of a Star", which, however, did not come to fruition. It was not until 1995 that the company came to an end and thus ended what would be an era, both on television and in the lives of Dominicans, although the program continued broadcasting repetitions until the end of the 90s. Many believe that that the fall of both the company and the public's disinterest was due to Jack Veneno not managing the Dominican Entertainment Company well after the death of Vampiro Cao and not giving way to young fighters who were rising, which caused both displeasure of some fighters as part of the public that followed the sport.

Incursion into politics

After his retirement from wrestling Jack Veneno was in charge of Sports at the Price Stabilization Institute (INESPRE), in 2006 he decided to run for the congressional and municipal elections as trustee (Mayor) of Santo Domingo De Guzmán, achieving little support from voters. Today he holds the position of Undersecretary of Sports, appointed by decree by President Leonel Férnandez in August 2007.

In July 2007, the Dominican wrestler based in Mexico, Rafi Soto, organized a wrestling event in the country called "Lucha Mania #1" in which Jack Veneno was recognized, said event featured the participation of several Mexican and Dominican wrestlers, his former rival in the ring Relámpago Hernández also participated. In November of the same year he was recognized at the 2007 Latin Awards held in New York City for his career in sports.

Statue

On April 13, 2019, a statue in honor of Jack Veneno was unveiled in the Eugenio María de Hostos Park, according to resolution 36 of September 21, 2018 issued by the Council of Aldermen of the mayor's office of the National District. The statue measures 9 feet high, was made of fiberglass, reinforced with bronze-colored patina, placed on a coralline base in the shape of truncated pyramids 2.0 meters high, with a green marble plaque with the biographical data of the Jack Poison.

Death

Veneno suffered from pancreatic cancer, which metastasized to his lungs, and died on April 6, 2021. He was 78 years old.

At the Cinema

In 2018 the film «Veneno Episode 1: Jack's Relámpago» directed by Tabaré Blanchard was shown starring the renowned Dominican actor Manny Pérez as Jack Veneno and Pepe Sierra as Relámpago Hernández. The film was awarded on multiple national and international stages.

In struggle

• Final movements
  • The polemic (Sleeper hold)
  • Four to the legs (Figure-four leglock)
  • The convention (Speed key to opponent's legs)
  • Head filler (Piledriver)

• Other movements
  • Keep it. (Windup punch)
  • The codera (Elbow smash)

• Nicknames
  • «The Champion of the Ball of the World»
  • «The son of Doña Tatica»
• Musical input
  • Jack Veneno's Eye

Championships and achievements

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Dominican Shows
  • World Semi-Employment Champion (6 times)
  • Intercontinental Semicomplet Champion (2 times)
  • World Champion in Couples (6 times) with Iron Fist, Black Knight, Mr. Haiti and Maravilla.
  • Caribbean Champion in Couples (2 times) with Vampiro Cao and El Puma.
  • Wélter National Champion (1 time)

• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Dominican Republic Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • WWC North American Tag-Team Championship (1 time) with José Rivera