Just to pass the time of day a few weeks ago, I happened across a Dish network that featured Lucha Libre. This is a form of Professional Mexican Wrestling. In some ways’ it is a lot like our own WWE in the United States. There are a few differences though. Almost every match is a tag team affair with the Lucha Libre. They don’t have to tag in. When one wrestler goes out of the ring, another takes his place. There are times when there are more than two wrestlers in the ring at the same time. There are also times when there are two referees also.
Although my understanding of the Spanish language has a lot to be desired, I was able to follow along the story lines very well just through observation. As with the WWE and TNA in America, Lucha Libre has their bad guys and good guys. You could tell this by the reaction of the fans. Each wrestler is dressed in a costume of some type and almost all of them wear a mask of some type. I decided to look into the history of Lucha Libre and this is what I found.
Lucha Libre means free fight. It dates back to the 1930’s. Matches have sparked riots that have shut down large cities. The first to wear a mask was Rodolfo Guzman Huerta. In the early 1940’s he became known as El Santo (The Saint). Many of the holds of todays wrestlers were first used by him. He was the Mexican equivalent of John Wayne. He did about 50 movies and became a huge Latin American star. He died of a heart attack in 1984. He had one of the largest funerals in Mexican history. He was buried with his famous silver mask.
A typical wrestler with a mask, will simulate the characteristics of the mask he wears. To wear the mask is to defy your opposition. To lose it is to be forever humbled before your foe. Being unmasked is considered the highest point of tension in a match.
In 1992 the AAA ( Asestencia Asesoria Administracian) was formed by Tony Pena. Although it has long been a big draw in Mexico, Pena had taken it to a higher level with Mexican television. Pena died of a heart attack at the age of 53 this past October. Lucha Libre tells the story in the form of the match itself. The WWE and TNA does just the opposite. They have story lines before and after the match itself. This is another one of the differences in the two types of wrestling entertainment.
If there are 6 man tag teams, a captain is appointed by each team. To win a team must pin two of the three wrestlers or a single pin over the captain. There is also a rule where the referee can stop the match because of “excess punishment”. He can then award the match to the aggressors.
Some of the modern day stars have spent years training to do the stunts that they pull off during a match. Each wrestler has their own signature move. Many of them involve some sort of acrobatic move or flip. Many of them like to go air borne over or through the ropes to the floor outside. The wrestlers on the outside are trained on how to absorb the shock of the flying body as well as spot the wrestler from the air to help him land as safely as possible. The wrestlers play to crowd as much as possible. Like the WWE and TNA, the Lucha Libre have their own grand entrance into the stadium. Each one has their own signature music for entrance. Their costumes are very colorful as is their masks. Each Luchador’s name is significant with some form of their costume or mask.
With the passing of Tony Pena, it is hard to say how Lucha Libre will progress. Many wrestlers loved how Tony took care of them. But now they will have new leadership.
For those of you that would like to check out Lucha Libre, you can usually find it on Saturday or Sunday afternoons on the Galavision network. If you like WWE or TNA wrestling, you would probably enjoy it.
