What is lucha

Over the course of the 20th century, Lucha Libre—or professional wrestling—has become a stable of urban Mexican culture. Dating back all the way to the s, professional wrestling has become a distinctly national rendition of an imported product. Within the past 20 years, it has gained international acclaim for its distinctive style: an incredible acrobatic ring style and the highly recognizable masks. While you may know about the most famous aspect of Lucha libre the mask , we compiled a list of the unique facts about this cultural and sporting phenomenon:.

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Rey Mysterio is perhaps the most popular luchadore who has made the jump into American wrestling leagues. Inspired by his great uncle, Rey Misterio Sr. Eddie Guerrero was an immensely popular star in the WWE, despite the fact that he was a rudo, or heel, for most of his career.

Guerrero was part of an extended wrestling family with a lineage tracing back to his father, one of the original luchadores, along with three wrestling brothers, an uncle, a nephew and a cousin. His death in of a heart condition possibly aggravated by prior steroid use was highly controversial. Mistico debuted in CMLL in with a suitably "mystic" mask, complete with crucifixes.

The high-flying technico became a top draw for the promotion before joining the United States' WWE in as Sin Cara, which traslates to "without a face. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. In the Ring. How Mexican Wrestling Works. The World of the Luchador " ".

Lucha Libre Yesterday and Today " ". Lucha Libre Competition " ". 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 headscissor, 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. Lucha Libre in the Media.

Read More. Lucha Libre Stars " ". El Hijo del Santo the son of the Saint continues the legacy of his father, El Santo, a common practice among lucha libre families. Mexican wrestlers, which are also known as lucha libre wrestlers, are called luchadores.

That's the Spanish word for wrestler. Why do lucha libre wrestlers wear masks? Mexican wrestlers wear masks to evoke their personas in the ring. His career spanned five decades and he appeared in comic books and more than 50 movies — always wearing his signature silver mask. In , having retired from wrestling, El Santo famously removed his mask just enough to reveal his identity on national TV. It was the first time his face had been seen in public since He died of a heart attack a week later and his mask was back on for his wake and funeral.

The rules of lucha libre echo those of American pro-wrestling; two or more wrestlers face off in a ring and try to pin their opponent s down for three seconds over the course of three rounds. And, much like pro-wrestling north of the border, the stories and stunts of every match are carefully choreographed. The moves of a lucha libre bout, while highly stylised, are still impressive to watch in action.

Other popular lucha libre moves include the plancha, in which a wrestler is flat on their back in the ring and is then jumped on from a great height by their opponent. Topes are any moves that involve a head butt in one way or another. In plain English, the good guys versus the bad guys.

Another form of luchador is the dwarfs of the lucha libre world, who are regularly slung around the ring. While the athleticism needed to be a luchador is very real — some of the moves these guys and gals come out with are spectacular to say the least — the true role of the luchador is one of entertainer. After all, they need to be semi-decent actors to pull off the menacing, hateful personas that they act out night after night in the ring. No luchador will reveal his or her real name while in character, nor will they remove their mask without being forced to.

In fact, occasionally fights include a de-masking condition for the loser, which in literal terms equates to great shame and a loss of status. Therefore, the persona that is played out by the luchadores is intrinsically tied into the costume and mask that they wear.

Easily the most famed luchador is El Santo a.