A night at the “Lucha Libre” in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Lucha Libre at the Arena Isabel, Cuernavaca, Mexico
A few years ago group of us decided, more or less on a lark, that it was time to go see some Lucha Libre, or Wrestling, Mexican style. Some of us in the group had lived in Mexico for over 30 years (me, in particular), without ever having viewed this very popular Mexican martial art first-hand.
This particular Sunday, we arrived at the Arena Isabel – a somewhat seedy looking place I’d passed by hundreds of times over the years without ever venturing in – when the evening match had already started. We paid our ticket fee at the dark little entrance booth (where a scaly sign pointed out that anyone over 3 years old must buy a ticket, and which should have given us an idea of what kind of crowd and atmosphere we’d encounter inside) and walked in on the Syka vs. Gardenia Babe fight. The arena contained an enthusiastic and fairly large crowd of spectators, including a great number of women and children of all ages… almost more of them, in fact, than of men.
In Mexico, wrestling holds about it a sense of myth and mystery. Wrestling costumes are elaborate and colorful, made of satin and sequins, and almost always incorporate a mask which covers the wrestlers face and converts him fully into that heroic or evil character who secretly dwells within the wrestler and lets loose only on those special occasions when he’s in the ring.
On this night, we were presented with an entire series of matches in escalating size and fervour – Syka vs. Gardenia Babe was followed by a double, with two pairs of wrestlers aptly called Labyrinth and Hammurabi vs. The Sinister Barons II and III. The third and final match, after a brief but welcome intermission, was a triple and featured – yes, you got it! – none other than M.S. Dos, along with Tamuz and Euforia against the Genius Hazam, Achilles and Anubis
Lucha Libre fights make for a highly and theatrically animated show. The wrestlers play to the audience, giving them a high-energy act that features exaggerated visual and sound effects as the bodies get flipped, trodden and twisted. One gets the feeling that the whole production is highly staged and choreographed, rather than being a serious test of brawn. In Lucha Libre, the fight is by no means carried out exclusively within the ring. In fact, some of the moves specify activity that has to be performed outside of the ropes and practically among the spectators, making everyone feel a part of the evening’s show and stirring up the adrenalin.
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