Post by Fury on Apr 2, 2016 5:35:51 GMT -5
Lucha Libre (meaning "Free Fight") means more than just a wrestling show in Mexico, it is a way of life. With nearly 100 years of history Lucha Libre is an important part of not only sports and entertainment in Mexico but it is intertwined with the history of Mexico and it has transcended into pop culture, creating larger than life characters and events. Lucha Libre traces its roots back to ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures, where shows were staged between two men, both wearing masks, one represented good and the other evil. In the early 1930's a retired army colonel named Salvador Lutteroth brought American wrestling to Mexico. Lutteroth decided to combine the American wrestling style with the ancient Aztec culture and thus Lucha Libre was born. It was an instant hit as it quickly began to sell out arenas all over Mexico. By the 1950's Lucha Libre had began to become a part of the pop culture lexicon in Mexico. It's use of colourful masks and the athletical skill possessed by the individuals had captured the imagination of an entire country. With the advent of television Lucha Libre began to grow even more. One luchadore in particular had managed to capture the imagination of the public and become larger than life. El Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata (The Saint, The Silver Masked Man). With a career spanning 5 decades, El Santo crossed over to appear in movies and comic books always wearing his signature silver mask. Soon several other luchadores become popular in Mexico such as Blue Demon, Perro Aguayo, Gory Guerrero, Dr Wagner, Dos Caras and Mil Mascaras. These wrestlers have went on to create their own family dynasties as these names and legacies are still present today. These men were pitted together in classic battles of good (the "technico", the superhero) vs evil (the "rudo", the supervillain). Come the 1990's and there was the beginning of a change in the lucha libre landscape. Antonio Pena then a promoter for the biggest promotion in Mexico, CMLL wanted to change the landscape of lucha libre, he butted heads with CMLL over wanting to focus on the younger, more athletic luchadors. Pena left CMLL and started the Asistencia Aseroria y Administracion (or AAA for short). Pena brought in many young luchadors such as Konnan, Blue Panther, El Hijo de Santo, Psicosis, LA Parka, Juventud Guerrera, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio Jr. The success of AAA and it's young, high-flying stars eventually caught the eyes of American promotion WCW, who brought many of it's stars over to WCW and brought lucha wrestling to American eyes with guys like Eddie Guerrero, Alberto El Patron & Rey Mysterio achieving massive levels of success in the states. Lucha wrestling has continued its growth worldwide and is only continuing to get bigger and bigger with more and more eyes being drawn to the excitement of the lucha style. Fast forward to 2014, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez responsible for films such as From Dusk til Dawn, Machete and Sin City and television producer Mark Burnett responsible for shows such as Survivor, The Apprentice and Shark Tank have teamed up for a new project that is set to revolutionise wrestling and bring a completely new style. Teaming with AAA and set to air on El Rey network whilst shooting in Los Angeles. Lucha Underground is set to combine the ancient Aztec ways, with 100 years of lucha along with storytelling, drama and production values that have never been seen before. |