Bleacher Report - Articles by Juni Ramos

I Spit in The Face....of People Who Dont Know Why Carlito Is Cool

Juni Ramos — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:56:58 -0400

Carlos Edwin “Carlito” Colón Jr.

Best known for his quick ring ability and spitting apples in the face of those he deems “Not Cool.”

But what most fans are unaware of is that there is a truly great wrestler under the in-ring persona Carlito has to offer.

For those who don’t know, Carlito is the son of the Legendary Puerto Rican Wrestler Carlos Colón Sr.

I feel brief history lesson on Carlito’s father is in order.

Carlos Colón Sr. was a very famous and successful wrestler from the World Wrestling Council (WWC) based on the island of Puerto Rico . The WWC was founded by Carlos himself, along with Victor Jovica and the late great Gorilla Monsoon.

Colón Sr. has won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship an astounding 26 times.

He is also an 11 time WWC North American Tag team Champion and he was 2 time WWC Hardcore Champion.

In the WWC, “Hardcore” had the meaning it was born with.

Hard to the very Core.

Not the lame version of hardcore with paper thin tables, aluminum instead of steel chairs, cheap, thin garbage cans, etc etc.

Hardcore fights were evolving and growing in popularity in America through the 60s, 70s and 80s and WWC in Puerto Rico was the first to experiment with setting things on fire at this time when Hardcore was just making a name for itself.

Colón Sr. was well known for extending challenges to American Professional Wrestlers and having them come to Puerto Rico to fight with his promotion.

His most famous feud was with the fork wielding madman known as Abdullah the Butcher.

Their battles were legendary gore fests filled with wince inducing carnage and a ton of top notch wrestling. Colon Sr. has even gone on record to state “Eighty percent of the blood I've shed in the ring I've shed because of Abdullah."

Colón has over 70 scars on just his forehead where he wears them with pride, stating that they are the awards given to him for having such amazingly bloody and brutal matches over the years. He was known for biting his opponents on the forehead and opening them up.

Other pro wrestlers that took Colón’s Challenges were names such as the legendary Ric Flair, The one and only Macho Man Randy Savage, Bruiser Brody, Dory Funk Jr., George the Animal Steele, The Road Warriors, The Iron Sheik, even Andre the Giant made an appearance.

From what I have seen via YouTube and VHS videos as well as what I’ve heard from my own family members who have first hand knowledge of the fights during these times, those Americans were in for a surprise.

They got to Puerto Rico as these larger than life Superstars with flashy struts and a lot of talk. But when it came right down to business, the Puerto Rican wrestlers were just really tough. Their knife edge chops left welts on wrestler’s chests, super kicks knocked out teeth, and finishers brought actual concussions and black outs.

WWC wrestling is more brutal than the WWF or WWE ever really was. I would even venture to say that it rivaled the original ECW in sheer brutality and harshness.

There no better proof than one of the most epic fights between Abdullah the Butcher and Carlos Colón Sr. where Colon finally got his revenge as The Butcher had him in a standing bear hug and Colón took out his own fork and began rapidly stabbing the Butcher in the forehead with it over and over until blood was literally gushing out of his cranium.

My father was actually at the fight in the 80’s and said he literally got blood on his t-shirt.

But not all the matches were hardcore in this era. There were a lot of high flyers and risk takers as well as solid technical wrestlers as well in the WWC.

Carlos Colón Sr. epitomized what a well rounded wrestler should be and raised the bar in expectations. He was strong yet fast, technical yet was known for climbing the ropes and taking risks, hardcore yet played by the rules, tough as nails yet an emotionally sentimental guy.

His two sons are the guys you see today as your WWE Tag Team Champions.

Even though “Primo” in Spanish means cousin, Carlito and Primo are actually brothers. Sort of like the Puerto Rican Hardy Boys.

They were trained by none other than the man himself, their father Carlos Colón.

Carlito began fighting in the WWC in 1999 and still makes his guest appearances from time to time. When he travels back to his homeland, Carlito is a very serious contender unlike his WWE persona.

One example is when Carlito had a minor feud with former WWE Superstar Scott Hall better known as Razor Ramon.

Before the match Razor Ramon claimed that Carlito’s character in WWE was an imitation of Ramon’s character and began to refer to him as Mini Razor. This culminated into a great match in which Carlito was the victor using his patented move the Back Stabber to put the toothpick flicking Razor down and out.

Carlito's most famous moment in the WWC is the feud he had with his own brother. After having much success in the WWC, and winning the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship an impressive 11 times, Carlito Colón signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2003.

He had some great matches and rivalries in the WWC and his role was much more pivotal there than it ever has been in the WWE.

Ever since he joined the WWE, Vince and his staff had made him a sort of jokey guy/ladies man.

He was introduced to us on October 7, 2004 as Carlito Caribbean Cool and immediately began spitting apples at people. At times, in my opinion, it was a little over the top and demeaning not just to the person getting spit and apple juice all over them, but to Carlito himself.

Puerto Ricans were not happy since the moment he left the WWC for the WWE, calling him a sellout and saying that he is basically a chump for going to the states.

I say Carlito is a business man and an intelligent one at that. Wrestling is his business. It’s not all about the money and about the fame. But how many of you know more than two or three Puerto Rican wrestlers?

This is America, where great wrestlers go to become successful and famous worldwide. In Puerto Rico, they fight and wrestle for pride and for entertainmentbut Not really for the money. A match in WWC brings in a fouth of Carlito’s current WWE paycheck.

Plus, most of those same guys that talk smack and make jokes about him, have actually DREAMED of becoming WWE stars since they were little kids. Just like Carlito and his brother did when they were just boys trying to be “Cool” like their father. The difference was that Carlito had the talent as well as the charisma to make it and most of them do not.

So they can laugh and make jokes about him being a punk and acting like a chump spitting apples at people but at the end of the day, the last one laughing is Carlito. He is laughing all the way to the bank and into the living rooms of millions each week.

In hindsight, that’s what the WWE was going for with his character and the American Version of Carlito Colon was born.

That being said, Carlito wasn’t exactly happy with his wrestling persona. He wanted to be taken a bit more seriously and in late 2007 Carlito requested his release from the WWE. But Vince believed in him and didn’t want him to quit, so after a positive meeting with Carlito, he was thankfully convinced to stay on as a WWE superstar.

I have nothing personal against the WWE for giving him the gimmick he has, but I do wish they would utilize his true talent more. Eddie “Primo” Colon has some work to do on the mic as well as in the ring but he too is a great wrestler in his own right.

Carlito Colon hasn’t been a disappointment in the WWE by any means. Yes he is funny and Yes the WWE uses him in a lot of promos and backstage skits, and he does have Carlito Cabana, but they also have given him a fair enough push.

He has won both the United States Title and the WWE Intercontinental Title and is part of the Current Tag Champs. So its not like the WWE is making a mockery out of a truly great wrestler, they just could stand to use him a little more seriously.

Lastly, this article was meant only to enlighten those who may not know Carlito’s origins and those who may not know about the WWC.

Carlito is part of another legacy. One that does not get the respect or attention it deserves and I encourage those who have never heard of him or seen him wrestle to check the links I have provided as well as do some of your own research and find out what i mean.

If you don’t like this article, then you better dodge the apple mess that’s coming because you’re definitely Not Cool.

Thanks for reading.

Team Puerto Rico Doesn't Show Up to WBC Game Versus Venezuela

Juni Ramos — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:45:49 -0400

(This is a photo of Delgado striking out in the fifth with the opportunity to change the outcome of the game)

To be fair, Puerto Rico actually did show up to the game, but their intensity, their focus, and most importantly their offense was a total no show.

Team Venezuela completely dominated my favorite to win, Team Puerto Rico, two to nada (2-0) and effectively put an end to Puerto Rico's win streak in the Classic.

Previous offensive threats Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Pudge Rodriguez, and Alex Rios were not even a factor in this poor showing of offensive bravado.

Venezuela starter Felix Hernandez was simply impeccable. He dealt seven strikeouts to a very powerful line up in team Puerto Rico and did not let one run score in 4 2/3 innings.

Making this game a pitcher's duel, Ian Snell from team P.R. wasn't too shabby himself getting only tagged for one run through four innings.

But that one run made all the difference throughout the game as Team Puerto Rico could not touch Hernandez and were all looking foolish by the end of the game.

To add insurance to the win, Ramon Hernandez smacked a massive home run that hit about five feet behind the scoreboard. At first they weren't calling it a home run even though us at home saw very clearly in the replay that the ball cleared the scoreboard before it bounced back on the field.

After five minutes of nothing, the umpires finally came to the obvious conclusion that it was in fact a home run making the score 2-0.

That got me thinking about instant replays in MLB. Do we need them? I'm not sure, but it was very annoying to have the game interrupted for five minutes and I bet Ramon Hernandez was not happy about having to stand on third base for five minutes in suspense while they deliberated.

As the announcer said, "That was the longest home run trot in baseball history!"

Overall the Puerto Ricans played terrible offensively, but it wasn't a blow out like the P.R vs USA game.

Speaking of Team USA, it's do or die for both teams now, as the stakes couldn't be higher in this much anticipated rematch.

USA has had a rash of injuries as of late and had a dismal performance last time these two juggernauts met.

Can Team USA overcome the odds?

Can Team Puerto Rico rebound to their previous offensive greatness?

It's win and move onto the Semi Finals or lose and go home for both teams.

Either way it's going to be interesting down there tonight in Miami.

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination.

Tommy Lasorda

Puerto Rico Makes Team USA Beg For Mercy

Juni Ramos — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:44:16 -0400

Team Puerto Rico absolutely destroyed the star-packed Team USA with a score of 11-1 Saturday evening in Miami.

The game actually ended as a result of the Mercy Rule, which I personally found a bit amusing. The Mercy Rule occurs when a game ends early when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team. In the case of the WBC, the rule is 10 runs.

The winning-and-mercy-rule-inducing runs came off the bat of Mike Aviles, who smacked a two-run single into shallow right field making the score 11-1, extending Team Puerto Rico's undefeated streak in the World Baseball Classic.

Jake Peavy, from the San Diego Padres, was rocked in his short two-inning stint, leading him to an ugly 14.40 ERA so far in the Classic. Team Puerto Rico had six hits, six runs, two walks, and a home run off of the two-time All-Star Peavy.

In stark contrast, Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves was solid, taking down a team of major leaguers and lasting a good five innings

So far, he has posted an impressive 0.96 ERA in the Classic.

Every Team Puerto Rico player was on fire yesterday. Each batter either scored a run or drove in a run. Puerto Rico achieved 13 hits and four walks without breaking a sweat.

Offensively, Carlos Delgado drove in two runs; Felipe Lopez rocked a two-run home run and an RBI double; and Ramon Vazquez scored twice.

Carlos Beltran once again shined going 3-for-3, including a monster home run in the seventh inning off of reliever Thorton.

Pudge Rodriguez was also great offensively, going 3-for-4 with an RBI to his credit.

For Team USA, it's a rather harsh beating with all of their top performers more or less sleeping through much of the game.

Derek Jeter, Shane Victorino, Chipper Jones, and Kevin Youkilis all had dead bats and went 0-for-3 in a dismal performance.

Team USA is now on the brink of elimination with their next opponent being the Netherlands.

As we can recall from last week, the relatively unknown players on Team Netherlands defeated the highly-talented Dominican Republic team. Let's just hope for Team USA's fans that the Netherlands' luck has run out.

With the way Team Puerto Rico annihilated the favorites of the World Baseball Classic, Team USA is going to have to wake up and smell the freshly cut grass.

Players win games, teams win championships.
- Bill Taylor

Puerto Rico Undefeated in World Baseball Classic...So Far So Good

Juni Ramos — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:18:20 -0400

Puerto Rico remains undefeated through the first round of the World Baseball Classic. I must say, I'm very impressed with their team unity and great play so far.

I say so far because we were all stunned when the Netherlands defeated the heavily favored Dominican Republic (TWICE, actually), and we may be in for another upset in the later rounds.

Starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez gets the credit for the 5-0 shutout Puerto Rico handed to the Netherlands with four scoreless innings (4 K, 1 BB, two singles)

Puerto Rico's relief pitching WAS a relief, as their great play preserved the shutout.

Puerto Rico's bats were also awake and they immediately began supporting their starting pitcher by putting runs on the board. The two Carlos' (Delgado and Beltran) were especially good, as Beltran hit into a fielder’s choice in the first to score Jesus Feliciano. Then in the fifth, Alex Rios hit a triple to bring in Delgado, who led off with a single.

Overall, I must say it was a great game for Puerto Rico. The streak is intact, their confidence couldn’t be higher, and they are playing at an intense level so far unmatched in the WBC. They are the tough team to beat with tons of enthusiasm and professionalism.

Their loss may come eventually during the WBC, but I see it as being a total upset. Maybe an Asian team like Korea will beat them. Maybe the good old US of A can take them out.

Either way, it's definitely not going to be a walk in the ballpark for the opposing team.

Former teammates Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter will have a chance to play against each other in the second round this Saturday when Puerto Rico takes on the formidable and talent-packed Team USA. That unquestionably brings a little more excitement to the tournament other than just national pride and bragging rights.

I look forward to seeing Puerto Rico go all the way and hope they do not suffer an embarrassing defeat like the GREAT team from the Dominican Republic did. As the Legend Yogi Berra said "It aint over till its over", so I will be looking forward to the WBC conclusion. Thanks for reading.