Lucha libre

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.

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 received an unparalleled degree of mainstream attention.

[7] 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 (Man of A Thousand Masks), who is credited with introducing the high flying moves of lucha libre to audiences around the world.

[8][9][10] Luchadores are traditionally more agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than professional wrestlers in the United States, who more often rely on power and hard strikes to subdue their opponents.

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.

[11] Luchadores execute characteristic high-flying attacks by using the wrestling ring's ropes to catapult themselves towards their opponents, using intricate combinations in rapid-fire succession, and applying complex submission holds.

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, Super Crazy and Místico, to develop years of experience by their mid-twenties.

[12] A number of prominent Japanese wrestlers also started their careers training in Mexican lucha libre before becoming stars in Japan.

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.

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.

[18] Usually the true identity of a masked wrestler is previously unknown, thus, it is customary for that person to reveal his real name, hometown and years as a professional upon unmasking.

Promoters soon discovered that misery was very attractive for the audience, and opted to keep the secret or to sell that the masked wrestler will reveal itself only if he was defeated.

These weren't luchas de apuestas in the proper sense, since there weren’t any bets on the line among the luchadores, nor did any masked gimmicks exist at this point.

Each weight class has an official upper limit, but examples of wrestlers who are technically too heavy to hold their title can be found.

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.

[48] One characteristic practiced in Mexico is with fans honoring wrestlers by throwing money into the wrestling ring after witnessing a high-quality match.

The luchador, after receiving such an act of honor, will pick up the money and save it as a symbolic trophy, putting it in a vase or a box, labeled with the date, to be treasured.

Park, Super Crazy, Alberto Del Rio, Psicosis, Místico, Kalisto, Aero Star, Drago, Andrade El Idolo, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, El Hijo del Fantasma, Bandido, Flamita, Puma King, Rush, Soberano Jr., Dragon Lee, Guerrero Maya Jr. and Stuka Jr. CMLL lucha libre shows are broadcast weekly in the U.S. on the Spanish-language cable networks Galavisión and LA TV.

Lucha Underground is a television series produced by the United Artists Media Group which airs in English on the El Rey Network and in Spanish on UniMás.

[55] In Bolivia, wrestling Cholitas – female wrestlers dressed up as indigenous Aymara – are popular[56][57] and have inspired comic books.

The motion picture Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black as a priest-turned-luchador was inspired by the story of Father Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, a real-life Catholic priest who wrestled as Fray Tormenta to make money for his church.

[64] The Main Antagonist of the animated film Despicable Me 2, El Macho, sports a costume resembling that of a luchador, consistent with his theme of Mexican culture.

[65] The WB television series Angel episode entitled "The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" told the story of a family of luchadores called "Los Hermanos Números" who also fought evil.

[66] In the British TV show Justin Lee Collins: The Wrestler, Colins competes as the rudo El Glorioso, or The Glorious One, against the exótico Cassandro in The Roundhouse, London, ultimately losing and being unmasked.

In the storyline, Angel de la Plata (probably based on El Santo) was a major masked wrestling star in Mexico, appearing both in the ring and in a series of movies in which his character battled all manner of foes including vampires.

[68] The Fox Kids live-action series Los Luchadores (2001) starred a trio of masked wrestlers consisting of Lobo Fuerte, Maria Valentine, and Turbine who not only participate in wrestling tournaments but also fight to protect their home of Union City from numerous threats (both natural and supernatural).

Lucha libre is a recurring motif in nearly every game directed by Suda51, starting from his directorial debut Super Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Final Bout.

The 2005 platformer game Psychonauts features four Luchadores (Tiger, Dragon, Eagle, and Cobra) who act as miniboss-type enemies in the level "Black Velvetopia."

The player must defeat the Luchadores in order to access the arena that will let them fight the level's main boss, El Odio.