{{Short description|New Zealand wrestler}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2014}} {{Infobox professional wrestler |name=Johnny Garcia |image= |caption= |names='''Johnny Garcia''' <!-- Please don't change the height or weight. These are the measures as officially stated and they should not be changed. --> |height= {{height|m=1.85}} |weight= {{convert|111|kg|lb|abbr=on|lk=on}} |birth_date = 1949 |death_date = |birth_place =Auckland, New Zealand |death_place = |billed= |trainer="Wild" Don Scott |debut=1970 |retired=1992 |website= |}} '''John "Johnny" Garea''' (born 1949) is a semi-retired New Zealand professional wrestler, known by his ring name '''Johnny Garcia''', who competed in Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and occasionally for the World Wrestling Federation during the 1970s and 80s. The youngest pro wrestler in New Zealand at the time of his debut in 1970, he was a regular on the Australian wrestling programme ''Big Time Wrestling'' and its New Zealand counterpart ''On the Mat'' as well as a two-time NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Champion. Garea is the real life brother of four-time WWWF World Tag Team Champion and WWE Road Agent Tony Garea.
==Career== Born in Auckland, New Zealand, the son of Croatian-born Ivan Gareljich, Garea began training at the Mt. Roskill gymnasium with "Wild" Don Scott<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=48 |title=Tony Garea Comes Home To New Zealand |author=Cameron, Dave |date=December 2004 |work=FightTimes.com |publisher=Fight Times Magazine |accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref> in English-style catch-as-catch-can wrestling and made his pro wrestling debut in 1970, a year before his older brother Tony Garea. At age 21, he was the youngest professional wrestler in the country. Garea's early career was spent in the South Pacific Wrestling Association for Auckland promoter Ernie Pinches and quickly became a regular on the New Zealand circuit.<ref name="Simpson">{{cite web |url=http://www.kiwiwrestling.com/2010/08/auckland-road-trip-day-three-6th-august.html |title=Auckland Road Trip - Day Three |author1=Adam Simpson |author2=Shanan Gough |author3=Mark Hutchings |date=6 August 2010 |publisher=KiwiWrestling.com |accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref> As Tony Garea left for the United States, Johnny Garcia made his way to Australia where he wrestled for Jim Barnett and World Championship Wrestling.<ref name="Bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.kiwiprowrestling.co.nz/Johnny-Garcia.932.0.html |title=Johnny Garcia |author= |year=2007 |work=Legends |publisher=KiwiProWrestling.co.nz |accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref>
Garea often appeared on WCW's wrestling programme broadcast on the Nine Network while in Australia. He was the first New Zealander to appear on ''Big Time Wrestling'', a short-lived Australian programme aired in his home country in 1973, and joined New Zealand promoter Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling after Barnett left for the United States the following year. In 1975, he and The Sheepherders (Butch Miller and Luke Williams) were among the first standout talent of ''On the Mat'' and started touring the country. Garea also wrestled overseas as well visiting such faraway countries as Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Japan in Asia, the South Pacific islands of Fiji and Tahiti, and in the United States.<ref name="Bio"/> He was able to get bookings in various NWA territories and, partly due to his connections with his brother Tony, briefly wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation.<ref name="Simpson"/><ref name="Byers">{{cite web |url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/131232/Into-the-Indies-03.09.10:--NWA-On-the-Mat.htm |title=Into the Indies 03.09.10: NWA On the Mat |author=Byers, Ryan |date=9 March 2010 |work=Columns |publisher=411mania.com |accessdate=2 August 2010}}</ref>
Garea would continue to appear on ''On the Mat'' for nearly a decade<ref name="Simpson"/> during which time he faced off against many of the top names not only in Australasia, such as Steve Rickard, John da Silva, Robert Bruce and Al Hobman, but from around the world including former World Champion Tiger Jeet Singh, The Sheik and Mark Lewin from the National Wrestling Alliance, and Big Bad John, Rocky Johnson, Don Muraco, and Rick Martel from the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Years later, Garea claimed that his toughest opponents were André the Giant and "the world's strongest man" Paul Graham, in addition to a brutal series of cage matches with King Curtis Iaukea.<ref name="Bio"/> By 1981, he had become a main-eventer on the show.<ref name="Byers"/>
After the cancellation of ''On the Mat'' in 1984, Garea remained with All Star-Pro Wrestling and eventually became involved in a near 5-year feud with Bruno Bekkar over the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship during the mid-to late 1980s, winning the title twice, before losing the title back to Bekkar in 1990.<ref name="Wrestling-Titles">{{cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nz/nz-h.html |title=New Zealand Heavyweight Title |author= |year=2003 |work=Wrestling-Titles.com |publisher=Puroresu Dojo |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Garea went into semi-retirement with All Star-Pro Wrestling closing in 1992 and eventually became a rancher with a sizeable lifestyle block in Warkworth.<ref name="Simpson"/><ref name="Bio"/>
On 24 January 2004, Garea was among the many veteran New Zealand wrestlers who attended a "legends reunion" show at Petone.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=712 |title=Wrestling Reunion at Petone |author=Cameron, Dave |date=June 2007 |work=Fight Time Magazine |publisher=FightTimes.com |accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref> In June 2008, he made a public appearance with his brother Tony, Butch Miller, and Rip Morgan ay a WWE event in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=982 |title=Up Close With The WWE Superstars |author= |date=June 2008 |work=Fight Times Magazine |publisher=FightTimes.com |accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrestling.net.nz/News-Item.487.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=50&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=167&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=488&cHash=12f050fdbf61fa5442f83686a5d6d631 |title=PowerHouse |author=Diamond, Jade |date=27 June 2008 |work=News Item |publisher=Wrestling.net.nz |accessdate=26 July 2010}}</ref> He was also interviewed at his Warkworth ranch as part of a documentary on professional wrestling in New Zealand, ''A Kiwi Century on the Mat'', in August 2010.<ref name="Simpson"/>
==Championships and accomplishments== *'''All Star-Pro Wrestling''' **NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship (2 times)<ref name="Wrestling-Titles"/>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== *[http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/j/johnny-garcia.html Johnny Garcia at OnlineWorldofWrestling.com]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garea, John}} Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand male professional wrestlers Category:Entertainers from Auckland