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María Elena Santamaría Gómez (born May 31, 1971) is a Mexican
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
, known mainly for her work in the Mexican
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...
(CMLL), where she works under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Marcela. As Marcela, she is one of the top ''técnicas'' (the "good" characters, or
faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
) in CMLL. Her daughter is also a professional wrestler, known under the name Skadi, who often teams with her mother. Santamaría has worked for CMLL since the early 1990s and has also wrestled in Japan and on the Mexican
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
. In 2018, she began her fifth reign as CMLL World Women's Champion, which is a CMLL record. She is a one-time Mexican National Women's Champion, held the District Federal Women's championship for over five years, and won the XMW Women's Championship. She has won several major ''
luchas de apuestas Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...
'', bet matches, winning the masks of La Gata, Rosa Negra, and
La Seductora Irene Lagunas (born October 20, 1973 in Chilachapa, Guerrero, Mexico) is a Mexican ''luchadora'', better known under the ring name La Seductora (Spanish for "The Seductress"). She is currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
as well as the hair of
La Briosa La Briosa (Spanish for The Verve One) is the ring name of a semi-retired Mexican '' luchadora'', or female professional wrestler who was primarily active from the mid-1970s until 2000. She is a second-generation wrestler, daughter of Sugi Sito, a ...
, Tiffany,
Dalys la Caribeña Dalys la Caribeña (born February 20, 1975 in Panama) is a Panamanian '' luchadora'', or female professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Her name appears in print a ...
and
Princesa Blanca Blanca Rodríguez (born August 26, 1974) is a Mexican retired ''luchadora'', or female professional wrestler, better known as Princesa Blanca. She is best known for working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
.


Early life

María Elena Santamaría Gómez was born on May 31, 1971, in Mexico City, Mexico. She grew up in Mexico City, living close to
Arena Coliseo Arena Coliseo is an indoor arena in Mexico City, Mexico located at República del Perú 77 in the Cuauhtémoc, D.F., Cuauhtémoc Boroughs of the Mexican Federal District, borough. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''lucha ...
, where
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...
(EMLL) held several ''
Lucha Libre Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...
'' events each week. Her mother was a fan and brought her daughter to the shows from a young age. Initially, when Marcela wanted to become a professional wrestler her mother opposed it, causing a rift between the mother and daughter at the time, which was later reconciled. Marcela had her first child at the age of 16. Her second child, a daughter, became a professional wrestler as well, working under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Skadi, and she often teams with her mother.


Professional wrestling career

Santamaría began training for her professional wrestling career in the mid-1980s, at a time when female wrestling was banned in Mexico City itself, and only promoted by a few companies outside of the capitol. She made her debut in December 1985 in Actopan, Hidalgo. For her debut she borrowed an ill-fitting
mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
and boxing shoes as she did not have any of her own. After the match, she decided to never wear a mask again. She was billed simply as "Marcela" as she began working on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
. The ban on women's wrestling was lifted in 1986, allowing EMLL and other companies promotion shows in the capitol to employ female wrestlers.


Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (early 1990s–present)

In the early 1990s she began working for
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...
(CMLL). Her first ''
lucha de apuestas Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...
'' (Spanish for "bet match", the most prestigious match type in lucha libre) took place on September 7, 1991, where Marcela defeated La Migala. After the match La Migala had her hair shaved off, per lucha libre traditions. In the mid-1990s and early 2000s CMLL did not focus on their women's division, and often there was over a month between women's matches on a CMLL show. This meant that Marcela began working for a variety of minor Mexican promotions on the independent circuit. On August 3, 2001, Marcela teamed up with male wrestler El Mohicano I to defeat La Gata and Black Machine in an intergender ''lucha de apuestas'' match where both their male and female opponents left the ring with bald heads. She also competed in a ''
torneo cibernetico A ''torneo cibernetico'' is a multi-man professional wrestling elimination match that was created and primarily used in Mexican ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotions, especially in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The match format ...
'' elimination match for
International Wrestling Revolution Group International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish; the Spanish name is used for the promotion while the English initials are used for the title governing body) is a Lucha Libre promotion based in Naucalpan, Sta ...
's newly created Intercontinental Women's Championship. The match also included Flor Metallica, Josseline,
La Amapola Guadalupe Ramona Olvera is a Mexican professional wrestler, or ''Luchadora'' as they are called in Spanish, best known under the ring name La Amapola (Spanish for "The Poppy"). Olvera is best known for her work in the Mexican professional wrestlin ...
,
La Diabólica La Diabólica (real name unknown; born September 28, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchadora enmascarada'', or masked professional wrestler, best known from her work in the Mexican professional wrestling promotions Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) a ...
, Lady Metal, La Migala and tournament winner
Ayako Hamada is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Lib ...
. In 2004 CMLL began featuring more women's wrestling again and Marcela was one of the wrestlers who was given a full-time role with CMLL. At some point prior to September 20, 2004, Marcela won the Distrito Federal Women's Championship, with a successful championship defense against La Amapola on that date. Marcela and Dark Angel qualified for the finals of a tournament for the vacant
CMLL World Women's Championship The CMLL World Women's Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Femenil de CMLL'' in Spanish) is the championship in women's professional wrestling that is most highly promoted by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) ...
by outlasting Hiroka, India Sioux, La Medusa, La Nazi, Linda Star,
Princesa Sujei Ernestina Sugehit Salazar Martínez (born June 25, 1980) is a Mexican ''luchadora'' (Spanish for ''professional wrestler'') who is best known under the ring name Princesa Sugehit. She is working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Co ...
, and Sahori. The following week, at the
CMLL 72nd Anniversary Show The CMLL 72nd Anniversary Show ( es, 72. Aniversario de CMLL) was a professional wrestling major show event produced by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) that took place on September 16, 2005 in Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico. The event ...
, Marcela defeated Dark Angel to win the championship. Subsequently, she defended the title against Hiroka once and La Amapola on a number of occasions until her title reign ended on June 9, 2006, when Hiroka defeated her. Marcela and Princesa Sujey outlasted 12 other women in a ''torneo cibernetico'' elimination match to qualify for the finals of a tournament for the vacant Mexican National Women's Championship, followed by Marcela defeating Princesa Sujey to win the title. While Marcela held the championship until January 30, 2009, 637 days, she only successfully defended the championship once, defeating La Amapola on August 5, 2007. Her reign as Mexican National Women's Champion ended at the hands of
Princesa Blanca Blanca Rodríguez (born August 26, 1974) is a Mexican retired ''luchadora'', or female professional wrestler, better known as Princesa Blanca. She is best known for working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
, who pinned Marcela to win the championship. Marcela defeated, and unmasked, Rosa Negra after winning a ''lucha de apuestas'' match at the '' 53. Aniversario de Arena México'' show. Marcel defeated La Amapola on October 28, 2011, to win the CMLL World Women's Championship for the second time, starting a 29-day reign that ended at the hands of
Ayumi Kurihara (born July 13, 1984) is a retired '' joshi puroresu '' wrestler. Professional wrestling career Kurihara entered training with the women's pro wrestling promotion AtoZ and then transferred to M's Style, where she learned the craft from well-kn ...
in Japan. Ayumi travelled to Mexico in March 2012, losing the title back to Marcela on March 9. During her third reign, Marcela successfully defended the championship on 12 occasions, in Mexico, the United States and Japan. Marcela was one of ten women risking their mask or hair in the
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
main event match of the 2012 ''
Infierno en el Ring ''Infierno en el Ring'' is the name of an annual professional wrestling super show or pay-per-view (PPV) event held by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) since 2008. The term ''Infierno en el Ring'' ...
'' show on June 29, 2019. Marcela was the third woman to climb out of the cage, keeping her hair safe, while the match ended with Princesa Blanca defeating
Goya Kong Gloria Alvarado Nava (born May 4, 1987) is a Mexican ''luchadora'' best known by the ring name Goya Kong for her time working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). She is the third-generation ''Luchadora'' ...
to unmask her. A new group of wrestlers had appeared in CMLL In 2012, ''
Los Invasores ''Los Invasores'' ( Spanish for "The Invaders") was a Mexican ''lucha libre'', or professional wrestling group, referred to as a stable in wrestling terms, working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The group was portrayed as a group of "o ...
'' ("The Invaders"), with the storyline being that they represented CMLL's main rival
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...
. Female wrestler Tiffay was part of that group and was immediately put into a storyline feud with Marcela. This led to a ''lucha de apuestas'' match on August 5, where Marcela pinned her opponent, forcing Tiffany to have her hair cut off afterward. In late 2014 Marcela began a feud with
Dalys la Caribeña Dalys la Caribeña (born February 20, 1975 in Panama) is a Panamanian '' luchadora'', or female professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Her name appears in print a ...
, as Dalys had risen up the ranks of CMLL during Marcela's title reign. The two met in one of the featured matches at the 2014 ''
Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ''Homenaje a Dos Leyendas'' (Spanish for "Homage to Two Legends") is the collective name of a series of annual '' lucha libre'', or professional wrestling major show promoted by Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
'', where Marcela defeated Dalys in a ''lucha de apuestas'' match. Marcela and Princesa Sugej teamed up for the 2014 '' Juicio Final'' show, defeating Princesa Blanca and
La Seductora Irene Lagunas (born October 20, 1973 in Chilachapa, Guerrero, Mexico) is a Mexican ''luchadora'', better known under the ring name La Seductora (Spanish for "The Seductress"). She is currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
. La Seductora had to unmask, while Princesa Blanca was shaved bald and forced into retirement. Her 1008-day reign ended on December 12, 2014, as she lost the belt to
Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the ...
on a show in Japan. Marcela began a fourth reign on April 10, 2015, when Syuri came to Mexico for a tour, losing the championship to Marcela on her last day in Mexico. During her fourth reign, Marcela successfully defended the title against Dalys and Zeuxis, before she lost the championship to Dalys on March 11, 2016. On March 11, 2016, Marcela lost the CMLL World Women's Championship to Dalys la Caribeña. Marcela and Zeuxis outlasted seven other female wrestlers in a ''torneo cibernetico'' to qualify for the finals of a tournament for the vacant
CMLL-Reina International Championship The CMLL-Reina International Championship (''Campeonato Internacional del CMLL-Reina'' in Spanish; in Japanese) is a women's professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Reina Joshi Puroresu. The cham ...
on August 6, 2017. The following week Zeuxis pinned Marcela to win the title. Marcela began her fifth CMLL World Women's Championship reign on November 19, 2018, as she defeated Dalys to win the title. Her first championship defense took place on April 29, 2019, as she defeated then-reigning Mexican National Women's Champion
La Metálica La Metálica (born November 13, 1994) is the ring name of a Mexican ''luchadora enmascarada'', or masked female professional wrestler who works for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) portraying a ' ...
. She followed that up with a successful defense against La Amapola in July 2019. CMLL held their first Universal Amazonas Championship tournament in August 2019. Marcela competed in the first block of eight wrestlers, but was eliminated by Avispa Dorada. La Metálica would later lose to Dalys in the finals, earning Dalys a title match with Marcela at the
CMLL 86th Anniversary Show The CMLL 86th Anniversary Show ( es, 86. Aniversario de CMLL) was a major professional wrestling event, scripted and produced by the Mexican ''lucha libre'' wrestling promotion, wrestling company Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for ...
. The match had to be cancelled as Marcela suffered an ankle injury leading up to the show and was not able to compete. Dalys did get a championship match in December, but lost to Marcela.


Japan (1999–present)

CMLL has collaborated with various Japanese wrestling promotions, including sending representatives from their women's division to work for female-only Japanese promotions. Marcela's first major tour of Japan ran from August to September 1999, where she worked for
Big Japan Pro-Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagasaki ...
(BJW), starting with a victory over Japanese wrestler Andromeda, a male
exótico In lucha libre, an ''exótico'' is a ''luchador'' (male wrestler) fighting/performing in drag. The ''exótico''’s movement vocabulary is campy, often silly, and seldom dignified.Levi, Heather. The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, ...
, on August 2. She later returned to Japan for individual BJW matches in October and December 1999. She worked a second extended BJW tour from January 2, 2000, to March 31, 2001, where she made multiple tours to Japan. Her most frequent partner during the tour was Chihiro Nakano, although they also fought on opposite sides of the ring on some occasions. She returned to BJW in 2010 for their 15th Anniversary Death tour. After touring with BJW, Marcela next worked with NEO Women's Pro Wrestling, Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project, International Women's * Grand Prix, and
JDStar JDStar (also spelt Jd'), was a women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. In the wake of the joshi puroresu boom of the early 1990s, several different groups opened with distinct approaches. The Jd'Star promotion, with its su ...
between 2001 and 2010. On May 5, 2011, Marcel traveled to Japan and unsuccessfully challenged La Amapola for the CMLL Women's World Championship on a Universal Woman's Pro Wrestling REINA on the first show of the promotion. In November 2011, Marcela returned, this time as CMLL Women's World Champion, but lost the title to Ayumi Kurihara on a REINA show. Two years later, Marcela returned to Japan, this time wrestling Ray for the CMLL Women's World Championship, but was not successful. Her 2014 return included Marcela successfully turn back the challenge of Syuri on August 30, but lost the championship to Syuri on December 12, marking the third time she lost the CMLL Women's World Championship in Japan. Marcela returned to Japan, for a tour that included a successful CMLL Women's Championship defense against Tae Honma on January 27, 2019, and against Tsukushi on September 15.


Mexican independent circuit (2005–present)

Marcela, like all CMLL workers, is allowed to take independent circuit bookings on days she is not needed by CMLL. Once CMLL began to promote women's wrestling on a more regular basis her independent work was reduced, giving precedence to CMLL matches. One of her major independent circuit matches was a six-woman steel cage match where the last woman in the cage would be shaved bald or forced to remove her mask. In the end Marcela pinned La Migala, forcing her to be shaved bald afterward. She would also regularly work for
Toryumon Mexico Toryumon or Tōryūmon may refer to: *Toryumon (Último Dragón) is a professional wrestling promotion that operated in Japan until 2004 and in Mexico, where it's called Toryumon Mexico. The promotion is owned and operated by Yoshihiro Asai, who ...
as the company had a close working relationship with CMLL. CMLL has allowed Marcel to defend the CMLL World Women's Championship on non-CMLL shows. For example, she defended the championship against La Amapola on a show in Nezahualcoyotl in 2005. She later challenged for the championship, but lost to La Amapola on a show in Guatemala, and had a successful defense against La Amapola during her third reign. September 9, 2012 saw Marcela outlast 11 other women to win the ''Copa Femenil Realizada'' tournament. Later that year, Marcela defeated Ludark Shaitan to win the Xtrem Mexican Wrestling's Women's Championship. The match was the only time that Marcela worked for XMW and never lost the championship in the ring. On February 29, 2020, Marcela survived a six-way hair vs. mask match, escaping the match before India Sioux pinned Casandra to win the match and the right to cut Casandra's hair off.


US independent circuit (2012, 2017)

Marcela has only made a limited number of appearances on the US independent circuit, has twice crossed into the United States for matches in 2012. The first match was a successful CMLL Women's World Championship defense against Tiffany on April 24 and then she returned in June to team up with Baby Star to defeat Princesa Guerrera and
Rossy Moreno María del Rocío "Rossy" Moreno León (born October 17, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchadora'', or female professional wrestler. In AAA she is a former AAA Reina de Reinas Champion and a two-time Mexican National Women's Champion. Personal life Mor ...
. CMLL has had a partnership with the US-based
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH) for many years, which means that ROH wrestlers traveled to Mexico and worked for CMLL and vice versa. For the 2017
Supercard of Honor XI Supercard of Honor XI was the 11th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Lakeland Center (Jenkins Arena) in Lakeland, Florida ...
, ROH brought in Marcela and La Amapola for a singles match where Marcela pinned La Amapola.


Championships and accomplishments

* Comision de Box y Lucha D.F. ** Distrito Federal Women's Championship (1 time) *
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...
**
CMLL World Women's Championship The CMLL World Women's Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Femenil de CMLL'' in Spanish) is the championship in women's professional wrestling that is most highly promoted by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) ...
( 5 times) **
Mexican National Women's Championship The Mexican National Women's Championship ( es, Campeonato Nacional Femenil) is a women's professional wrestling championship for female wrestlers sanctioned by the ''Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F.'' (the Mexico City Boxing and Wrest ...
( 1 time) * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
'' ** Ranked No. 73 of the top 100 female singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI Women's 100 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...
'' in 2020 * Xtreme Mexican Wrestling ** XMW Women's Championship (1 time, current)


''Luchas de apuestas'' record


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcela 1971 births Living people Mexican female professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Mexico City 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers CMLL World Women's Champions