What began as a form of underground combat in Mexico has boomed, especially in the past half-century, to become a worldwide phenomenon. Though the rules of Lucha are fundamentally the same as modern pro-wrestling, there is a greater emphasis on acrobatics rather than striking.
Luchadors also use visual, rather than verbal, means to progress a storyline. Today, the sense of narrative is expressed by the mask of a luchador and their mannerisms but the origin of the sport is a story in itself. Against all the odds, Lucha has stood the test of time for over 100 years in Mexico, with its roots stemming back to revolutionary days.
Origins of Lucha

While Mexico was under the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz in his third spell as president (1884-1911), war continually tore the country apart. With the subsequent economic collapse came a dearth of activity. Though it is unclear who specifically invented the spectacle of Lucha, two Italian business partners – Giovanni Reselevich and Antonio Fournier – devised a system of fight promotion. As a result of their ability to sell with ease, Reselevich and Fournier turned the sport into a way of life for some would-be athletes.
By 1911, the year of Díaz’s final ejection from office, Lucha wrestling had spread beyond Mexico City to become a bastion of Mexican culture. What had not changed in the interim, however, was the brutal free-for-all nature of fights.

A Luchador-themed WWE match in 2016.

Silver standard

In 1933, Salvador Lutteroth Gonzalez finished what Reselevich and Fournier began decades previously. Along with business partner Francisco Ahumada, González founded the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) in Mexico City, marking what many believe to be the birth of “codified”, and profitable, Lucha wrestling.
That same year also marked the publication of Lucha’s first-ever official fight card, with the event taking place at an Arena Modelo in the process of being demolished. Despite being held in humble surroundings, the event was an unprecedented success and, in the space of just a few years, most events were being held at Arena Mexico. By the end of the 1930s, audiences there were consistently hitting five figures, with smaller venues almost always selling out.

Though the sport was by now more than just surviving, it lacked a real hero with the potential for worldwide marketing clout. That all changed when a wrestler with a silver mask, simply named “Santo”, graced the ring and dominated the sport with unmatched strength and speed. Though never afforded the opportunity to spread the sport much further than Mexico, he unquestionably influenced future generations of wrestlers in the United States – including the WWE’s famous Rey Mysterio Jr, amongst others.
The life of a Luchador, as originally shown on NBC.
 
Integration into pop culture
Lucha’s invasion of the United States was a gradual process that gained momentum throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. As with any phenomenon of that era, its first crossover into mainstream media came via the film and television industries. Luchador films and shows peaked in popularity during the 1960s and, with American as well as Mexican audiences in mind, heroic Luchadors were presented as superheroes battling supernatural villains.
1953’s Huracán Ramírez was the first major Luchador-themed feature film but the one that sticks in the mind of worldwide audiences is, of course, Nacho Libre. For the benefit of those that have not yet witnessed the sight of a moustachioed Jack Black strutting around in lycra, the titular star is a priest at an impoverished orphanage. He abandons his job to take up wrestling, in a bid to win money and save the orphanage from closure.
But the Lucha phenomenon has gone beyond the silver screen and also inspired video games. Developed by Immersion Games and released in 2010, Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring is a Luchador wrestling game for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS. There are countless games online playing on the same symbols, such as old-school Lucha match posters and trophies, with Luchador characters to set the theme. A quick search of Google Play and the App Store also reveals quite a few Luchador-related apps and games, including Tapps Games’ UFB Lucha Libre – Ultimate Mexican Fighting, which was released in October 2017.
Death or glory

Though there are more regulations today, the clue has always been in the very name of Luche Libre, which translates to “free fight”. Quite simply, there were no rules except to incapacitate your opponent, in something that is obviously not reflected by modern manifestations of Lucha, which features a host of Mexican treats (guacamole, anyone?) in addition to the masks, deaths in the ring were common events back in the early 1900s. Such a misfortune is rare today, although it still happens – nonetheless, dying in combat has always earned respect in Mexican culture.
Indeed, the ideal of dying in combat has been ingrained into Mexico since the Aztec age, which is undoubtedly due to the ancient belief that only those who died in combat could proceed to a heavenly afterlife. It is inevitable, then, that Mexico took so readily to the sport of Lucha. With monuments to Aztec culture still prevalent in modern-day Mexico, the sport has always been about more than national pride – for some, it has been a way to honor fallen ancestors.
The long game

Films and video game crossovers are common, and often represent the final acid test for phenomena such as Luchador wrestling. With the current ‘WWE’ series dominating what is already a niche genre, there is little call for a game that specifically deals with Luchador wrestling. Yet, there are games out there, such as the aforementioned Lucha Libre AAA, which have been welcomed as an alternative to the mainstream.
With Luchador wrestling covering all bases with regards to forms of media, the long-term future of the sport appears assured. Even if the action is not to everybody’s taste, audiences will always crave a storyline. With heroes, villains and drama given clear identity in a colorful and creative way, which no other form of combat sport can feasibly emulate any time soon, Lucha can survive on individuality alone for generations to come.