LOOKING BACK AT GRAN MARKUS
By John Opiela on 11/19/2007 11:11 AM
Juan Chavarria Galicia, better known to lucha libre fans as “El Gran Markus,†passed away this past Thursday, November 15, 2007, after a long battle with diabetes. While considered one of the original legends of the masked world, he enjoyed a lot of his success in the United States. He was born in the rural community of Monte Alegre near Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico. (It’s roughly 4 hours south of Monterrey, and the birthplace of many wrestlers, including Dr. Wagner, Jr., the original L.A. Park, Atlantis, Sombra, and Charly Manson of AAA fame). He debuted in 1963 in the Arena Charro Aguayo as Doctor Markus. He gained fame in EMLL (now CMLL) teaming with Cosaco Loco against Ricardo and Jesus Cahvez. He also formed a famous trios team with Doctor Wagner (Manuel Gonzalez) and Angel Blanco. He won various championships and had a famous feud with Mil Mascaras. He was a double in the 1969 movie “Santo y Blue Demon contra los Monstrous†and had a role in a 1970 movie with Mil Mascaras and Blue Demon. Perhaps his most noted rivalry with respects to fans of American wrestling fans would be with the Texas Ranger. The end (seemingly) of this rivalry ended at the Plaza Monumental de Monterrey with Texas Ranger losing his mask, revealing the man Jose Lothario, who latter gained fame for training Gino Hernandez and Shawn Michaels.
Not surprisingly, El Gran Markus and Jose Lothario continued their feud in the United States. El Gran Markus, along with, ironically, Gino Hernandez, traded the NWA American Tag Team Championships back and forth during 1979 with Jose Lothario and El Halcon (the Falcon). These belts were the precursors to the WCCW belts. El Gran Markus and Gino Hernandez also feuded with Dory and Terry Funk at this time. El Gran Markus returned to Mexico in the 80s. After a 6 month feud with Anibal, the unthinkable happened. On March 18, 1987, one of the most famous masks of early lucha libre was lost forever, as Anibal defeated El Gran Markus in a mask versus mask match. Though El Gran Markus never had any biological sons, his name continues with the luchador Gran Markus, Jr. His death made the front page of every sports section in Torreon today. This is common in Mexico, where wrestling is still treated with respect and rich in history. El Gran Markus, descanse en paz. From john, an elite subscriber
