Gilberto Melendez
| Gypsy Joe | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gilberto Meléndez |
| Born |
December 2, 1933 Villalba, Puerto Rico |
| Died | June 15, 2016 (aged 82) Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Aztec Joe Blue Inferno El Grande Pistolero Gene Madrid Gypsy Joe Jan Madrid Inferno I Baby Grandpa |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Billed from | Villalba, Puerto Rico |
| Trained by |
Carlos Colón Sr. Pampero Firpo Pedro Morales |
| Debut | 1951 |
| Retired | 2011 |
Gilberto Meléndez (December 2, 1933 – June 15, 2016) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known under the ring name Gypsy Joe. While attaining much of his United States success in the Tennessee area, Meléndez also gained a following in Japan. He is perhaps best known in the wrestling industry for his remarkable longevity, with a career spanning seven decades, as well as his highly physical brawling style and tough reputation which made him an early pioneer of the hardcore wrestling scene.
Meléndez began his wrestling career in 1951 at age 18. During a lengthy tenure in his native Puerto Rico, he went under various monikers and learned the ropes with the likes of Pedro Morales and Carlos Colón Sr.. Meléndez made his United States debut at Sunnyside Garden in Long Island, New York in 1963. Primarily using the name Gypsy Joe by this point, he mainly worked for Nick Gulas and later Jerry Jarrett in the Southeastern region, particularly Mid-Southern Wrestling. During his Gulas run, he was often teamed with heels like Tojo Yamamoto, with whom he formed the No Pain Train, and The Cuban Assassin. He also joined forces with Frank Martinez to be collectively known as the Blue Infernos. The masked duo would attain tag team championships on numerous occasions. By the 1970s, Gypsy Joe was a local star of Chattanooga, Tennessee, regularly performing at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium on Saturdays and appearing on local WDEF-TV. His career wasn't limited to the South, however, winning championships around the country as well as in Canada’s Stampede Wrestling.
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