Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1964) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council, where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship three times. During the 1990s, he worked for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), initially under the masked, villainous and venom-spewing Kwang gimmick. He later portrayed Savio Vega, the eventual leader of a Puerto Rican stable, Los Boricuas.

After leaving the WWF, Rivera returned to Puerto Rico and joined Víctor Quiñones' promotion, the International Wrestling Association, where he was a long-time general manager and won five titles, including the IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. In 2011, he was featured in the first interpromotional angle between IWA and WWC.

Professional wrestling career

Mid-South Wrestling (1985)
Rivera was born and raised in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. He was connected to the wrestling business while working as a security guard at World Wrestling Council live shows. After graduating from high school, he began his professional wrestling career in 1985. He made his professional wrestling debut on August 14, 1985, for Mid-South Wrestling as Skandor Akbar's newest client, the masked villainous wrestler "El Corsario" by defeating Mark Ragin. His debut match aired on the August 17 episode of Mid-South TV. As a member of Akbar's Army, he frequently teamed with Akbar's other clients. He also received a few title shots in Mid-South. The first title shot occurred against Butch Reed for the promotion's Television Championship on the October 19 episode of Mid-South TV, but failed to win. On the October 26 episode of Power Pro Wrestling, Corsario and Dutch Mantell unsuccessfully challenged Al Perez and Wendell Cooley for the Tag Team Championship. Corsario finished his run with Mid-South on November 11 at a live event by teaming with Steve Williams in a loss to The Bruise Brothers.

Universal Wrestling Association (1986)
In 1986, Rivera wrestled a few matches for the Mexican promotion Universal Wrestling Association as Corsario I and teamed with Corsario II. On August 8, Los Corsarios lost a masks versus masks two out of three falls match to Los Brazos (Brazo de Plata and El Brazo). Corsario would then wrestle for UWA two more times in two out of three falls matches, losing both matches.

Capitol Sports Promotions (1987-1991)

Early championship reigns (1987–1989)
After a few exploits in various promotions, Rivera went to Miami, Florida, where he tried out for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was accepted and sent back to Puerto Rico to wrestle for the Capitol Sports Promotions (CSP) as "TNT", adopting a fan favorite character based on his martial arts background and featuring several elements from stereotypical Hispanic gimmicks. He was managed by "El Profe" Ángel Pantoja Rivera. TNT made his CSP debut on May 2, 1987, by defeating Miguel Pérez to win the North American Heavyweight Championship, his first professional wrestling championship. On July 11, he became a dual champion, winning the World Tag Team Championship with Mr. Pogo by defeating The Youngbloods (Chris and Mark) and holding it for nineteen days, before losing it back to Youngbloods. TNT would then begin feuding with Pogo, defeating him in a match at Aniversario on September 20.

On January 30, 1988, TNT lost the North American Heavyweight Championship to Abdullah the Butcher. After the title loss, TNT participated in the La Copa Gillette tournament, in which he defeated Mr. Pogo in the first round, but fought Invader I to a time limit draw in the quarter-final. On June 18, he won the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship from Hercules Ayala. Two months later, he dropped it to Buddy Landel. After failing to regain the title from Landel in a rematch at Aniversario, TNT defeated Landel to win his second Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on September 17. TNT held the title for another two months before dropping it to Jason the Terrible.

On February 4, 1989, he defeated Sika to win the vacant Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship, holding it for 21 days before losing it to Abbuda Dein. He defeated Jason the Terrible to win his third Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on March 4, and dropped it to Rip Rogers on May 14. On June 17, TNT defeated Carlos Colón to win the Television Championship. TNT would then begin feuding with Chicky Starr, whom he defeated in a gimmick versus hair match at Aniversario.

Universal Heavyweight Champion, rights to TNT name and W*ING tours (1989–1991)
During the last half of 1989, TNT had a midcard feud with Leo Burke, which was interrupted midway through when Burke defeated Carlos Colón for the Universal Heavyweight Championship. TNT was originally expected to win the belt, given his status as a fan favorite and solid wrestling skills. On February 9, 1990, he defeated Burke for the Universal Heavyweight Championship, marking the first world championship win of his professional wrestling career. As a result, TNT vacated the Television Championship. He held the Universal Heavyweight Championship for a month, before dropping it to Abdullah the Butcher.

On April 25, 1990, TNT defeated rival Leo Burke to win his second Television Championship. A few months later, TNT turned heel and began feuding with Carlos Colón, who had won the Universal Heavyweight Championship from Abdullah the Butcher. This led to a match between the two for the title at Aniversario, where they wrestled to a sixty-minute draw. Later that year, TNT lost the Television Championship to Steve Strong on December 4.

In early 1991, he feuded with a wrestler who had originally used the name "TNT", and began proclaiming himself "Original TNT". On January 26, TNT lost to Original TNT in a match for the vacant Television Championship. However, TNT defeated Original TNT in a non-title match on March 2, winning the rights to the TNT name, forcing his opponent to compete as "Action Jackson". The feud concluded later that month, when Rivera defeated Jackson to win his third Television Championship on March 30. On April 20, TNT lost the title to King Kong. On June 1, TNT defeated Kong to win his fourth Television Championship. At Aniversario, TNT teamed with The Giant Warrior to defeat Demolition (Crush and Smash).

TNT would then embark on a tour of Japan for the upstart promotion Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING) in August, as part of a talent exchange partnership between CSP and W*ING. On August 7, TNT competed in the main event of W*ING's first show, by teaming with Mr. Pogo and Steve Collins in a loss to Akitoshi Saito, Koichiro Kimura and Mitsuteru Tokuda. W*ING specialized in deathmatch wrestling style and TNT competed in various matches under the stipulation. On August 17, TNT lost a lumberjack deathmatch to Akitoshi Saito. TNT would then return to CSP to successfully defend the Television Championship against Samu on August 31.

TNT would then make a second tour to W*ING in September. On September 19, TNT teamed with Pogo to defeat Saito and The Iceman in a Caribbean Hurricane Cage Deathmatch. TNT's final match in W*ING took place on September 20, in which he defeated Yukihiro Kanemura. This would be TNT's final appearance for W*ING, as he exclusively returned to compete for CSP. TNT would then lose the title to Fidel Sierra on October 19. TNT regained the title by defeating Sierra in a rematch on October 26, winning his fifth and final WWC Television Championship. TNT lost the title, a month later to Dick Murdoch on November 23. Shortly after, TNT left CSP.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (1987–1988)
On November 22, 1987, TNT debuted in the Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) by teaming with Abdullah the Butcher to participate in the 1987 Real World Tag League, losing to Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu in their AJPW debut. Abdullah and TNT scored twelve points in the Real World Tag League, and their participation in the tournament ended with a loss to Hiroshi Wajima and Giant Baba on December 11. Abdullah and TNT competed in several matches in AJPW in January 1988, including a title challenge against Ashura Hara and Genichiro Tenryu for the PWF World Tag Team Championship on January 9, 1988, in which the challengers came up short. They left AJPW after losing a match to Tsuruta and Yatsu on January 29.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1990–1993)
On September 30, 1990, TNT made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, by losing to Masahiro Chono at Antonio Inoki's 30th Wrestling Anniversary event. TNT would make frequent tours to Japan to compete for NJPW between 1990 and 1993, competing as a gaijin. He wrestled major star Tatsumi Fujinami and rising stars Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Mutoh in various singles matches. While he lost most of his singles matches, TNT would receive a few wins over Kengo Kimura and Black Cat. TNT's final match in NJPW took place on July 23, 1993, where he teamed with Masa Saito against Brad Armstrong and Hercules Hernandez in a losing effort.

World Wrestling Federation (1993-1999)

Kwang (1993–1995)
Having gained much wrestling experience, Rivera was recalled to the United States. After losing two dark matches in the World Wrestling Federation as TNT in July 1993, Rivera debuted as Kwang on January 10, 1994. This gimmick incorporated clichéd elements previously used to portray mysterious "Asian" wrestlers, including a mask, a stereotypical martial arts moveset, and Asian mist. The WWF aired promotional vignettes in the weeks before his televised debut, which happened on January 22, 1994, when he, managed by Harvey Wippleman, was the fourth man to enter the 1994 Royal Rumble, marking Rivera's pay-per-view debut. During the match, he teamed with the fifth entrant, Owen Hart, battling the face wrestlers to a stalemate until Diesel entered seventh and eliminated all the previous entrants.

Kwang's televised singles debut was on the January 30 episode of Wrestling Challenge, where he defeated Ray Hudson. On the April 18 episode of Monday Night Raw, Kwang suffered his first loss in the WWF, against the WWF Champion Bret Hart. On the May 9 episode of Raw, he lost a King of the Ring qualifying match to Razor Ramon. On September 12, he lost to The Undertaker. On January 9, 1995, he was at ringside when Howard Finkel won a Tuxedo match against Wippleman, who then abandoned his role as Kwang's manager. After an appearance in the 1995 Royal Rumble, where he would eliminate Doink the Clown, Kwang gradually faded from WWF programming, losing his final match to Hakushi on the April 29, 1995, episode of Superstars.

Alliance with Razor Ramon (1995–1996)

On May 14, 1995, Rivera appeared in street clothes during the WWF's first In Your House pay-per-view. When Razor Ramon was attacked by Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie, Rivera, portraying a fan in the audience, jumped the guardrail to rescue him. Later that night, Razor introduced him as his childhood friend, "Savio Vega".

Vega made his wrestling debut on the May 28 episode of Action Zone, defeating Eli Blu. He then qualified for the 1995 King of the Ring tournament as a replacement for the injured Razor Ramon. He qualified for the tournament by defeating Irwin R. Schyster on the June 25 episode of Sunday Night Slam. Vega then defeated Yokozuna by countout in the first round, after interference from Yokozuna's tag partner, Owen Hart, backfired. He then defeated The Roadie with a rollup pinfall. He faced Mabel in the finals, losing after Mabel hit a splash off the ropes to win the tournament.

The next night on Raw, Vega defeated the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett by disqualification. Vega and Ramon would then feud with Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo), losing to them at In Your House 2. On the July 31 episode of Raw, Vega and Ramon wrestled Owen Hart and Yokozuna for the WWF Tag Team Championship to a time limit draw, then lost a rematch for the titles the next week. For the rest of the year, he wrestled in tag matches with Razor and Bob Holly, as well as in singles matches against wrestlers including Waylon Mercy, Sid and Goldust. On January 1, 1996, episode of Raw, Vega teamed with Razor, unsuccessfully challenging The Smoking Gunns for the Tag Team Championship in a Raw Bowl match. Shortly afterwards, Vega's alliance with Razor quietly ended.

Various feuds (1996–1997)
Vega was the twelfth entrant in the 1996 Royal Rumble, eliminating Dory Funk, Jr. before being eliminated by Vader. The following night on Raw, he lost to Vader. On the March 11 Raw, he wrestled Stone Cold Steve Austin for the first time, resulting in a double countout. This led to a feud, and a series of matches. The first of these happened at WrestleMania XII, both men's WrestleMania debut, which Austin won.

On the April 13 episode of Superstars, Rivera, wearing a mask featuring the flag of Puerto Rico and billed as "The Caribbean Kid", defeated Austin by pinfall, then unmasked himself. This was Austin's first singles defeat in the WWF, and The Caribbean Kid's sole appearance. On the April 15 episode of Raw, Vega challenged Goldust for the Intercontinental Championship. Vega won the match, but WWF President Gorilla Moonson reverted the decision and vacated the title. The following week on Raw, Vega and Goldust fought for the title, which was won by Goldust. Austin won a rematch at In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28. One month later, at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, Vega defeated Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match. According to the stipulations, Austin's manager, Ted DiBiase, had to leave the WWF. This was DiBiase's last appearance on WWF television until 2005.

Vega then feuded with Justin Bradshaw, winning their first match on July 8. On July 21, he lost a rematch at In Your House 9: International Incident. On August 12, 1996, Vega lost his first match by submission to Crush. At SummerSlam, he lost a match to Owen Hart, and was then assaulted by Bradshaw. At In Your House 10: Mind Games, he defeated Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap Match, ending their feud.

On the September 7 episode of Raw, Vega defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley. This was followed with a victory over the fake Razor Ramon, who had appeared following the original Razor's departure to World Championship Wrestling. On the December 22 episode of Superstars, he teamed with Jesse James to unsuccessfully challenge Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith for the Tag Team Championship.

Vega entered the 1997 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by eventual winner Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The Nation of Domination (1997)

On January 25, 1997, Vega turned heel and joined The Nation of Domination, a stable led by Faarooq, after turning on his partner, Ahmed Johnson. Johnson became the Nation's main rival in the following months. In his first match as a member, he defeated Flash Funk. At In Your House 13: Final Four, he teamed with Faarooq and Crush to win a six-man tag match. In February, he lost consecutive matches by disqualification to Marc Mero and Goldust.

On March 17, 1997, Vega and Crush lost to The Legion of Doom by disqualification. At WrestleMania 13, they teamed with Faarooq to lose a six-man street fight tag match against the Legion of Doom and Johnson. On the next Raw, Vega lost to Johnson by disqualification when The Nation interfered.

Vega then feuded with Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia. Like Austin a year earlier, Maivia entered the feud as an undefeated prospect with a major push. On the April 14 RAW, Vega defeated Maivia by pinfall, while holding his tights. At In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, he once again defeated Maivia, this time by countout. After the match, he attacked Maivia's knee.

On May 11, at In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell, Vega wrestled as part of a gauntlet match against Johnson and was eliminated, before Faarooq won it for The Nation. The next night on Raw, he challenged The Undertaker for the WWF Championship, but was disqualified. On June 9, The Nation lost a rematch from WrestleMania 13 against Johnson and The Legion of Doom. After this, The Nation began having internal problems and soon disbanded, when Faarooq expelled several members, including Vega and Crush.

Los Boricuas (1997–1999)

Following his departure from The Nation of Domination, Vega formed his own stable, Los Boricuas, composed of Puerto Rican wrestlers, brought in from Puerto Rican promotions, all members of notable wrestling families. Miguel Pérez, Jr., a former Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling wrestler, is the son of Miguel Pérez, Sr., Jesús Castillo, Jr. is the son of Pedro "Huracán" Castillo, and Jose Estrada, Jr. is the son of José Estrada, Sr. Meanwhile, Faarooq had organized The Nation into a black-only group, while Crush had formed The Disciples of Apocalypse, a white biker stable, launching an angle which became known as "The Gang Wars", based on ethnic stereotypes and loosely mirroring some actual gang wars. The three four-member teams wrestled against one another, with none gaining a clear advantage early on. At SummerSlam, Los Boricuas defeated The Disciples of Apocalypse. In the first singles match between former Nation members, Vega fought Crush to a no contest. At Ground Zero: In Your House on September 7, he defeated Faarooq and Crush in triple threat match. At the UK-exclusive pay-per-view, One Night Only, Vega and Pérez unsuccessfully challenged The Headbangers for the WWF World Tag Team Championship. At Badd Blood: In Your House, The Disciples defeated Los Boricuas. Between October and November, Vega also had singles matches, losing to Goldust, Mero and Ken Shamrock.

On the October 27 RAW, Vega and Pérez unsuccessfully challenged The Legion of Doom for the Tag Team Championship. In their next match, they lost to The New Age Outlaws. In December 1997, Los Boricuas and The Disciples exchanged victories.

His first singles contest of 1998 was a loss to Owen Hart. The next week, Vega and Pérez defeated Taka Michinoku and Scott Taylor. He was the 26th entrant in the 1998 Royal Rumble, and, like the year before, was eliminated by Steve Austin. In the Royal Rumble's main event, Vega and Los Boricuas attacked the Undertaker alongside the New Age Outlaws to aid Shawn Michaels in defeating him in a casket match. Vega headlined No Way Out of Texas: In Your House on February, when he replaced the injured Shawn Michaels in the eight-man tag main event, teaming with Triple H and the New Age Outlaws in a losing effort. On the March 9 Raw, he wrestled Triple H to a no contest.

At WrestleMania 14, Vega wrestled in a battle royal, won by Legion of Doom 2000. A week later, Los Boricuas lost to LOD 2000. The Gang Wars continued with matches against The Disciples in April. On May 4, Rivera lost to the NWA World Champion, Dan Severn.

The Gang Wars came to an end when the leaders of the three stables faced off in a triple threat match, which Vega won. After the angle, Los Boricuas splintered into two tag teams. On July 6, Vega defeated Brakkus in a Brawl for All tournament boxing match. On August 10, he lost a quarterfinal match to Darren Drozdov. As a result of a severe arm injury sustained from the Brawl for All tournament, he was released in August 1998.

Vega returned to WWF television in July 1999. He would make a number of appearances on WWF Super Astros, and would participate in WWF Shotgun and WWF Jakked/Metal dark matches (sometimes with other Boricua members). During this time, he provided commentary at the Spanish announce table at the Fully Loaded PPV and several episodes of Monday Night Raw. He was released again from his WWF contract in September 1999.

On December 15, 1999, Rivera defeated Prince Albert at an International Wrestling Association house show in Puerto Rico. The IWA was a new promotion founded by Víctor Quiñones, which was one of WWF's developmental territories.

International Wrestling Association (1999–2011)
Rivera joined the now independent IWA, upon returning to Puerto Rico. He wrestled as Savio Vega, though often ended feuds by wearing war paint in the final matches and changing his wrestling persona to "El Hombre Dinamita" (a reference to his "TNT" gimmick, which the WWC had trademarked and did not allow him to use).

On July 16, 2001, Vega defeated Jesus Castillo, his former Los Boricuas stablemate and now a member of a stable called "Los Intocables" with Miguel Pérez, for the IWA Hardcore Championship. He was forced to vacate the title after being unable to wrestle. Eventually, he turned on his former allies and became general manager, forming a heel stable called "La Compañia" (The Company), which included Apolo and Ricky Banderas, whom he called his "Dream Team".

Vega was depicted as co-owner of the IWA, though he had no real share in the company. As general manager, he was more often a manager than a wrestler. Under this authoritarian gimmick, he introduced his catchphrase, A mi manera o pa' la calle, (roughly, "My way or the highway"), with which he threatened to fire wrestlers, and occasionally did so. He would "discipline" wrestlers by mugging them in a mob, while singing a traditional Puerto Rican bomba, Santa María. Later in 2001, he allied with the main heel stable in the promotion, The Starr Corporation, composed of Chicky Starr, Víctor Rodríguez and Ricky Banderas. At Christmas in PR 2001, Vega and The Starr Corporation turned on Banderas and Shane, who teamed as Los Hermanos en Dolor, and feuded with Banderas. The Starr Corporation remained on his side until a conflict arose between them, leading Vega to expel Laureano from the IWA.

On March 2, 2002, Vega used his authority to award himself the IWA World Heavyweight Championship, eventually dropping it to Figueroa. Los Boricuas reunited later that year, when Pérez joined Vega to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship. In November 2002, Vega was injured by Banderas, and was absent for two weeks. When he returned, he pursued the support of Banderas, granting him a title match against Figueroa on January 6, 2003, in which he turned heel and joined La Compañia, who feuded with Figueroa, Vega bringing in foreign wrestlers to incapacitate him.

Banderas led La Compañia for several months, until Rey Fénix joined, triggering a power struggle in which Vega supported Fénix. Vega and Fénix defeated Banderas and Rodríguez in tag matches. After winning the initial feud in a match at Golpe de Estado 2003, Fénix revealed his true identity, Ray González, and abandoned La Compañia. Now joined by a heel Figueroa and Slash Venom, Vega feuded with González and his stable, La Familia del Milenio. This new faction had several matches against Figueroa & Kindred and Pérez & Castillo. At Golpe de Estado 2003, Rivera wrestled Huertas González to a no contest, due to a large amount of bleeding from both. On November 15, 2003, Kindred and Vega attacked Banderas following a match, and he was rescued by Vampiro, starting a new feud for La Compañia.

At Hardcore Weekend 2003, Rivera returned to his "El Hombre que ellos llaman TNT" persona, wrestling against Huertas González. To close the year, Rivera was fired by José Chaparro, who went on to take over the general manager office acting on behalf of the IWA's CEO, Thomas Wreckler. Víctor "The Bodyguard" Rodríguez emerged as the self-proclaimed leader of La Compañia during his absence. In June 2004, a storyline to bring Rivera back was run, in which the CEO, Thomas Wreckler, brought him in to stop La Familia and La Compañia. However, this storyline was interrupted by the death of Rodríguez due to a heart attack, and he unsuccessfully attempted to regain control of the general manager by challenging González at Summer Attitude. On July 25, 2004, Rivera reformed La Compañia. In August 2004, González was involved in an angle in which he won 49% of IWA's stocks. He then entered a feud with the owner of the remaining 51%, Víctor Quiñones. On August 28, 2004, at Bad Blood, González announced that from that moment onwards, IWA would be known as "Capitol Sports Promotions", claiming that Quiñones had already received documentation confirming this. González then began recruiting Huertas González to join him, claiming that their origin in "Capitol joins them". In September 2004, somebody assaulted Huertas González backstage, leaving behind Rivera's trademark bat. It was subsequently revealed that the culprit was "Lighting" acting on González behalf, just when Huertas González was about to join the "Capitol" faction.

On October 9, 2004, González announced that "Capitol" had formed an alliance with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling-NWA for Golpe de Estado and that this move would bring in NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett, Robert Roode, Konnan and Shawn Hernandez. Immediately after completing this announcement, Rivera proposed that they bet the stocks at Golpe de Estado with the winner taking full control of both halves of the promotion, which was accepted. On October 14, 2004, with the score tied between "Capitol" and IWA, he defeated González ending the name change angle. At Christmas in PR 2004, González dropped the title to Sewell in a match ordered by him. On the other hand, Rivera himself teamed with Huertas González to challenge for the World Tag Team Championship. However, he turned on Huertas González and joined Sewell, turning La Compañia heel. Following this, Rivera took a random Canadian heel character, replacing his traditional outfit featuring the Flag of Puerto Rico to one sporting the Flag of Canada. He feuded with González throughout 2005. Both formed different  tag teams with members of their stable, exchanging victories. On June 18, 2005, Rivera won a singles match over González. He subsequently brought  Miguel "Mr. Big" Maldonado to La Compañia to serve as his personal bodyguard. On November 11, 2005, Rivera defeated Carlos Cotto to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. Later that month he retained in a leather strap match. A third match between them that featured José Huertas González as referee was declared a no contest. However, on January 6, 2006, he lost to González in a "loser leaves the company" match, losing a final contest against Huertas González before leaving. This was the second time that Rivera's role as general manager was overthrown and it was followed by a storyline which was run where Pérez had fired him and vignettes were aired where he was seen as a homeless man. Orlando Toledo, a nephew of the now-defunct Quiñones was introduced as the new general manager. A fictional election was held between Pérez and him, which Rivera won but was nullified due to him lacking a contract, making way to a new villainous president in Toledo. Upon being "reinstated", Rivera went on to feud with González and Sewell, forming a loose cooperation with Toledo. He went on to form a tag team along Huertas González known as "Los Inhumanos", when the former turned heel. Their union eventually dissolved and evolved into a feud, which saw Huertas González defeating Rivera in a "death match", his retirement contest for the IWA.

Los Autenticos and feud with Chris Angel (2006–2011)

Rivera eventually make amends with Pérez and joined him along Babderas and Sewell in order to feud with González and Toledo's Estrellas. Following a tag team match that went no contest in February 2007, his team won six consecutive matches against the heel factions. Rivera himself defeated Estrellas' members Kafu, Mikael Judas and the "Colossus" Michael Jarvis. He and Cotto formed a regular tag team to feud with Jarvis and Judas, earning a 2-1 advantage. Rivera went on to defeat Jarvis twice and get disqualified against Kafu leading to Summer Attitude 2007. Subsequently, Rivera joined Sewell to form a tag team, winning two matches against the Estrellas. He then entered a feud against Figueroa, with both of their matches going inconclusive. He remained in a feud with Toledo's Estrellas stable until early 2007, when the former left the company following an event where Rivera sided with Pérez when a conflict between him and Mario Savoldi. Upon retaking his role as general manager, he became the leader of a new heel stable known as "Los Auntenticos" along Pérez and Ricky Vega. This faction was quickly involved in an angle dealing with a power struggle against several other stables within the company. In his first match following a forced hiatus, Los Autenticos got disqualified in a match against González and Figueroa. They went on to defeat "Los Rabiosos", composed by Freddie "Blitz" Lozada and Maldonado. Rivera entered a feud against Lozada, after the former teamed with Ricky Vega to defeat Los Autenticos. On June 14, 2008, he defeated Vega. Rivera went then entered a feud with Bison Smith, losing twice. On October 4, 2008, he wrestled The Sheik to a no contest. The stable eventually grew to include Rivera's younger brother Dennis Rivera and his tag team partner Noel Rodríguez. Los Auntenticos would then create a "terror list" where the names of former WWC employees were written. This list was used in a new angle were the stable would ambush and attack wrestlers that were randomly selected from the list. At Golpe de Estado, Los Autenticos lost in a Boricua Rumble match, before winning their following appearance. As a sidetrack, Rivera ran a mock campaign to become Governor of Puerto Rico for the fictional Partido Luchador Puertorriqueño (PLP) prior to the 2008 general elections. The closure to the Loteria del Terror came when the other members turned on Rivera and Pérez, citing that "they themselves were part of Capitol once", igniting a sibling rivalry against Dennis Rivera who was supported by Noel Rodríguez and Richard Rondón.  The feud continued with matches between both, Los Autenticos lost two tag team matches against this team, known as "La Malicia". In matches between brothers, the result was a no contest and a win by Dennis Rivera. Concurrently, he entered a second feud against Joe Bravo and his own stable, "La Compañia Elite". Rivera and Pérez won a match against two lowcard members of La Compañia. At the IWA's 10th Anniversary show, he wrestled Bravo to a no contest, with the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship being held up. Rivera lost the rematch.

In August 2009, he won a handicap match over Rondón and Rodríguez and teamed to defeat La Compañia. He went on to defeat Bravo and Edwin Vázquez Ortega in consecutive matches. Following this, Rivera once again turned heel, teaming with Gilbert, facing a stable known as "La Cruz del Diablo". Dennis Rivera eventually returned to his side citing that "blood is heavier than water". He won consecutive matches over Bravo at the Copa José Miguel Pérez and Summer Attitude. Rivera joined his brother in defeating The Bad Boys from Hell's Kitchen, also winning singles contests over Keith Walker and Sonny Roselli. In June 2010, Rivera was contacted by Hugo Savinovich in order to become involved in an angle with IWA's main rival, WWC. Savinovich serves as the producer of Aniversario, the WWC's main annual event. While still in negotiation, Rivera appeared in a talk show along Carlos Colón. Promotion of the angle began here by staging a spot where he criticized Carly Colón's supposed addiction to painkillers, prompting Colón to leave the stage. This marked the first time that both performed together in over a decade, following the lawsuit filled by WWC over the TNT character. During the following weeks, Rivera continued this line by issuing two challenges in IWA events, as well as changing the name of his finisher to "La Painkiller". At Summer Attitude 2010,  Rivera defeated World Wrestling Entertainment employee Bryan Danielson, then IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion and first contender to the WWE United States Championship, by pinfall following his finishing move. Later that night, he sanctioned a contest for the belt between his brother and Danielson, which was won by the younger Rivera. Rivera then entered a feud with Álvarez, who had served as special referee at Summer Attitude 2010 and made his in-ring debut in the IWA, winning the contest between them. Rivera went on to win two more matches over midcard talent before entering a lengthy hiatus. Returning in winter, he confronted "The Academy", a group that had entered the IWA two months earlier that was harassing Pérez. At Christmas in PR 2010, Rivera wrestled and lost to one of The Academy's members, the debuting Chris Angel for the vacant Intercontinental Championship. A rematch was scheduled for Histeria Boricua 2011, which was promoted with a throwback angle in which he emphasized how having defeated other undefeated wrestlers such as Austin and Johnson, claiming that his loss at Christmas in PR was nothing but a fluke. Regardless of this, Angel won the rematch and eventually went on to become an undefeated world champion. Upon exiting the ring following the loss, Pérez confronted Rivera and told him not to return until he had "returned to his roots".

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008–2009)
In July 2008, Rivera began working as a road agent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. In January 2009, he became head agent for the promotion's women's division, known as the TNA Knockouts. He also served as the unofficial trainer for the division during this tenure. On July 31, 2009, Rivera was released from his contract.

Return to TNA (2011–2012)

Ring Ka King (2011–2012)
In late 2011, Rivera was rehired by TNA, this time to work with Ring Ka King, a TNA affiliate promotion in India. Along with Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantell, he was responsible for training the Indian wrestlers at Ohio Valley Wrestling, TNA's developmental territory in Louisville, Kentucky.

International promotions (2007–2013)
While wrestling in the IWA, he competed in Revolution X-treme Wrestling based in Panama, performing in a battle royal to determine the winner of the vacant RXW World Heavyweight Championship, where he won the event. In January 2008, he began an international tour. This tour began with a presentation in Boston for Power House Wrestling Of New England. And continued with a visit to Ecuador where he would defend the Wrestling Alliance Revolution Tag Team Championship. The tour concluded in Panama where he defended the company's title against Ricky Banderas. In PHW he participated in a tag team match, where he teamed with a wrestler using the name Don Vega. They defeated a team that included the company's heavyweight champion. He would then compete in "WAR Conquest 2008", a special event organized by Wrestling Alliance Revolution. In this event he defended the company's tag team championship along Condor Ortíz, in a match that they lose after Ortíz accidentally kicked Vega. Following the match he turned on Ortíz, and subsequently challenged Kuervo, the company's heavyweight champion to a title match on the event. The encounter happened later in card, and Kuervo retained by disqualification after Vega spat green mist on his face. During the following summer Vega alternated his work between the IWA, Division One Pro Wrestling (D1PW) in Florida and Nu-Wrestling Evolution in Spain. Vega retained the RXW championship twice in June, against Ricky Vega and PJD. On March 21, 2009, Vega defended and lost the RXW World Heavyweight Title in a rematch against Panama Jack Daniels. Vega was released from his TNA contract on July 31, 2009. On October 2, 2009, Vega participated in a Wrestling Alliance Revolution card, defeating AP Dynamite for the WAR World Heavyweight Championship. On November 1, 2009, Vega and Pérez participated in a Dominican Wrestling Entertainment card, being booked to win the DWE World Tag Team Championship. They dropped the title on DWE's final event of the year, Cierre de Temporada, held on December 20, 2009.

On a Ring Ka King episode aired on February 11, 2012, Rivera returned to his T.N.T. character as part of his work as trainer for TNA. His opponent was an Indian wrestler called Jwala. None of the wrestlers were given a definitive heel or face role, but the local crowd supported his compatriot Jwala, who earned the pinfall by avoiding a maneuver by Rivera and applying his own finisher. He returned under the same guise on the March 24, 2012, RKK episode joining Nick Dinsmore in an eight-man tag team contest joining the Sheiks against the teams of Barood & Romeo Rapta and the Bollywood Boys. His team performed as the unambiguous heels, gaining the victory by employing illegal tactics.
Vega became BSP World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Emperador Maximus on January 26, 2013, in La Barra in Caguas, PR. On April 28, 2013, Vega retained the BSP World Title by defeating Lloyd Samoa in Cayey, PR despite the outside interference from the challenger's manager Octavio 5to (Victor Manuel Sierra Garcia) and the BSP director of operations Alexis Baez. On July 7, 2013, Vega retained the BSP World Heavyweight Championship by defeating number one contender Dimes at its Summer Splash event held in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. On July 20, 2013, Vega lost the BSP World Heavyweight Championship to Dimes at Summer Splash La Revancha, held in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, after the challenger threw white powder in his face and then hit Vega with a pair of brass knuckles. After the match, Vega issued his rematch clause. On August 31, 2013, Vega lost to BSP World Heavyweight Champion Menace and Dimes in a three-way dance match celebrated in el sector La Jurado in Caguas, PR.

Interpromotional angles (2011–2014)

Rivera remained completely absent from any wrestling-related activity for several months as a consequence. He reappeared on the final edition of WWC's Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre show before Aniversario 2011, interrupting the programming by stepping into the camera while wearing an IWA shirt. At the actual event, he led a large group of IWA wrestlers, including incumbent Undisputed World Champion Hiram Tua, who promptly invaded the WWC ring, beating down the WWC Tag Team Champions, Wilfredo "Lynx" Rivera and Alejandro "Niche" Marrero. This event became known as "El Bombazo", referencing his original gimmick and the explosive nature of actual TNT. Rivera himself addressed the crowd and issued another challenge to  Colón who responded in a subsequent interview issuing a challenge of his own. The WWC responded by entering the IWA's next event, Summer Attitude and vandalizing Quiñones' Hall of Fame induction. Despite this, the negotiations between the promotions were stalled and no further actions were taken for the remainder of 2011. At Halloween Mayhem 2011, Rivera returned to IWA for the first time since Histeria Boricua 2011, turning on a heel Pérez and seizing control by regaining the office of general manager and joining the still-undefeated Angel and Phillip Davian to form a stable known as "La Academia Gerencial". The group stayed away from action for the remainder of the year due to him working the RKK project for TNA in OVW and India and he named an interim general manager who performed the role at Histeria Boricua 2012. Prior to the WWC's Euphoria 2012 event, Rivera reappeared in Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre, supporting Ricky Banderas in his contest against Colón. He eventually costed Colón the match, playing a video stating that the "hunting had begun" that lasted for the remainder of the scheduled time.

Concurrently, Pérez had launched a second interpromotional angle, this time involving the third largest company in Puerto Rico, the Extreme Wrestling Organization. Rivera himself remained uninvolved with this, holding a reunion with La Academia Gerencial. However, Angel and Davian left the promotion in February while he was working outside of Puerto Rico, disbanding the stable. Consequently, Rivera sided with the IWA upon returning, assaulting EWO employees at Clash of the Titans 2012. During this visit, he also participated in an event of a smaller independent company, New Revolution Wrestling, winning its heavyweight championship. On May 26, 2012, Rivera reappeared in the IWA and issued a challenge to EWO CEO Richard Rondón to a winner-takes-all match at Juicio Final. However, the event was postponed due to unspecified circumstances and the IWA's partnership with EWO was subsequently dissolved. In July 2012, Rivera began an independent tour, making appearances in International Gladiators Wrestling Alliance and the Puerto Rico Wrestling Association. He had previously wrestled in some shows of IGWA's predecessor, Lucha Libre Extrema Internacional. On October 7, 2012, Rivera reappeared in Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre, issuing yet another challenge. However, this time Colón backfired with a challenge of his own, inviting him to a special edition of Carlito's Cabana. The edition of the talk show that featured Rivera took place on October 14, 2012. In the segment, both traded insults and it finished with the security removing him when he tried to assault Colón after the former spat an apple in his face. At Halloween Wrestling Xtravaganza, Rivera reappeared and once again addressed the crowd before being removed from the facilities by Victor Jovica. At Honor vs Traición Rivera was summoned to a face to face by Jovica. At Lockout 2012 Vega served as special referee in the hair vs hair match between Ray Gonzalez and Carlito. On the November 9, 2013, episode of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre, the return of Rivera as T.N.T. was announced. At Crossfire, on November 16, 2013, Vega defeated Chris Angel to win the WWC Universal Championship. However, he lost the title to Mighty Ursus at Lockout. TNT won the title back on January 19, 2014. On March 30, 2014, at Hora de la Verdad, TNT defeated Apolo to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. On July 19, 2014, TNT lost the title against Carlito Caribbean Cool. In October 2014, Vega left WWC.

World Wrestling League (2014–2015)
On October 10, 2014, after being previously advertised for the Aniversario event of WWC on October 25, 2014, and booked to win the WWC Puerto Rico Championship, Vega suddenly announced via his Facebook fan page that he was no longer under a WWC contract, thus being officially pulled from the event. The following day on October 11, 2014, he announced on his page he was now part of the Puerto Rican-based promotion World Wrestling League. Vega took on the role of WWL's tyrannus director of operations. After being fired by president Richard Negrín, he came back with Shane Sewell to attack Negrín and his heel stable and claim that his contract was for 5 years and that if he got fired, he would own 75% of the company. However, on March 23, 2015, WWL founder Negrín retired from pro wrestling and closed WWL. WWL reopened later, but Savio had already left.

Late career (2015–present)
After leaving the WWL, Savio Vega returned to local promotions where he has been regularly active in BSP, CWA, & NRW also makes international appearances in countries like Kuwait, and appeared in September and October on Amaro Production and Game Changer Wrestling.

On November 22, 2020, he made an appearance at Survivor Series during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony.

On July 10, 2021, he wrestled at Major League Wrestling's Battle Riot III entering twice in the match (as Savio Vega and Kwang).

Vega and Carlito appeared at Backlash on May 6, 2023, to assist the Latino World Order's Bad Bunny in his San Juan street fight match against The Judgment Day's Damian Priest.

Championships and accomplishments
Americas Wrestling Federation
AWF Americas Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
Borinquen Sports Promotion
BSP World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Champion Wrestling Association
CWA World Heavyweight championship (1 time)
Dominican Wrestling Entertainment
DWE World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Miguel Pérez, Jr.
International Wrestling Association
IWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
IWA Hardcore Championship (1 time)
IWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Miguel Pérez, Jr.
Bruiser Brody Hardcore Weekend Memorial Cup
Latin Wrestling Alliance
LWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Major League Wrestling
IWA Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
New Revolution Wrestling
NRW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked him #49 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1996
PWI ranked him #321 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
Revolution X-Treme Wrestling
RXW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)
WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWA Puerto Rico Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Council
WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
WWC World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mr. Pogo
WWC Television Championship (6 times)
Wrestling Alliance Revolution
WAR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WAR Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Condor Ortíz
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Worst Feud of the Year (1997) – vs. Disciples of Apocalypse

Luchas de Apuestas record

In other media
Rivera is mentioned in Bad Bunny's single "Puesto Pa' Guerrial", released in the album YHLQMDLG.

See also

 Los Boricuas
 The Nation of Domination
 List of Puerto Ricans

References

External links

1964 births
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
Living people
People from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Nation of Domination members
Puerto Rican male professional wrestlers
Professional wrestling executives
Professional wrestling promoters
Professional wrestling trainers
Masked wrestlers
Professional wrestlers who use face paint
WWC Universal Heavyweight Champions
WWC Puerto Rico Champions
WWC Television Champions
Latino World Order members

Savio Vega


Francis Safford Dodge (September 11, 1842 – February 19, 1908) was a US Army officer with the rank of Brigadier General, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Indian Wars. He also served as Paymaster General.

Biography
Dodge was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, and joined the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry in October 1861, and reached the rank of corporal by late 1863. In December 1863, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the 2nd USCT Cavalry Regiment. In July 1865, he was promoted to captain.

After the Civil War, Dodge was transferred to the 9th Cavalry Regiment as a first lieutenant. He regained his wartime rank in July 1867, and served in the White River War. He was promoted to major in 1880, and served as an army paymaster in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. He eventually became Paymaster General of the United States Army in January 1904 and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. Dodge retired in September 1906.

During the two years following his retirement, he served as Director of the American Surety and Trust Company. Dodge died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

General Dodge was a companion of the New York Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Captain, Company D, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Near White River Agency, Colo., September 29, 1879. Entered service at: Danvers, Mass. Birth: September 11, 1842, Danvers, Mass. Date of issue: April 2, 1898.

With a force of 40 men rode all night to the relief of a command that had been defeated and was besieged by an overwhelming force of Indians, reached the field at daylight, joined in the action and fought for three days.

References

External links
 Historical Register and Dictionary of the US Army

United States Army generals
Union Army officers
United States Army paymasters
American military personnel of the Indian Wars
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Paymaster-General of the United States Army
1842 births
1908 deaths

Francis S. Dodge


Flying Saucers was an amusement ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California from 1961 to 1966. The ride was manufactured by Arrow Development and National Research Associates, Inc.

Guests rode on personal flying saucers on a cushion of air, similar to an air hockey game, which played in a way similar to bumper cars with guests ramming each other with their saucers.

As the ride began, the saucers would be subject to a high volume of low-pressure air directed underneath the saucers by means of a grid of circular valves from a plenum chamber below the field on which they operated. As the saucers moved about the field, the valves would open and close in response to their proximity.  As guests shifted their weight in any direction by leaning, saucer movement would respond by means of an air jet derived from the increased pressure in the saucer's plenum.  If weight was centered, the saucer would begin to "hop" up and down as the air randomly escaped around the plenum. All that was required to regain control was for the guest to lean in any direction.

The ride consisted of two sets of saucers (approximately 14 each) on a semi-circular field and a mechanical boom that would sweep the arc of the field and corral one set of saucers in the loading area. As the boom moved, it would free the other set of saucers (with their new riders) from their loading area to roam the field while the other set was unloaded and loaded in-turn.

The ride was expensive to operate, maintenance was intensive, and it did not fit the normal Disneyland "guest flow" in that a relatively small number of riders was able to participate on any given day. The Flying Saucers did not survive the transition to New Tomorrowland. When New Tomorrowland opened in 1967, the space that this ride occupied was turned into the Tomorrowland Stage.

On June 15, 2012, a new ride using similar technology opened in Cars Land inside Disneyland's sister park, Disney California Adventure. This ride was named Luigi's Flying Tires, and themed to Luigi's Casa Della Tires shop from the 2006 Disney·Pixar film Cars. This version held two or three passengers per ride vehicle instead of one. On February 17, 2015, the attraction closed. It was replaced by Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters which opened in March 2016, still themed to Luigi's Casa Della Tires, but featuring new vehicles and a new ride system unrelated to the Flying Saucers.

See also
List of former Disneyland attractions

References

Amusement rides manufactured by Arrow Dynamics
Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions
Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)
Amusement rides introduced in 1961
Amusement rides that closed in 1966
Disneyland
1961 establishments in California
1966 disestablishments in California

Flying Saucers (attraction)


Moussa Sissoko (born 16 August 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as midfielder for  club Nantes. He plays as a box-to-box midfielder in the centre of the pitch, and is capable of playing in either a holding midfield role, or even as an attacking midfielder, right winger or right back.

Sissoko began his football career playing for local youth clubs in the Île-de-France region, such as Espérance Aulnay and AS Red Star 93. In 2002, he moved south to join professional club Toulouse. Sissoko spent four years in the club's youth academy and made his professional debut in the 2007–08 season. He also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. In the following season, Sissoko earned award nominations for his performances and also helped Toulouse qualify for the newly created UEFA Europa League. He eventually joined Newcastle United in the Premier League in 2013, before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur in 2016 after Newcastle's relegation from the top flight. At Tottenham, Sissoko finished runner-up in the 2016–17 Premier League and the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League.

Sissoko was a French youth international and played at all levels he was eligible for. In August 2009, he was called up to the senior team for the first time and made his senior international debut in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Faroe Islands. He made his first international start four days later in a qualifier against Austria. Sissoko was a member of the France side that lost the UEFA Euro 2016 Final.

Early life and career
Sissoko was born in Le Blanc-Mesnil, a Parisian suburb, to Malian parents. His father is a construction worker and his mother is a housewife. Sissoko is the eldest of four children, with three younger sisters. He was attracted to football at a very young age, stating, "I quickly realised that football could lead me to have a better life". At the age of six, Sissoko joined the youth academy of Espérance Aulnay, based in nearby Aulnay-sous-Bois, a suburb in northeastern Paris. He trained three times a week at the club under the supervision of trainer Adama Dieye, who now serves as a correspondent for the club's futsal team. Sissoko describes Dieye as an important mentor in his development stating "I am here today because of him". In July 1999, Sissoko moved to Saint-Ouen to join AS Red Star 93. Sissoko spent two years at the club and was teammates with former France youth international Yannis Salibur. In September 2001, he returned to Aulnay for a further two years developing before seeking a move to a professional club.

Club career

Toulouse

2003–2008
In July 2003, Sissoko made the trek down south to the Haute-Garonne department to sign with professional club Toulouse FC. He signed an aspirant (youth) contract and was placed in the club's under-14 team. Sissoko spent three years developing in the club's youth academy alongside future teammates Cheikh M'Bengue and Étienne Capoue before earning a call up to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, ahead of the 2006–07 season. Sissoko appeared in 18 matches during the amateur season, quickly becoming one of the club's most sought after prospects. Prior to signing his professional contract with Toulouse, he garnered interest from English clubs Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers.

Midway through the 2006–07 season, Sissoko signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Toulouse until June 2010. He was subsequently promoted to the club's senior team in the ensuing summer and assigned the number 22 shirt by manager Elie Baup. Sissoko made his professional debut on 4 August 2007, appearing as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Valenciennes. He made his first professional start the following week in the club's 1–0 upset victory over the defending champions Lyon. On 15 August, he appeared in the club's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg match against Liverpool. Sissoko replaced Albin Ebondo in the 83rd minute and received a yellow card in the final minute. Toulouse lost the first leg 1–0 and the tie 5–0 on aggregate. Sissoko scored his first professional goal on 1 September 2007 in a 2–0 victory over Auxerre, scoring in injury time after coming on as a substitute two minutes previously. In late September, he began featuring in the team as a regular starter playing in the defensive midfielder role alongside attackers Achille Emana and Fodé Mansaré, and captain Nicolas Dieuze. On 6 January 2008, Sissoko scored his second goal of the season against Paris in the Coupe de France. Toulouse surprisingly lost the match to the semi-professional club 2–1. Despite the promising individual season from Sissoko, Toulouse finished one place above relegation and Baup was sacked and replaced by Alain Casanova. Following the season, on 25 July 2008, Sissoko signed a contract extension with the club until 2012.

2008–2013

Following the departure of Emana to Spain, Casanova put Sissoko into the box-to-box midfielder role ahead of the 2008–09 season to accommodate emerging defensive midfielder Étienne Capoue into the starting lineup, as well as Étienne Didot, who arrived from Rennes. The move allowed Sissoko to retain his defensive duties, but also showcase his attacking skills. He began the season featuring primarily as a substitute under Casanova, but by December, Sissoko had become a regular in the starting eleven. On 24 January 2009, he scored his first goal of the season against amateur Alsatian club FCE Schirrhein in an 8–0 thrashing in the Coupe de France. It was a memorable goal with Sissoko running nearly the entire pitch with the ball at his feet, eluding several Schirrhein players, before finishing at the six-yard box. Toulouse reached the semi-finals of the competition before losing 2–1 to the eventual winners Guingamp. In the league, Sissoko was a key contributor in helping a refurbished Toulouse side finish 4th in the league, leading to qualification for the newly created UEFA Europa League. He scored his first goal of the league campaign on 7 February in a 2–0 victory over Le Mans. Sissoko also scored goals in victories over Derby de la Garonne rivals Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain. In total, he made 40 appearances and scored five goals. For his efforts, he was nominated for the UNFP Young Player of the Year, along with teammate Capoue who also had an outstanding season.

Prior to the start of the 2009–10 season, Sissoko drew strong interest from Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur. The English club reportedly offered as much as £12 million for the player and subsequently increased its offer to £15.5 million before president Olivier Sadran declared that Sissoko would not be sold. Despite Sadran's comments, fellow Premier League club Manchester City, as well as Italian clubs Internazionale and Juventus, and German club Bayern Munich were also linked with Sissoko. To quash the rumours, Sadran announced that Sissoko would not leave the club for anything less than €30 million.

Sissoko started the 2009–10 campaign by displaying his attacking prowess as he scored six league goals in the club's first 12 matches. He opened the campaign scoring in the club's second league match of the season against Saint-Étienne in a 3–1 victory. On 20 September 2009, he scored in the club's 2–0 win against Le Mans and in the following week scored the opening goal in the club's 2–1 loss to Lyon. On 1 October 2009, Sissoko scored his first career European goal in a UEFA Europa League group stage match against Belgian club Brugge. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. On 24 October, Sissoko recorded his fourth league goal of the season in a 2–0 away victory over Lens. In the ensuing two weeks, Sissoko scored both openers in a 1–1 draw with Marseille and a 3–2 victory at home against Rennes. Sissoko's goalscoring slowed in the latter part of the season, scoring only one goal after the winter break against Valenciennes in a 3–1 win. He was a regular in the team for the rest of the season, but Toulouse failed to keep pace with the league leaders and finished a disappointing 14th.

Despite interest from several clubs, Sissoko opted to remain at Toulouse stating he was happy to remain at the club and would let his agent deal with his transfer situation. He scored his first goal of the new season on 22 September 2010 in a 2–1 defeat to Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Coupe de la Ligue. On 6 February 2011, Sissoko scored both team goals in a 2–0 win over Monaco.

Newcastle United

On 21 January 2013, English side Newcastle United confirmed they had signed Sissoko on a six-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £1.5 million. It was rumoured that Sissoko waived any signing on fee from his new club in order to push the move through after Toulouse were unwilling to let him leave until the summer, when his contract expired. He was given the number 7 shirt.

He made his debut for Newcastle on 29 January, getting the assist for the opening goal in a 2–1 win against Aston Villa. In his second match, his first at St James' Park, Sissoko scored both the equalising and winning goals in a 3–2 comeback victory against Chelsea. On 24 February, Sissoko scored in a 4–2 win against Southampton.

Sissoko's first goal of the 2013–14 season came on 30 November, against West Bromwich Albion, a 25-yard strike which made the score 2–1. In the closing minutes of a game against Southampton in December, he was involved in an incident in which he accidentally hit referee Mike Jones in the face when trying to pull away from the opposing goalkeeper. He scored twice in a 4–1 win away at Hull City in March 2014, in what the Chronicle reporter, Neil Cameron, described as an "utterly superb" performance.

In the 2014–15 season, Sissoko was given the captain's armband after Fabricio Coloccini sustained an injury. In his first match starting as captain, Sissoko scored his first league goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers. On 29 November 2014, Sissoko was shown two yellows in the space of 45 seconds, in a 1–0 away defeat to West Ham United. On 1 January 2015, Sissoko scored his second league goal of the season, as Newcastle drew 3–3 against Burnley. On 13 April 2015, Sissoko was sent off in an away match at Liverpool, receiving a second yellow card from referee Lee Mason, after a dangerous tackle to Lucas Leiva. On 24 May 2015, the final day of the season, he scored the opening goal in a 2–0 home victory over West Ham United, which helped Newcastle clinch their Premier League safety.

During the 2015–16 season, Sissoko was made captain for the final six games of the season, and in his first game as captain on 16 April 2016, he scored his one and only goal of the campaign in a 3–0 home victory against Swansea City. This sparked a six-game unbeaten run in Newcastle's relegation battle, which included creditable draws against Liverpool and Manchester City, and a final day 5–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Despite this, Newcastle were unable to escape the drop zone and were relegated to the Championship.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 31 August 2016, Sissoko signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year deal, for £30 million. Tottenham, who beat out Everton for his signature on the final day of the transfer deadline, gave Sissoko his debut away at Stoke City on 10 September 2016. On 22 October, in a match against AFC Bournemouth, Sissoko elbowed Harry Arter, resulting in a three-match ban. He did not play a league match again for Spurs until 3 December, and made just four more starts in the Premier League that season under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Following a disappointing first season at Tottenham, Sissoko was afforded an extended run in the first team to open the 2017–18 season after multiple injuries in the midfield. He received his fourth start in six Premier League games in a 3–2 win at West Ham on 23 September, with Pochettino describing his performance as "fantastic", and scored his first goal for Tottenham on 30 September 2017 in their 4–0 victory of Huddersfield Town.

In the 2018–19 season, Sissoko emerged as a crucial member of Tottenham, making 43 appearances in all competitions. His improvement this season has been noted by a number of writers, some of whom ranked him amongst the best players of the season in the Premier League. He also won plaudits from former players and fans alike. He won the inaugural Tottenham Hotspur Legends' Player of the Season award in May 2019.
At the final of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, Sissoko's arm was hit by the ball on the rebound in the box after 22 seconds. Judged a handball, it resulted in a penalty converted by Liverpool and one that Tottenham could not overcome, eventually losing 2–0.

In the 2019–20 season, under new manager José Mourinho, Sissoko scored his first goal in over two years in the match against Bournemouth. This is only his second Premier League goal for Tottenham and helped the team to a 3–2 win. In the 2020 New Year's Day match against Southampton, Sissoko damaged the medial collateral ligament of his right knee, which required surgery resulting in him being out of action for more than three months. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the suspension of League matches, he did not play any game until the 19 June match against Manchester United after the season restarted.

On 5 January 2021, Sissoko scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup, which ended in a 2–0 home win over Brentford.

Watford
On 27 August 2021, Sissoko joined Watford on a two-year contract. He made his debut two days later in a 1–0 away defeat against his former club Tottenham Hotspur. It was to be an ill-fated move with Moussa Sissoko's Watford side suffering relegation that season.

Nantes
On 1 July 2022, Sissoko returned to France and signed with Nantes.

International career

Youth
Sissoko has been active with France at youth level having represented France at all levels for which he was eligible. On 4 January 2005, he made his youth international debut at under-16 level in a friendly match against Turkey in Manisa. France won the match 3–0. Sissoko's only other appearance with the team came in the return leg against Turkey that was played in İzmir two days later.

With the under-17 team, Sissoko's playing time increased as France attempted to qualify for the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. He made his debut as a substitute on 2 November 2005 in the team's opening competitive match against England. On 26 February 2006, Sissoko scored his first youth international goal in the team's second group stage match of the Algarve Cup against the Netherlands. In the team's next group stage match against Portugal, Sissoko scored again in a 3–1 victory. In UEFA competition, Sissoko and the team, composed of players such as David N'Gog, Gabriel Obertan, Adel Taarabt, and Grégory Sertic, failed to qualify for the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, due to their second-place finish in the Elite Round portion of the competition. With the under-18 team, Sissoko appeared in all eight matches the team contested as France nearly went undefeated losing their only match 1–0 to Germany in Kehl.

Due to his increased playing time domestically with Toulouse, Sissoko missed the 2007 edition of the Sendai Cup in Japan and numerous other under-19 tournaments and only featured in 2008 UEFA U-19 Championship qualification matches. He made his debut on 28 October 2007 in a 5–0 rout of Luxembourg in the first qualifying round. Similar to the competition at under-17 level, France were later eliminated in the Elite Round portion of the competition. Sissoko earned his first call up to the under-21 team for their friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 9 September 2008. He subsequently made his debut in the match, which France won 1–0. Sissoko scored his only goal with the team on 31 March 2009 in the team's 2–0 win over England at the City Ground in Nottingham. He featured with the team frequently as they were attempting to qualify for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. The team's ultimate failure to qualify for the competition effectively ended Sissoko's under-21 career, though he still appeared in friendly matches against Turkey, Denmark, and Russia in 2010 as he was still eligible to participate in non-competitive matches.

Senior

On 3 August 2009, Sissoko earned his first call up to the senior team for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the Faroe Islands. Sissoko did not make his debut in the match. On 6 October, he was named to the senior squad for the second time for the team's final World Cup qualification matches against the Faroe Islands and Austria. Sissoko earned his first cap in the match against the Faroe Islands appearing as a substitute for Jérémy Toulalan in the second half. France won the match 5–0. With France's spot in the play-offs already secured, Sissoko made his first career start in the match against Austria, which France won 3–1. Despite appearing regularly in the squad under Raymond Domenech in the 2009–10 season, Sissoko failed to make the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

On 13 May 2014, Sissoko was named in Didier Deschamps' squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2014, coming on as a substitute in France's 3–0 group win over Honduras. In France's second match of the tournament, a 5–2 victory over Switzerland, he was named in the starting line-up and scored his first international goal.

Sissoko was involved in France's run to the final of the 2016 UEFA European Championship, making four starts in the tournament. He put in an inspired performance in the final against Portugal, having two shots saved in the 1–0 extra time defeat.

On 17 May 2018, he was named on the standby list for the 23 man French squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Due to his poor club form, he was not part of the French squad that won the World Cup.  However, with a good club performance in the 2018–19 season, he was again back in the national squad, and played a role in the Euro 2020 qualifiers for France.

Style of play
A versatile midfielder, Sissoko is capable of playing in any midfield role, as well as in several other positions across the pitch. He usually plays as a box-to-box midfielder in the centre, although he is also capable of playing in a holding midfield role, or even as an attacking midfielder or right winger, due to his pace and offensive capabilities. He has also played on the left flank, as a second striker, or as an attacking full-back or wing-back on occasion. A large, fast, physically powerful, hard-working, and energetic player, with an ability to run long distances and cover a lot of ground, Sissoko has been described as a "well-rounded central midfielder" who is "tall, rangy, and strong in the tackle". Although his consistency, passing, and technical ability have been questioned at times in the media, he possesses a solid first touch, and has demonstrated significant improvements in terms of his technique and link-up play as his career has progressed; furthermore, he is known for his direct style of play, as well as his ability to transition from defence to attack, charge forward with the ball, and run at defences on counter-attacks, courtesy of his ball-winning ability and positional sense, as well as his speed, dynamism, athleticism, and strength. He is also known for his striking ability from distance and on the run with his right foot, as well as his eye for goal from midfield. Regarded as a promising prospect in his youth, in 2010 he was included in Don Balóns list of the 100 best young players in the world born after 1989.

Personal life
Sissoko is Muslim. Alongside his native French, he speaks English.

Career statistics
Club

International

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sissoko goal.

HonoursTottenham HotspurEFL Cup runner-up: 2020–21
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2018–19NantesCoupe de France runner-up: 2022–23Individual'
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
Tottenham Hotspur Legends' Player of the Season: 2019

References

External links

1989 births
Living people
People from Le Blanc-Mesnil
Footballers from Seine-Saint-Denis
French men's footballers
France men's youth international footballers
France men's under-21 international footballers
France men's international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Red Star F.C. players
Toulouse FC players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
FC Nantes players
Ligue 1 players
Premier League players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
French expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
French expatriate sportspeople in England
Black French sportspeople
French Muslims
French sportspeople of Malian descent

Moussa Sissoko


General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior,  (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he fought alongside the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War and held the office of Master-General of the Ordnance in 1828 in the First Wellington ministry. He led the 1806 failed British invasion of Buenos Aires.

Early life
William Beresford was born on 2 October 1768, the illegitimate son of George Beresford, 2nd Earl of Tyrone. Beresford received his early education in Yorkshire before in 1785 he was sent to Strasbourg, where he attended a French military academy.

Early campaign experience

Having spent several months at the military academy, on 27 August the same year Beresford joined the British Army as an ensign in the 6th Regiment of Foot. Beresford was initially stationed with his regiment in Ireland, before in 1786 he travelled with it to join the garrison in Nova Scotia. While on a hunting excursion there an accident resulted in him being blinded in his left eye and scarred on the face. Beresford continued on with the 6th in Nova Scotia after this, before on 25 June 1789 he was promoted to lieutenant in the 16th Regiment of Foot.

Beresford was then promoted to captain on the unattached list of the army on 24 January 1791, subsequently joining the 69th Regiment of Foot in Ireland on 31 May. When the French Revolutionary Wars began in February 1793, Beresford and his regiment were seconded as marines to the Mediterranean Fleet of the Royal Navy. In this capacity he served through the Siege of Toulon between August and December. Still with the fleet, Beresford then formed part of the force that invaded Corsica in February 1794 alongside a group of Corsican patriots. A naval bombardment failed to destroy the French-held Torra di Mortella, and so Beresford led a storming party ashore that captured the tower from the landward side. The impressive defence of the position led to the British adopting the Martello Tower themselves.

Subsequent to this Beresford was promoted to major on 1 March and then lieutenant-colonel on 11 August, in command of the 124th Regiment of Foot, a regiment raised from his father's Waterford estates. The 124th was disbanded in the following year and Beresford instead joined the 88th Regiment of Foot on 16 September. He sailed with the 88th to join the West Indies Campaign in November 1796, but his convoy was dispersed by a storm and only three of the 88th's companies, alongside the surgeon James McGrigor, reached the West Indies. Beresford and the rest of the regiment were sent to garrison Jersey, where they stayed for the next three years. On 1 January 1800 Beresford was promoted to colonel and the 88th was ordered out to India, landing at Bombay later in the year.

Beresford's regiment was sent to Egypt in 1801 to fight in the Egypt Campaign, serving from March to October when hostilities ended. The Peace of Amiens ended in May 1803 and the Napoleonic Wars began, and on 11 February 1804 Beresford was appointed a brigadier-general. The Cape of Good Hope, previously occupied by the British, had been given back to the Dutch in the peace. Beresford was part of the force that recaptured it at the Battle of Blaauwberg in January 1806, commanding a detachment that landed  north of Cape Town.

From there crossed the South Atlantic to South America to invade the River Plate region (now Argentina), with a small British force of 1,500 men, departing on 14April 1806. Following his move to Cape Town in Cape Colony, Beresford, spurred on by Home Popham, R.N. (later Rear Admiral Sir Home Popham), decided to attack Buenos Aires in Spanish South America. No attempt was made to gain authorization from the Crown for this undertaking. In the invasion of the River Plate, Buenos Aires was occupied for 46 days. However, the British force could not maintain itself against the army gathered by Santiago de Liniers. After a relentless two-day fight with the Buenos Aires and Montevideo militias between 10 and 12 August 1806, the British were defeated and forced to capitulate. Beresford had to surrender, remaining prisoner for six months; in the end, he managed to escape and arrived in England in 1807.

Peninsular War

Commander in Chief of the Portuguese Army
In that same year Beresford was sent to Madeira, which he occupied in name of Queen Maria I of Portugal, remaining there for six months as Governor and Commander in Chief. The exiled Portuguese Government in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whereto the Portuguese Royal Family had set up a Court in exile, realised the necessity of appointing a commander-in-chief capable of training, equipping and disciplining the demoralised Portuguese Royal Army. The Portuguese government asked Britain to appoint Arthur Wellesley to this role, Wellesley indicated he could not do the role justice due to his prior engagements and recommended Beresford. He was appointed Marshal and Commander in Chief of the Army by Decree of 7 March 1809 and took the command on 15th of the same month. At that time, French Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult had already crossed into Portugal where he occupied Porto. Beresford quickly overhauled the Portuguese forces, bringing them in line with British discipline and organization, and from the General Headquarters (then at the Largo do Calhariz), he dispatched many "daily orders" altering points of the infantry ordnance, creating a general command of artillery, establishing the separation of the battalions, firing incompetent or corrupt officers and promoting or appointing appropriate replacements.

On campaign
On 22 April 1809 Sir Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, disembarked in Lisbon, and took over the command of all the Anglo-Portuguese troops whereupon Beresford was nominated commander of the Portuguese Army. The allied armies marched to the North. Wellington moved from Coimbra directly to Porto, which he entered on 12 May, and Beresford marched through the Province of Beira, arriving that same day at the banks of the Douro river, in the area of Lamego. Wellington's troops made a forced crossing of the Douro and defeated the French, forcing Marshal Soult to withdraw from Porto. Soult was outnumbered and expelled from Portugal; the positioning of Beresford's forces compelled the French to leave Portugal by the poor roads through Montalegre. They managed to cross the border only after sacrificing their artillery and baggage, and faced numerous difficulties during the evacuation.

The Second French Invasion of Portugal was defeated and the allied armies moved back to the South, the British concentrating at Abrantes and the Portuguese at Castelo Branco. With the intention of cooperating with the Spanish against Marshal Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Bellune, the Anglo-Portuguese forces under Wellesley moved into Spain in the Talavera campaign while Beresford remained on the Águeda river covering the Spanish-Portuguese border. After Wellesley's return, now as Viscount Wellington, following the Battle of Talavera, Beresford re-entered Portugal, where he distributed the army at various locations and established his General Headquarters in Lisbon.  From Lisbon he dispatched numerous orders and instructions for the reform of the Portuguese military.

In the same year (1809), and the one following he made tours of inspection of the corps that were found quartered in the various provinces and he corrected any defects he noticed and established rules for the functioning of the different branches of the military service. In this way he improved the functioning of the Portuguese Army so that they might face the forces of Napoleon invading the country for the third time. The beneficial results of his efforts were proven at the campaign against Marshal André Masséna in particular at the Battle of Buçaco on 27September 1810 where the Portuguese troops played a prominent part, and also in the defence of the Lines of Torres Vedras).

The most notable action in which Beresford held independent command occurred in 1811 when a combined Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army under his command, intercepted a French army commanded by Marshal Soult, who had been ordered by Marshal Auguste de Marmont to move to protect the important Spanish fortress-city of Badajoz. As the French forces retreated from the Lines of Torres Vedras, Beresford marched towards Badajoz, which he laid siege to. Having, however, received notice that Soult was approaching, he lifted the siege and posted his army at Albuera in a defensive position. There he defeated the French forces on 16 May 1811. After the bloody Battle of Albuera the French were forced to retreat, though the siege of Badajoz had to be subsequently abandoned. Meanwhile, on 13 May 1811, he was created Count of Trancoso in Portugal by decree of Prince Regent John.

At the beginning of July 1811, Beresford was again in Lisbon, but he was subjected to fits of "nervous breakdowns", as described by Brigadier Benjamin D'Urban, Quartermaster-general of the Portuguese Army. He recuperated in February 1812 and then joined Wellington in his investment of Ciudad Rodrigo. Once the fortified town had fallen, he went with the army to Alentejo, and participated in the Anglo-Portuguese Siege of Badajoz. After Badajoz had been stormed, along with Wellington he once again took up position on the Águeda, and from there launched the Salamanca campaign. On 22 July 1812, the important Battle of Salamanca was fought, giving the Anglo-Portuguese forces a decisive victory over the French under Marshal Marmont. In the battle Beresford was badly wounded under his left breast while ordering the advance of one of the Portuguese brigades.

He retired to Lisbon, had bouts of fever and was half incapacitated for several months until May of the next year (1813). Meanwhile, he was also created Marquis of Campo Maior in Portugal by Prince Regent John on 17 December 1812. In March he was confirmed as second in command of the Allied Army and re-joined the campaigning army before assisting in the liberation of Spain by the British and Portuguese armies.

In the invasion of France, he assisted Wellington at the command of a corps and was hailed as the liberator of Bordeaux. He fought in France at Toulouse, the last clash of the Peninsular War. During that conflict he had been present at the battles of A Coruña, Busaco, Albuera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez and Toulouse.  His Peninsular Gold Medal had seven clasps - only the Duke of Wellington, with nine clasps, had more to his medal.

Later career

After peace was declared he went to England on leave and came back again to Lisbon to reassume the command of the Portuguese Army. He did not limit himself, however, to that role, and intended to intervene in the general politics of the country, from this he came into conflict with the Regency. He then determined to go to the Court in Rio de Janeiro. He departed there in August 1815 and returned in September 1816, invested with wider powers than the ones which he had previously enjoyed. Beresford took a high hand in his dealings with Gomes Freire de Andrade (1817) and, put into a difficult situation, he returned to Brazil, obtaining from John VI the confirmation of the powers he had already attained, which he desired to see amplified.

When he returned to Portugal, the Liberal Revolution of 1820 intervened; the British officers, for the most part, had been discharged, and the government would not even consent that Beresford could disembark.
He was made Governor of Jersey in 1821 and held the position till 1854, the last titular Governor of Jersey; since his death the Crown has been represented in Jersey by the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.

He was given the colonelcy of three regiments in succession. He was Colonel of the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot from 1807 to 1819, the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) from 1819 to 1823 and the 16th (Bedfordshire) Regiment from 1823 until his death. Briefly returning to Portugal in 1827 at the request of the Regent, Infanta Isabel Maria of Braganza, he gave up his ambitions because of the resistance he encountered among the new Portuguese elite and returned to Britain.

In the 1840s, Beresford expanded the Bedgebury Estate near Goudhurst, Kent. He built the hamlet of Kilndown to the north west of Bedgebury.

Legacy

Napier, in his History of the Peninsular War, severely criticized the tactics of Beresford at the Battle of Albuera, which gave origin to a heated correspondence between the Marshal and the historian. The published letters of Beresford which are mentioned below refer to this controversy. Wellington himself had no illusions over Beresford's ability as a General, but he appreciated his abilities as a military organizer, and recommended that Beresford should take command if he himself were disabled. He published: Strictures on Certain Passages of L. Col. Napier's History of Peninsular War; Further Strictures; Refutation of Col. Napier's Justification, London, 1831–1834, 3 Vol.; Letter to Charles Edward Long, Esq. on the Extracts Recently Published from the Ms. Journal and Private Correspondence of the Late Lieut-Gen. R. B. Long, London, John Murray, 1833; A Second Letter to Charles Edward Long, Esq. on the Ms. Journal and Private Correspondence of the Late Lieut. General R. B. Long (1834). Also of interest is the Colecção das Ordens do Dia (Collection of Orders of the Day) produced by Beresford's general headquarters nos Anos de 1809 a 1823 (for the years 1809 to 1823), Lisbon, 13 Vol. (at the Library of the English Institute of the University of Coimbra).

As a reward for his services in the fight against the French he was raised to the peerage as Baron Beresford, of Albuera and Dungarvan in the County of Waterford, on 3 May 1814. On 28 March 1823 he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Beresford, of Beresford in the County of Stafford. Beside many national and foreign honours and decorations he received the Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword.  Some authors infer that he also had the title of 1st Duke of Elvas; but no document recording the granting this title is extant. Beresford County, New South Wales, Australia was named in his honour.

He is the namesake of Beresford, New Brunswick.

Parliament
Beresford was Member of Parliament (MP) for County Waterford from a by-election on 28 June 1811 to 25 April 1814, just before being raised to his peerage.

He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1821.

Family
Lord Beresford married his first cousin the Honourable Louisa, widow of Thomas Hope and daughter of William Beresford, 1st Baron Decies and Elizabeth Fitzgibbon, in 1832. The marriage was childless. She died in July 1851. Lord Beresford died in January 1854, aged 85. The barony and viscountcy became extinct on his death. His estates were passed on to his stepson, Alexander Beresford Hope. Beresford's Portuguese titles were not renewed, although his nephews continued using them.

Arms

See also
 List of Marquesses in Portugal
 List of Countships in Portugal
 Beresford Gate
 Beresford Square

References

Sources

 The Fatal Hill: The Allied Campaign under Beresford in Southern Spain in 1811, Mark Sunderland, Thompson Publishing, London 2002, Long Review,

 Henriques, Mendo Castro, Salamanca – 1812 Companheiros de Honra, Lisboa, 2006, 2nd edition,
 Zúquete, Afonso Eduardo Martins, Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil (3 Volumes), Volume Second, p. 474-7, Lisbon, 1960.

External links

 Genealogical information on the Marquesses of Campo Maior
 Genealogical information on the Counts of Trancoso

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1768 births
1854 deaths
Spanish captain generals
Field marshals of Portugal
British Army generals
British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
British Army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
British Army personnel of the Peninsular War
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Governors of Jersey
Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers
69th Regiment of Foot officers
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Waterford constituencies (1801–1922)
UK MPs 1807–1812
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UK MPs who were granted peerages
William
Recipients of the Army Gold Cross
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William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford


Buena Vista Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at Buena Vista, Virginia. The district encompasses 38 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the central business district of Buena Vista. The buildings are primarily one- and two-story masonry structures, with the earliest built in 1889–1890.  Notable buildings include the Buena Vista Post Office (1930), Buena Vista War Memorial Building (1954), Peoples Bank of Buena Vista (1907), Dickinson Building (c. 1907), Royer's Restaurant (c. 1940), the Advocate Building (1889), Buena Vista Masonic Building (c. 1910), and the Valley Steam Laundry Building (c. 1905).  The Buena Vista Company Building (1890) is separately listed as the Old Courthouse.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

References

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Buildings and structures in Buena Vista, Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Buena Vista, Virginia

Buena Vista Downtown Historic District


Domne Eafe (; floruit late 7th century), also  Domneva, Domne Éue, Æbbe, Ebba, was, according to the Kentish royal legend, a granddaughter of King Eadbald of Kent and the foundress of the double monastery of Minster in Thanet Priory at Minster-in-Thanet during the reign of her cousin King Ecgberht of Kent. A 1000-year-old confusion with her sister Eormenburg means she is often now known by that name. Married to Merewalh of Mercia, she had at least four children. When her two brothers, Æthelred and Æthelberht, were murdered (and subsequently venerated as saintly martyrs) she obtained the land in Thanet to build an abbey, from a repentant King Ecgberht. Her three daughters all went on to become abbesses and saints, the most famous of which, Mildrith, ended up with a shrine in St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury.

Origins
According to the Kentish royal legend, Domne Eafe's father was Eormenred, son of King Eadbald of Kent and Emma of Austrasia, and grandson of Æthelberht of Kent, England's first Christian king. Domne Eafe's mother is called Oslafa. It is probable that Eormenred shared the kingship of Kent with his brother Eorcenberht, the senior king, and also that he predeceased Eorcenberht.

The legend records several children of Eormenred and Oslafa. Their sons Æthelberht and Æthelred were murdered during the reign of their cousin King Ecgberht of Kent. Their daughters are less certainly identifiable. Eormengyth, according to the legend, was buried in the countryside near to Minster-in-Thanet and was reckoned a saint in later Anglo-Saxon times. Eormengyth was the sister of Æbbe and Eormenburh [circular link]. She was married to King Centwine of Wessex who ruled  from 676 to 685 but became abbess as a widow possibly back in Kent (c. 695–705) in succession to her sister.

Domne Eafe and Eormenburg
From at least the 1030s, Domne Eafe has been described as also named Eormenburg (or such variants as Irmenburg and Ermenburga). The given name of Domne Eafe appears to be very uncertain. Domne would seem to be a title, implying that she was a highly respected lady, while Eafe could be a variant of Eve (and so could be her given name) or Abbess (i.e. yet another title). There are six Anglo-Saxon charters (legal documents) dating from the time she was Abbess, all of which simply refer to her by the Latin title (or name) Æbbe. One of these, a Charter from 699, names three other 'renowned abbesses', Hirminhilda, Irminburga and Nerienda, who, along with Æbbe, are present to witness that various privileges had  been granted to the Kent Churches. This enabled David Rollason, writing in 1982, to conclude, despite the variant spellings, that they were two individuals.

The next known references to either name are written some 300 years later, when various different accounts of the Kentish Royal Legend were written up. Three of these documents introduce the idea that Domne Eafe and Eormenburg were the same person. Others, such as a genealogy from Ramsey Abbey, identify Eormenburg as a sister of Eafe. However, the 10th- and 11th-century texts, even those that offer Eormenburg as an alternative, then use Domne Eafe and its variants throughout their texts.

Uneasiness appears to set in after that date about the idea that there were sisters, Eormengith, Eormenburg and Domne Eafe, of which one name didn't seem to be part of the set. From the 12th century onwards, some writers have liked the idea that a Kentish monastic princess should be called Eormenburg rather than Domne Eafe, and thus only refer to Ermenburg (or variants), as the Abbess of Thanet and mother of Mildrith. Following a lead perhaps given by William of Malmesbury in c. 1135 books such as 'Villages of Britain', web sites such as 'Hidden historical heroines', and modern lists of saints refer to her simply as Ermenburg.

The legend

The  legend survives in varying forms in a number of manuscripts which date from the eleventh and twelfth centuries (and later copies).
These include a life of Saints Æthelberht and Æthelred in the Historia Regum, compiled at Ramsey Abbey by the monk Byrhtferth; a life of Mildrith by Goscelin and rebuttal, by him, to the claims by St Gregory's Priory, Canterbury to having  the relics of Saints Mildrith and Eadburg, by way of Lyminge. St Gregory's too produced their own account, preserved in a manuscript held in Gotha.

According to the legend, Domne Eafe, daughter of Eormenred, a sub-king of Kent, marries Merewalh, a Mercian king of Magonsæte, by whom she has a son,       Merfin (known as 'The Holy Child', who died while young) and three daughters, none of whom married, and all were proclaimed saints. On the death of Eormenred, Domne Eafe's younger brothers, Saints Æthelberht and Æthelred, were fostered by their cousin, king Ecgberht, and were murdered by the king's reeve, called Thunor, either on the king's command or on his own initiative.
In order to quench the family feud which this kinslaying would have provoked, Ecgberht agreed to pay a wergild for the murdered princelings. The legend claims that Domne Eafe was offered (or requested) as much land as her pet hind could run around in a single lap. The result whether by miraculous guidance (as most texts imply), or because the hind goes wherever Domne Eafe guides it, (as the Caligula A text claims) was that she gained some eighty sulungs of land on Thanet as weregild, on which to establish a dual monastery. Domne Eafe is, by all the accounts, succeeded as abbess by her daughter Mildrith.

It is thought likely that the legend's details are all considerably earlier than the date of the surviving manuscripts. It contains features, such as the establishment of a monastery in compensation for kinslaying (an analogous case is recorded by Bede in the case of the killing of King Oswine of Deira by King Oswiu of Bernicia), which would be unexpected to originate with an 11th-century text. Circumstantial evidence would date the earliest version of the legend from the time of Saint Eadburg (died 751?), Mildrith's successor as abbess of Minster-in-Thanet.

Charter evidence
A number of Kentish charters from the reigns of Oswine and Wihtred name Domne Eafe, or rather "Æbbe", as witness or beneficiary of grants to Minster-in-Thanet. Rollason argues that these show that Minster-in-Thanet was the main beneficiary of Kentish royal patronage of monasteries, surpassing even St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury.

No charters survive from Ecgberht's reign, and written charters only began anywhere at around that period, so the original grant may have been oral rather than written. The 15th century historian Thomas of Elmham recorded a later charter, which has now been lost, in his history of St Augustine's, Canterbury. This dated from 678, during the reign of Egcberht's brother and successor Hlothhere. The Rolls Series edition of Thomas's history includes as its frontispiece a map that he drew showing Thanet and the course taken across the island by Domne Eafe's pet hind, a route which followed a ditch and marked the boundary of Canterbury's estates on Thanet.

Family tree
The Kentish royal legend includes expansive genealogical sections which appear to differ from most Anglo-Saxon genealogies both in their fuller treatment of female lines, and in having no interest in Pagan warlord ancestors. By contrast its chief interest is in recording the ability of the royal line of Christian kings to produce female saints. At least eleven are incorporated into the genealogy, including not just the Kentish princesses, but those from the East Anglian, Mercian and Magonsaetan kingdoms into which they married. From Æthelberht I, whose reign may have begun in 560, down to Domne Eafe's three daughters, all acclaimed as saints, who are thought to have died in the early 8th century. The family tree below, based solely on the information in the various versions of the Kentish royal legend, finds various points of corroboration in Bede's writings and in other early documents. Other individuals and relationships are known only from the legend.

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Notes

References

External links
  and

People from Minster-in-Thanet
Anglo-Saxon nuns
Anglo-Saxon royalty
Kentish saints
7th-century English nuns
7th-century Christian nuns
House of Kent
Iclingas

Domne Eafe