Savio Vega
Juan Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide as a producer. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship three times. During the 1990s, he worked for the World Wrestling Federation, initially under the masked, villainous and venom-spewing Kwang gimmick. He later portrayed Savio Vega, the eventual leader of a Puerto Rican stable, Los Boricuas.
After leaving the WWF in 1999, Rivera returned to Puerto Rico and joined Víctor Quiñones' promotion, the International Wrestling Association, where he was a long-time general manager and won five titles, including the IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. In 2011, he was featured in the first interpromotional angle between IWA and WWC.
Professional wrestling career
Early years
Rivera was born and raised in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. He was connected to the wrestling business while working as a security guard at World Wrestling Council live shows. After graduating from high school, he began his professional wrestling career working on independent wrestling shows in 1985.Mid-South Wrestling (1985)
He made his Mid-South Wrestling debut on August 14, 1985, as Skandor Akbar's newest client, the masked villainous wrestler "El Corsario" by defeating Mark Ragin. His debut match aired on the August 17 episode of Mid-South TV. As a member of Akbar's Army, he frequently teamed with Akbar's other clients. He also received a few title shots in Mid-South. The first title shot occurred against Butch Reed for the promotion's Television Championship on the October 19 episode of Mid-South TV, but failed to win. On the October 26 episode of Power Pro Wrestling, Corsario and Dutch Mantell unsuccessfully challenged Al Perez and Wendell Cooley for the Tag Team Championship. Corsario finished his run with Mid-South on November 11 at a live event by teaming with Steve Williams in a loss to The Bruise Brothers. During that year he also wrestled for Houston Wrestling.Universal Wrestling Association (1986)
In 1986, Rivera wrestled a few matches for the Mexican promotion Universal Wrestling Association as Corsario I and teamed with Corsario II. On August 8, Los Corsarios lost a masks versus masks two out of three falls match to Los Brazos. Corsario would then wrestle for UWA two more times in two out of three falls matches, losing both matches.Capitol Sports Promotions (1987–1991)
Early championship reigns (1987–1989)
After a few exploits in various promotions, Rivera went to Miami, Florida, where he tried out for the World Wrestling Federation. He was accepted and sent back to Puerto Rico to wrestle for the Capitol Sports Promotions as "TNT", adopting a Heel character based on his martial arts background and featuring several elements from stereotypical Hispanic gimmicks. He was managed by "El Profe" Ángel Pantoja Rivera. TNT made his CSP debut on May 2, 1987, by defeating Miguel Pérez to win the North American Heavyweight Championship, his first professional wrestling championship. On July 11, he became a dual champion, winning the World Tag Team Championship with Mr. Pogo by defeating The Youngbloods and holding it for nineteen days, before losing it back to Youngbloods. TNT would then begin feuding with Pogo, defeating him in a match at Aniversario on September 20.On January 30, 1988, TNT lost the North American Heavyweight Championship to Abdullah the Butcher. After the title loss, TNT participated in the La Copa Gillette tournament, in which he defeated Mr. Pogo in the first round, but fought Invader I to a time limit draw in the quarter-final. On June 18, he won the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship from Hercules Ayala. Two months later, he dropped it to Buddy Landel. After failing to regain the title from Landel in a rematch at Aniversario, TNT defeated Landel to win his second Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on September 17. TNT held the title for another two months before dropping it to Jason the Terrible.
On February 4, 1989, he defeated Sika to win the vacant Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship, holding it for 21 days before losing it to Abbuda Dein. He defeated Jason the Terrible to win his third Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on March 4, and dropped it to Rip Rogers on May 14. On June 17, TNT defeated Carlos Colón to win the Television Championship. TNT would then begin feuding with Chicky Starr, whom he defeated in a gimmick versus hair match at Aniversario.
Universal Heavyweight Champion, rights to TNT name and W*ING tours (1989–1991)
During the last half of 1989, TNT had a midcard feud with Leo Burke, which was interrupted midway through when Burke defeated Carlos Colón for the Universal Heavyweight Championship. TNT was originally expected to win the belt, given his status as a fan favorite and solid wrestling skills. On February 9, 1990, he defeated Burke for the Universal Heavyweight Championship, marking the first world championship win of his professional wrestling career. As a result, TNT vacated the Television Championship. He held the Universal Heavyweight Championship for a month, before dropping it to Abdullah the Butcher.On April 25, 1990, TNT defeated rival Leo Burke to win his second Television Championship. A few months later, TNT turned heel and began feuding with Carlos Colón, who had won the Universal Heavyweight Championship from Abdullah the Butcher. This led to a match between the two for the title at Aniversario, where they wrestled to a sixty-minute draw. Later that year, TNT lost the Television Championship to Steve Strong on December 4.
In early 1991, he feuded with a wrestler who had originally used the name "TNT", and began proclaiming himself "Original TNT". On January 26, TNT lost to Original TNT in a match for the vacant Television Championship. However, TNT defeated Original TNT in a non-title match on March 2, winning the rights to the TNT name, forcing his opponent to compete as "Action Jackson". The feud concluded later that month, when Rivera defeated Jackson to win his third Television Championship on March 30. On April 20, TNT lost the title to King Kong. On June 1, TNT defeated Kong to win his fourth Television Championship. At Aniversario, TNT teamed with The Giant Warrior to defeat Demolition.
TNT would then embark on a tour of Japan for the upstart promotion Wrestling International New Generations in August, as part of a talent exchange partnership between CSP and W*ING. On August 7, TNT competed in the main event of W*ING's first show, by teaming with Mr. Pogo and Steve Collins in a loss to Akitoshi Saito, Koichiro Kimura and Mitsuteru Tokuda. W*ING specialized in deathmatch wrestling style and TNT competed in various matches under the stipulation. On August 17, TNT lost a lumberjack deathmatch to Akitoshi Saito. TNT would then return to CSP to successfully defend the Television Championship against Samu on August 31.
TNT would then make a second tour to W*ING in September. On September 19, TNT teamed with Pogo to defeat Saito and The Iceman in a Caribbean Hurricane Cage Deathmatch. TNT's final match in W*ING took place on September 20, in which he defeated Yukihiro Kanemura. This would be TNT's final appearance for W*ING, as he exclusively returned to compete for CSP. TNT would then lose the title to Fidel Sierra on October 19. TNT regained the title by defeating Sierra in a rematch on October 26, winning his fifth and final WWC Television Championship. TNT lost the title, a month later to Dick Murdoch on November 23. Shortly after, TNT left CSP.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (1987–1988)
On November 22, 1987, TNT debuted in the Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling by teaming with Abdullah the Butcher to participate in the 1987 Real World Tag League, losing to Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu in their AJPW debut. Abdullah and TNT scored twelve points in the Real World Tag League, and their participation in the tournament ended with a loss to Hiroshi Wajima and Giant Baba on December 11. Abdullah and TNT competed in several matches in AJPW in January 1988, including a title challenge against Ashura Hara and Genichiro Tenryu for the PWF World Tag Team Championship on January 9, 1988, in which the challengers came up short. They left AJPW after losing a match to Tsuruta and Yatsu on January 29.New Japan Pro Wrestling (1990–1993)
On September 30, 1990, TNT made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, by losing to Masahiro Chono at Antonio Inoki's 30th Wrestling Anniversary event. TNT would make frequent tours to Japan to compete for NJPW between 1990 and 1993, competing as a gaijin. He wrestled major star Tatsumi Fujinami and rising stars Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Mutoh in various singles matches. While he lost most of his singles matches, TNT would receive a few wins over Kengo Kimura and Black Cat. TNT's final match in NJPW took place on July 23, 1993, where he teamed with Masa Saito against Brad Armstrong and Hercules Hernandez in a losing effort.Americas Wrestling Federation (1991–1993)
After some disputes over booking with Carlos Colón, he quit the World Wrestling Council and joined the newly formed Americas Wrestling Federation a promotion that started opposition against World Wrestling Council. AWF Americas Heavyweight Championship on two times. Feuded with Bill DeMott and Huracan Castillo Jr..World Wrestling Federation (1993–1999)
Kwang (1993–1995)
Having gained much wrestling experience, Rivera was recalled to the United States. After losing two dark matches to Reno Riggins in the World Wrestling Federation as TNT in July 1993, Rivera debuted as Kwang on January 10, 1994. This gimmick incorporated clichéd elements previously used to portray mysterious "Asian" wrestlers and being billed from Japan, including a mask, a stereotypical martial arts moveset, and Asian mist. The WWF aired promotional vignettes in the weeks before his televised debut, which happened on January 22, 1994, when he, managed by Harvey Wippleman, was the fourth man to enter the 1994 Royal Rumble, marking Rivera's pay-per-view debut. During the match, he teamed with the fifth entrant, Owen Hart, battling the face wrestlers to a stalemate until Diesel entered seventh and eliminated all the previous entrants.Kwang's televised singles debut was on the January 30 episode of Wrestling Challenge, where he defeated Ray Hudson. On the April 18 episode of Monday Night Raw, Kwang suffered his first loss in the WWF, against the WWF Champion Bret Hart. On the May 9 episode of Raw, he lost a King of the Ring qualifying match to Razor Ramon. On September 12, he lost to The Undertaker. On January 9, 1995, he was at ringside when Howard Finkel won a Tuxedo match against Wippleman, who then abandoned his role as Kwang's manager. After an appearance in the 1995 Royal Rumble, where he would eliminate Doink the Clown, Kwang gradually faded from WWF programming, losing his final match to Hakushi on the April 29, 1995, episode of Superstars.