Espanto I

José Eusebio Vázquez Bernal (1930 – May 30, 1968) was a Mexican professional wrestler from the mid-1950s until his death in 1968, best known under the ring name Espanto I (Spanish for "Terror I"). He was one-half of Los Espantos alongside his lifelong friend Fernando Cisneros Carrillo (Espanto II) and younger brother Miguel Vázquez Bernal (Espanto III). As Los Espantos, the three became one of the first "identical teams" in Mexico. Vázquez held the Mexican National Tag Team Championship once and the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship on three occasions. He lost his mask to El Santo in 1963 as a result of a long-running storyline feud between the two.

In 1968, Vázquez, along with another wrestler, was killed during a bar fight in a cantina in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Following Vázquez' death, both his brother and his best friend went into semi-retirement due to the loss. In the 1980s, other wrestlers began using the Espanto name, such as his nephews, who became Espanto IV and Espanto V, and non-family members who were allowed to use the name such as Los Hijos del Espanto ("The Sons of Espanto"), Espanto Jr., Espantito, and a second Espanto Jr. In 2010, Vázquez was inducted into the Ciudad Juárez Lucha Libre Hall of Fame, along with the other two Espantos. The team of Espanto I and Espanto II are considered among the best rudo (those that portray the bad guys) teams in the history of lucha libre.

Early life José Eusebio Vázquez Bernal was born in 1930 (exact date is unknown) in the town of Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. His younger brother, Miguel, was born in 1940. While in school, Vázquez met and befriended Fernando Cisneros Carrillo. The friendship between the two was so strong that they considered each other brothers, and Cisneros' parents considered Vázquez as one of their own children. After leaving school, they both went their separate ways, not seeing each other for two years, before they both ended up training at the same boxing gym. Ramos recommended Espanto I to the Mexico City promoters of Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre ("Mexican Wrestling Enterprise"; EMLL), where he made his EMLL debut on December 16, 1959, at Arena Coliseo. On February 9, Espanto I defeated Cavernario Galindo in a Lucha de Apuestas, forcing his maskless opponent to have his hair shaved off. While Galindo's career was waning at the time, the victory was still considered a major accomplishment in Espanto I's young career. At the first EMLL 30th Anniversary show on September 6, Espanto II lost a Lucha de Apuestas to Rubén Juárez, being forced to unmask; this made him the first Espanto to lose his mask. but lost it to Mendoza in November as part of a long-running rudo vs. rudo storyline between Los Espantos and Los Rebeldes. On October 14, 1966, his second reign as the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion came to an end when he lost to El Santo. Later on, other Espantos would follow in the footsteps of the character that Eusebio Vázquez created, including his nephews Espanto IV and V, Los Hijos del Espanto, Espantito, and a new Espanto Jr., son of the original Espanto.

After the storyline with El Santo, Los Espantos became one of the most reviled rudo trios in Lucha libre at the time. In 1999, the Mexican newspaper El Siglo de Torreón stated that the team of Espanto I and Espanto II was considered one of the best rudo teams in the history of lucha libre. The statement was echoed by SuperLuchas Magazine in 2010, when they wrote an obituary after Espanto II died.

Championships and accomplishments Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (3 times) Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Espanto II Chihuahua State wrestling Ciudad Juárez Lucha Libre Hall of Fame (2010)

Luchas de Apuestas record Winner (wager)Loser (wager)LocationEventDateNotesEspanto I (mask) Mr. Atlas (mask) Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Independent Show Espanto I (mask) Pantera Blanca (mask) Guadalajara, Jalisco Independent Show Espanto I (mask) Rubén Juárez (hair) Mexico City EMLL 30th Anniversary Show El Santo (mask) Espanto I (mask) Mexico City EMLL Show Espanto I (hair) Dory Dixon (hair) Mexico City EMLL Show Espanto I (hair) Roger Kirby (hair) Mexico City EMLL Show