Roberto Gutiérrez Frías (born October 2, 1962) is a Mexican retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer, best known under the ring name El Dandy. He is the cousin of professional wrestler Juan Conrado Aguilar, known as El Texano, and the uncle of Aguilar's sons, who wrestle as El Texano Jr. and Súper Nova. While he had a retirement tour in 2014, Gutiérrez has wrestled most recently in March 2019. Gutiérrez has wrestled for most major Mexican promotions, including Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Universal Wrestling Association, World Wrestling Association, and International Wrestling Revolution Group. In addition, he has worked for the US-based World Championship Wrestling as well as the Japanese Super World Sports and the International Wrestling Association of Japan.
During his career, starting in 1981, he has won a number of championships, including the CMLL World Middleweight Championship three times, the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, the NWA World Welterweight Championship twice, the Mexican National Featherweight Championship, Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship twice, Mexican National Middleweight Championship, Mexican National Welterweight Championship, the WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, and the WWA World Tag Team Championship Corazón de León. He was a part of a tag team known as Los Fabulosos with Silver King and a member of the Latino World Order group in World Championship Wrestling. A 2004 match against L.A. Park was voted "Match of the Year" by readers of Box y Lucha magazine.
Professional wrestling career
Gutiérrez began training for a wrestling career at the age of 14, training under Diablo Velazco in his hometown of Guadalajara, Jalisco. After five years of training he finally, but reluctantly, made his in-ring debut. Gutiérrez later stated that he was nervous for his debut in part because of his fear of the public. He opted to use the ring name "El Dandy", after several of the wrestlers in Guadalajara gave him the nickname due to his success with women. He made his debut as an enmascarado, or masked wrestler, teaming with Águila Solitaria against Black Indian and Chamaco Hernández. A local promoter asked Gutiérrez if he would prefer to wrestle unmasked instead, leading to Gutiérrez to lose the mask and wrestle without a mask on for the remainder of his career. At the time his family did not know he had become a professional wrestler, not until they saw him on TV against El Dorado. While the match was so well received that the fans in the arena threw money in the ring, Gutiérrez's parents were not enthused with his career choice at the time.
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre / Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (1981–1998) After showing his skills in Guadalajara, representatives from Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), Mexico's largest professional wrestling promotion invited him to Mexico City to work for EMLL. Gutiérrez credited Mocho Cota and Herodes for getting him to Mexico City and also helping him out. Early in his EMLL career, Gutiérrez had to wash clothes for several wrestlers to earn enough money for food.
El Dandy won his first Championship on July 31, 1982, as he defeated El Modulo to win the Mexican National Featherweight Championship. His 175-day reign ended when Pequeño Solin defeated him on January 22, 1983. Two weeks after losing the championship, El Dandy won his first lucha de apuestas ("bet match") against El Guerrero and, as a result, El Guerrero was shaved bald. In Lucha libre a Lucha de Apuestas victory is considered more prestigious than championship wins. The following year, on December 6, El Dandy defeated Gran Cochisse in a Lucha de Apuestas, continuing his rise up the ranks of CMLL. By late 1984 El Dandy began teaming with Fuerza Guerrera and Talisman on a regular basis, forming a trio known as Los Bravos ("The Brave"). Los Bravos defeated Los Destructores (Lemús II, Tony Arce, and Vulcano) in a lucha de apuestas, winning the mask of Lemus II and the hair of Arce and Vulcano). On September 1, 1985, EMLL decided to have El Dandy defeat Américo Rocca to win the Mexican National Welterweight Championship. A total of 77 days later, El Dandy won the NWA World Welterweight Championship, and, in the process, relinquished the lower ranking Mexican National title. His 141-day reign was ended by Javier Cruz, as part of a long-running storyline feud between the two. El Dandy regained the championship on August 24, holding it for 70 days before losing it to Américo Rocca.