Jack O'Brien (wrestler)

{{Short description|Mexican professional wrestler}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox professional wrestler |name = Jack O'Brien |image = Jack O'Brien (wrestler).jpg |image_size = |alt = |caption = |birthname = Marcelo Andreani |names = Jack O'Brien<br />Dr. O'Brian |height = {{height|m=1.73}}<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> |weight = {{convert|92|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> |birth_date = {{birth date|1910|2|8}}<ref name="FigurasOBrien">{{cite news|title=Grandes Figuras de la Lucha Libre|work=Jack O'Brien|location=Portales, Mexico|id=17|page=43|date=November 2008|language=es}}</ref> |birth_place = Fossola, Carrara, Italy<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> |death_date = {{death date and age|1982|9|24|1910|2|8}}<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> |death_place = Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> |resides = |billed = |trainer = |debut = 1934<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> |retired = 1956 }} '''Marcelo Andreani''' (February 8, 1910 – September 24, 1982) was a Mexican professional wrestler best known under the ring name "Roughouse" '''Jack O'Brien''' and worked mainly in Mexico for Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) where he held the Mexican National Lightweight Championship, Mexican National Welterweight Championship and NWA World Welterweight Championship twice during his career that spanned from 1934 until 1956. O'Brien is credited with inventing the Abdominal Stretch, or ''Tirabuzón'' (Spanish for "Corkscrew").

==Early life== Marcelo Andreani was born on February 8, 1910, in Fossola, Carrara, Italy. Andreani moved to Mexico with his family to study dental surgery and played baseball in his free time. Andreani was also a talented pole vaulter and swimmer.<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/>

In college, Andreani played American football for Pumas CU. A quarterback and safety,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://elquarterbackfootball.com.mx/2020/05/11/grandes-quarterbacks-de-los-pumas/|title=Grandes Quarterbacks de los Pumas|work=elquarterbackfootball.com.mx|date=May 11, 2020|access-date=March 2, 2022|language=es|archive-date=March 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303001837/https://elquarterbackfootball.com.mx/2020/05/11/grandes-quarterbacks-de-los-pumas/|url-status=dead}}</ref> he was inducted into the Mexican Hall of Fame of American Football.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.maximoavance.com/2017/03/salon-la-fama-del-fba-mexico-suma-295-integrantes/|title=Salón de la Fama del FBA México suma 295 integrantes|work=Máximo Avance|date=March 27, 2017|access-date=March 2, 2022|language=es}}</ref>

==Professional wrestling career== By 1934 Andreani had obtained Mexican citizenship and made his professional wrestling debut in 1934, taking the ring name "Jack O'Brien".<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> O'Brien's athletic background and charisma quickly made him a very popular and successful wrestler, so successful that he became the first ever Mexican National Lightweight Champion by defeating Dientes Hernández in the final of a tournament.<ref name=MexLight/> O'Brien used a move called ''Tirabuzón'', the Mexican version of the "Abdominal Stretch" which O'Brien is credited with introducing to professional wrestling.<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> O'Brien held the Lightweight title from 1934 until June 28, 1937, when Dientes Hernández defeated him to win the championship.<ref name=MexLight/> The following May O'Brian regained the Lightweight title and held it for two years before Bobby Bonales defeated him for the championship on May 5, 1940.<ref name=MexLight/> After losing the lightweight championship O'Brien moved into the Welterweight division, probably the most prestigious weight class in Mexico at the time. On November 23, 1941, Jack O'Brien defeated Lobo Negro to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship.<ref name=MexWelter/> O'Brien held the title for just over four months before losing it to Ciclón Veloz.<ref name=MexWelter/> After the loss of the Welterweight title O'Brien began a long running, very successful storyline feud with El Santo and Gory Guerrero, the team known as ''La Pareja Atómica'' ("The Atomic Pair").<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> On February 18, 1944, O'Brien defeated El Santo to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship, a rare loss for El Santo at the time.<ref name=MexWelter/> El Santo gained a measure of revenge that same year when he defeated O'Brien in a ''Luchas de Apuesta'', hair vs. mask match on April 8, forcing O'Brien to have his head shaved bald per Lucha Libre traditions.<ref name=MondoSanto/> On April 20, 1945, Santo's partner Guerrero defeated O'Brien to win the Mexican Welterweight Championship.<ref name=MexWelter/> O'Brien participated in the tournament to crown the first ever World Welterweight Championship (a title that was later renamed the "NWA World Welterweight Championship" when EMLL joined the National Wrestling Alliance). O'Brien lost to El Santo in the final, but managed to win the title from El Santo on February 14, 1947.<ref name=NWAWelter/> O'Brien held the World Welterweight title for over two years until losing it to Gory Guerrero on April 29, 1949.<ref name=NWAWelter/>

After losing the Welterweight title O'Brien began teaming with Rito Romero, forming a team called ''La Pareja Perfecta'' ("The perfect team") by the fans and promoters alike for their smooth teamwork and timing.<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> O'Brien also began wrestling in Texas around the same time, working for various Texas promotions under the name "Roughhouse" Jack O'Brien. In 1952 O'Brien appeared in his first Lucha film as he both acted and wrestled in the movie ''Huracán Ramírez'', he was also one of the men that found Daniel Garzia to fill the role of the title star. He also appeared in two more movies ''El Enmascarado de Plata'' and ''La Bestia Maginfica''.<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> Along with acting O'Brian also tried his hand at promoting wrestling events in 1952, funded by the Televicentro network O'Brien and promoters Jesús Garza and Elías Krui were the first promoters to oppose Salvador Lutteroth's EMLL wrestling empire in Mexico. When funding for the promotion ran out O'Brien made peace with the Lutteroth family, retired from active wrestling and started working as a local promoter for EMLL in Acapulco, Guerrero and Mexico City. He later retired from promotion when he was offered a government job in Cuernavaca, Morelos by the newly elected governor, who was a college friend. O'Brien briefly returned to wrestling in the mid-1960s working as the ''enmascarado'' (masked) character "Doctor O'Brian", teaming with Doctor O'Borman. After his brief foray into wrestling he became the official doctor of the Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua wrestling commission.<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/> O'Brien died on September 14, 1982.<ref name="FigurasOBrien"/>

==Championships and accomplishments== *'''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre''' **Mexican National Lightweight Championship (2 times)<ref name=MexLight>{{cite book|author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will|title=Wrestling Title Histories|publisher=Archeus Communications|chapter=Mexico: National Lightweight Title|page=[https://archive.org/details/wrestling-title-histories-4th/page/392 393]|year=2000|isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}</ref> **Mexican National Welterweight Championship (2 times)<ref name=MexWelter>{{cite book|author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will|title=Wrestling Title Histories|chapter=Mexico: National Welterweight Title|page=[https://archive.org/details/wrestling-title-histories-4th/page/392 392]|publisher=Archeus Communications|year=2000|isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}</ref><ref name=Lucha2000>{{cite news|title=Los Reyes de Mexico: La Historia de Los Campeonatos Nacionales|work=Lucha 2000|id=Especial 21|date=December 20, 2004|language=Spanish}}</ref> **NWA World Welterweight Championship (2 times)<ref name=NWAWelter>{{cite book|author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will|title=Wrestling Title Histories|chapter=Mexico EMLL NWA Welterweight Heavyweight Title|page=390|publisher=Archeus Communications|year=2006|edition=4th|isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}</ref> *'''National Wrestling Alliance''' **NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' (1 time) – with Pierre LaSalle<ref>{{cite web |url= http://wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=1298&bild=1&details=3|title= Jack O'Brien: Titles|publisher=wrestlingdata.com}}</ref>

==''Luchas de Apuestas'' record== {{See also|Lucha libre#Luchas de Apuestas|l1=Luchas de Apuestas}} {|class="wikitable sortable" width=100% style="text-align: center" !width=20% scope="col"|Winner (wager) !width=20% scope="col"|Loser (wager) !width=20% scope="col"|Location !width=20% scope="col"|Event !width=15% scope="col"|Date !class="unsortable" width=5% scope="col"|Notes |- |El Santo (mask) || Jack O'Brien (hair) || Mexico City || EMLL show || {{dts|April 8, 1944}} || <ref name=MondoSanto>{{cite book|author=Madigan, Dan|title=Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|year=2007|chapter=Los Enmascarados (the masked men) – El Santo|pages=71–78|isbn=978-0-06-085583-3}}</ref> |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=1298 Jack O'Brien], at wrestlingdata.com

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Jack}} Category:1910 births Category:1982 deaths Category:American emigrants to Mexico Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American male professional wrestlers Category:Mexican male professional wrestlers Category:Mexican people of Italian descent Category:Naturalized citizens of Mexico Category:Professional wrestlers from Houston Category:20th-century American male actors Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers Category:20th-century Mexican professional wrestlers Category:Mexican National Welterweight Champions Category:NWA World Welterweight Champions Category:Pumas CU players Category:Mexican National Lightweight Champions Category:NWA World Tag Team Champions (Georgia version) Category:Italian male professional wrestlers Category:Italian players of American football Category:American football quarterbacks Category:American football safeties Category:Mexican players of American football