Wrestling legend Jose Lothario has passed away at the age of 83. Former NWA President, Bruce Tharpe, broke the news on Twitter yesterday.
Sad news today. The great JOSE LOTHARIO has passed away. So thankful that I had the opportunity to induct him into the NWA Hall of Fame while I served as President. He was so happy and it was my pleasure to induct him. God bless you Jose Lothario and may you Rest In Peace.
— R. Bruce Tharpe (@rbtharpe) November 6, 2018
“Sad news today. The great JOSE LOTHARIO has passed away. So thankful that I had the opportunity to induct him into the NWA Hall of Fame while I served as President. He was so happy and it was my pleasure to induct him. God bless you Jose Lothario and may you Rest In Peace.”
Lothario was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame class of 2017. In WWE, he is perhaps best known for having trained Shawn Michaels.
“I think every young boy who lived in Texas knew who Jose Lothario was,” Michaels said to WWE Magazine in 1996. “I first saw him on TV when I was 12. He was the first Superstar to come across my screen. He is a legend in San Antonio, Cuba, Mexico… just about everywhere!”
Jose Lothario
Lothario’s in-ring career took place mainly in Texas. He won the NWA Brass Knuckles title (the Texan version) 5x. Lothario also won the WCCW television title twice. He won tag titles with names like Rocky Johnson, Ivan Putski, and Mil Mascaras.
“Despite never winning a WWE-sanctioned championship or competing at WrestleMania, Jose Lothario – born Guadalupe Robledo on Dec. 12, 1934 – made a lasting mark on the WWE Universe by simply agreeing to train a cocky teenager from San Antonio, Texas,” WWE wrote of Lothario. “A cocky teenager that grew up to become WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.”
