Victor Rivera

"What happened to Victor Rivera?", many wondered as Rivera returned to the WWWF in 1978 as a heel under the guidance of Classy Freddie Blassie. No longer was he the beloved fan favorite of years prior. With this shift, Rivera received several title shots against WWWF Champion Bob Backlund. He first entered the territory in 1969, replacing Bruno Sammartino as coholder of the WWWF International Tag Team Titles with Tony Marino. He became the one of the top 3 babyfaces in the WWWF, second to Sammartino. In May 1975, he along with Dominic DeNucci defeated the Valiants for the WWWF Tag Team Titles. Only a few months later Rivera left the WWWF in the middle of the reign for the fledgling IWA promotion. However, it wasn't long before the promotion went under and he was back in the WWWF fold. He would leave the the WWWF again in 1979 heading to the NWA Hollyowod territory though he would return to the WWF and wrestle there up until the early '80s. A return appearance in 1989 came against Nikolai Volkoff in a King Of The Ring tournament.