Jumbo Baretta Passes Away at 59
Jumbo Baretta, whose real name was Julio Barrera, has passed away at the age of 59. The Cauliflower Alley Club confirmed the news of his death in a social media post on Sunday afternoon. Born in Tampa, Florida, Baretta was an accomplished amateur wrestler who won back-to-back state titles for Hillsborough High School before turning pro.
He began his professional wrestling career in 1986 after being trained by Boris Malenko. Baretta competed in Championship Wrestling from Florida, the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, and various NWA territories in his early years. In 1989 he won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship alongside Dennis Knight before losing the titles to Lou Perez and Mark Starr one month later.
That same year he started appearing in WCW where he faced opponents including Sting, Tommy Rich, the Rock 'n' Roll Express, the Road Warriors, and the Midnight Express. He also participated in tours for Japan's Universal Wrestling Federation during that period.
By 1995 Baretta had wrestled a handful of matches in WWE, losing to Kama as well as to Eli Blu and Jacob Blu.
Story timeline · 9 reports
- Jumbo Baretta Passes Away at 58 or 59Jumbo Baretta, whose real name was Julio Barrera, competed in both WWF and WCW during the 1980s and 1990s.
- In Memoriam: Wrestling World Mourns the Death of Ex-WWE & WCW Star Jumbo BarettaNew details are emerging on this story from Athlon Sports: Wrestling World Mourns the Death of Ex-WWE & WCW Star Jumbo Baretta.
- Jumbo Beretta Passes Away at 59Former WWE and WCW wrestler Jumbo Beretta, also known as Julio Barrera, has died at age 59.
- Former WCW and WWF Wrestler Jumbo Baretta Passes Away at 59Per Ringside News: baretta spent nearly three decades in professional wrestling, competing for WCW, WWF, and a number of NWA territories while additionally…
- Veteran Wrestler Jumbo Baretta Passes AwayThe Cauliflower Alley Club announced that longtime wrestler Julio Barrera, known as Jumbo Baretta, has died.
- Jumbo Baretta Passes AwayFormer wrestler Julio Barrera, known as Jumbo Baretta, has died.
- Wildman Jack Armstrong Passes AwayFormer wrestler Jack Armstrong has died.
- Former WWF Wrestler “Wildman” Jack Armstrong Passes Away at 79Creavalle shared the sad news on Facebook , calling Armstrong her best friend and remembering how much he helped her when she was a struggling bodybuilder.
Sources: Wrestling Observer · POST Wrestling · Athlon Sports · Ringside News · Yahoo Sports · Fightful
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