YouTubular: Omar Atlas

From a recent suggestion, we continue our salute to great late eighties WWF jobbers. Omar Atlas was born in Caracas, Venezuela, as Omar Mijares. He won a silver medal for wrestling at the 1958 Pan American games. After that he traveled to Spain and worked as a cornerman for Cyclone Negro. Negro convinced him to join the professional ranks and he sometimes worked as Negro’s half-brother Omar Negro. Atlas later moved to the United States and toured the various NWA territories, even holding a few regional belts. His height was winning the NWA Tag Team Titles with Pat O’Connor in 1974. Atlas joined the then-WWF in 1984 and although he worked as a jobber, he was respected by most. Atlas retired in 1993 and became a probation officer in Texas. He’s 72.

Omar Atlas vs. Ted Dibiase with Virgil
Video Length: 3:22
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This is from “Superstars” in 1987 with Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartinop and Jesse Ventura on commentary. The pair lock up to start. Atlas jukes out of the way and DiBiase ties himself up on the ropes. They do the sequence again and DiBiase starts getting frustrated. DiBiase takes over with strikes as we get an insert promo on how DiBiase bought his way to being on the cover of the current WWF Magazine. Atlas ducks a straight right hand and comes off the ropes with a crossbody for two. DiBiase uses a back suplex to break a side headlock. DiBiase works Atlas over in the corner. DiBiase whips him to the far corner and misses a blind charge. Atlas slugs back and sends DiBiase into the ropes. He tries a hip toss, but Dibiase blocks and gets a short arm clothesline. A body slam sets up a second rope back elbow drop. That gets the win. A real crisp match as DiBiase hadn’t fallen into the formula he would use later. Here’s a cheat sheet. The number of fist drops DiBiase uses correlates directly to how much he cares about the match. ½*

Omar Atlas vs. Honky Tonk Man with Jimmy Hart and Greg Valentine
Video Length: 3:21
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HTM is Intercontinental Champion. Hart is wearing a beret from getting his hair cut by Brutus Beefcake. This is from “Superstars” in 1988 with Ventura and McMahon on commentary. They trade off on an arm wringer and HTM complains of having his hair pulled off of an arm drag. HTM works Atlas over in the corner. HTM gives an insert promo on getting back at Beefcake. Atlas comes back, but telegraphs a backdrop to take an elbow to the back of the head. Shake, Rattle and Roll gets the win. DUD. Way too quick. The first couple seconds looks like it could have been decent.

Omar Atlas vs. Dusty Wolfe
Video Length: 6:12
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This would be great for a jobber vs. jobber YouTubular special. This is from “Prime Time Wrestling” on Feb. 11, 1988, and the match was from a recent Madison Square Garden show. Commentators are Lord Alfred Hayes, Bobby Heenan and McMahon. Heenan and Hayes just trash Wolfe the whole match saying he looks fat and isn’t as good a wrestler as Atlas. I can guess two people who didn’t send him a Christmas card that year.

The match is joined in progress with Wolfe working the arm over. They go into a hammerlock and Atlas breaks with a back elbow. He knocks Wolfe down with a shoulder block, but Wolfe comes back with a hip toss. He goes back to the arm. Atlas makes it to the ropes to break. Heenan says Wolfe needs to learn from Terry Garvin and McMahon doesn’t know who that is. McMahon: “Is he an Englishman?” Heenan: “No, he’s a nice guy.”

Atlas gets a unique arm wringer into a backdrop. He works the arm until Wolfe breaks with a thumb to the eye. Wolfe goes to a rear chinlock. Another good move from Atlas sees him getting Wolfe to spread his legs and he breaks the chinlock by squeezing under him and tripping Wolfe. Wolfe keeps control with a snap mare and a fist drop for two. He goes back to the chinlock, but Atlas quickly fights free and tackles Wolfe to go into his own chinlock. Wolfe fights out. Wolfe reverses a whip and Atlas jumps to the second rope. He leaps over a charge. Wolfe catches himself, but turns around into a backdrop. Atlas hits a dropkick, but misses a second. Atlas slips out of a body slam try and uses an O’Connor Roll for the win. * That was a really solid match from what we saw. It was a well put together old school match between two veterans and Atlas busted out a couple really cool moves.

Omar Atlas and Scott Casey vs. Demolition
Video Length: 5:19
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This is from “Superstars” in July, 1987, with Ventura, Sammartino and McMahon on commentary. Before the match we get a bit from the British Bulldogs feeding Matilda a WWF Superstars ice cream bar. It’s not good to feed a dog ice cream, but I don’t think those bars were what one would call real ice cream.

Ax beats on Casey to start. Casey blocks a hip toss, but takes a short arm clothesline. Tag to Smash as we get an insert promo from Mr. Fuji. He brags about how he will sign Bam Bam Bigelow over all of the other managers. Remember when WWF had like half a dozen managers with solid stables. I miss those days. Casey is thrown into his corner and he tags Atlas. Smash no sells everything Atlas throws at him. Smash hits a body slam and tags Ax. Ax gets a back elbow off the ropes. Tag to Smash for a catapult that hangs Atlas out to dry. Demolition Decapitation ends it. Usual Demos squash. ¼*

Omar Atlas and Outback Jack vs. The Hart Foundation with Jimmy Hart
Video Length: 5:07
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This is from “Superstars” in 1987 with McMahon, Sammartino and Ventura on commentary. Neidhart and Jack battle in and out of a lock up to start. They trade blows to no effect until Neidhart rakes the nose. Jim gets a body slam, but misses an elbow drop. Tag to Atlas. He’s on fire, but gets cut off with a knee to the gut. Bret tags in as we get an insert promo from Jimmy Hart. All he wants for Christmas is the tag belts. Bret with a backbreaker, second rope elbow and kick to the inner thigh before tagging Jim back. Jim chokes Atlas after a body slam. Tag to Bret who enters with a drop kick. Back elbow off the ropes. Tag to Jim for some clubbering. Hart Attack Clothesline ends it. Go ahead and call me crazy, but I kind of wanted to see more of the opening sequence with Jack and Jim. The rest played like a handicap match as the Hart Foundation just ran through their usual arsenal. ¼*

The 411: I would love to see some of Omar Atlas in his heyday. The Wolfe match was actually really decent and I think just shows a glimpse as to the solid and innovative wrestler Atlas was during the sixties and seventies. Unfortunately, he was behind on his look and age by the time the WWF blew up, but at least he was able to get a payday and help make the then current crop of superstars look good with his veteran skill.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]