Pepper Gomez
| Pepper Gomez | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | José Serapio Palimino Gomez |
| Born |
April 21, 1927 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died | May 6, 2004 (aged 77) San Francisco, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Gastritis |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles City College |
| Spouse(s) | Bonnie |
| Children | 5 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Pepper Gomez |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Trained by | Black Guzmán |
| Debut | January 1953 |
| Retired | 1982 |
José "Joseph" Serapio Palimino Gomez (April 21, 1927 to May 6, 2004) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder, better known by his ring name, Pepper Gomez. Known for his exceptional abdominal muscles, he would allow rivals to perform feats such as jumping onto his stomach from the top of a ladder or driving a Volkswagen Beetle over his stomach, earning him the nickname "The Man with the Cast Iron Stomach". Throughout his career, Gomez wrestled as a blue-collar Latino babyface.
Gomez was born in Los Angeles, California in 1927. While at high school, he competed at football, gymnastics and track. He attended Los Angeles City College, where he played football as a fullback.
In 1947, Gomez began participating in bodybuilding. His training partners included Armand Tanny and Joe Gold. He took part in a series of bodybuilding competitions over the next five years, winning the "Mr. Muscle Beach" contest in Santa Monica, California in 1950. In 1951, he placed fifth in the AAU Mr. America contest. Gomez was featured in the November 1948 issue of Strength & Health and the January 1952 issue of Muscle Power.
Gomez was trained to wrestle by Black Guzmán. He debuted in January 1953 in El Paso, Texas. Early in his career, he toured British Columbia with the Vancouver-based Big Time Wrestling promotion, winning the Northwest Tag Team Championship three times in 1953.
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