Murciélago Velázquez

Murciélago Velázquez
Birth nameJesús Velázquez Quintero
Born(1910-02-22)February 22, 1910
Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico
DiedMay 26, 1972(1972-05-26) (aged 62)
Mexico City, Mexico
Cause of deathCirrhosis
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)El Murciélago Enmascarado
Murciélago Velázquez
Billed height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Billed weight75 kg (165 lb)
Trained byCasino de la Policía
DebutApril 18, 1938
Retired1956

Jesús Velázquez Quintero (February 22, 1910 – May 26, 1972), better known under the ring names El Murciélago Enmascarado and Murciélago Velázquez, was a Mexican luchador (or professional wrestler). Velázquez was the fourth wrestler in Mexico to wear a wrestling mask and the second Mexican to work as an enmascarado ("masked wrestler") in the history of lucha libre. He became the first wrestler in Mexico to be forced to unmask, losing a Lucha de Apuestas (or "Bet match") to Octavio Gaona, creating the most prestigious match type in lucha libre. He once held the Mexican National Middleweight Championship and after his retirement was the head of the Mexico City boxing and wrestling commission for a while.

Near the end of his in-ring career, Velázquez began acting in various Mexican films, including several luchador films, working both with El Santo and Blue Demon. He also became involved in the creative aspects of movie making, writing several screenplays and stories over the years. The last movie he wrote the story for, La mujer del diablo, opened two years after his death.