Raul Garcia Salazar are better known as El Bello Greco passed away on 11/27 at the age of 71 leaving behind a great career inside the ring and being a father of 3 sons who went on to become stars of their own in Lucha Libre (Super Calo, Alan y Chris Stone.)

Salazar debuted as a 19-year-old kid working shows at Arena Monumental de Tlacotal in 1963 as El Greco and took a different path than just about anyone else did in Lucha history as he became one of the very first Exotico wrestlers which at that time meant that they had effeminate ways but not over the top like most today. The one thing about the early Exoticos were they had to be very tough men to put up with the crap they got not just from the fans but other wrestlers.

Greco’s first known hair loss came one day before his 20th birthday as Dr. Karonte (El Caristico’s father) defeated him in Oaxaca but it was after this that he grew his hair out which added to his Exotico character. It was when the UWA was formed in the 70’s that he formed his partnership with Adorable Rubi & Sergio el Hermoso called La Ola Lila and they became a dominant force among the growing trios community. Greco though still had some big singles matches in this era as he lost his hair to Huracan Ramirez on 7/29/75 at the Gimnasio Benito Juarez de Cuautitlan but on 2/27/77 alongside his partner Sergio el Hermoso they took the hair of Coloso Colosetti & Cesar Valentino at the UWA palace El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos de Naucalpan.

The hot streak didn’t last long though as on 6/26/77 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Greco, Hermoso, & Babe Sharon all lost their hair to Estrella Blanca, El Gallo Tapado, & Mascara Roja. Greco & Hermoso won Tag Team of the Year in 1977 and stated 1978 strong by taking Babe Face & Scorpio’s hair on 1/22/78 at Toreo de Cuatro Caminos. Maybe their biggest match as a team took place in 1979 as they were on the winning side of a Relevos Suicidas match against Dorrell Dixon & Tinieblas who ended up taking Dixon’s hair.

The 1980’s saw La Ola Lila take on new challenges from the influx of New Japan’s young wrestlers and in 1982, Greco & Hermoso took the hair of Hiro Saito & George Takano and they would eventually go to New Japan themselves before they left the UWA in 1984 to go to AWWA. 2 years later, La Ola Lila broke up and it was in May 1987 when Greco beat Sergio el Hermoso in a hair match in Tijuana ending their rivalry.

Greco bounced around for a while before joining the newly created AAA but took on the Karis la Momia character from 1992-93 before disappearing from Lucha Libre all together until his sons started to work on the independent scene and even returned to AAA in 2006 doing some angles with his sons. It’s safe to say that today’s Exoticos owe a ton to La Ola Lila especially El Bello Greco because without them there may not be such a character in the current Lucha Libre scene.

Descanse en Paz “El Bello Greco”