In lucha libre, losing your mask can be worse than losing the match
Mexican wrestling is famous for its high-flying acrobatics and vivid masks, and the mask is close to sacred. Ripping one off mid-bout brings disqualification, and feuds are settled by wagering masks or hair. El Santo, the sport's great legend, kept his silver mask on in retirement and was buried wearing it.
Lucha libre, literally free wrestling, arrived in Mexico early in the 20th century and evolved independently from the 1930s. Lighter weight classes are often more popular than heavyweights, so the style prizes speed and agility: rope-assisted leaps, rapid chains of moves and intricate submission holds called llaves. Many performers debut in their mid-teens. Because Mexican rings usually lack the springs of American and Japanese ones, wrestlers avoid landing flat on their backs and aim their dives at opponents outside the ring, where they can tumble to break the fall.
Masks first appeared around the 1920s, reportedly inspired by the hooded roosters of cockfighting, and spread in the 1930s after a popular American masked wrestler toured Mexico. Promoters found that mystery sold tickets, so hidden identities lasted longer and longer. Modern designs evoke animals, gods and ancient heroes, echoing a tradition of masks stretching back to the Aztecs. Still, not every star wears one; Perro Aguayo and Negro Casas thrived bare-faced.
The wager match, lucha de apuestas, grew from that mystique. One early example came on July 14, 1940, at Arena México, when the masked El Murciélago Enmascarado demanded that his much heavier opponent, Octavio Gaona, risk his hair; Gaona won and Murciélago unmasked. A defeated wrestler traditionally reveals his real name, hometown and years in the business. In 1952 El Santo took Black Shadow's mask, a result that made him a superstar and turned wrestling into a cultural phenomenon.
Team bouts are distinctive too. Trios matches pit three-person sides against each other, and a fall can come from pinning the rival captain or both of his partners, so the frantic race to tag seen in American wrestling matters less. The style has influenced wrestlers worldwide; Japanese stars such as Jushin Thunder Liger and Kazuchika Okada trained in Mexico's lighter divisions. In 2018 Mexico City declared lucha libre part of its intangible cultural heritage.
Source: Lucha libre
