SPORT HISTORY
Name
Course
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Sport History
Introduction
Wrestling remains one of the most controversial sports in history. Some people consider it a sport while others consider it a spectacle or a form of entertainment. This has compelled people to divide wrestling into amateur and professional types. Professional wrestling differs from amateur wrestling. Many people support the idea of amateur wrestling as a form of sport, while they consider professional wrestling as a form of entertainment. Wrestlers lose their authenticity when they decide to become professional wrestlers. The wrestlers in professional wrestling use different styles. They incorporate highflying acrobatics, fast moves, and flashy costumes.[1] This is meant to attract and please the crowds.
Lucha libre is a form of professional wrestling. American professional wrestling has abandoned the good versus bad ‘guy’ concept, which was common in the sport. It has instead opted for the weak versus the strong concept. Wrestlers can be both good and bad during a match. They decide on the character that suits them best, and the one that will enable them to win the match.[2] This is not the case in lucha libre, which continues to promote the idea of good versus evil in matches. Once a wrestler decides to take a particular identity, it becomes hard for him or her to abandon that identity and take a new one. Lucha libre combines both elements of sports and entertainment to create a unique concept, which reflects the Mexican culture and identity.
Lucha Libre
Mexican wrestling is known as lucha libre, which is translated as free wrestling. The wrestlers are known as Luchadores. It is an import from the US, and it was brought to Mexico by a promoter Salvador Lutteroth in 1933. The first wrestling matches involved wrestlers from the US, who had been hired by Lutteroth and his partner Francisco Ahumado. As the popularity of the sport grew in the country, Mexicans learnt the rules and techniques of the game and they personalized it to suit their culture. The sport developed a huge following. Many of the fans were the working class and it was extremely popular in highly populated areas. Tickets were often sold out and some people were turned away at the door. This led to the construction of a large arena which would hold 20 000 people.[3]
Lucha libre has become part of the Mexican culture, as it has included myths and traditional folklore.[4] The wrestlers incorporate the use of masks, which is not common in the US. Masks are an important part of the sport, as they add to the mystique of the wrestler. They enable him to embrace a new identity, which may be entirely different from his real identity. To some wrestlers, the mask becomes so important to them to the extent that they do not remove it even when they are outside the ring. Lucha Libre includes less hitting and more varying forms of acrobats than wrestling in the US. In addition, the wrestlers perform dare devil techniques, which are meant to intimidate and scare their opponents. Lucha libre prohibits actions such as eye gouging, removing an opponents mask when the match is going on, punches, and hitting or kicking the groin.[5]
Other than winning the games, the lucha libre wrestlers compete with each other as they fight the good versus the evil. There is a clear understanding that one side represents the good side of the society whereas the other represents the corrupt and moral side. The wrestlers also aim at retaining their national pride when they are fighting with their opponents, especially those from foreign countries.[6] The unique characteristics of Mexican wrestling have enabled it to have a devoted and loyal fan base. It is one of the most watched sports in the country. The audience is a big part of a lucha libre game. The people do not just cheer and encourage the wrestlers. They also engage them actively, often as a ploy to help their supporters. For instance, they will engage with the opponent wrestler in an effort to give the one they are supporting time to recover. Some wrestlers fall to this tactic and they end up leaving the ring and confronting the audience. In the process, their favorite contender gets the time he or she needs to strategize and win the game.[7]
Wrestlers choose different stage names when in the ring. The names are a form of identity for them and their audience knows them by their chosen names. Wrestlers are not limited to the type of name they use. They use different factors when coming up with their name. Some choose the names of popular characters and others opt for abstract ideas. Some will select a name based on a social factor such as race, ethnicity, and occupation. Some wrestlers name stand for their political stand.[8] Wrestlers have to work and train hard to get the required skills. Professional wrestlers often undergo six years of training, following which they get a license from the Worldwide Commission of Lucha Libre or the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which is responsible for setting the rules. The wrestlers’ goal is to make his opponent surrender. Unlike in the US, the wrestlers can win in the second or third falls. The sport can be performed by individuals, pairs, trios, or tag teams.[9]
There are two types of wrestlers in lucha libre. The ‘technicos’ or the technicians are generally the good guys. They generally follow the principles of the game and they respect the referees’ authority and the audience. Most of them are role models to the children.[10] The ‘rudos’ are the bad guys. They engage in crude behavior such as insulting the public, use deceitful tricks, and break the rules as they see fit. They engage in unfair practices such as using weapons to defeat their opponents. They are not as skilled as their opponents are and they often depend on cheating to help them win the match. The rudos distinguish themselves by the color and design of their masks. Their costumes are of dark colors such as black and brown with a mixture of red and purple. Their masks have devilish horns and other related designs. The costumes can be elaborate to represent their wealth.[11] The actions that the rudo performs are meant to incite the audience. The crowds are mostly composed of a struggling working class, and they yell and scream at the rudos. They consider the rudos actions similar to the frustrations and unfair treatments they receive in their workplaces. Their actions of yelling and booing the rudos are a way for them to voice their concerns. The wrestling arena provides a platform where they can do this without the fear of legal consequences.[12] In some cases, wrestlers change from good to bad.
Lucha libre differs from other forms of wrestling and sports involving bodily competition. The wrestlers rarely depend on their body weight as a form of strength. They do not spend a lot of time and resources building and gaining muscles. This is because the sport often depends on the swiftness and smartness of the wrestlers. The wrestlers incorporate different types of acrobatics and having a huge body will prevent them from using such techniques. [13]
The referees in a match are morally coded. Just like the wrestlers, they can represent the good or the bad in the society. Some referees are corrupt and they liaise with the rudos. Some of them can even participate in a match and hit the wrestler they are not supporting. They represent a corrupt system that does not care about the people. Such a system prevents the ordinary people from succeeding in life by exploiting them, just as the referees deny the technicos a chance to win by calling the match unfairly.[14]
Lucha libre appeals to the working class for several reasons. The sport helps them to pass time as it acts as a form of entertainment. In addition, many people find their voice during the match. They are able to speak about their concerns and the issues plaguing the society such as corruption and inequality. The audience identify with the wrestlers. The rudos represent the corrupt in the society. As the audience boos the wrestlers and yell at them, they feel that they are speaking against an oppressive and corrupt society. They use the arena as their voice and they rejoice when the ‘good guys’ win because it shows that the common people can also triumph despite the obstacles and challenges facing them. [15]
Importance and use of Masks
Masks have been part of Mexican wrestling since 1930s. The wrestlers enjoyed the concept of the mask to the extent that it became part of the sport.[16] Many wrestlers do not consider masks as part of their costume. They see it as a necessity and a mark of honor that enables them to avoid shame and humiliation. The mask gives the wrestlers the freedom they want. They can become whomever they want so long as they are wearing the mask. Wrestlers are able to bring out their hidden passion and their true talent when they are wearing the mask. They do not have to be afraid of what others will think about them.[17] Some posit that Mexicans use of the mask drives from the people’s cultural heritage, as people used to wear masks when performing rituals.[18] Many wrestlers began wearing masks following the success of the wrestler Jesus Velasquez in 1936.[19] Wrestlers who wore masks achieved success, and they were recruited for different television and film roles.
Initially wrestlers used the mask as a gimmick. However, they personalized the masks to suit the identity they wanted. Many current wrestlers continue to uphold the tradition of the mask. They fashion the masks to include elaborate designs and materials. They make masks with different symbols including animals, heroes, devils, and gods.[20] Wrestlers do not have to use one specific type of mask. They can change as they see fit. Some change the design and color of the mask but they choose to retain an identifiable symbol such as a letter.[21] However, most wrestlers choose to retain one mask, as it has already become part of their identity. The mask is such an important part of the wrestlers’ identity that he spends most of his life wearing it. For many wrestlers, only their families know their real identities since they only remove the masks when they are at home. Luchadores remove their masks when they are about to retire. This is because it signifies the loss of identity of the character that the mask represented. The wrestlers who do not wear masks have to shave off their hair.[22]
The Exotics in Lucha Libre
People associate lucha libre with machismo because of the daredevil techniques and the kind of wrestling that the luchadores do. However, there is a different side to the game, which seems to have a different approach on many things. The exoticos or exotics are the gay lucha libre players. They are different from the luchadores in many ways. Like the wrestlers before them, they have managed to personalize the game and the rules in a way that suits them best. They are mostly male and they wrestle when they have full make up on and feminine outfits. They flirt with the referee and blowing kisses to the crowd. The exoticos first appeared on the scene in the 1940s but they were less flashy than they are today. Back then, they did not wear any make up and they resisted from being overtly sexual in terms of their appearance and behavior.
Some of the wrestlers who participate in such matches have a different lifestyle outside the ring. Some of them play gay characters while they wrestle their opponents but they are heterosexuals in real life. They do this for the money, which they get from participating in the game. The audience rarely takes the wrestlers seriously because of their sexuality and they mock them while on the ring. The people hurl gay slurs to the wrestlers when they are playing. Straight wrestlers participating in the matches only do it as a comedy show for the audience. Although this form of lucha libre seems more entertaining, the exoticos have to work just as hard as the luchadores to prove their worth in the ring. They apply the same techniques and skills when wrestling and they face more ridicule from the audience.[23]
This form of lucha libre helps to raise awareness concerning equality and acceptance of the gay community in the country. By accepting this form of wrestling, the audience suggests that it is ready to accept the wrestlers as they are. The exoticos use their sexuality as a powerful strategy especially when they are competing with the luchadores. There are usually no rules against kissing, touching, and other sexual behavior in matches. The luchadores, or the homophobic wrestlers are afraid to get closer with the gay wrestlers. The exoticos use this as an advantage as they tempt and try their opponents in a sexually suggestive manner. They have an upper hand in the fight and they can end up winning the match because of the insecurities of their opponents.[24]
Impact and influence of the Media
The film industry was influential in popularizing wrestling in the country. Filmmakers used popular wrestling stars in the movies. They wrestlers were used in scenes where they fought off evil and promoted good. The same success was not realized on television. The televised wrestling matches were different from the live events. They changed the approach of the sport, as it became more commercialized for the benefit of attracting more crowds. There was much emphasis on violence among the wrestlers. Televised wrestling allowed the characters to play by different rules, most of which were similar to those in the US. The wrestlers understand that they will get a bigger audience if they use more violence. They do not exchange locks often but they tend to substitute them for more hitting. They use props as weapons and there is more bloodletting.[25]
The televised matches affected the live events. People preferred watching the wrestling matches in their homes rather than purchasing tickets for the live events. Because of this, many arenas where the live matches were played had to close down, as they did not generate enough revenue. Some people believe that many of the arenas closed down for other reasons. They blamed the new techniques employed to attract television matches, which occurred at the expense of the live events. People wanted to see the real Mexican wrestling and not the evolved television matches, which had changed the sport. Other people blame the economy for the closure of the arenas. They claimed that people could not afford to buy the tickets to the matches.[26]
Lucha libre faces controversies like wrestling in many other countries. Interested stakeholders such as promoters and companies continue looking for ways of attracting more profits and bigger audiences. They encourage the use of drama in the fights. Many question whether the fights are genuine at all. There are allegations of corruption and some do not trust the outcome of the match.[27] Like many games, the participants understand that they will attract more people if they use a lot of violence in the matches. They also understand the importance of varying the techniques used in their matches to keep the audience entertained. The goal of the wrestler in professional wrestling has ceased to become the winner. Instead, the wrestlers aim at shaming and humiliating their opponents in any way possible. [28]
Lucha Libre as a Sport and Spectacle
Some people describe professional wrestling as the soap opera for men because of the drama involved in it. A match involves characters playing different roles and using all manner of techniques to win a game. The wrestlers no longer have to identify with a single character that is either good or evil. Wrestlers can break the rules as they see fit and the referees do little to curb cheating in the matches. Those announcing matches praise the dirty techniques of the wrestlers and it has become legal to use weapons such as chairs and tables. In many cases, the match rarely ends when the winner is announced, as acts of revenge are usually common.
The wrestling industry in America refers to professional wrestling as sports entertainment. They do this for economic reasons as it exempts them from paying taxes.[29] They readily admit that wrestling incorporates many aspects of entertainment aimed at pleasing the crowds and drawing in more viewer ship. Some question lucha libre as a form of sport. They see it as more of entertainment and spectacle. Different elements of the sport make it a distinguishing factor. The combinations of different techniques including boxing and kickboxing, jujitsu, and judo add to the excitement of the game. In addition, there is high energy and high levels of acrobatics that add to the excitement of the game.
One of the most important distinctive elements of the game is the drama and theatrics involved in a wrestling match. The match combines story telling, suspense factors, comedy, and intrigue. The audience feels like they are watching a soap opera or a theatrical piece as they wait for the climax and ending of the story. The wrestlers do not shy away from the flamboyance and they can be extremely outrageous at times depending on the situation. The inclusion of athletics and daring acrobatics, which include flying in the air make lucha libre more entertaining. [30]
Real sporting action such as football engages the audience in different ways. The audience waits in anticipation as the competing teams work actively to win a contest. There is genuine competition and desire to win the game. Lucha libre is different, as it does not seem to follow the same principles. Like most professional wrestling sports, the outcome of lucha libre is often predetermined by the industry. The inclusion of dramatic story telling in the games make the audience feel that the players are acting more from a rehearsed script instead of genuinely competing for the title. In addition, there is the mystique and suspension created by the mask as well as the role of the ‘good versus the bad guys’ which add to the dramatic effects of the games. This element makes lucha libre more of a spectacle than a sport.[31]
Real sports involve contests between opposing individuals or groups. The participants have to compete with each other genuinely. No one can predict the results of the match between contestants. The stronger one or the one with the most impressive techniques ends up winning the match. This is not the case in professional wrestling. The results are fixed and some people are already aware of who will win and lose. The teams and individual participants are merely putting on a show by displaying more violence to the pleasure of the audience. The wrestlers perform as actors who are merely reading from a script and they have to convince the audience. Finley and Finley claim that professional wrestling is not a sport but a cheap form of entertainment that has managed to attract many fans.[32] They assert that it is a way for men to define their masculinity while wearing make up and showy costumers. The wrestlers learn the rules of the game. They learn techniques and methods to convince the audience that their performance is real.
Some people regard professional wrestling and lucha libre as a sport. The wrestlers have to demonstrate high skill when fighting each other. They have to train hard so that they can become efficient at what they do. The injuries that the wrestlers suffer are real. Moreover, the spectacular elements that are part of pro wrestling have become part of other sports as well. Players have found ways of personalizing their looks even if they have to wear similar uniforms when they play. They will shave their heads in a way that makes them more noticeable, display their tattoos and use markings on their faces that distinguish them from the other players. Lucha libre falls in both categories of sport and spectacle. Players and other participants in the match admit that the sport has entertainment value.
Bibliography
Ambrosi, Paula A., and Silvia D. Zarate. Mexico Today. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Mar 9, 2012
Beale, Lewis. “Who’s That Masked Man and Where Did He Learn to Wrestle Like That?” The New York Times, May 28, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/movies/28beal.html
Brick, Michael. “In Colorful Bouts, Hint of Deeper Struggles.” The New York Times, May 9, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/us/10wrestling.html
Brummett, Barry. Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics. New York: Peter Lang, 2009
Coombs, Danielle, and Batchelor, Bob. American History through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme Sports, Volume 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012
Duncan, Joyce. Sport in American Culture: From Ali to X-games. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2004
Finley, Peter S., & Finley, Laura L. The Sports Industry’s War on Athletes. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006
Garsd Jasmine, “In Macho Mexico’s Lucha Libre, the Lady is often the Champ.” (2013) viewed at: http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-in-macho-mexicos-lucha-libre-the-lady-is-often-the-champ/ on November 8 2013
Greenberg, Keith E. Pro Wrestling: From Carnivals to Cable TV. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2000
Joseph Gilbert M., Anne Rubenstein, and Eric Zolov. Fragments of a Golden Age: The Politics of Culture in Mexico since 1940. Durham: Duke University Press, 2001
Kreng, John. Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008
Levi Heather. The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity. Durham: Duke University Press, 2008
Mazer, Sharon. Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle. Mississippi: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1998
Pereda, Javier and Flores Patricia, M, “The Role of Lucha Libre in the Construction of Mexican Male Identity.” Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network 4(1) (2011): 1-15
Seiter, Ellen. The Internet Playground:
Children’s Access, Entertainment, and Mis-education. New York: Peter Lang, 2005
[1] Sharon Mazer, Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1998), 4
[2] Danielle Coombs, and Bob Batchelor, American History through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme Sports, Volume 1( Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012), 225
[3] Barry Brummett, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 160
[4] John Kreng, Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), 127
[5] Heather Levi, The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 15
[6] John Kreng, Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), 127
[7] Barry Brummett, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 164
[8] Ana Ambrosi P. and Silvia D. Zarate, Mexico Today ( Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012), 412
[9] Ibid., 410
[10] Ana Ambrosi P. and Silvia D. Zarate, Mexico Today ( Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012), 411
[11] Barry Brummett, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 168
[12] Ibid
[13] Ibid., 167
[14] Barry Brummett, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 168
[15] Ibid.
[16] Heather Levi, The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 104
[17] Barry Brummett, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 160
[18] Heather Levi, The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 105
[19] Ibid., 110
[20] John Kreng, Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), 127
[21] Ana Ambrosi, P. and Silvia D. Zarate, Mexico Today ( Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012), 412
[22] John Kreng, Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), 128
[23] Jasmine Garsd, “In Macho Mexico’s Lucha Libre, the Lady is often the Champ.” (2013) viewed at: http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-in-macho-mexicos-lucha-libre-the-lady-is-often-the-champ/ on November 8 2013
[24] Javier Pereda, and Flores Patricia, M, “The Role of Lucha Libre in the Construction of Mexican Male Identity.” Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network 4(1) (2011): 11
[25] Heather Levi, The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 205
[26] Heather Levi, The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), 211
[27] Ana Ambrosi P. and Silvia D. Zarate, Mexico Today ( Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012), 410
[28] Peter Finley, S., & Laura Finley, L. The Sports Industry’s War on Athletes (Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006), 70
[29] Gilbert Joseph, M., Anne Rubenstein and Eric Zolov. Fragments of a Golden Age: The Politics of Culture in Mexico Since 1940 (Durham: Duke University Press, 2001), 331
[30] Barry Brummett, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics (New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 158
[31] Ibid
[32] Peter Finley S. and Laura Finley L, The Sports Industry’s War on Athletes (Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006), 89