Professional Wrestling Career
In the late 1960s, Rivera wrestling in Los Angeles' World Wrestling Association, where he won the WWA World Tag Team Championship with Pedro Morales.
In December 1969, Rivera teamed with Tony Marino at Madison Square Garden to win the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in 2 straight falls from Professor Toru Tanaka and Mitsu Arakawa. Rivera and Marino defended the belts successfully against teams like Killer Kowalski & Waldo Von Erich, as well as Kowalski & Krippler Karl Kovacs. They lost the championship against another undefeated team, The Mongols (Bepo and Geto Mongol) on June 15, 1970, 2 falls to 1 at Madison Square Garden. On May 13, 1975, Rivera and Dominic DeNucci won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship from The Valiant Brothers. That same year, he also teamed with a rookie Dino Bravo to challenge The Mongols (Geto & Bolo Mongol) for the IWA World Tag Team Championship.
After leaving the WWF, he feuded with Pedro Morales in Hawaii and California. In 1978 Rivera returned to the WWWF as a heel under manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie and challenged Bob Backlund for the WWWF title in several cities, including at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Rivera left the WWWF again in 1979, never to return, although as time has gone on he's been confused with Mac Rivera, aka Jose Luis Rivera, who wrestled in the WWWF from 1982 - 1987. In 1980, Rivera was once again wrestling in Los Angeles. In the National Wrestling Alliance, he won the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Enforcer Luciano. Johnny Rivera, who wrestled in the WWWF from 1975 - 1977 and again as Invader II from 1983 - 1984 was billed as his cousin.
Read more about this topic: Victor Rivera
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