History of the lucha libre mask (Part 1)

This is the first time I publish something in English in the site. So I wanted to talk about something that is representative of lucha libre, the mask. It’s kind of a long topic, so I had to divide it in four entries. Let’s start from the beginning.

The First masks

How do masks get to lucha libre? As the sport, the lucha libre mask has its debut abroad. The Year was 1933, in the United States at a Forth Worth ring the mask appeared for the first time ever, covering Jim Atts’s face. The idea gain some popularity in the States, a few months later in a wrestling show at the Madison Square Garden another wrestler would be seen with a mask, he was the Masked Marvel.

Although the idea of having masked wrestlers proved to be popular in the United States, the concept was dropped very soon. Apparently some members of the audience didn’t like the idea of a masked man on the ring. Maybe the fact that the wrestler hid his face behind a mask generated some distrust among the public. At the end masked American wrestlers disappeared.

Despite its failure in the US, it wasn’t long enough before the idea of the mask got to Mexico. In 1934 a masked luchador appeared for the first time in a Mexican ring. Gordon “Ciclon” Mckey started the tradition of masked luchadores in Mexican Wrestling. Mckey concealed his identity behind the mask of La Maravilla Enmascarada or the Masked Marvel (I don’t know if he is related or if he is the Masked Marvel from the US). The first mask was made of Calfskin leather. Some stories say that Mckey wasn’t glad with the initial result, but months later, he would return for more masks. 

But who was the person in charge of making the first mexican mask? This is where lucha libre specialists simply can’t agree. Good thing there’s only 2 candidates: Antonio Martínez and Ranulfo López, they both made wrestling footwear. 

El Murcielago Enmascarado Imagen via http://bajolascapuchasmx.blogspot.mx/

Now, about the first Mexican masked luchador, well there would be one until 1938. Jesús Velazquez Quintero was the first luchador to use a mask, he was better known as El Murcielago Velazquez o El Murcielago Enmascarado (The Masked Bat). He knew how to combine the mask with other elements to make his character stand out. He would become a huge name in the first years of lucha libre. Also, he was part of the first Mask vs Hair match in lucha libre history in 1939, when he fought Octavio Gaona. Velazquez lost the match and the mask, revealing the face of the one who years later would write movie scripts, including a few lucha libre movies.

This is all for today, next Tuesday I will talk about the evolution of the mask, plus, the origin of some of the most important lucha libre masks. See you next week.

Francisco Arreola

@fcoarreola