Hercules Ayala
| Birth name | Ruben Cruz |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 14, 1950 Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| Residence | St. Albert, Alberta, Canada |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Cruz |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | El Sansón Boricua Hercules Ayala Hercules Ayala Cortez Hercules Cortez Ruben Ayala |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Trained by | Angelo Savoldi |
| Debut | 1970 |
Ruben Cruz (born July 14, 1950) is a Puerto Rican retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Hercules Ayala. He has competed in Canadian and international wrestling promotions including the eastern Canadian Grand Prix Wrestling, the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan and World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.
Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Ayala was a fan of professional wrestling and admired Huracan Castillo. During the early-1970s, he traveled to the United States several months after his mother had left to live with her daughter and her grandchildren in Boston, Massachusetts. While living in Boston, Cruz met former National Wrestling Alliance wrestler Angelo Savoldi working out at a local gym. After undergoing training with Savoldi, he was able to compete for the then World Wide Wrestling Federation for a brief time.
In December 1976, Ayala and tag team partner Victor Jovica won the NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Puerto Rico/WWC version) from Higo Hamaguchi and Gordon Nelson. In 1977, Cruz met Bret Hart and the Dynamite Kid in Germany, and they introduced him to Stu Hart. Cruz worked in Canada for eight years. In Hart's Stampede Wrestling, Cruz held the Stampede International Tag Team Championship with Jim Neidhart. In addition to Stampede, he wrestled for Lutte Internationale. In January 1987, he defeated David Shultz for the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship, but lost it to Abdullah the Butcher approximately one month later.
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