Blue Demon Jr. vs. El Hijo Del Santo.

Lucha libre (Spanish: Free wrestling, lit. "free fight") is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries. Although the term nowadays refers exclusively to professional wrestling, it was originally used in the same style as the English term "freestyle wrestling", referring to an amateur wrestling style without the restrictions of Greco-Roman wrestling.

Mexican wrestling is characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, as well as "high-flying" maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in the United States. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached. Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios.

Lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores (singular luchador) ("fighter(s)"). They usually come from extended wrestling families who form their proper stables. One such line integrated to the United States professional wrestling scene is Los Guerreros.

Lucha libre has also transcended the language barrier to some extent as evidenced by works such as Los Luchadores, ¡Mucha Lucha!, and Nacho Libre. It also appears in other pop culture such as mainstream advertising: In Canada Telus' Koodo Mobile Post Paid cell service uses a cartoon lucha libre wrestler as its spokesperson/mascot.

Rules[link]

Luchador Místico

The rules of lucha libre are similar to American singles matches. Matches can be won by pinning the opponent to the mat for the count of three, making him submit, knocking him out of the ring for a predetermined count (generally twenty) or by disqualification. Using the ropes for leverage is illegal, and once a luchador is on the ropes, his opponent must release any holds and he will not be able to pin him.

Disqualifications occur when an opponent uses an illegal hold, move (such as the piledriver, which is an illegal move in lucha libre and grounds for immediate disqualification, though some variations are legal in certain promotions), or weapon, hits his opponent in the groin (faul), uses outside interference, attacks the referee, or rips his opponent's mask completely off. Most matches are two out of three falls (dos de tres caídas), which had been abandoned for title bouts in North America and Japan in the 1970s.

A rule unique to lucha libre applies during tag team matches, which is when the legal wrestler of a team touches the floor outside the ring, a teammate may enter the ring to take his place as the legal competitor. As the legal wrestler can step to the floor willingly, there is essentially no need for an actual tag to a teammate to bring him into a match. This often allows for much more frenetic action to take place in the ring than would otherwise be possible under standard tag rules.

History of lucha libre in Mexico[link]

Arena Mexico on Dr. Lavista Street in Colonia Doctores in Mexico City

In the early 1900s, professional wrestling was mostly a regional phenomenon in Mexico until Salvador Lutteroth founded the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling Enterprise) in 1933, giving the sport a national foothold for the first time. The promotion company flourished and quickly became the premier spot for wrestlers. 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. Moreover, it was the emergence of television that allowed Lutteroth to promote lucha libre’s first breakout superstar into a national pop-culture phenomenon.^[1]

In 1942, lucha libre would be forever changed when a silver-masked wrestler, known simply as El Santo (The Saint), first stepped into the ring. He made his debut in Mexico City by winning an 8-man battle royal. The public became enamored by the mystique and secrecy of Santo's personality, and he quickly became the most popular luchador in Mexico. 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.^[2]

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. He achieved international fame as one of the first high-flyers, something he was not considered in Mexico, where he fell under the mat-power category.^[3][4][5]

Lucha libre style of wrestling[link]

Rey Mysterio Jr. hitting the "619" on Eddie Guerrero

A lucha libre tag team match

Luchadores are traditionally more agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than professional wrestlers in the U.S. 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.^[6] 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.^[7] A number of prominent Japanese wrestlers also started their careers training in Mexican lucha libre before becoming stars in Japan. These include Gran Hamada, Satoru Sayama, Jushin Liger, and Último Dragón. With so many weight classes, Mexico has the largest number of professional wrestlers in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Lucha libre is also known for its tag team wrestling matches. The teams are often made up of three members, instead of two as is common in the U.S. These three man teams participate in what are called trios matches, for tag team championship belts. Of these three members, one member is designated the captain. A successful fall in a trios match can be achieved by either pinning the captain of the opposing team or by pinning both of the other members. A referee can also stop the match because of "excessive punishment". He can then award the match to the aggressors. Falls often occur simultaneously, which adds to the extremely stylized nature of the action. In addition, a wrestler can opt to roll out of the ring in lieu of tagging a partner or simply be knocked out of the ring, at which point one of his partners may enter. As a result, the tag team formula and pacing which has developed in U.S. tag matches is different from lucha libre because the race to tag is not a priority. There are also two-man tag matches (parejas), as well as "four on four" matches (atomicos).^[8]

Masks[link]

The mask of Blue Demon

The mask of El Santo

Masks (máscaras) have been used dating back to the beginnings of lucha libre in the early part of the 20th century, and have a historical significance to Mexico in general, dating to the days of the Aztecs.^[9] Early masks were very simple with basic colors to distinguish the wrestler. 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. Virtually all wrestlers in Mexico will start their careers wearing masks, but over the span of their careers, a large number of them will be unmasked. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his final bout or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying loss of identity as that character. Sometimes, losing the mask signifies the end of a gimmick with the wrestler moving on to a new gimmick and mask. The mask is considered "sacred" to a degree, so much so that fully removing an opponent's mask during a match is grounds for disqualification.^[10]

During their careers, masked luchadores will often be seen in public wearing their masks and keeping up the culture of Lucha Libre, while other masked wrestlers will interact with the public and press normally. However, they will still go to great lengths to conceal their true identities; in effect, the mask is synonymous with the luchador. El Santo continued wearing his mask after retirement, revealed his face briefly only in old age, and was buried wearing his silver mask.

More recently, the masks luchadores wear have become iconic symbols of Mexican culture. Contemporary artists like Francisco Delgado and Xavier Garza incorporate wrestler masks in their paintings.^[11]

Although masks are a feature of lucha libre, it is a misconception that every Mexican wrestler uses one. There have been several maskless wrestlers who have been successful, particularly Tarzán López, Gory Guerrero, Perro Aguayo and Negro Casas. Formerly masked wrestlers who lost their masks, such as Satánico, Cien Caras, Cibernético and others, have had continued success despite the mask losses.

Luchas de Apuestas[link]

El Oriental's elaborate mask was lost in a lucha de apuesta.

With the importance placed on masks in lucha libre, losing the mask to an opponent is seen as the ultimate insult, and can at times seriously hurt the career of the unmasked wrestler. 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. In these battles, called luchas de apuestas ("matches with wagers"), the wrestlers "wager" either their mask or their hair.^[12]

"In a lucha de apuesta (betting match), wrestlers make a public bet on the outcome of the match. The most common forms are the mask-against-mask, hair-against-hair, or mask-against-hair matches. A wrestler who loses his or her mask has to remove the mask after the match. A wrestler who loses their hair is shaved immediately afterward."^[13] If the true identity of a person losing his mask is previously unknown, it is customary for that person to reveal his real name, hometown and years as a professional upon unmasking.

The first lucha de apuestas was presented on 14 July 1940 at Arena México. The defending champion Murciélago (Velásquez) was so much lighter than his challenger (Octavio Gaona), he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract: Octavio Gaona would have to put his hair on the line. Octavio Gaona won the match and Murciélago unmasked, giving birth to a tradition in lucha libre.^[14]

Variants[link]

• Máscara contra máscara ("mask versus mask"): two masked luchadores bet their masks, the loser is unmasked by the winner. This occurred in the WWE, where Sin Cara Azul the blue-masked luchador beat the black-masked luchador Sin Cara Negro on the October 21, 2011 edition of SmackDown (taped October 18, 2011).
• Máscara contra cabellera ("mask versus hair"): a masked wrestler and an unmasked one compete, often after the unmasked one has lost his mask to the masked one in a prior bout. If the masked luchador wins, the unmasked one shaves his head as a sign of humiliation. If the unmasked luchador is the winner, he keeps his hair and the loser is unmasked.
• Cabellera contra cabellera ("hair versus hair"): the loser of the match has his head shaved bald. This can occur both between unmasked wrestlers and between masked wrestlers who have to remove their mask enough to be shaved after the match.
• Máscara o cabellera contra campeonato ("mask or hair versus title"): if the masked or haired luchador loses, the champion unmasks him. But if the champion loses, the luchador is crowned the new champion. An example of this occurred in the WWE, where Rey Mysterio the masked luchador beat the Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho at WWE The Bash.
• Máscara o cabellera contra retiro ("mask or hair versus career"): if the masked or haired luchador loses, his opponent wins the title. But if he wins, his opponent must retire
• Carrera contra carrera ("career versus career"): Loser must retire.

Weight classes[link]

A wrestling mask graffiti in Madrid, Spain

Since Lucha Libre has its roots more in Latin American professional wrestling than North American professional wrestling it retains some of the basics of the Latin American version such as more weight classes than professional wrestling in North America. Lucha Libre has a detailed weight class system patterned after boxing. Each weight class has an official upper limit, but examples of wrestlers who are technically too heavy to hold their title can be found. The following weight classes exist in Lucha Libre, as defined by the "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (the Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission), the main regulatory body in Mexico:^[15]

Other characteristics[link]

Luchador Rey Mysterio

Luchadores are traditionally divided into two categories, rudos (lit. "tough guys", who are "bad guys", or "heels", literally "rude ones"), who bend or break the rules, and técnicos (the "good guys", or "faces", literally "technicians"), who play by the rules and their moves are much more complex and spectacular. Técnicos tend to have very formal combat styles, close to Greco-Roman wrestling and martial arts techniques, whereas rudos tend to be brawlers. Técnicos playing the "good guy" role, and rudos playing the "bad guy" role is very characteristic of Mexican lucha libre, which differs from U.S. professional wrestling, where many technical wrestlers play the role of heels (e.g., Kurt Angle), and many brawlers play as "faces" (e.g., Stone Cold Steve Austin).^[16] Although rudos often resort to using underhanded tactics, they are still expected to live up to a luchador code of honor. 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. Rudos have also been known to make the transition into técnicos after a career defining moment, as was the case with Blue Demon, who decided to become a técnico after his wrestling partner, Black Shadow, was unmasked by the legendary Santo. Tag teams are sometimes composed of both rudos and técnicos in what are called parejas increibles (incredible pairings). Parejas increibles highlight the conflict between a luchador's desire to win and his contempt for his partner.^[17]

A staple gimmick present in lucha libre since the 1950s is exótico, basically a gay character in drag. It is argued that the gimmick has recently attained a more flamboyant outlook.^[18]

Luchadores, like their foreign counterparts, seek to obtain a campeonato (championship) through winning key wrestling matches. Since many feuds and shows are built around luchas de apuestas (matches with wagers), title matches play a less prominent role in Mexico than in the U.S. Titles can be defended as few as one time per year and wrestlers usually only wear their belts during big events and title defenses.

Lucha libre uses a more specific weight class system to classify titles. Popular weight classes include: heavyweight, light-heavyweight, welterweight and middleweight. Lightweight and super-lightweight titles are also used. The Cruiserweight division is often associated with the lucha libre style of wrestling, even though in Mexico, the term light-heavyweight (peso semicompleto) is used due to a different weight class system. In recent years, weight classes have been mostly nominal and there are occasions when a wrestler will have titles in two different weight classes. However, title matches are still major events and many shows are built around them.

The two most popular lucha libre promotions are Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which was founded in 1933, and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA).

Lucha libre is currently experiencing a boom in popularity due to the emergence of a new generation of stars, most notably, a masked wrestler named Místico now known as Sin Cara, whose high-flying style and technique attracted record crowds in Mexico and inspired activists around the world such as Russian punk-rock collective Pussy Riot before he signed with WWE.

Female professional wrestlers[link]

Female wrestlers or luchadoras also compete in Mexican lucha libre. The CMLL World Women's Championship is the top title for CMLL's women's division; while the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship is a championship defended in an annual tournament by female wrestlers in AAA. AAA also recognizes a World Mixed Tag Team Championship, contested by tag teams composed of a luchador and luchadora respectively. In 2000, the all female promotion company Lucha Libre Femenil (LLF) was founded.^[19]

Mini-Estrellas[link]

[[Gile:Cuije.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Cuije one of Mexico's Mini-Estrellas]] Lucha Libre has a division called the "Mini-Estrella" or "Minis" division, which unlike North American midget professional wrestling is not just for dwarves but also for luchadores that are short, originally the limit for the Mini division was 5 feet but in recent years wrestlers such as Pequeño Olímpico have worked the Minis division despite being 1.69 m (5 ft 6 ¹⁄₂ in) tall.^[20] The Minis division was first popularized in the 1970s with wrestlers like Pequeño Luke and Arturito (a wrestler with an R2-D2 gimmick) becoming noticed for their high flying abilities. In the late 1980s/early 1990s CMLL created the first actual "Minis" division, the brainchild of then-CMLL booker Antonio Peña. CMLL created the CMLL World Mini-Estrella Championship in 1992, making it the oldest Minis championship still in existence today.^[21] Minis are often patterned after "regular sized" wrestlers and are sometimes called "mascotas" ("pets") if they team with the regular sized version.^[20]

Luchadores in the U.S.[link]

In 1994, AAA promoted the When Worlds Collide pay-per-view in conjunction with the U.S. promotion company World Championship Wrestling (WCW). When Worlds Collide introduced U.S. audiences to many of the top luchadores in Mexico at the time.

In recent years, several luchadores have found success in the United States. Notable luchadores who achieved success in the U.S. are Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Juventud Guerrera, La Parka, Super Crazy and Psicosis.

Lucha libre shows are broadcast weekly in the U.S. on the Galavisión and LA TV Spanish language cable networks.

Additional information[link]

In Peru the term "cachascán" (from "catch as can") is used. Wrestlers are called cachascanistas. In Argentina, in addition to lucha libre, professional wrestling is also referred to as "catch", or catch as catch can.^[22] In Bolivian Lucha Libre, wrestling Cholitas — female wrestlers dressed up as indigenous Aymara — are popular.^[23][24]

Promotions using lucha libre rules[link]

Mexico[link]

• Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL)
• Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA)
• International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG)
• Universal Wrestling Association (defunct)
• World Wrestling Association (Promociones Mora)

Japan[link]

• Michinoku Pro Wrestling
• Osaka Pro Wrestling
• Toryumon / Dragon Gate
• Universal Lucha Libre (defunct)

United Kingdom[link]

• Lucha Britannia

United States[link]

• Chikara
• Incredibly Strange Wrestling
• Lucha Libre USA

Puerto Rico[link]

• World Wrestling Council (WWC)
• International Wrestling Association (IWA)

Lucha libre in popular culture[link]

Lucha libre has crossed over into popular culture, especially in Mexico where it is the second most popular sport after Football (soccer).^[25] Outside of Mexico Lucha Libre has also crossed over into popular culture, especially in movies and television.

Movies and television[link]

The motion picture Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black as a priest-turned-luchador was inspired by the story of real life Priest turned Luchador Father Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez who wrestled as Fray Tormenta to make money for his church. The American horror movie Wrestlemaniac is centered around the story of an insane luchador with abnormal strength; the titular villain is played by luchador Rey Misterio, Sr. Rob Zombie's animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto stars a Mexican luchador named El Superbeasto. The candid, heart-wrenching tale of Carmen Rosa, a Bolivian luchadora, is told in Betty M. Park's 2009 documentary 'Mamachas del Ring'.

Television has also seen shows inspired by Lucha Libre, especially animated series such as ¡Mucha Lucha!, Cartoon Network also produced an animated mini-series based on luchador El Santo.^[26] The world of Lucha Libre has also been used as inspirations for episodes of television series, most notably the 200th episode of CSI, "Mascara" centered on the investigation of visiting luchadores with connections to a murder. 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. Angel must help the remaining brother, Numero Cinco, defeat the Aztec warrior-demon that killed his four brothers. Lucha Libre has also inspired television shows outside of the United States; In the British TV show Justin Lee Collins: The Wrestler, Colins competes as the rudo El Glorioso, or The Glorious One, against the exotico Cassandro in The Roundhouse, London, ultimately losing and being de-masked.^[27] The animated series "Jackie Chan Adventures" has a character named "El Toro Fuerte"

Games and print media[link]

Many fighting video games have featured characters based on luchadores, featuring both the masked aspects and the different wrestling style of Lucha Libre compared to traditional professional wrestling. In Tekken the characters King and Armor King both wear the "Jaguar Mask", while the latest trailer for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 showed a female luchador, with similarities to Rey Mysterio. In other fighting games characters are luchadores fighting in the tournaments for a living such as: El Fuerte from Street Fighter IV, Ramon, Tizoc, and Raiden from The King of Fighters, Lisa from Dead or Alive and El Blaze from Virtua Fighter. A Japanese wrestler, Takuya Sugi has actually wrestled as "El Blazer" in Japan.

The 2D wrestling arcade game "Saturday Night Slam Masters" released by Japanese game company Capcom in 1993 featured a final boss character called "El Escorpión" (The Scorpion), whose appearance was inspired by a legendary Mexican "Luchador" called Tinieblas. The character's name in the original Japanese edition of the game was "The Astro" (アストロ, Asutoro). One of the regular characters, El Stingray, is also a luchador.

In the Music/Rhythm Game DJ Hero, a playable character named "Jugglernort" is a buff ex-Luchador Disc Jockey originating from Mexico. The game description explains that he got thrown in prison for "throwing beats" and he learned from then on how to "spin beats". It also states that he still has a strong suplex he can perform on anyone who crosses his path.

In other games Luchadors are not part of the game but the cultural inspiration is still seen, for instance in the video game No More Heroes for the Nintendo Wii, the main character, Travis Touchdown occasionally finds luchador masks throughout the game, which re-teach him wrestling moves that you can use from then on. The game also features trading cards that feature the masks of past, legendary luchadores. Suda 51, game developer and head of Grasshopper Studios is known for his fascination of Lucha Libre and often includes them in his game, such as the character MASK de Smith in killer7 and was responsible for the collectible Lucha Libre masks in No More Heroes.

In April 2010, Konami announced Lucha Libre AAA: Héroes del Ring, which is the first major wrestling video game solely focused on Lucha Libre.

While Luchador comics are a well known phenomenon in Mexico, featuring wrestlers from El Santo to Cibernético, comics outside of Mexico also draw on the images and culture of Lucha Libre. The comic Sonambulo revolves around a crime fighting luchador who possesses supernatural powers. In the rock and roll comic series The Amazing Joy Buzzards El Campeon is a luchador genie who is summoned by using a magic amulet by those in need. Doctor Eggman, the main antagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, wrestles as "El Gran Gordo" (Spanish for, roughly, "The Big Fat One") in the Sonic X comicseries.^[28] The martial arts manga Tenjho Tenge includes a character named Kōji Sagara who fights in the lucha libre style. The anime Air Master features a luchador style character called Lucha Master.

In the 2011 video game Saints Row: The Third, one of the three gangs you tackle is a group of heavy weapon wielding Luchadores. One of your allies is an ex lucha libre wrestler, quitting after being unmasked by his former tag-team partner Killbane - the leader of the Luchadore gang.

Lucha libre inspirations[link]

Nike has designed a line of lucha libre inspired athletic shoes.^[29] Coca-Cola developed a Blue Demon Full Throttle energy drink named after the luchador Blue Demon, Jr. who is also the spokesperson for the drink in Mexico.^[30] Coca-Cola also introduced "Gladiator" in Mexico, an energy drink that sponsored CMLL events and who featured CMLL wrestlers such as Místico and Último Guerrero.^[31]

The Nashville-based Anglo band Los Straitjackets adopted personalized luchador masks as part of their stage show in the mid-1990s, and have since acquired a large Mexican following.

Members of the Russian feminist punk-rock collective Pussy Riot wear lucha libre inspired masks to obscure their identities during politically provocative impromptu performances in Moscow. Members of the Pussy Riot solidarity movement don luchadore masks to show their support for Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of the group detained for their role in Pussy Riot's controversial performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

See also[link]

• Luchador film
• Luta livre

Notes[link]

• Paul Allatson (2007). Key Terms in Latino/a Cultural And Literary Studies [1]. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-0250-0.

References[link]

External links[link]

• luchalords
• Lucha Wiki
• Pro-Wrestling Title Histories of Mexico

v t e Professional wrestling in Mexico Major promotions Asistencia Asesoría y Administración Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Independent promotions International Wrestling League International Wrestling Revolution Group Perros del Mal World Wrestling Association Other promotions Defunct promotions Universal Wrestling Association Universal Lucha Libre Lucha Libre culture Mini-Estrella Weight divisions Masks Luchas de Apuestas Exóticos

Blue Demon, Jr.
Blue Demon posing after a match
Ring name(s)	Blue Demon, Jr.
Billed height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Billed weight	194 lb (88 kg)[1]
Born	(1966-07-16) July 16, 1966 (age 45)[1] Mexico City, Mexico
Trained by	Blue Demon[1] Rolando Vera[1] Rafael Salamanca[1] Pepe Mendieta[1]
Debut	01985-07-26July 26, 1985[1]

Blue Demon, Jr. (born July 16, 1966) is a Mexican luchador and professional wrestler. He is the allegedly adopted son of the legendary original Blue Demon and is the first Mexican and the second masked wrestler to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (Abyss was the first). Blue Demon, Jr.'s real name is unknown.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Origins and heritage controversy[link]

Originally Blue Demon Jr. was said to be the adopted son of Blue Demon, but Blue Demon's biological son, non-wrestler Alfredo Muñoz, has claimed that Blue Demon Jr. was not legally adopted and that he (Muñoz) retains rights to the name Blue Demon (i.e., without the "Jr").

Universal Wrestling Association[link]

Blue Demon Jr. won the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1997 in Panama by defeating Black Demon. Between 1997 and 1999 (exact date unknown) he lost the title to Pablo Marquez.

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración[link]

In Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) he formed the team Los Juniors with La Parka, Jr., Mascara Sagrada, Jr. and Perro Aguayo, Jr.. On April 18, 1999 in Zapopan, Jalisco they won the Mexican National Atómicos Championship by defeating Los Vatos Locos, a team of Charly Manson, May Flowers, Nygma and Picudo. On September 17, 1999 in Mexico City, D.F. they lost the championship to Los Vipers, a team of Histeria, Maniaco, Mosco de la Merced II and Psicosis II.

National Wrestling Alliance[link]

With the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt

On October 25, 2008, Demon, Jr. became the first Mexican professional wrestler, as well as first masked luchador to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship when he defeated champion Adam Pearce. His win was also the first time the title changed hands in Mexico, although not with CMLL as would have been the case before the mid-1980s (It happened in Blue Demon, Jr.'s own promotion known, NWA Mexico). The ongoing feud has Pearce protesting the loss with the NWA as his arm was under the bottom rope when he passed out from Blue Demon Jr's Single leg Boston crab. Blue Demon Jr. managed to hold onto the championship for 505 days before dropping it back to Pearce in a triple-threat match also involving Phill Shatter on March 14, 2010 at NWA New Beginnings.^[2]

Demon, Jr. defeated Oliver John at an NWA Mexico event at the Lucha Libre Expo in Mexico City on July 23, 2010 to capture the Pro Wrestling Revolution (PWR) Heavyweight Championship.

In films and TV[link]

In 2007 he appeared in the film Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy (also known as Mil Mascaras Resurrection).^[3][4][5]
In an episode of ¡Mucha Lucha!, a cartoon version of Blue Demon, Jr. appears as a super hero wrestler.
He is also going to compete on the Mexican dancing show, Mira Quien Baila.
He has a cameo in Mel Gibson's 2012 movie Get the Gringo.

In wrestling[link]

Blue Demon, Jr. (behind, in blue costume) versus El Hijo del Santo

• Finishing moves

• El Pulpo (Sharpshooter pulling the opponent arm back)
• Three-quarter facelock transitioned into either a bulldog or a jawbreaker^[6]

• Signature moves

• Hurricanrana
• Single leg Boston crab
• Suicide dive

• Nicknames

• "El Hijo de la Leyenda Azul" ("The Son of the Blue Legend")

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
  • Mexican National Atómicos Championship (1 time) - with La Parka, Jr., Perro Aguayo, Jr. and Máscara Sagrada, Jr^[1]
  • Mexican National Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)^[1]

• International Wrestling All Stars
  • IWAS World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[7]

• NWA SOUTHWEST/World of Wrestling
  • WOW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[8]

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ^[9]
  • PWR Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #65 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010^[10]

• Universal Wrestling Association
  • UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[1]

• World Wrestling Association
  • WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[11]
  • WWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)^[1]
  • WWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time)^[12]

Lucha de Apuesta record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blue Demon, Jr.

• Official Site
• Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy Official Page
• PopMatters review of Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno
Mask of Blue Demon
Ring name(s)	Blue Demon (Demonio Azul), El Manotas (The Big Handed One), The Professor[1] Tosco Muñoz
Born	01922-04-24April 24, 1922 Rinconada, Nuevo León, Mexico
Died	December 16, 2000(2000-12-16) (aged 78)
Trained by	Rolando Vera
Debut	01948-03-12March 12, 1948
Retired	1988

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known as Blue Demon (Demonio Azul in Spanish), was a Mexican luchador Enmascarado (Masked professional wrestler) who was widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of his time. He was affectionately referred to as "Blue" and was known for his signature blue wrestling mask.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno was born April 24, 1922 in Rinconada, Nuevo León Mexico.^[2] He was the child of farmers and was the fifth of twelve children. At a young age, Alejandro dropped out of school and moved to Monterrey, where his uncle gave him a job working on the National Railroad. His co-workers there gave him the nickname 'Manotas', referring to his large, powerful hands.

Professional wrestling career[link]

A chance meeting with the famous Mexican wrestler Rolando Vera piqued his interest in Lucha Libre, Vera even offering to tutor him and help him start a career. He began wrestling without a mask in Laredo, Texas. His first match was against Chema Lopez on March 12, 1948, which he won handily. Adopting the mask and persona of The Blue Demon, he headed back to Mexico to start a real career. His first appearance as The Blue Demon was in Mexico City in September 1948, where he fought Benny Arcilla. Blue began his career in the ring as a rudo (a bad guy). From there, he formed a famous tag-team with another well-known masked luchador named The Black Shadow, and the two became known as Los Hermanos Shadow (The Shadow Brothers).

In 1952, the famous wrestler Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring, which triggered Blue's decision to become a técnico (a good guy) in the ring, and a legendary feud between The Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Blue's beating el Santo in a well-publicized series of matches in 1952 and another in 1953. In 1953, Blue won the NWA World Welterweight Championship from Santo, and held it until 1958. Their rivalry never entirely abated in later years (although they co-starred over the years in a number of Mexican horror films) since Santo always remembered his defeat at the Blue Demon's hands.^[3]

During the 1960s, one of Blue Demon's greatest rivals was el Rayo de Jalisco. In 1988, the year he retired, Blue Demon finally beat Jalisco in a mask vs. mask match, taking the mask of another of Mexico's wrestling legends.^[4][5]

Film career[link]

Blue Demon first appeared in cameos in a couple of luchador films made in 1961, "The Killers of Lucha Libre" and "Fury in the Ring", in which he was one of several wrestlers more or less in the background. But in 1964, Enrique Vergara, the producer of the then-successful Santo movies, decided to diversify by allowing the 42-year-old Blue Demon to star in a series of luchador films of his own. The plots of the Blue Demon films are thought to be extremely similar to those of Santo's films. Santo was asking for a salary increase at the time and Vergara wanted to cultivate a second movie star.

From 1964 to 1977, Blue Demon starred in a total of 25 luchador films, and more recently was the subject of a feature-length Mexican documentary entitled Blue Demon, the Champion (1989). Of those 25 films, Santo co-starred with him in nine of them, though the two were never good friends in real life. In three of his films, Blue Demon starred as the leader of a squadron of masked superheroes known as Los Campeones Justicieros (The Champions of Justice). Membership in the Champions included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras, Tinieblas, Rayo de Jalisco, El Medico Asesino, El Fantasma Blanco, El Avispon Escarlata and Superzan. (Santo never co-starred with Blue in any of the Champions films, since he was so busy making his own movies at the time.)

Retirement and death[link]

Blue Demon retired from the ring in 1988 at the Monterrey Arena, where he appeared in a final match, teaming up with his adoptive son, Blue Demon Jr., who has had a successful career of his own.

Blue Demon died just before noon on Saturday, December 16, 2000 from natural causes. Apparently Blue Demon suffered a fatal heart attack on a park bench near a subway kiosk while on his way home from his regular morning training session at The Blue Demon Instituto Atletico, where he enjoyed teaching others his fighting skills. Although an attempt was made to get him to a hospital, he was unable to be revived. He was 78 years old. Blue Demon was buried wearing his trademark blue mask, the mask he never removed in public as he always kept his true identity a secret.

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves

• Octopus hold

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre

• Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Black Shadow
• Mexican National Welterweight Championship (3 times)
• NWA World Welterweight Championship (2 times)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Lucha de Apuesta record[link]

Filmography[link]

1964

• Blue Demon: El Demonio Azul
• Blue Demon contra el poder satánico (Blue Demon vs Satanic Power) Santo had a brief cameo appearance in this film

1966

• Blue Demon en la sombra del murciélago (Blue Demon in "Shadow of The Bat")
• Blue Demon contra las aranas infernales (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Spiders) Demon's last B&W film
• Blue Demon contra cerebros infernales (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Brains) Demon's first Color film
• Blue Demon contra las diabólicas (Blue Demon vs The Diabolical Women)

1967

• Blue Demon destructor de espías(Blue Demon, Destroyer of Spies)
• Blue Demon en pasaporte à la muerte (Blue Demon in "Passport To Death")

1968

• Blue Demon contra las invasoras(Blue Demon vs. The Women Invaders)
  aka Blue Demon y las seductoras (Blue Demon and the Seductresses)

1969

• Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (Santo vs Blue Demon in Atlantis)
• Santo el enmascarado de plata y Blue Demon contra los monstruos (Santo and Blue Demon vs the Monsters)
• Santo y Blue Demon en "El Mundo de los Muertos" (Santo and Blue Demon in "World of the Dead")

1970

• Los campeones justicieros (The Champions of Justice)
• Las momias de Guanajuato (The Mummies of Guanajuato) co-stars Santo and Mil Máscaras

1971

• Blue Demon y Zovek en "La invasión de los muertos" (Blue Demon and Zovek In "The Invasion of the Dead")

1972

• La noche de la muerte (Blue Demon in "Night of Death")
• Blue Demon en la mafia amarilla (Blue Demon in "The Yellow Mafia")
• Vuelven los campeones justicieros (The Champions of Justice Return)
• Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dracula and the Wolfman)
• Santo y Blue Demon en "Las bestias del terror" (Santo and Blue Demon In "The Beasts of Terror")

1973

• El triunfo de los campeones justicieros (Triumph of the Champions of Justice)
• Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dr. Frankenstein)

1974

• Blue Demon en "El hijo de Alma Grande" (Blue Demon in "The Son of Alma Grande")

1975

• La mansion de las siete momias (Mansion of the Seven Mummies) co-starring Superzan

1977

• Misterio en las Bermudas (Mystery In Bermuda) co-stars Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras

1989

• Blue Demon, el campeón (Blue Demon, The Champion) Documentary, video release only

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Blue Demon wrestling profile

John Cena
John Cena, 2008
Ring name(s)	John Cena[1]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Billed weight	251 lb (114 kg)[2]
Born	(1977-04-23) April 23, 1977 (age 35)[3] West Newbury, Massachusetts[2]
Resides	Tampa, Florida[4]
Billed from	Classified (UPW)[5] West Newbury, Massachusetts (WWE)[2]
Trained by	Ultimate Pro Wrestling[5] Ohio Valley Wrestling[6]
Debut	2001[6]

John Felix Anthony Cena^[7] (/ˈsiːnə/; born April 23, 1977)^[3] is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its Raw brand.^[8]

In WWE, Cena has won 19 championships in total, including 12 world titles (having won the WWE Championship a record 10 times^[9] and the World Heavyweight Championship twice). In addition, Cena has also won the WWE United States Championship three times,^[10] and is a four-time Tag Team Champion, having held the World Tag Team Championship twice (once each with Shawn Michaels and Batista),^[11] and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice (once each with David Otunga and The Miz). Cena also won the 2008 Royal Rumble match, and is a two-time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner (2009 and 2010).^[12] He also has the fourth highest number of combined days as WWE Champion behind Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino.

Cena started his professional wrestling career in 2000, wrestling for Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where he held the UPW Heavyweight Championship. In 2001, Cena signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he held the OVW Heavyweight Championship and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino).

Outside of wrestling, Cena has released the rap album You Can't See Me, which debuted at No.15 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and starred in the feature films The Marine (2006), 12 Rounds (2009), and Legendary (2010).^[13] Cena has also made appearances on television shows including Manhunt, Deal or No Deal, MADtv, Saturday Night Live, Punk'd, and Psych. Cena was also a contestant on Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, where he made it to the final round before being eliminated, placing third in the overall competition.

Early life[link]

John Cena was born April 23, 1977, in West Newbury, Massachusetts,^[3] the son of Carol and John Cena, Sr.^[14] He is the second eldest of five brothers – Dan, Matt, Steve, and Sean.^[15] After graduating from Cushing Academy, Cena attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.^[16] In college he was a Division III All-American center on the college football team,^[17] wearing the number 54,^[16] which is still used on some of his WWE merchandise.^[18][19] He graduated from Springfield in 1998 with a degree in exercise physiology,^[20] after which he pursued a career in bodybuilding,^[21][22] and also worked as a chauffeur for a limousine company.^[23]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Training (2000–2001)[link]

UPW[link]

Cena started training to become a professional wrestler in 2000 at the California-based "Ultimate University" operated by Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-robotic character known as The Prototype.^[24][25] Some of this period of his career was documented in the Discovery Channel program Inside Pro Wrestling School.^[26] While in UPW, Cena held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for just shy of a month in April 2000.^[27]

OVW[link]

In 2001, he signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).^[28] During his time there, Cena wrestled as both The Prototype and Mr. P, and held the OVW Heavyweight Championship for three months and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino) for two months.^[29][30][31]

World Wrestling Entertainment[link]

Debut (2002–2004)[link]

Cena performing an FU (now "Attitude Adjustment") to Kurt Angle.

Cena made his television debut answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle on June 27, 2002.^[32] Inspired by a speech given by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to the rising stars of the company, exhorting them to show "ruthless aggression" to earn a place among the legends, Cena took advantage of the opportunity to face Angle. Cena managed to counter the Angle Slam and the ankle lock submission hold,^[33] but ultimately lost to a hard amateur wrestling-style pin.^[33] Following the near-win, Cena became a fan favorite and started feuding with Chris Jericho, defeating Jericho at Vengeance.^[32] In October, Cena and Billy Kidman took part in a tag team tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions of the SmackDown! brand, losing in the first round.^[34] The next week, Cena turned on and attacked Kidman, blaming him for their loss, becoming a villain.^[32]

Shortly after the Kidman attack, on a Halloween themed episode of SmackDown, Cena dressed as Vanilla Ice performing a freestyle rap.^[32] The next week, Cena received a new character: a rapper who cut promos while rhyming.^[32] As the gimmick grew, Cena began adopting a variant of the 1980s WWF logo – dropping the "F" – as his "signature symbol", along with the slogan "Word Life".^[35] Moreover, he was joined by an enforcer, Bull Buchanan, who was rechristened B-2 (also written B² and pronounced "B-Squared").^[32] Buchanan was later replaced by Red Dogg,^[32] until he was sent to the Raw brand in February.

For the first half of 2003, Cena sought the WWE Championship and chased the reigning champion, Brock Lesnar, performing weekly "freestyles" challenging him to matches.^[36][37][38] During the feud, Cena unveiled a new finishing maneuver: the FU, a Fireman's carry powerslam, named to Brock Lesnar's F-5, with his first victim being Rikishi.^[39] Cena won a number one contenders tournament against Lesnar at Backlash. However, Cena was defeated by Lesnar. At Vengeance Cena lost a singles match against The Undertaker.^[32][40] At the end of the year, Cena became a fan favorite again when he joined Kurt Angle as a member of his team at Survivor Series.^[41][42]

United States and WWE Champion (2004–2005)[link]

Cena, wearing his customized U.S. Championship belt

In early 2004, Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at the 2004 Royal Rumble,^[43] making it to the final six before being eliminated by Big Show and the Match being won by Chris Benoit.^[44] The Royal Rumble elimination led to a feud with Big Show,^[45][46] which Cena won the United States Championship from Big Show at WrestleMania XX.^[47] During his reign, Cena came into contention with SmackDown General Manager Kurt Angle over issues arising with René Duprée and Torrie Wilson.^[48] The reign ended almost four months later, when he was stripped of the belt on July 8 by Angle after he accidentally knocked him over, thus attacking an official.^[49] Cena won the championship back defeating Booker T in a best of five series that culminated at No Mercy,^[50] only to lose it to the debuting Carlito Caribbean Cool the next week.^[51] After the loss to Carlito, the duo began a feud, which Cena was stabbed in the kidney while at a Boston-area nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, Jesús.^[52][53] This worked injury was used to keep Cena out of action for a month, while Cena was filming The Marine.^[30] Immediately on his return in November, Cena won the United States Championship back from Carlito debuting a "custom made" spinner-style championship belt.^[54][55]

Cena took part in the 2005 Royal Rumble match, making it to the final two. Cena and Raw brand wrestler Batista went over the top rope at the same time, ostensibly ending the match. Vince McMahon, however, appeared on stage and re-started the match in sudden death rules, with Batista eventually eliminating Cena.^[56] The next month, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown brand's WrestleMania 21 main event match,^[57] beginning a feud with WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and his Cabinet in the process. In the early stages of the feud, Cena lost his US belt to Cabinet member Orlando Jordan,^[58] who proceeded to "blow up" the spinner championship with JBL and returning a more traditional style belt.^[59] Cena defeated JBL at WrestleMania winning the WWE Championship, giving Cena his first world championship.^[60] Cena then had a spinner WWE Championship belt made,^[61] while JBL took the original belt and claimed to still be WWE Champion,^[61] until Cena reclaimed the original belt in an "I Quit" match at Judgment Day.^[62]

Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6, 2005, becoming the first wrestler selected by General Manager Eric Bischoff in the annual draft lottery.^[63] Cena immediately entered a feud with Bischoff, after refusing to participate in the "war" against the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) roster at One Night Stand.^[64] With Bischoff vowing to make Cena's stint on Raw difficult, he hand picked Jericho to take Cena's championship from him.^[65] During their feud, even though Cena was portrayed as the fan favorite and Jericho as the villain, a vocal section of live crowds, nonetheless, were booing Cena during their matches.^[66] More crowds followed suit during Cena's next feud with Kurt Angle,^[67] who took over as Bischoff's hand-picked number-one contender after Cena defeated Jericho in a You're Fired match on the August 22 Raw.^[68] As the feud continued and the dissenters grew more vocal, sometimes seeming to outnumber fans by wide margins,^[69] the announce team was forced to acknowledge the booing on television and began calling Cena a "controversial champion", claiming some people disliking him on account of his "in-ring style" and his chosen fashion.^[70] Despite the mixed and negative reactions, Cena held on to his championship through his feud with Angle, losing to him by disqualification^[71] – which titles do not change hands in WWE – at Unforgiven and pinning him at Survivor Series.^[72] The feud with Angle also saw Cena add a secondary, submission based, finishing maneuver – the STFU (a Stepover Toehold Sleeper, though named for a Stepover Toehold Facelock) – when he was put into a Triple Threat Submissions Only match on the November 28 Raw.^[73]

WWE Championship feuds and injury (2006–2007)[link]

Cena facing off against Edge at a WWE house show.

Cena lost the WWE Championship at New Year's Revolution, but not in the Elimination Chamber match that he had been advertised to participate in beforehand. Instead, immediately after winning the Elimination Chamber, he was forced into a match against Edge, who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract – a "guaranteed title match for the WWE Champion at a time and place of the owners choosing." After two quick spears pinned Cena, winning the championship.^[74] Three weeks later, Cena won the championship back at the Royal Rumble.^[74] After winning the championship, Cena began feuding with Triple H, which the crowd began booing Cena and cheering the intended villain, Triple H.^[75][76] Cena beat Triple H at Wrestlemania 22 to retain his WWE Title.^[6] The negative reaction towards Cena intensified when facing Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand. Taking place in front of a crowd of mostly "old school" ECW fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of "Fuck you, Cena", "You can't wrestle", and "Same old shit". When he began performing different moves into the match, the fans began chanting "You still suck". Cena lost the WWE Championship at One Night Stand, with Van Dam pinning Cena after interference from Edge.^[77]

Cena, addressing fans at a Raw show

In July, after Edge won the championship from Van Dam in a Triple Threat match that also involved Cena,^[78] re-ignited the feud between him and Cena from earlier in the year. After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means – getting himself disqualified^[79] (for which Championships do not change hands) and using brass knuckles^[77] – he introduced his own version of Cena's "custom" belt, this one with his logo placed on the spinner.^[80] Cena eventually won the championship back in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at Unforgiven. The match had an added stipulation that had Cena lost he would leave the Raw brand and go to SmackDown.^[81][82] Cena returned his version of the spinner belt on the next night's Raw.^[83]

On the heels of his feud with Edge, Cena was placed in an inter-brand angle to determine the "Champion of Champions" – or which was the most dominant champion in WWE's three brands. Cena, the World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, and the ECW World Champion The Big Show engaged in a mini-feud leading to a Triple Threat match at Cyber Sunday, with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line.^[84] At the same time, Cena became involved in a storyline with non-wrestler Kevin Federline, when he began appearing on Raw with Johnny Nitro and Melina. After getting into a worked physical altercation with Federline on Raw,^[84] Federline appeared at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Championship during the match, helping King Booker retain his championship.^[77] 2006 ended with Cena beginning a feud with the undefeated Umaga over the WWE Championship,^[85] while 2007 began with the end of his storyline with Kevin Federline. On the first Raw of the new year, Cena was pinned by Federline with an assist from Umaga, although later in the night he was able to get his hands on Federline performing an FU on him.^[86]