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Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for
professional wrestling 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 ...
. Since its introduction to
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colorful
masks 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 practi ...
, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and "high-flying" maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, Japan, and elsewhere. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached.
Tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called ''trios''. Although the term today refers exclusively to professional wrestling (staged performances with predetermined outcomes), it was originally used in the same style as the American and English term "
freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestli ...
", referring to an amateur wrestling style without the restrictions of Greco-Roman wrestling. Lucha libre wrestlers are known as ''luchadores'' (singular ''luchador'', meaning "wrestler"). They usually come from extended wrestling families who form their own stables. One such line integrated to the United States professional wrestling scene is Los Guerreros. Lucha libre has become a
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because t ...
in English, as evidenced by works such as ''
Los Luchadores ''Los Luchadores'' is a live-action children's television series that aired on Fox Kids in 2001 produced by Saban Entertainment and Shavick Entertainment. Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, ...
'', ''
¡Mucha Lucha! ''¡Mucha Lucha!'' (known as ''¡Mucha Lucha!: Gigante'' during its third and final season) is an American animated television series that premiered on Kids' WB, Teletoon, and Canal 5 from August 17, 2002, to February 26, 2005. It was created by ...
'', ''Lucha Mexico,'' and ''
Nacho Libre ''Nacho Libre'' is a 2006 sports comedy film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. It stars Jack Black as Ignacio, a Catholic friar and lucha libre fan who secretly moonlights as a luchador to earn money fo ...
''. ''Lucha libre'' also appears in other pop culture such as mainstream advertising: in Canada,
Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services ...
' Koodo Mobile Post Paid cell service uses a cartoon lucha libre wrestler as its spokesperson/mascot. On July 21, 2018, Mexican Lucha Libre was declared an intangible cultural heritage of
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
.


Rules

The rules of Lucha Libre are similar to American singles matches. Matches can be won by pinning the opponent to the mat for the count of three, making him submit, knocking him out of the ring for a predetermined count (generally twenty), or by disqualification. Using the ropes for leverage is illegal, and once a ''luchador'' is on the ropes, his opponent must release any holds and he will not be able to pin him. Disqualifications occur when an opponent uses an illegal grab or move, such as the piledriver, which is an illegal move in wrestling (and grounds for immediate disqualification); although some variants are legal in certain promotions like a weapon, or when he hits his opponent in the groin (faul). When he uses outside interference, when he attacks the referee, or when he completely rips off his opponent's mask. Most matches are two out of three falls, which had been abandoned for title matches in North America and Japan in the 1970s. A unique rule in Lucha Libre applies during team matches, i.e., when a team's legal wrestler touches the ground outside the ring, a teammate may enter the ring to take his place as a legal competitor. Since the legal wrestler can step on the floor willingly, it is not necessary to tag a teammate to enter the match. This often allows for much more frantic action to take place in the ring than would be possible under standard tag rules.


History

The antecedents of Mexican wrestling date back to 1863, during the French Intervention in Mexico, when Enrique Ugartechea, the first Mexican wrestler, developed and invented the Mexican Lucha Libre from the Greco-Roman wrestling. In the early 1900s, professional wrestling was mostly a regional phenomenon in Mexico until
Salvador Lutteroth Salvador Lutteroth González (21 March 1897 – 5 September 1987) was a Mexican professional wrestling promoter of the mid-twentieth century. Lutteroth's organization, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), was the dominant Mexican wrestling p ...
founded the
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 ...
(''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise'') in 1933, giving the sport a national foothold for the first time. The promotion flourished and quickly became the premier spot for wrestlers. As television surfaced as a viable entertainment medium during the 1950s, Lutteroth was then able to broadcast his wrestling across the nation, subsequently yielding a popularity explosion for the sport. Moreover, it was the emergence of television that allowed Lutteroth to promote Lucha Libre's first breakout superstar into a national pop-culture phenomenon. In 1942, lucha libre would be forever changed when a silver-masked wrestler, known simply as El Santo (''The Saint''), first stepped into the ring. He made his debut in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
by winning an 8-man
battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
. The public became in love with the mystique and secrecy of Santo's personality, and he quickly became the most popular ''luchador'' in Mexico. His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in comic books and
movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, while the sport received an unparalleled degree of mainstream attention. Other legendary ''luchadores'' who helped popularize the sport include
Gory Guerrero Salvador Guerrero Quesada (January 11, 1921 – April 18, 1990), better known as Gory Guerrero, was one of the premier Mexican American professional wrestlers in the early days of Lucha Libre when most wrestlers were imported from outside Mexico ...
, who is credited with developing moves and holds which are now commonplace in professional wrestling;
Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known by the ring name Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican film actor and ''luchador enmascarado'' (Spanish for masked professional wrestler). Blue Demo ...
, a contemporary of Santo and possibly his greatest rival; and ''
Mil Máscaras Mil Máscaras (born Aarón Rodríguez Arellano, July 15, 1942) is a Mexican luchador (professional wrestler) and actor. He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of the lucha libre tradition in Mexico – along with El Santo and Blue Demo ...
'' (Man of A Thousand Masks), who is credited with introducing the high flying moves of lucha libre to audiences around the world. He achieved international fame as one of the first high-flyers, something he was not considered in Mexico, where he fell under the mat-power category.


Style of wrestling

''Luchadores'' are traditionally more agile and perform more
aerial maneuvers Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art * Aerial sil ...
than professional wrestlers in the United States, who more often rely on power and hard strikes to subdue their opponents. The difference in styles is due to the independent evolution of the sport in Mexico beginning in the 1930s and the fact that ''luchadores'' in the cruiserweight division (''peso semicompleto'') are often the most popular wrestlers in Mexican lucha libre. ''Luchadores'' execute characteristic high-flying attacks by using the
wrestling ring A wrestling ring is the stage on which a professional wrestling match usually occurs. It is similarly constructed to a boxing ring and is traditionally square-shaped. Configuration and construction The configuration and construction of the tra ...
's ropes to catapult themselves towards their opponents, using intricate combinations in rapid-fire succession, and applying complex submission holds. Rings used in lucha libre generally lack the spring supports added to U.S. and Japanese rings; as a result, lucha libre does not emphasize the "flat back" bumping style of other professional wrestling styles. For this same reason, aerial maneuvers are almost always performed on opponents outside the ring, allowing the luchador to break his fall with an acrobatic tumble. Lucha libre has several different weight classes, many catered to smaller agile fighters, who often make their debuts in their mid-teens. This system enables dynamic high-flying ''luchadores'' such as Rey Mysterio, Jr., Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and ''
Místico Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
'', to develop years of experience by their mid-twenties. A number of prominent
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
wrestlers also started their careers training in Mexican lucha libre before becoming stars in Japan. These include
Gran Hamada , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler, the first to adopt the high-flying Mexican lucha libre style. He has wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Universal Wrestling Federation, Michinoku Pro and All Japan Pro ...
, Satoru Sayama,
Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...
, and ''
Último Dragón (born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, better known as . In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the " A ...
''. Lucha libre is also known for its
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
wrestling matches. The teams are often made up of three members, instead of two as is common in the United States. These three-man teams participate in what are called '' trios'' matches, for tag team championship belts. Of these three members, one member is designated the captain. A successful fall in a ''trios'' match can be achieved by either pinning the captain of the opposing team or by pinning both of the other members. A referee can also stop the match because of "excessive punishment". He can then award the match to the aggressors. Falls often occur simultaneously, which adds to the extremely stylized nature of the action. In addition, a wrestler can opt to roll out of the ring in lieu of tagging a partner or simply be knocked out of the ring, at which point one of his partners may enter. As a result, the tag team formula and pacing which has developed in U.S. tag matches is different from lucha libre because the race to tag is not a priority. There are also two-man tag matches (''parejas'') and "four on four" matches (''atomicos'').


Masks

Masks 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 practi ...
(''máscaras'') have been used dating back to the beginnings of lucha libre in the early part of the 20th century, and have a historical significance to Mexico in general, dating to the days of the
Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
s. Early masks were very simple with basic colors to distinguish the wrestler. In modern lucha libre, masks are colorfully designed to evoke the images of
animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
s,
gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
, ancient
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
es and other
archetypes The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
, whose identity the ''luchador'' takes on during a performance. Virtually all wrestlers in Mexico will start their careers wearing masks, but over the span of their careers, a large number of them will be unmasked. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his final bout or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying a loss of identity as that character. Sometimes, losing the mask signifies the end of a gimmick with the wrestler moving on to a new gimmick and mask. The mask is considered sacred to a degree, so much so that fully removing an opponent's mask during a match is grounds for disqualification. During their careers, masked ''luchadores'' will often be seen in public wearing their masks and keeping up the culture of lucha libre, while other masked wrestlers will interact with the public and press normally. However, they will still go to great lengths to conceal their true identities; in effect, the mask is synonymous with the ''luchador''. El Santo continued wearing his mask after retirement, revealing his face only briefly in old age, and was eventually buried wearing his silver mask. More recently, the masks ''luchadores'' wear have become iconic symbols of Mexican culture. Contemporary artists like Francisco Delgado and Xavier Garza incorporate wrestler masks in their paintings. Although masks are a feature of lucha libre, it is a misconception that every Mexican wrestler uses one. There have been several maskless wrestlers who have been successful, particularly
Tarzán López Carlos López Tovar (28 August 1912 – 28 August 1975) was a luchador who was active in the 1930s and 1940s, better known by the ring name Tarzán López. Known as "Tarzan" because of his bodybuilder's physique, Lopez held the Mexican national ...
,
Gory Guerrero Salvador Guerrero Quesada (January 11, 1921 – April 18, 1990), better known as Gory Guerrero, was one of the premier Mexican American professional wrestlers in the early days of Lucha Libre when most wrestlers were imported from outside Mexico ...
,
Perro Aguayo Pedro Aguayo Damián (18 January 1946 — 3 July 2019) better known as "(El) Perro Aguayo" (Aguayo the dog) and El Can de Nochistlan (The Nochistlan Dog) was a Mexican wrestler through the 1970s to the 1990s. Aguayo was the first person ever ...
and
Negro Casas José Casas Ruiz (born January 10, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler (called a '' Luchador'' in Spanish) and trainer working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Negro Casas. He is the son of former wrestler tur ...
. Formerly masked wrestlers who lost their masks, such as Satánico, Cien Caras, Cibernético and others, have had continued success despite losing their masks.


Luchas de apuestas

With the importance placed on masks in lucha libre, losing the mask to an opponent is seen as the ultimate insult, and can at times seriously hurt the career of the unmasked wrestler. Putting one's mask on the line against a hated opponent is a tradition in lucha libre as a means to settle a heated feud between two or more wrestlers. In these battles, called ''luchas de apuestas'' ("matches with wagers"), the wrestlers "wager" either their mask or their hair.
"In a lucha de apuesta (betting match), wrestlers make a public bet on the outcome of the match. The most common forms are the mask-against-mask, hair-against-hair, or mask-against-hair matches. A wrestler who loses his or her mask has to remove the mask after the match. A wrestler who loses their hair is shaved immediately afterward." If the true identity of a person losing his mask is previously unknown, it is customary for that person to reveal his real name, hometown and years as a professional upon unmasking.
The first ''lucha de apuestas'' was presented on July 14, 1940, at Arena México. The defending champion Murciélago (Velázquez) was so much lighter than his challenger ( Octavio Gaona), he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract: Octavio Gaona would have to put his hair on the line. Octavio Gaona won the match and Murciélago unmasked, gave birth to a tradition in lucha libre.


Variants

* ''Máscara contra máscara'' ("mask versus mask"): Two masked ''luchadores'' bet their masks and the loser is unmasked by the winner. This is the most prestigious match in Mexican Lucha libre since it´s a match of high reward (Unmasking a prestigious wrestler often is a major career push for the winner) but also an extremely high risk (when the unmasked wrestler´s popularity decays and it's not uncommon he/she opts for adopting another gimmick and restart his/her career, or to retire after a while) The quintessential example is the 1952 match in which El Santo gained the mask of
Black Shadow (wrestler) Alejandro Cruz Ortiz (May 3, 1921 – March 8, 2007) was a Mexican Luchador (professional wrestler), known worldwide as Black Shadow ( es, Sombras). Cruz's mask vs. mask match against El Santo in 1952 is generally considered one of the most ...
. This match is so transcendental that it established the Lucha Libre as a cultural phenomenon in Mexico. Another example occurred in the year 2000 when
Villano III Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler who performed under the ring name Villano III (in Spanish Villano Tercero). Díaz was a second-generation wrestler, son of ''luchador'' Ray Mendoza an ...
lost his mask to
Atlantis (wrestler) Atlantis (born September 28, 1962) is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' (masked professional wrestler), working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) where he performs as a ''Técnico'' (face or "good guy" character) and is one of the lon ...
, which some considered the best Lucha Libre match in history. A close transcendental for mask bets in history is the family feud between
Ray Mendoza José Díaz Velázquez (July 6, 1929 – April 16, 2003) was a Mexican ''Luchador'', or professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Ray Mendoza. Diaz had great success in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was a five time W ...
's sons against Shadito Cruz's sons, which lead in 1988 to a triple mask beat between
Villano I José de Jesús Díaz Mendoza (June 28, 1950 – January 4, 2001), known by the ring name of Villano I (Villano Primero), was a Mexican ''luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. He was the son of ''luchador'' Ray Mendoza ...
,
Villano IV Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Villano IV (''Villano Cuarto''). Within the stable Los Villanos, he has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), AAA, and W ...
and
Villano V Raymundo Díaz Mendoza Jr. (born March 22, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler, who has performed under the name Villano V (Villano Quinto, which means "Fifth Villain") until he was unmasked on March 20, 2009, after which he became known a ...
versus
El Brazo Juan Alvarado Nieves (July 30, 1961 – October 15, 2013) was a Mexican Luchador (professional wrestler). He was best known under the ring name El Brazo (Spanish for "the Arm"), which he used since his debut in 1980. Alvarado was part of the Alv ...
,
Brazo de Oro (wrestler) Jesús Alvarado Nieves ( October 7, 1959 – April 28, 2017) was a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, who worked under the ring name Brazo de Oro ( Spanish for "Golden Arm"). He was a part of the Alvarado wrestling family, the son of ...
and
Brazo de Plata José Luis Alvarado Nieves (March 19, 1963 – July 26, 2021) was a Mexican luchador best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata, a name he had used since his debut in 1977. He is also well known for his appearances in WWE as Super Porky. A ...
, with the Villanos winning the masks of the Alvarado brothers. * ''Máscara contra cabellera'' ("mask versus hair"): a masked wrestler and an unmasked one compete, sometimes after the unmasked one has lost his mask to the masked one in a prior bout. If the masked ''luchador'' wins, the unmasked one shaves his head as a sign of humiliation. If the unmasked ''luchador'' is the winner, he keeps his hair and the loser is unmasked. These kinds of matches are not so frequent since, since masked wrestlers usually are reluctant to beat their masks against hair. This is because masks are a more appreciated trophy than hair, and masked wrestlers had more on the line than unmasked ones (often unmasking results in a decrease in popularity for the wrestler, also, a masked wrestler usually lost his mask just once, while unmasked wrestlers can get shaved many times). Most often the result is the masked wrestler winning the hair of the unmasked one. But there are examples when the opposite result happens. The
Perro Aguayo Pedro Aguayo Damián (18 January 1946 — 3 July 2019) better known as "(El) Perro Aguayo" (Aguayo the dog) and El Can de Nochistlan (The Nochistlan Dog) was a Mexican wrestler through the 1970s to the 1990s. Aguayo was the first person ever ...
(father) was a wrestler that never adopted a masked gimmick and was very successful in bet matches, unmasking important wrestlers like
Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...
,
Máscara Año 2000 Jesús Reyes González (born 10 March 1958) is a Mexican '' Luchador'', or professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Máscara Año 2000 or Máscara Año Dos Mil. His ring name is Spanish for "Mask of the year 2000", originally referr ...
and Stuka (father). Aguayo's hair was a trophy so coveted by legends
El Solitario Roberto González Cruz (May 22, 1946 – April 6, 1986) was a Mexican professional wrestler who wrestled under the name El Solitario. During his career he held both the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Middleweight Cham ...
, El Santo, and
Villano III Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler who performed under the ring name Villano III (in Spanish Villano Tercero). Díaz was a second-generation wrestler, son of ''luchador'' Ray Mendoza an ...
they bet their masks to win it. Another important hair was from
Cavernario Galindo Rodolfo Galindo Ramirez (September 27, 1923 – July 19, 1999) was a Mexican luchador and film actor, best known by his ring name Cavernario Galindo (Caveman Galindo), who was active in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre from the 1930s to the 1990s. W ...
, a legendary unmasked wrestler from the golden age of Mexican Lucha Libre, a case similar to Aguayo's, he never wrestled masked. And although Galindo never win a mask, he was respected enough that the two most important wrestlers in Mexican history, El Santo and
Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known by the ring name Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican film actor and ''luchador enmascarado'' (Spanish for masked professional wrestler). Blue Demo ...
, risked their identities to win Galindo's hair. * ''Cabellera contra cabellera'' ("hair versus hair"): the loser of the match has his head shaved bald. This can occur between both unmasked and masked wrestlers who have to remove their masks enough to be shaved after the match. These matches are very common and are far from the interest and expectation the masks bets have. But still, there are some wrestlers that went noticed by these kinds of bets. Examples are
El Satánico Daniel López López (born October 26, 1949) is a Mexican '' luchador'' (professional wrestler) and trainer, best known under the ring name El Satánico (Spanish for "The Satanic One"). He was originally an ''enmascarado'' (masked wrestler), but ...
,
Negro Casas José Casas Ruiz (born January 10, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler (called a '' Luchador'' in Spanish) and trainer working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Negro Casas. He is the son of former wrestler tur ...
Perro Aguayo Pedro Aguayo Damián (18 January 1946 — 3 July 2019) better known as "(El) Perro Aguayo" (Aguayo the dog) and El Can de Nochistlan (The Nochistlan Dog) was a Mexican wrestler through the 1970s to the 1990s. Aguayo was the first person ever ...
and
Villano III Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler who performed under the ring name Villano III (in Spanish Villano Tercero). Díaz was a second-generation wrestler, son of ''luchador'' Ray Mendoza an ...
(After unmasked, although as a masked wrestler, he has also one of the greatest mask winners in history). An example are the several matches between
El Dandy Roberto Gutiérrez Frías (born October 2, 1962) is a Mexican former 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 th ...
vs
El Satánico Daniel López López (born October 26, 1949) is a Mexican '' luchador'' (professional wrestler) and trainer, best known under the ring name El Satánico (Spanish for "The Satanic One"). He was originally an ''enmascarado'' (masked wrestler), but ...
, two wrestlers engaged in hard-core rivalry over two decades that often went into hair bets. A curious example is the match between Blue Panther and
Negro Casas José Casas Ruiz (born January 10, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler (called a '' Luchador'' in Spanish) and trainer working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Negro Casas. He is the son of former wrestler tur ...
which ended with a tie and both heads were shaved. * ''Apuestas al revés'' ("Reverse beat"): A controversial variant of beat matches, in this matches two masked wrestlers beat their hairs, they must wear a modified version of their mask with shows their hair, in order to be shaved in case they lose, or the wrestler must remove his/her mask enough to allow the razor to shave his/her hair. This variation was frequent in late 1990s in the
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...
shows. These matches are considered by many people as disrespectful to the audience since it's a way for masked wrestlers to not really put on risk their identities. Or a very convenient way for a masked wrestler with a strong streak of beat matches, to lose one without risking anything. The most notorious example of this was
Super Muñeco Super Muñeco (''Super Doll'') (10 April 1952 – 9 February 2022) was a Mexican '' Luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. Super Muñeco is Spanish for "Super Doll", a comedic ring character based on a clown. Super Muñeco is b ...
, an extremely successful wrestler in mask vs mask matches (he is the second most successful winner of masks), who won more than 100 beat matches but, "conveniently" or "coincidentally" the only loss in his career was an "apuestas al revés" match against
Halloween (wrestler) Manuel Ortiz Partida (born May 22, 1971) is a Mexican retired professional wrestler who wrestled on the independent circuit in Mexico, particularly in the Tijuana area. He is better known by his stage name Halloween but is also known in the Unite ...
and got shaved. In another subvariant of the "apuestas al revés", neither the masks nor the hairs of the wrestlers are in the line, but the masks or the hairs of their seconds. * ''Máscara o cabellera contra campeonato'' ("mask or hair versus title"): if the title challenger loses, they are unmasked or shaved. But if the champion loses, the challenger is crowned the new champion. An example of this occurred in
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
, where
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest prof ...
, a masked ''luchador'', beat the
Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
at The Bash. A different result happened on
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
in 2003, where Kane failed to defeat
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
for the World Heavyweight Championship, and unmasked per the stipulation. * ''Máscara o cabellera contra retiro'' ("mask or hair versus career"): if the masked or haired ''luchador'' loses, his opponent wins the mask or hair. But if he wins, his opponent must retire. * ''Carrera contra carrera'' ("career versus career"): Loser must retire. An example of this occurred in the WWF, where
The Ultimate Warrior Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. Best known by his ring name The Ultimate Warrior, he wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from ...
defeated
"Macho Man" Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrest ...
at
WrestleMania VII WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 24, 1991, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angel ...
. *''Apuesta por el nombre'' ("bet for the name"): A rare case, two ''luchadores'' with the same or similar name battle among them for the right to use a name or identity. This occurs mostly when the original ''luchador'' leaves a wrestling company but the company retains the name and character (often despite the disagreement of the luchador) and the company gives that gimmick to another ''luchador.'' If after a while the original owner returns to the company, it's frequent that he or she claims to be the rightful owner of that character, and adopts a similar name, if the conditions allow it, this can be solved in a "lucha de apuesta" where the winner is considered the rightful owner of the character. Sometimes, but not necessarily, it may also result in the loss of the mask for the loser. The most notorious example is the two bouts (with the first match being controversial and thus annulated) in 2010 of Adolfo Tapia (AKA,
L.A. Park Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' ( masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Major League Wrestling in the United States, where he is a former MLW World Tag ...
, a wordplay for "la auténtica parca", i.e. "the autentic parca" in Spanish) against Jesús Alfonso Huerta (AKA.
La Parka Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' ( masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Major League Wrestling in the United States, where he is a former MLW World Tag ...
, La Parka II), in which Tapia (the original Parka) failed to recover the name, and Huerta retained the identity until his death in 2020. Another example is Mr. Niebla from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Efrén Tiburcio Márquez) who won the name and mask bet against Mr. Niebla from IWRG (Miguel Ángel Guzmán Velázquez).


Weight classes

Since Lucha Libre has its roots more in Latin American professional wrestling than North American professional wrestling it retains some of the basics of the Latin American version such as more
weight classes Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...
than professional wrestling in North America post World War II. Like "old school" European (especially British) wrestling, some Japanese wrestling and early 20th-century American wrestling, Lucha Libre has a detailed weight class system patterned after
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
. Each weight class has an official upper limit, but examples of wrestlers who are technically too heavy to hold their title can be found. The following weight classes exist in Lucha Libre, as defined by the "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (the Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission), the main regulatory body in Mexico:


Other characteristics

''Luchadores'' are traditionally divided into two categories, ''rudos'' (lit. "tough guys", who are "bad guys", or "
heels The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exert ...
"), who bend or break the rules, and ''técnicos'' (the "good guys", 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 ...
", literally "technicians"), who play by the rules and their moves are much more complex and spectacular. ''Técnicos'' tend to have very formal combat styles, close to Greco-Roman wrestling and martial arts techniques, whereas ''rudos'' tend to be brawlers. ''Técnicos'' playing the "good guy" role, and ''rudos'' playing the "bad guy" role is very characteristic of Mexican lucha libre, which differs from U.S. professional wrestling, where many technical wrestlers play the role of heels (e.g.,
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
), and many brawlers play as "faces" (e.g.,
Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
& The Rock). Although ''rudos'' often resort to using underhanded tactics, they are still expected to live up to a ''luchador'' code of honor. For instance, a ''luchador'' who has lost a wager match would prefer to endure the humiliation of being unmasked or having his head shaved rather than live with the shame that would come from not honoring his bet. ''Rudos'' have also been known to make the transition into ''técnicos'' after a career-defining moment, as was the case with
Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known by the ring name Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican film actor and ''luchador enmascarado'' (Spanish for masked professional wrestler). Blue Demo ...
, who decided to become a ''técnico'' after his wrestling partner, Black Shadow, was unmasked by the legendary Santo. Tag teams are sometimes composed of both ''rudos'' and ''técnicos'' in what are called ''parejas increibles'' (incredible pairings). ''Parejas increibles'' highlight the conflict between a ''luchador''s desire to win and his contempt for his partner. A staple gimmick present in lucha libre since the 1950s is ''
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, ...
'', a character in drag. It is argued that the gimmick has recently attained a more flamboyant outlook. ''Luchadores'', like their foreign counterparts, seek to obtain a ''campeonato'' (championship) through winning key wrestling matches. Since many feuds and shows are built around ''luchas de apuestas'' (matches with wagers), title matches play a less prominent role in Mexico than in the U.S. Titles can be defended as few as one time per year. The two biggest lucha libre promotions in Mexico are Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which was founded in 1933, and Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA).


Fans honoring wrestlers

One characteristic practiced in Mexico is with fans honoring wrestlers by throwing money into the wrestling ring after witnessing a high-quality match. With this act fans honor the ''luchador'' in a symbolic way, thanking the ''luchador'' for a spectacular match demonstrating they are pleased with their performance, showing the match is worth their money and worth more than what they paid to witness such an event. This act of honoring the ''luchador'' is uncommon: months can pass without it happening, because fans are the toughest of critics, booing the ''luchador'' if they are not pleased with their performance. Booing may happen regardless of the perceived virtuousness of the ''luchador's'' persona. The ''luchador'', after receiving such an act of honor, will pick up the money and save it as a symbolic trophy, putting it in a vase or a box, labeled with the date, to be treasured.


Female professional wrestlers

Female wrestlers or ''luchadoras'' also compete in Mexican ''lucha libre''. The
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) ...
is the top title for
CMLL 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 ...
's women's division, while the
AAA Reina de Reinas Championship The AAA Reina de Reinas Championship (literally "AAA Queen of Queens Championship", "AAA Women's Championship") is a singles women's professional wrestling championship promoted by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). It is the only females champions ...
is a championship defended in an annual tournament by female wrestlers in AAA. AAA also recognizes a World Mixed Tag Team Championship, contested by tag teams composed of a ''luchador'' and ''luchadora'' respectively. In 2000, the all-female promotion company Lucha Libre Femenil (LLF) was founded.


Mini-Estrellas

''Lucha Libre'' has a division called the "Mini-Estrella" or "Minis" division, which unlike North American
midget wrestling Midget wrestling is professional wrestling involving people of exceptionally short stature. Its heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s, when wrestlers such as Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook, toured North America, and Sky Low Low was the first holder ...
, is not just for dwarfs but also for ''luchadores'' that are short. The maximum allowable height to participate in the Mini division was originally 5 feet, but in recent years wrestlers such as
Pequeño Olímpico Pequeño Olímpico (real name unrevealed; born July 15, 1971) is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler. Pequeño Olímpico is a part of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's (CMLL) Mini-Estrella division and holds the recor ...
have worked the Minis division despite being tall. The Minis division was first popularized in the 1970s with wrestlers like Pequeño Luke and Arturito (a wrestler with an
R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
gimmick) becoming noticed for their high flying abilities. In the late 1980s/early 1990s CMLL created the first actual "Minis" division, the brainchild of then-CMLL booker
Antonio Peña Antonio Hipolito Peña Herrada (June 13, 1951 – October 5, 2006) was the founder of the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) in 1992. Peña's promotion reached its height of popularity in the ea ...
. CMLL created the
CMLL World Mini-Estrella Championship The CMLL World Mini-Estrella Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Mini-Estrella de CMLL'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha libre wrestling-based promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spani ...
in 1992, making it the oldest Minis championship still in existence today. Minis are often patterned after "regular-sized" wrestlers and are sometimes called "mascotas" ("mascots") if they team with the regular-sized version.


Luchadores in the United States

In 1994, AAA promoted the ''
When Worlds Collide ''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel ''After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through Fe ...
'' pay-per-view in conjunction with the U.S. promotion company
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
(WCW). ''When Worlds Collide'' introduced U.S. audiences to many of the top ''luchadores'' in Mexico at the time. In recent years, several luchadores have found success in the United States. Notable ''luchadores'' who achieved success in the U.S. are
Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero i ...
,
Chavo Guerrero Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federati ...
, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Juventud Guerrera, L. A. Park, Super Crazy,
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
,
Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for his appearances with the promotions Luc ...
,
Místico Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
, Kalisto,
Aero Star Aero Star (real name unrevealed; born October 22, 1984) is a Mexican luchador, which is a masked professional wrestler currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Aero Star won the 2008 '' Alas de Oro'' tournament and is known for his h ...
, Drago,
Andrade El Idolo Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza (born November 3, 1989) is a Mexican professional wrestler who is currently signed to the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Andrade El Idolo (also stylized Andrade "El Ídolo"). He ...
,
Pentagon Jr. In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...
, Fenix,
El Hijo del Fantasma Jorge Luis Alcantar Bolly (born April 30, 1984), is a Mexican second-generation ''luchador'' (professional wrestler). He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Santos Escobar. Before his WWE ca ...
, Bandido,
Flamita Flamita (born November 30, 1994) is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' or masked professional wrestler. In addition to working for promotions such as Ring Of Honor, (ROH) Lucha Libre AAA World Wide, (AAA) and Desastre Total Ultraviolento (DTU) i ...
,
Puma King Puma King (born July 6, 1990) is a Mexican '' Luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler currently working with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), but also as a freelancer in many Mexican promotions such as Lucha Memes, MexaWrestli ...
, Rush, Soberano Jr., Dragon Lee, Guerrero Maya Jr. and
Stuka Jr. Omar Alvarado García (born July 17, 1974) better known by his ring name Stuka Jr. is a Mexican second-generation ''Lucha libre, luchador wrestling mask, enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestling, professional wrestler, who works for the M ...
CMLL Lucha libre shows are broadcast weekly in the U.S. on the
Galavisión Galavisión is an American Spanish-language pay television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network is unrelated to the earlier Mexican channel of the same name, though both broadcast Televisa-produced programming. As of February 2015 ...
and LA TV
Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in th ...
cable networks. '' Lucha Underground'' is a television series produced by the
United Artists Media Group United Artists Television (UATV) was an American television production/distribution studio of United Artists Corporation that was formed on New Year's Day (January 1), 1958. The company is remembered for producing series such as '' This Man Dawso ...
which airs in English on the
El Rey Network El Rey Network (Spanish for ''The King'') is a media brand founded by Robert Rodriguez on December 15, 2013, that is currently owned in a joint venture with FactoryMade Ventures. Until December 31, 2020, El Rey was a cable and satellite network ...
and in Spanish on
UniMás UniMás (, stylized as ''UNIMÁS'', and originally known as TeleFutura from its launch on January 14, 2002, to January 6, 2013) is an American Spanish free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network's programming, which i ...
. It features wrestlers from the American independent circuit and AAA. AAA also owns a percentage of Lucha Underground. The series, which is taped live in Boyle Heights, California, finished season 4 finale. In 2012, the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball team started doing promotions involving Lucha Libre. A luchador mask in Diamondback colors was a popular giveaway at one game. In 2013 a Diamondbacks Luchador was made an official mascot, joining D. Baxter Bobcat. The first 20,000 fans at the July 27 game against the San Diego Padres were to receive a luchador mask.


National variants

In Peru the term "cachascán" (from "catch as can") is used. Wrestlers are called cachascanistas. In Bolivian Lucha Libre, wrestling Cholitas – female wrestlers dressed up as indigenous
Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...
– are popular, and have even inspired comic books.


Promotions using lucha libre rules


Australia

*Lucha Fantastica


Colombia

*Society Action Wrestling (SAW)


Mexico

* Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) *
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...
(AAA) *
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, S ...
(IWRG) *
Universal Wrestling Association The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Lucha Libre Internacional (LLI) ...
(defunct) *
World Wrestling Association The World Wrestling Association (WWA) (Asociación Mundial de Lucha Libre in Spanish) is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora Jr.. It featured some of Mexico's best ''luchadores'' a ...
(''Promociones Mora'') * Lucha Libre Elite *
The Crash Lucha Libre The Crash Lucha Libre, also referred to as simply The Crash, is a '' lucha libre'' (Mexican professional wrestling) promotion based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The promotion largely runs its events in Tijuana, Mexico City, and Monterre ...
* Alianza Universal De Lucha Libre * Other Promotions


Japan

*
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
*
Michinoku Pro Wrestling (originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...
*
Osaka Pro Wrestling Osaka Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 1998 by Super Delfin. The promotion held a major flagship event called the Osaka Hurricane each year from 2003 to 2012 and also hosted the fourth edition of the Sup ...
* Toryumon / Dragon Gate *
Universal Lucha Libre Universal Lucha Libre (Universal Pro-Wrestling until 1991; Federación Universal de Lucha Libre afterward; UWF and FULL used as acronyms) was a professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1990 to 1995. The name Universal Lucha Libre is used to ...
(defunct)


United Kingdom

*
Lucha Britannia Lucha Britannia is an English lucha libre-style professional wrestling promotion based in Bethnal Green, London since 2006. History Lucha Britannia was created by Garry Vanderhorne in 2006 from Rock & Metal Wrestling Action (RAMWA), as an altern ...
*Lucha Libre World


United States

* Chikara * Incredibly Strange Wrestling *Invasion Mundial de Lucha Libre *
Lucha Libre USA ''Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors'' is an American Lucha Libre promotion and television program on the MTV2 broadcast channel, chronicling the rise of Mexican-style wrestling, or lucha libre, in the United States. The first episode was aired on ...
* Lucha VaVOOM * Lucha Underground


In mixed martial arts

Some lucha libre wrestlers had careers in various mixed martial arts promotions, promoting lucha libre and wearing signature masks and attire. One of the most famous is
Dos Caras Jr. José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...


In popular culture

Lucha Libre has crossed over into popular culture, especially in Mexico, where it is the second most popular sport after soccer. Outside of Mexico, Lucha Libre has also crossed over into popular culture, especially in movies and television. Depictions of luchadors are often used as symbols of Mexico and Mexican culture in non-Spanish-speaking cultures. The character Mask de Smith from the video game killer7 is a lucha libre wrestler, featuring a mask and cape.


Movies and television

The motion picture ''
Nacho Libre ''Nacho Libre'' is a 2006 sports comedy film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. It stars Jack Black as Ignacio, a Catholic friar and lucha libre fan who secretly moonlights as a luchador to earn money fo ...
'', starring Jack Black as a priest-turned-luchador was inspired by the story of Father Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, a real-life
Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
who wrestled as
Fray Tormenta Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez (born May 9, 1945) is a Mexican Catholic priest who supported an orphanage for 23 years as a lucha libre wrestler. While performing, he wore a red and yellow mask and used the ring name Fray Tormenta ("Friar Storm"). ...
to make money for his church. The documentary feature ''Lucha Mexico'' (2016) captured the lives of some of Mexico's well known wrestlers. The stars were Shocker, Blue Demon Jr.,
El Hijo del Perro Aguayo Pedro Aguayo Ramírez (July 23, 1979 – March 21, 2015) was a Mexican '' luchador'' or professional wrestler and promoter who achieved fame in lucha libre as Perro Aguayo Jr. or El Hijo del Perro Aguayo ("The Son of Perro Aguayo"). He was the r ...
and
Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is not related to ...
. Directed by Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz. Rob Zombie's animated film ''
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto ''The Haunted World of El Superbeasto'' is a 2009 American adult animated superhero film directed, co-written and co-produced by Rob Zombie. The film was written by Zombie and Tom Papa from Zombie's comic book series of the same name. The film wa ...
'' stars a Mexican luchador named El Superbeasto. Television shows have also been inspired by Lucha Libre, especially animated series such as ''
¡Mucha Lucha! ''¡Mucha Lucha!'' (known as ''¡Mucha Lucha!: Gigante'' during its third and final season) is an American animated television series that premiered on Kids' WB, Teletoon, and Canal 5 from August 17, 2002, to February 26, 2005. It was created by ...
'', Cartoon Network also produced an animated mini-series based on luchador El Santo. The WB television series ''
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
'' episode entitled "
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco "The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" is episode 6 of season 5 in the television show ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel''. Written and directed by Jeffrey Bell, it was originally broadcast on November 5, 2003 on the Warner Brothers Network, WB tele ...
" told the story of a family of ''luchadores'' called "Los Hermanos Números" who also fought evil. Angel must help the remaining brother, Numero Cinco, defeat the Aztec warrior-demon that killed his four brothers. In the British TV show ''
Justin Lee Collins Justin Lee Collins (born 28 July 1974) is an actor and former radio and television presenter from Bristol, England. Collins began his career as a stand up comedian in the 1990s when he was in his late teens. He then presented a number of TV sh ...
: The Wrestler'', Colins competes as the ''rudo'' ''El Glorioso'', or The Glorious One, against the ''exótico''
Cassandro Saúl Armendáriz (born May 20, 1970) is an American-born Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, who works as an ''exótico'' for several independent promotions all over the world under the ring name Cassandro. He is a former NWA World ...
in
The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhous ...
, London, ultimately losing and being unmasked. The book and television series '' The Strain'' by Guillermo del Toro and
Chuck Hogan Charles Patrick Hogan is an American novelist, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known as the author of ''Prince of Thieves'', and as the co-author of ''The Strain'' trilogy with Guillermo del Toro. Alongside del Toro, Hogan creat ...
, features a retired luchador character called Angel de la Plata (The Silver Angel), played by Joaquin Cosio. In the storyline, Angel de la Plata (probably based on El Santo) was a major masked wrestling star in Mexico, appearing both in the ring and in a series of movies in which his character battled all manner of foes including vampires. A knee injury ended his career but he is called upon to use his fighting skills against a real-life vampire invasion of New York. The Fox Kids live-action series ''
Los Luchadores ''Los Luchadores'' is a live-action children's television series that aired on Fox Kids in 2001 produced by Saban Entertainment and Shavick Entertainment. Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, ...
'' (2001) starred a trio of masked wrestlers consisting of Lobo Fuerte, Maria Valentine, and Turbine who not only participate in wrestling tournaments but also fight to protect their home of Union City from numerous threats (both natural and supernatural).


Video games

The popular video game franchise Pokémon introduced the Fighting/Flying-type Pokémon Hawlucha, which is a hawk-like humanoid creature with elements of a Lucha Libre wrestler. The masked Luchador fighter and chef
El Fuerte El Fuerte (Spanish: "The Fort") may refer to: * El Fuerte de Samaipata, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bolivia * El Fuerte, Sinaloa, a city of Sinaloa, Mexico * El Fuerte, a character in the ''Street Fighter'' video game series Fuerte may also ...
was introduced to the
Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...
franchise in
Street Fighter IV is a 2008 fighting game published by Capcom, who also co-developed the game with Dimps. It was the first original main entry in the series since ''Street Fighter III'' in 1997, a hiatus of eleven years. The coin-operated arcade game version was ...
. The fighting game Garou: Mark of the Wolves and its follow-up, the King of Fighters series, featured the character Tizoc who was a Luchador that wore a mask resembling the head of a griffon. The '' Dead or Alive'' franchise features a masked luchadora called La Mariposa. The Tekken fighting game franchise features the characters known as King and Armor King, both of whom are Luchadors and have similar jaguar-style masks.
Guacamelee! ''Guacamelee!'' is a Metroidvania action platforming video game developed and published by DrinkBox Studios, initially launched in April 2013 for platforms PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita and was later ported to Microsoft Windows in August a ...
and its sequel Guacamelee! 2 heavily feature Luchador masks, with the main protagonist, Juan Aguacaste, being bestowed a mystical mask to help him get revenge on Carlos Calaca, an evil
charro Charro has several meanings, but it generally refers to Mexican horse riders, who maintain traditional dress, such as some form of sombrero, which in Mexican Spanish are called ''sombrero de charro'' (a charro's hat). The charros could also ...
skeleton (in Guacamelee) and to help him fight Salvador, an evil Luchador, in Guacamelee! 2.


Internet culture

Strong Bad of the
Homestar Runner ''Homestar Runner'' is an American Flash animated comedy web series and website created by Mike and Matt Chapman, known collectively as The Brothers Chaps. The series centers on the adventures of a large and diverse cast of characters, headed by ...
universe began as a parody of Lucha Libre. His head is designed after a mask.


Lucha libre inspirations

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
has designed a line of lucha libre-inspired athletic shoes.
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
developed a Blue Demon Full Throttle energy drink named after the luchador
Blue Demon, Jr. Blue Demon Jr. (born July 19, 1966) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is the adopted son of the original Blue Demon and is the first Mexican and the second masked wrestler to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship thus making him a one- ...
who is also the spokesperson for the drink in Mexico. Coca-Cola also introduced "Gladiator" in Mexico, an energy drink that sponsored CMLL events and that featured CMLL wrestlers such as
Místico Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
and
Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is not related to ...
.


See also

*
Luchador film Luchador films (or ''Lucha Libre films'') are Mexican professional wrestling/ action/science-fiction/ horror films starring some of the most popular masked luchadores in Lucha Libre. The luchadores are portrayed as superheroes engaging in battle ...
*
Styles of wrestling The different styles of wrestling may be classified in various ways, such as: * Loose style wrestling * Belt wrestling Styles of wrestling by technique * :Grappling hold * Cornish wrestling throws Historical styles Important historical sty ...


References


Notes

* Allatson, Paul (2007).
Key Terms in Latino/a Cultural and Literary Studies
'. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishing. , . .


External links

*
Lucha Wiki

Pro-Wrestling Title Histories of Mexico


{{italic title Professional wrestling styles Mexican culture