Franco Columbo
Mexican professional wrestler and booker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Javier Esparza Coronado (born August 11, 1953) is a Mexican retired Luchador, or professional wrestler, currently working as a match maker for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Esparza is best known under the ring name Franco Columbo, a name he uses even after retiring from wrestling.
August 11, 1953
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Javier Esparza Coronado August 11, 1953 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Franco Columbo |
| Billed height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Billed weight | 84 kg (185 lb) |
| Trained by | Diablo Velasco |
| Debut | September 1975 |
| Retired | 1990s |
Professional wrestling career
Esparza was trained for his professional wrestling career by legendary Mexican wrestling trainer Diablo Velazco before making his debut in 1975 as "Franco Columbo". Due to Velazco's connections to Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mexico's largest and the world's oldest professional wrestling promotion, Columbo landed job with EMLL only a few years after making his debut. On November 1, 1980 Columbo defeated Américo Rocca to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship, holding it for 92 days before El Supremo won it on February 1, 1981.[1] Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s Columbo began working as a trainer for EMLL (later renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre; CMLL) helping improve young wrestlers under EMLL/CMLL contract. After retiring from active competition in the late 1990s, Columbo began being more involved in the booking aspects of CMLL, moving up the ranks to being second in charge along with Juan Manuel Mar. The two are currently responsible for planning CMLL's weekly shows in Arena Mexico and Arena Coliseo, CMLL's two most popular venues.
Championships and accomplishments
- Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre
- Regional championships
- Occidente Welterweight Championship (1 time)
Luchas de Apuestas record
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. O'Borman (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | N/A | Live event | N/A | |
| Gran Cochisse (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | N/A | |
| Franco Colombo (hair) | Guerrero Negro (hair) | Puebla, Puebla | Live event | January 10, 1982 | |
| Águila Solitaria (mask) and Franco Colombo (hair) | Cid Campeador (mask) and Ari Romero (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | June 19, 1982 | |
| Franco Colombo (hair) | Divino Roy (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | July 30, 1982 | |
| Faisán (mask) and Franco Colombo (hair) | Pánico (mask) and Manuel Robles (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | August 17, 1982 | |
| Jerry Estrada (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | July 1, 1983 | |
| Hombre Verde (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | March 24, 1984 | |
| Ari Romero and Franco Colombo (hair) | Los Destructores (hair) (Vulcano and Tony Arce) | Mexico City | Live event | August 26, 1984 | |
| Javier Cruz (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | December 16, 1984 | [3] |
| Javier Cruz (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | Cuernavaca, Morelos | Live event | August 1, 1985 | |
| Javier Cruz (hair) | Franco Colombo (hair) | Mexico City | Live event | March 23, 1986 |
