Brought to you by El Rey Network’s Lucha Underground premiering Wednesday 8PM ET/PT
We’ve all heard of Mexican wrestling, the crazy acrobatics, the larger-than-life personalities and the colorful masks. It all seems pretty awesome. But we’ll wager that the majority of you have never even watched a match. Who can blame you? It’s daunting to hop into a centuries-old sport. I mean, how do you even know where to start?
Luckily for us, El Rey Network is giving Americans the opportunity to get right into the action with their new TV show Lucha Underground. So if, like us, you’re ready to become a lucha libre fan and discover a whole new world of ass-kicking action, this show is definitely worth the watch.
And in honor of Lucha Underground, we’d like to give you a brief history of Mexican wrestling. Trust us, lucha libre could very easily become your new favorite sport.
Beginnings
Mexican wrestling can be traced all the way back to 1863. It was during the French Intervention in Mexico that a man named Enqrique Ugartechea developed lucha libre as an offshoot of Greco-Roman wrestling. The new sport didn’t shoot into mainstream popularity for quite some time after its creation. Instead, it remained a regional phenomenon, with local wrestlers gaining popularity in isolated areas.
The fact that this sport remained popular in Mexico for so long without any sort of centralized organization is pretty incredible. It was a folk sport and it took 70 years before it finally gained enough national attention that somebody decided to codify the rules and create an organization to sanction the fights.
The Rise
In 1933, Salvador Lutteroth Gonzalez founded Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, the first professional wrestling organization. The company flourished and brought many of the regionally renowned wrestlers into the national spotlight. Of course, it wasn’t until the 1950s and the advent of television that Mexican wrestling would explode in popularity.
Even with television’s widespread, the rise to prominence of lucha libre would not have been so abrupt if not for the wonderful wrestlers who took part in the show. Specifically, one man is said to have made all the difference for Mexican wrestling. His first ring appearance was in an 8-man battle royale, but he quickly grew in fame as his likeness was depicted in movies, television and comic books. He was a folk hero who stood for the common man. His name was El Santo.
Modern Day
El Santo, with his huge persona and his high-flying antics, paved the way for a new era of Mexican wrestling. His rivalry with the magnificent Blue Demon and his larger-than-life persona were aspects of lucha libre that no other sport could compete with. He helped create a fan base that would not only make lucha libre an incredibly popular sport in Mexico, but he also engendered a community that could transcend borders.
Modern Mexican wrestling is very similar in form to the professional wrestling that takes place in the United States. The biggest difference is that, while professional wrestling in the United States focuses primarily on strong, powerful hits, Mexican wrestling is famous for its high-flying attacks and the athleticism of its wrestlers. If you can believe it, the physical spectacle of Mexican wrestling is much more than any US professional wrestling.
