Citizendia
Your Ad Here

For the comic book series Lucha Libre, see Lucha Libre (comics). Lucha Libre is an anthology comic book series written by Jerry Frissen.
Luchador Rey Mysterio
Luchador Rey Mysterio

Lucha libre (Spanish for "free fight") is a term used in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas to refer to a certain form of professional wrestling involving varied techniques and moves. Oscar Gutierrez (born December 11 1974 In WWE he was a 1 time World Heavyweight Champion, a 3 time Cruiserweight Champion When Gutierrez The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff Outside of these areas, the term is synonymous with the professional wrestling performed in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Mexican wrestling is characterized by rapid sequences of holds and moves, as well as spectacular high-flying moves, many of which have been adopted in the United States, and colorful masks. Aerial techniques are spectacular maneuvers using the ring and its posts and ropes as aids used in Professional wrestling to show off the speed and agility of a wrestler The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Lucha libre ( Spanish for "free wrestling" is a term used in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas to refer to a certain form of Professional wrestling Lucha libre performers are known as luchadores (singular luchador).

Contents

Rules

The rules of lucha libre are very similar to American singles matches. Matches can be won by pinning the opponent to the mat for the count of three, making him submit, knocking him out of the ring for a count of twenty or by disqualification. Using the ropes for leverage is illegal and once a luchador is on the ropes, his opponent must release any holds and he will not be able to pin him. Disqualifications occur when an opponent uses an illegal hold, move, or weapon, hits his opponent in the groin (faul), uses outside interference, attacks the referee, or rips his opponent's mask completely off. Most matches are two out of three falls (dos de tres caídas), which had been abandoned for title bouts in North America and Japan in the 1970s.

History of lucha libre in Mexico

Publicity still of Salvador Lutteroth Gonzales.
Publicity still of Salvador Lutteroth Gonzales.

In the early 1900s, professional wrestling was mostly a regional phenomenon in Mexico until Salvador Lutteroth founded the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling Enterprise) in 1933, giving the sport a national foothold for the first time. Salvador Lutteroth (born Salvador Lutteroth Gonzales) was a Mexican Professional wrestling promoter of the mid-twentieth century The promotion company flourished and quickly became the premier spot for wrestlers. As television surfaced as a viable entertainment medium during the 1950s, Lutteroth was then able to broadcast his wrestling across the nation, subsequently yielding a popularity explosion for the sport. Moreover, it was the emergence of television that allowed Lutteroth to promote lucha libre’s first breakout superstar into a national pop-culture phenomenon. [1]

In 1942, lucha libre would be forever changed when a silver-masked wrestler, known simply as El Santo (The Saint), first stepped into the ring. Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta ( September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984) more widely known as Santo el Enmascarado de Plata ( Saint He made his debut in Mexico City by winning an 8-man battle royal. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico Battle royal (plural battles royal) traditionally refers to a fight involving three or more combatants which is fought until only one fighter remains standing The public became enamored by the mystique and secrecy of Santo's personality and he quickly became the most popular luchador in Mexico. His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in comic books and movies, while the sport of Lucha Libre received an unparalleled degree of mainstream attention. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative The sport of Lucha Libre (Mexican Professional wrestling) became so popular in Mexico, that it spawned a genre of Luchador films ( Wrestling / [2]

Other legendary luchadores who helped popularize the sport include; Gory Guerrero who is credited with developing moves and holds which are now commonplace in professional wrestling; Blue Demon, a contemporary of Santo and possibly his greatest rival; and Mil Máscaras (A Thousand Masks) who is credited with introducing the high flying moves of lucha libre to audiences around the world. Salvador "Gory" Guerrero Quesada ( January 11, 1921 &ndash April 18, 1990 in Ray Arizona) was one of the premier Alejandro Muñoz Moreno ( April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000) better known as Blue Demon ( Demonio Azul) was a Aaron Rodríguez Arellano (born in San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, Mexico on July 15 1942 best known as Mil Máscaras ( A Thousand Masks He achieved international fame as one of the first high-flyers, something he was not considered in Mexico where he fell under the mat-power category. [3][4][5]

Lucha libre style of wrestling

Rey Mysterio hitting the "619" on Eddie Guerrero
Rey Mysterio hitting the "619" on Eddie Guerrero

Luchadores are traditionally more agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than professional wrestlers in the U.S. which, more often, rely on power moves and strikes to subdue their opponents. Oscar Gutierrez (born December 11 1974 In WWE he was a 1 time World Heavyweight Champion, a 3 time Cruiserweight Champion When Gutierrez Attacking maneuvers are offensive moves in Professional wrestling, used to set up an opponent for a submission hold or for a throw. Eduardo "Eddie" Gory Guerrero Llanes Along with Barr Konnan, Chicano Power and Madonna’s Boyfriend, Guerrero formed Los Gringos Locos Aerial techniques are spectacular maneuvers using the ring and its posts and ropes as aids used in Professional wrestling to show off the speed and agility of a wrestler The history of Professional wrestling in the United States spans well over 100 years and has had many significant The difference in styles is due to the independent evolution of the sport in Mexico beginning in the 1930s and the fact that luchadores in the cruiserweight division (peso semicompleto) are often the most popular wrestlers in Mexican lucha libre. In Professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing below 220 lb (100 kg sometimes 215 [6] Luchadores execute high flying moves characteristic of lucha libre by utilizing the wrestling ring's ropes to catapult themselves towards their opponents, using intricate combinations in rapid-fire succession, and applying complex submission holds. A wrestling ring is the ring stage that professional wrestlers wrestle in Lucha libre has several different weight classes, many catered to smaller agile fighters, who often make their debuts in their mid-teens. This system enables dynamic high-flying luchadores such as Rey Mysterio, Jr., Juventud Guerrera and Mistico, to develop years of experience by their mid-twenties. Oscar Gutierrez (born December 11 1974 In WWE he was a 1 time World Heavyweight Champion, a 3 time Cruiserweight Champion When Gutierrez Juventud Guerrera (born Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández on November 23, 1974 in Mexico City, D Místico (born December 22 1982) whose birth name is unknown is a Mexican Professional wrestler currently working for the Lucha libre [7] A number of prominent Japanese wrestlers also started their careers training in Mexican lucha libre before becoming stars in Japan. The are the dominant Ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent of these approximately 127 million are residents of Japan For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. These include Gran Hamada, Satoru Sayama, Jushin Liger, and Último Dragón. better known by his Ring name, (b 27 November 1950 is Japanese professional wrestler, the first to adopt the high-flying Mexican Lucha libre style (born November 24, 1957) is a Japanese Professional wrestler, best known as the original Tiger Mask. better known as and later is a Japanese professional wrestler who invented the Shooting Star Press. With so many weight classes, Mexico has the largest number of professional wrestlers in the world.

A lucha libre tag team match
A lucha libre tag team match

Lucha libre is also known for its tag team wrestling matches. This article refers to the band For the wrestling term see Tag team. The teams are often made up of three members, instead of two as is common in the U. S. These three man teams participate in what are called trios matches, for tag team championship belts. Of these three members, one member is designated the captain. A successful fall in a trios match can be achieved by either pinning the captain of the opposing team or by pinning both of the other members. A referee can also stop the match because of "excess punishment". He can then award the match to the aggressors. Falls often occur simultaneously, which adds to the extremely stylized nature of the action. In addition, a wrestler can opt to roll out of the ring in lieu of tagging a partner or simply be knocked out of the ring, at which point one of his partners may enter. As a result, the tag team formula that U. S. tag matches tend to follow doesn't apply to lucha libre because the race to tag isn't a priority. There are also two-man tag matches (parejas) as well as "four on four" matches (atomicos). [8]

Masks

The mask of Blue Demon
The mask of Blue Demon

Masks (mascaras) have been used dating back to the beginnings of lucha libre and have a historical significance to Mexico dating back to the days of the Aztecs. Alejandro Muñoz Moreno ( April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000) better known as Blue Demon ( Demonio Azul) was a Lucha libre ( Spanish for "free wrestling" is a term used in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas to refer to a certain form of Professional wrestling Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political 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, ancient heroes, and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and An archetype ( pronounced: /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (Brit or /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/ (Amer 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 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. [9]

During their careers, masked luchadores will often be seen in public wearing their masks and keeping up the kayfabe of Lucha Libre, other masked wrestlers will interact with the public and press normally, however, they will still go to great lengths to conceal their true identity; in effect, the mask is synonymous with the luchador. In Professional wrestling, kayfabe (ˈkeɪfeɪb KAY-fayb) refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" that is the portrayal of professional El Santo continued wearing his mask after retirement, revealed his face briefly only in old age, and was buried wearing his silver mask. Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta ( September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984) more widely known as Santo el Enmascarado de Plata ( Saint

More recently, the masks that luchadores wear have become iconic symbols of Mexican and Mexican-American culture. Contemporary Mexican-American artists like Francisco Delgado and Xavier Garza incorporate wrestler masks in their paintings. [10]

Although masks are a feature of lucha libre, many Americans wrongly assume that every Mexican wrestler uses one. This is false and there have been several non-masked wrestlers who have been successful, particularly Tarzan Lopez and Perro Aguayo. Carlos Lόpez Tovar ( August 28, 1912 - August 28, 1975) better known by the ring name Tarzán Lόpez was a luchador who Pedro Aguayo better known as "Perro Aguayo" (Dog Aguayo and El Can de Nochistlan (Nochistan Dog was a famous Mexican wrestler in the 1970s and 1980s Formerly masked wrestlers who lost their masks, such as Satanico, Cien Caras and others, have had continued success despite the mask losses. Satánico or El Satánico (born Daniel López López on October 26 1949 is a Mexican professional wrestler or Luchador currently working Carmelo Reyes González (born October 18, 1949 in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better

Luchas de apuestas

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 unmasking 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. [11]

The first luchas de apuestas match was presented on July 14, 1940 at Arena México. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The defending champion Murciélago was so much lighter than his challenger Octavio that he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract: Octavio would have to put his hair on the line. Octavio won the match and Murciélago unmasked, giving birth to a tradition in lucha libre. [12]

Variants

Other characteristics

A wrestling match between técnico Mistico and rudo Mephisto
A wrestling match between técnico Mistico and rudo Mephisto

Luchadores are traditionally divided into two categories, rudos ("bad guys", or "heels", literally "rude ones"), who bend or break the rules, and técnicos (the "good guys", or "faces", literally "technicians"), who play by the rules and their moves are much more complex and spectacular. Místico (born December 22 1982) whose birth name is unknown is a Mexican Professional wrestler currently working for the Lucha libre Mephisto (born December 12 1968 whose birth name is unknown is a Mexican professional wrestler or Luchador currently working for Consejo Mundial In Professional wrestling, a heel is a Villain character In non-wrestling jargon heels are the "bad guys" in pro wrestling storylines. In Professional wrestling, a face or babyface is a character who is portrayed as Heroic relative to the heel wrestlers who are analogous to villains "Técnicos" tend to have very formal combat styles, close to Greco-Roman wrestling and martial arts techniques, where as "rudos" tend to be brawlers. Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of Amateur wrestling that is practiced throughout the world Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Técnicos playing the "good guy" role, and rudos playing the "bad guy" role is very characteristic of Mexican lucha libre, which differs from U. S. professional wrestling, where many technical wrestlers play the role of heels, and many brawlers play as "faces" (e. g. , Stone Cold Steve Austin). Steven Williams (born Steven Anderson on December 18 1964 This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping McMahon off and incapacitating him with the [13] Although rudos often resort to using under-handed tactics, they are still expected to live up to a luchador code of honor. For instance, a luchador who has lost a wager match would prefer to endure the humiliation of being unmasked or having his head shaved rather than live with the shame that would come from not honoring his bet. Rudos have also been known to transition into técnicos after a career defining moment, as was the case with Blue Demon, who decided to become a técnico after his wrestling partner, Black Shadow, was unmasked by the legendary Santo. Alejandro Muñoz Moreno ( April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000) better known as Blue Demon ( Demonio Azul) was a Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta ( September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984) more widely known as Santo el Enmascarado de Plata ( Saint Tag teams are sometimes comprised of both rudos and técnicos in what are called parejas increibles (incredible pairings). Parejas increibles highlight the conflict between a luchador's desire to win and his contempt for his partner. [14]

Luchadores, like their foreign counterparts, seek to obtain a campeonato ("championship") through winning key wrestling matches. Since many feuds and shows are built around luchas de apuestas ("matches with wagers"), title matches play a less prominent role in Mexico than in the U. S. Titles can be defended as few as one time per year and wrestlers usually only wear their belts during big events and title defenses.

Lucha libre uses a more specific weight class system to classify titles. Popular weight classes include; heavyweight, light-heavyweight, welterweight and middleweight. Lightweight and super-lightweight titles are also used. The "Cruiserweight" division is often associated with the lucha libre style of wrestling, even though in Mexico, the term light-heavyweight (peso semicompleto) is used due to a different weight class system. In Professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing below 220 lb (100 kg sometimes 215 In recent years, weight classes have been mostly nominal and there are occasions when a wrestler will have titles in two different weight classes. However, title matches are still major events and many shows are built around them.

The two most popular lucha libre promotions are Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which was founded in 1933, and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA). Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA (Spanish for "Assistance Consulting and Administration" is a Lucha Libre Professional wrestling promotion

Lucha libre is currently experiencing a boom in popularity due to the emergence of a new generation of stars, most notably, a masked wrestler named Mistico, whose high-flying style and technique is attracting record crowds in Mexico. Místico (born December 22 1982) whose birth name is unknown is a Mexican Professional wrestler currently working for the Lucha libre

Female professional wrestlers

Female wrestlers known as luchadoras also compete in Mexican lucha libre. The CMLL World Women's Championship is the top title for female wrestlers in the CMLL promotion. The CMLL World Women's Championship is the top title for female wrestlers in the Mexican Professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha The AAA Reina de Reinas Championship is the top title for female wrestlers in the AAA promotion. The AAA Reina de Reinas (Queen of Queens Championship is a women's title contested for in the Mexican Lucha libre promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA (Spanish for "Assistance Consulting and Administration" is a Lucha Libre Professional wrestling promotion In 2000, the all female promotion company Lucha Libre Feminil (LLF) was founded. [15]

Luchadores in the U. S.

In 1994, AAA promoted the When Worlds Collide Pay-Per-View in conjunction with the U. When Worlds Collide ( Cuando Los Mundos Chocan in Spanish) was a Professional wrestling Pay-per-view that took place on November 6 1994 Pay-per-view (often abbreviated PPV) is the system in which Television viewers can purchase events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event S. promotion company World Championship Wrestling (WCW). When Worlds Collide introduced U. S. audiences to many of the top luchadores in Mexico at the time.

In recent years, several luchadores have found success in the United States. Notable luchadores who achieved success in the U. S. are Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Juventud, La Parka, and Psicosis. Eduardo "Eddie" Gory Guerrero Llanes Along with Barr Konnan, Chicano Power and Madonna’s Boyfriend, Guerrero formed Los Gringos Locos Oscar Gutierrez (born December 11 1974 In WWE he was a 1 time World Heavyweight Champion, a 3 time Cruiserweight Champion When Gutierrez Juventud Guerrera (born Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández on November 23, 1974 in Mexico City, D Adolfo Tapia Ibarra (born November 14, 1965) better known as La Parka, is a Mexican professional wrestler most famous to

Lucha libre shows are broadcast weekly in the U. S. on the Galavisión and Fox Sports en Español Spanish language cable networks. Galavisión is a Miami Florida based Spanish language cable network owned by Univision Communications Inc Fox Sports en Español (FSE is a Cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day in Spanish

Additional information

In Peru the term "cachascán" (from "catch as can") is used. Wrestlers are called cachascanistas. In Argentina, in addition to lucha libre, professional wrestling is also referred to as "catch", or catch as catch can. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Catch wrestling is a style of Wrestling. Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern Grappling, Professional wrestling, Mixed martial arts [16]

Promotions using lucha libre rules

Mexico

Japan

United States

In the media and popular culture

Notes

  1. ^ The History of Lucha Libre
  2. ^ Professional Wrestling Online Museum - Ring Chronicle Hall of Fame Inductee - El Santo
  3. ^ Lucha Legends: Gory Guerrero
  4. ^ Blue Demon
  5. ^ Interview: Mil Mascaras and Satoru Sayama
  6. ^ :: Lucha Libre USA ::
  7. ^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Lucha Libre 101
  8. ^ 8.6. Lucha Libre confuses me, what are the rules?
  9. ^ Who Was That Masked Man? - Tempo
  10. ^ X a v i e r G a r z a
  11. ^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Viva la lucha libre!
  12. ^ Lourdes Grobet, Alfonso Morales, Gustavo Fuentes, and Jose Manuel Aurrecoechea (2005). Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling. Trilce, 115. ISBN 978-1933045054.  
  13. ^ Wrestling Encyclopedia
  14. ^ Lucha Libre Moves
  15. ^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - LLF promoter loves his luchadoras
  16. ^ Federacion Argentina De Catch
  17. ^ Lucha Libre Air Force Ones - NiceKicks.com
  18. ^ BevNET.com - Coca-Cola Introduces New Full Throttle Blue Demon Energy Drink
  19. ^ Cartoon Network Announces Five New Series for 2007

References

See also

External links

The sport of Lucha Libre (Mexican Professional wrestling) became so popular in Mexico, that it spawned a genre of Luchador films ( Wrestling /
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic