If you ’ve ever see their colored masks and prominent gymnastic wrestle manner , you know that Mexican wrestlers add a prominent twist to Americanpro wrestle . You might not bonk thatlucha libre(the Mexican term for their word form of rassling ) has a firm tradition go bad back decades , that popular Mexican wrestler become pic and TV stars , and that the lucha libre custom is actually wed to substantial social and political issues .
Mexican wrestling is standardized in many room to the phase of wrestling that inspired it – American professional rassling . Both forms are full of coloured characters and off-the-wall story lines , and the rules in both types are very compromising and slackly enforced . In fact , lucha libre translates to " gratis fighting . " As with American rassling , people often say that Mexican wrestling is " fake . " In some regard , this is honest . The victor of most match are predetermined , in Holy Order to move along planned , soap opera style plotlines . The wrestlers are usually dissemble out parts – they do n’t really hate one another . On the other hired man , if you ’ve ever seen Rey Mysterio Jr. perform aHuracán rana , you get it on that there is nothing bogus about the athleticism and training need to extract off the most telling lucha libre moves .
The most obvious affair that set lucha libre apart is that almost every major Mexican wrestling maven wears a mask and does n’t apply his real name ( and yes , female grappler do exist , but for the rice beer of pronoun saneness , we ’ll focus on the men ) . The true identity of the matman is keep secret . In fact , it ’s an unbelievable dishonor for a Mexican wrestler to have his masquerade party removed , or to be seen without his masque . In rare particular matches , the loser will be unmasked , a momentous result for the fans .
In this article , we ’ll climb into the ring and research the world of lucha libre , from its formula and stars to the cultural influences that underlie its spectacle .
The World of the Luchador
Someluchadores(the terminus for Mexican wrestlers ) take their lucha libre indistinguishability outside the ring , keep the masque on when out in public . Some families fade their ring identities on to consecutive generations , with a son taking over the same name and mask as his father .
Lucha libre wrestling is characterized by many aerial move , athletic tactics and intricate combination , one following after the other in rapid - fire taking over . Luchadores are generally smaller , faster and more agile than their American twin .
pop luchadores are always heroes admired by the fans . They may represent Aztec warriors , Christian saints or comic book superheroes , but they always fight for the common adult male – proletarian , James Leonard Farmer and the wretched . They are known astécnicos . The villains of Mexican wrestling , calledrudos , represent very real job face by Mexicans – corrupt politicians , crooked police officer and drug principal . Americans make for popular villains as well . Wrestlers dally the part of an American baddie will take on a anti-Semite and classicist attitude to inflame the crowd [ origin : Bondurant ] .
Lucha libre style wrestling is n’t confined to Mexico . In addition to the crossover Mexican stars who have made a name for themselves ( and their nation ) in American pro wrestling , Nipponese professional wrestling has been to a great extent influenced by lucha libre . Masked stars like Ultimo Dragon and Tiger Mask took the Mexican mask tradition to a new level , create detailed superhero character with carefully crafted mask that often let in Phoebe , horns , ridges and other adornments .
Who were the first luchadores ? Find out on the next page as we delineate the row of lucha libre ’s story .
Lucha Libre Yesterday and Today
Lucha libre date back to the thirties , when Don Salvador Lutteroth Gonzalez , sometimes called the Father of Lucha Libre , start out the first Mexican wrestling league , Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre ( EMLL ) . He had been inspired by wrestling matches he saw in Texas , and he initially add in many wrestlers from the United States . As the league ’s popularity grew , more Mexican wrestlers joined the league , often split their time between Mexico and Spain . The Spanish Civil War close down most Spanish leagues , so most lucha libre wrestler ended up in Mexico [ beginning : Bondurant ] .
Today , the EMLL continues to thrive asConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre(CMLL ) , which translates to " worldwide wrestling council . " Rival leagueAsistencia Asesoría y Administración ( AAA)and a turn of smaller , sovereign ones , such asInternational Wrestling Revolution Group ( IWRG ) , compete in the distance as well . The two adult leagues own several arenas designed specifically for wrestling and have forged agreement with the major American wrestling promotions , allowing Mexican wrestlers to reach important exposure in front of a young audience and give the American league increased interest in lucha libre hotbeds like Los Angeles .
Lucha VaVOOM , a variation on lucha libre , has enjoy gravid popularity in the United States in late years . The Lucha VaVOOM events have been billed as " Sexo y Violencia , " ( sex and violence ) , since the night ’s celebration let in not only lucha libre matches , but also burlesque stripteases and comedy routines .
Next , we ’ll seem at the rules and moves used in lucha libre and learn about noted luchadores .
Lucha Libre Competition
Mexican wrestle championships are divided into well - defined system of weights classes . Each league can make their own weightiness classes , but unwashed classes include lightweight , heavyweight , welterweight and light - hulk .
The principle are very similar to American pro rassling . In single matches , there are four basic ways to win : pin the opponent to the mat for a numeration of three , knocking him out of the ring for a count of 20 , pee him accede ( which he signals by either beckon his hands or telling the referee – luchadores do n’t " beg out " like American pro wrestler ) or by disqualification . perform an illegal move and removing an opposer ’s mask are just two mode to get disqualified . There ’s also an " excessive violence " ( orexceso de rudezas ) rule , in which the referee can stop the combat and present the profits to a luchadore if he ’s intelligibly giving his opponent a beating .
But single matches are n’t nearly as popular as tag squad matches . In thethree on threetag team match – also calledtrios matchesorRelevos Australianos(Australian tatter matches ) – each squad charge a master . To win , two out of the three luchadores must be pin , or the other team must seduce a pin - fall against the headwaiter . This is the master type of lucha libre match , and there are usually two referees ( often onetecnicoand onerudo ) to call the military action . There are also four on fouratomicos matchesand five on five matches ( like the WWF " Survivor Series " ) . In the latter , the goal is to trap the squad captain .
Intwo on twotag squad matches , orparejas , both squad members must be eliminated to win . Actual " tags " are n’t necessary in any of the tatter squad matches ; when a luchadore shine outside of the ring , his better half can immediately enter the ring . Because of this , lucha libre tag squad mates often go much faster than American pro wrestle ones .
Most lucha libre wrestling moves are similar to American wrestling moves , though they have different figure . In fact , a number of acrobatic moves that are common in American wrestling today were actually developed by Mexican wrestlers . Here are some of the major moves :
There are certainly many more moves used in lucha libre , as well as sport and combining of other moves . wrestler often give these moves their own creative name , just as in American wrestling . The " piledriver " is illegal in lucha libre and results in instant disqualification . Luchadores still use it to shape up the plot line , and often result on a stretcher to show how dangerous they are .
Ready to meet the masked star of Mexican rassling ? On the next pageboy , we ’ll get to cognize lucha libre ’s retiring and present icon .
Lucha Libre Stars
The most fabled star of lucha libre is undoubtedlyEl Santo . His full name was Santo , el Enmascarado de Plata ( The Saint of the Silver Mask ) , and his real name was Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta . El Santo get wriggle under various name in the 1930s , then created the Santo identity in the 1940s . His legendary status begin in the ' 50s , mainly by way of a comic book featuring the character . El Santo would go on to star in heaps of cheap , quickly produced film , including titles like " Santo vs. the Vampire Women . " El Santo was never unmasked – he was buried still wearing the mask after his death in 1984 . Only one known photograph of Santo without the masque is acknowledge to exist , and it is not publicly available .
The Blue Demonwas a contemporary of El Santo . They were opponents in the ring , but look together in several movies . The Blue Demon starred in more than 20 of his own film .
Mil Máscaras , whose name translates as " adult male of a Thousand Masks , " was the first Mexican wrestler to have a major impact on American wrestling , appearing in many WWF ( now WWE ) upshot . He also worm in Japan and asterisk in several pic .
Rey Mysteriois perhaps the most popular luchadore who has made the jump into American wrestle leagues . revolutionize by his great uncle , Rey Misterio Sr . , Mysterio ’s style typifies lucha libre . From his early days in the Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) group to high - profile study in WWE , Mysterio has become have a go at it for his colourful mask and astounding aerial manoeuvre .
Eddie Guerrerowas an immensely popular star in the WWE , despite the fact that he was a rudo , or heel , for most of his vocation . Guerrero was part of an extended grapple family with a lineage tracing back to his father , one of the original luchadores , along with three wrestling brothers , an uncle , a nephew and a cousin . His death in 2005 of a heart status peradventure aggravated by prior steroid manipulation was extremely controversial .
Misticodebuted in CMLL in 2006 with a suitably " mystic " mask , complete with rood . The luxuriously - flying technico became a top draw for the furtherance before join the United States ' WWE in 2011 as Sin Cara , which traslates to " without a face . " His name and masquerade were altered due to CMLL ’s ownership of the quality .
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