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Brian Damage
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
Victor ‘The Bodyguard’
Víctor Manuel Rodríguez García was a Puerto Rican born professional wrestler who stood 6ft 3in tall and weighed close to 250 pounds. His large size is what got him the nickname of ‘The Bodyguard.’ He began his career in 1983 and was a mainstay in Puerto Rican wrestling. Victor competed for Carlos Colon’s World Wrestling Council (WWC) and also its rival the IWA led by Victor Quinones.
Victor held several titles during his career including the WWC Puerto Rican title. He was also a recurring tag team partner with Puerto Rican wrestling legend Chicky Starr. Together, the duo won numerous tag team championships in both WWC and IWA.
On June 20, 2004 in Yauco, Puerto Rico during an IWA show…Victor the Bodyguard got involved in a match involving Ray Gonzalez. Afterwards, Victor began complaining of some slight chest pains. He sat down in the locker room, lit a cigarette and suddenly collapsed. Victor was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. Victor the Bodyguard had suffered a massive heart attack. At the time of his death, he was the reigning IWA Hardcore champion. Victor was just 38 years old at the time of his death. His son Manuel continued his father’s legacy and became a pro wrestler himself.