How Mexican Wrestling Works

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Introduction to How Mexican Wrestling Works

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures / The Kobal Collection / Daniel Daza
Jack Black stars in "Nacho Libre," a film about a Mexican monastery cook turned lucha libre wrestler. See more wrestling pictures.

If you've ever seen their colorful masks and spectacular acrobatic wrestling style, you know that Mexican wrestlers add a spectacular twist to American pro-wrestling. You might not know that lucha libre (the Mexican term for their form of wrestling) has a strong tradition going back decades, that popular Mexican wrestlers become film and TV stars, and that the lucha libre tradition is actually tied to significant social and political issues.

Mexican wrestling in similar in many ways to the form of wrestling that inspired it -- American professional wrestling. Both forms are full of colorful characters and outlandish storylines, and the rules in both forms are very flexible and loosely enforced. In fact, lucha libre translates to "free fighting." As with American wrestling, people often say that Mexican wrestling is "fake." In some respects, this is true. The winners of most matches are pre-determined, in order to move along pre-planned soap opera style plotlines. The wrestlers are usually acting out parts -- they don't really hate each other. On the other hand, if you've ever seen Rey Mysterio, Jr. perform a Huracán rana, you know that there is nothing fake about the athleticism and training required to pull off the most impressive lucha libre moves.

The most obvious thing that sets lucha libre apart is that almost every major Mexican wrestling star wears a mask and doesn't use his real name. The true identity of the wrestler is kept secret. In fact, it is an incredible dishonor for a Mexican wrestler to have his mask removed, or to be seen without his mask. In rare special matches, the loser will be unmasked, a momentous event for the fans.

Some luchadores (the term for a Mexican wrestler) take their lucha libre identity outside the ring, keeping the mask on when out in public. Some families pass their ring identities on to successive generations, with a son taking over the same name and mask as his father.

Lucha libre wrestling is characterized by many aerial moves, acrobatic maneuvers and intricate combinations, following one after the other in rapid-fire succession. Luchadores are generally smaller, faster and more agile than their American counterparts.

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures; photo credit: Daniel Daza
In a match, luchadores are seldom seen without their masks. In fact, some maintain their lucha libre identities beyond the ring.

Popular 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 man -- workers, farmers and the poor. They are known as técnicos. The villains of Mexican wrestling, called rudos, represent very real problems faced by Mexicans -- corrupt politicians, crooked police officers and drug dealers. Americans make for popular villains as well. Mexicans often feel that they have been oppressed by American political and economic policies for centuries, so the cheers when an American villain is defeated are always loud. Wrestlers playing the part of an American villain will take on a racist and classist attitude to inflame the crowed [ref].

Lucha libre style wrestling is not confined to Mexico. In addition to the crossover Mexican stars who have made a name for themselves (and their country) in American pro wrestling, Japanese professional wrestling has been heavily influenced by lucha libre. Masked stars like Ultimo Dragon and Tiger Mask took the Mexican mask tradition to a new level, creating elaborate superhero characters with carefully crafted masks that often include fins, horns, ridges and other adornments [ref].

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures; photo credit: Daniel Daza
Jack Black's character in "Nacho Libre" is pinned to the mat.

Lucha Libre Yesterday and Today
Lucha libre dates back to the 1930s, when Don Salvador Lutteroth Gonzalez, sometimes called the Father of Lucha Libre, started 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 brought in many wrestlers from the United States. As the league's popularity grew, more Mexican wrestlers joined the league, often splitting their time between Mexico and Spain. The Spanish Civil War shut down most Spanish leagues, so most lucha libre wrestlers ended up in Mexico [ref].

Today, the EMLL continues to thrive, alongside rival league Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and a number of smaller independent leagues. The two big leagues own several arenas designed specifically for wrestling and have forged agreements with the major American wrestling promotions, allowing Mexican wrestlers to gain important exposure in front of a new audience, and giving the American leagues increased interest in lucha libre hotbeds like Los Angeles.

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures; photo credit: Daniel Daza
Jack Black's character in "Nacho Libre" puts his opponent in a headlock.

Lucha Va-Voom, a variation on lucha libre, enjoyed great popularity in the United States in recent years, These events were held every few months at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005 (there may be more in the future). The Lucha Va-Voom events were billed as "Sexo y Violencia," (sex and violence), since the night's festivities would include not only lucha libre matches, but also burlesque stripteases and comedy routines.

Next, we'll look at the rules and moves used in lucha libre and learn about famous luchadores.

Lucha Libre Competition and Stars

Lucha Libre in the Media The characters of lucha libre have always had as strong a presence in the media as in the ring. El Santo starred in more than 50 films, not to mention comic books and TV shows. Other luchadores had film careers of their own. One character, SuperBarrio, exists only outside the ring, showing up to support labor unions, community groups and anti-crime initiatives.

Lucha libre has seeped into popular culture in other ways, such as the popular Homestar Runner Internet cartoon character Strong Bad, based on a wrestler in an old Nintendo video game. The shirtless Strong Bad wears a luchadore's mask and acts slightly villainous, speaking with a faint Mexican accent.

The children's cartoon "Mucha Lucha" takes place in a town where everyone is a luchadore, complete with masks and outlandish wrestling moves.

"Nacho Libre" is a 2006 movie starring Jack Black, written by "Napoleon Dynamite" creator Jared Hess. In the film, Black plays a cook at a Mexican orphanage who takes up the identity of a luchadore to help provide for the orphans.

Mexican wrestling championships are divided into well-defined weight classes. Each league can create their own weight classes, but common classes include lightweight, heavyweight, welterweight and light-heavyweight.

The rules are very similar to American pro wrestling. In single matches, there are four basic ways to win: pinning the opponent to the mat for a count of three, knocking him out of the ring for a count of twenty, making him submit (which he signals by either waving his hands or telling the referee -- luchadores don't "tap out" like American pro wrestlers) or by disqualification. Performing an illegal move and removing an opponent's mask are just two ways to get disqualified. There's also an "excessive violence" (or exceso de rudezas) rule, in which the referee can stop the fight and award the win to a luchadore if he clearly giving his opponent a beating.

But singles matches aren't nearly as popular as tag team matches. In the three on three tag team match (also called trios matches or Relevos Australianos -- "Australian tag match"), each team appoints a captain. To win, two out of the three luchadores must be pinned, or the other team must score a pin-fall against the captain. This is the main type of lucha libre match, and there are usually two referees (often one tecnico and one rudo) to call the action. There are also four on four atomicos matches and five on five matches (like the WWF "Survivor Series"). In the latter, the goal is to pin the team captain.

In two on two tag team matches, or parejas, both team members must be eliminated to win. Actual "tags" aren't necessary in any of the tag team matches; when a luchadore falls outside of the ring, his partner can immediately enter the ring. Because of this, lucha libre tag team matches often go much faster than American pro wrestling ones.

Most lucha libre wrestling moves are similar to American wrestling moves, though they have different names. 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:

Rana - a pin position in which one wrestler holds the opponent's shoulders down with his legs, and hooks the opponent's legs with his arms. The famous Huracan rana is a way to get into the rana pin by starting with a flying headscissor, created by Huracan Ramirez.
Plancha - a move in which one wrestler is flat on his back and the opponent dives onto him from above with his full body.
Tornillo - a plancha in which the diving wrestler twists in the air.
Tope - any move involving a head-butt.
Centón - a plancha in which the diving wrestler lands on his back.

There are certainly many more moves used in lucha libre, as well as variations and combinations of other moves. Wrestlers often give these moves their own creative names, just as in American wrestling. The "piledriver" is illegal in lucha libre and results in instant disqualification. Luchadores still use it to advance the storyline, and often leave on a stretcher to show how dangerous they are.

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures; photo credit: Daniel Daza
An example of a "two on two" tag team match, or parejas from "Nacho Libre"

Stars of Lucha Libre
The most legendary star of lucha libre is undoubtedly El 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 began wrestling under various names in the 1930s, then created the Santo identity in the 1940s. His legendary status began in the '50s, mainly by way of a comic book featuring the character. El Santo would go on to star in dozens of cheap, quickly produced films, including titles like "Santo vs. the Vampire Women," "Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy," "Santo vs. Black Magic," and "The Fist of Death" [ref]. 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 mask is known to exist, and it is not publically available.

The Blue Demon was a contemporary of El Santo. They were opponents in the ring, but appeared together in several movies. The Blue Demon starred in more than 20 of his own films.

Mil Máscaras, whose name translates as "Man of a Thousand Masks," was the first Mexican wrestler to have a major impact on American wrestling, appearing in many WWF events. He also wrestled in Japan and starred in several movies.

Rey Mysterio is perhaps the most popular luchadore who has made the jump into american wrestling leagues. Inspired by his great uncle, Rey Misterio, Sr., Mysterio's style typifies lucha libre. From his early days in ECW to high-profile work in WWE, Mysterio has become known for his colorful masks and astonishing aerial maneuvers.

Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures; photo credit: Daniel Daza
Another example of a two-on-two tag team match, or parejas from "Nacho Libre"

Eddie Guerrero was an immensely popular star in the WWE, despite the fact that he was a rudo, or heel, for most of his career. Guerrero was part of an extended wrestling 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 condition possibly aggravated by prior steroid use was highly controversial.

For more information about lucha libre and related topics, check out the links on the next page.

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