The art of Lucha Libre

Lucha Libre, which translates literally as Free Wrestling or Free Fight, is a Mexican passion that hails from as far back as the 1930s. It’s one of the country’s major sports, and often matches have sparked riots resulting in the shutdown of large cities.

In 1942, a silver-masked wrestler, known simply as El Santo (The Saint), first stepped into the ring. He made his debut in Mexico City by winning an 8-man battle royal. The match triggered a riot which lasted 10 hours before officials could bring balance back to the city

These wrestlers are considered almost mythic heroes, who battle evil and corruption, which has inspired generations both in movies as well as the ring. Long before World Wrestling Entertainment brought back wrestling to the United States, Lucha Libres costumed heroes and villains were developing the moves that would make the WWE’s founders very rich. It’s an important part of Mexican culture and is considered quite an art form.

Let’s start with the essentials:-

A good name. It needs to sound intimidating, Spanish and maybe a little gay. It can be tricky to balance each of these factors but here are some examples:-

Michael – Padre Supremo
Alex – La Salsa Picante
Jacko – La Chupa Negro
Jon – Pie Azul

Hardcore, respectable, enough said.

The right pair of slacks. Masks (mascaras) have been used dating back to the beginnings of Lucha Libre and have a historical significance to Mexico dating to the days of the Aztecs. Early masks were very simple with basic colours to distinguish the wrestler. In modern Lucha Libre, masks are colourfully designed to evoke the images of animals, gods, ancient heroes, and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance.

When dressing like a Mexican Wrestler you need to think gimp, it’s that simple. Hold the ball gag; we do need tight latex, maybe a padlock here and there and the all important mouth zipper. Lightning bolts and brash colours need to be applied to the outfit and it’s a done deal. Be sure to apply lubricant or sex wax to the outfit after you’ve made your transformation.

The Wrestling

The rules of Lucha Libre are 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 pre-determined count (generally 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.

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 head scissor, 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 many more moves used in Lucha Libre, as well as variations and combinations of other moves. The “pile driver” 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.

The story lines are similar to what you would expect to find in American professional wrestling so it is important to have some acting skills. Bear in mind there isn’t the same kind of money involved so the story lines are more along the lines of “Tune in next week to find out who stole La Chupa Negro’s chicken!” Don’t let this put you off because the characters are a lot more theatrical, so even storylines as weak as the one previously stated can be truly tear jerking.

Interested?

I’m sure there are many good wrestling centres around the UK but to be a true Lucha Libre my advice is, move to Mexico, buy a chicken and gimp up.

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