BY LEXI CHAR
Lucha libre is one of many examples of Mexico’s inventive people giving an imported culture its own delicious touch. From the formality of British wrestling developed a vibrant art and form of wrestling. Put the same emphasis on strength and skill as you do on drama and glamour. The theater, the circus, the show.
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Mexican wrestling is recognized worldwide and is part of the culture and identity of that country that is enjoyed by all family members of a Mexican traditional family.
Dad, Mom, the kids, the grandma, etc. As there is a close interaction between the public and the luchadores, everyone participates in one or another way. The ring is only a few feet away from the stands.
Before adding anything else, it is worth mentioning that wrestling was declared an intangible, popular and cultural heritage of Mexico City. This was established by the Ministry of Culture of the Mexican capital.
This represents a sporting discipline that is characterized by the large number of its exponents who wear masks and take on identities to build their ring characters. In addition to this, the theatrical sequences are also among the characteristics.
Like any good show, the theme of good versus evil and the righteous versus the sinners runs through wrestling.
It has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and “high-flying maneuvers”, some of which have been adopted in the United States, 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. 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.
Máscara contra cabellera (mask versus hair): In this variant, a masked wrestler and an unmasked one compete. If the masked luchador wins, the unmasked luchador shaves his head as a sign of humiliation. If the unmasked luchador wins, he keeps his hair and the loser is unmasked. These matches are infrequent because masked wrestlers are usually reluctant to bet their masks against hair, as masks are a more appreciated trophy, unmasking often results in a decrease in popularity for the wrestler, and a masked wrestler usually loses his mask just once, while unmasked wrestlers can be shaved many times. The most common result of these matches is the masked wrestler winning the hair of the unmasked one.
The Rudos are the bad guys. They will cheat and plot their way to victory, employing underhanded tactics that will get the crowd out of their seats. Many wear dark clothing to match their image.
In contrast, the Técnicos (technicians) are the good guys, playing, in theory, by the rules. Their lighter-colored suits are in keeping with the idea that light is a positive force.
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 animals, gods, heroes and other archetypes, 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 with 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 who was one of the first ones and very, very famous and loved by the fans continued wearing his mask after retirement, revealing his face only briefly in old age, and was eventually buried wearing his silver mask.
Other famous names of Mexican wrestlers are Atlantis, Blue Demos, La Parka, Máscara Sagrada (Sacred Mask), Octagon and many, many others.
The lucha libre is so immersed in the Mexican culture that even “Checo Pérez” the Formula 1 Mexican Pilot is wearing a helmet with the design of the Lucha Libre mask.
