Lucha libre, << LOO chah LEE breh, >> is a form of professional wrestling especially popular in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas. In Spanish, the phrase lucha libre means free fight. Men who participate in lucha libre are known as luchadores. Some women wrestlers are called luchadoras.
Lucha libre features such maneuvers as kicks, punches, and throws performed rapidly and with flair. Many of the moves are highly acrobatic. Like other forms of professional wrestling, lucha libre focuses on providing entertainment, rather than true sporting competition. Many participants in lucha libre wear unique, colorful masks. These masks may include such designs as early Aztec symbols.
Lucha libre matches can involve individual wrestlers or teams of two, three, or more. Most matches involve a maximum of three contests, and an individual or team must win two contests to win the match. Traditionally, contests are won when a luchador pins an opponent’s shoulders to the mat or forces an opponent to give up. At the end of certain matches, a losing luchador may be forced to unmask.
Lucha libre originated with a company called the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling Enterprise). Founded in 1933, the company used the spread of television from the late 1940’s to mid-1950’s to promote wrestling throughout Mexico. The breakout event in the popularization of lucha libre was the emergence of the luchador Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, better known as El Santo (the Saint).
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Huerta had begun wrestling in the 1930’s. He made his debut performance as El Santo in 1942 when he defeated seven opponents in a battle royal. A battle royal is an event in which several opponents fight each other until only one of them is left standing. Huerta’s career as El Santo lasted about 40 years. During this time, El Santo also appeared in numerous popular movies and comic books. He came to represent the everyday struggle for justice of ordinary Mexicans. By the time El Santo died in 1984, lucha libre had millions of followers worldwide.
El Santo’s son, known as El Hijo del Santo, began wrestling in 1982 and remained a top star into the early 2000’s. Other popular luchadores have included Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras, Rey Mysterio, and Místico.
See also Mexico (Arts) (Motion pictures) .
