History of the lucha libre mask (Part 2)

I’ve already talked about the first masked wrestlers (Click HERE to read the first part), both foreigner and Mexican. But who will be the luchadores that would become legends wearing a mask? Since the subject of this column is about the masks, I will not go very deep on the career of the luchadores that I will write about up ahead. 

More luchadores began to get on the ring wearing a mask after Ciclón McKey and El Murcielago Velázquez: El Enmascarado de Chicago, El Fantasma Dorado and Mr. X, just to name a few.

El Santo in 1943

It will be around 1942, that another one of the luchadores to be considered a legend would make his debut on the Mexican rings, El Santo Enmascarado de Plata. I must clarify that El Santo or Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, started on lucha libre in 1934 as Ruddy Guzman, between this year and 1942 he had a couple more characters, El Hombre Rojo and El Murcierlago Enmascarado II.

This heavenly persona began his ways on Mexican wrestling mats, wearing a very different mask from the one we know today. With a quite simple design because of the material it was made (calfskin leather) and its only distinctive was the silver color.

Alejandro Cruz as Jungla Ortiz

Years later the precursor of high flying wrestling and another lucha libre legend, would appear in Mexican rings, Alejandro Cruz Ortiz better known as Black Shadow. When he first started in lucha libre, he wrestled under the name of Jungla Ortiz. Until 1947 the figure of Black Shadow had his first match.

In the lucha libre mask world, Black Shadow is remembered with El Santo, for starring the match that to date is considered in lucha libre to be the mother of all bet fights. The contest took place in November 7th 1952; Black Shadow lost the match and his mask after 70 minutes. With the ending of this fight it would bring a new rivalry for El Santo with Blue Demon, this feud is considered to be a historic one in lucha libre.

Blue Demon with his famous mask design

The last legend (in today’s column) to began his lucha libre path was Blue Demon in 1948. The Native of Villa de Santiago, Nuevo León, debuted with a blue leather mask. With the entry of new fabrics for the making of lucha libre mask, the evolution of Blue Demon’s mask was positive. From a simple mask it turned to a mask in which you could see the representation of horns and wings from a demon covering Blue Demon’s face.

I must emphasize in the fact, that these 3 legend debuted as masked luchadores, when that element had as main material for its creation leather, a fabric that its characteristics doesn’t allow to many creativity, so the designs in the first lucha libre masks weren’t various, being the color of the mask the only way to distinguish a masked luchador from another.

Evolution of the mask

In 1949 the color of the mask will no longer be the only distinguishable characteristic of the lucha libre mask, thanks to the introduction of a new material in the making of it, Satin. The use of satin provoked a revolution in the designing process of the mask, being El Santo the first luchador to wrestle with this fabric. And as in the case of whom made the first lucha libre mask, specialist can’t decide if Antonio Martinez or Ranulfo López made the first satin mask.

Along with the masked man in silver, two of his rivals would change from leather to satin masks, which they would take full advantage to have a more striking look. Black Shadow used a design similar to El Santo, a black mask with eyes shaped as a drop with white details.

While Blue Demon added 3 leather pieces that assembled formed (as I mentioned earlier) the horns and wings of a demon. A very creative design that turns Blue Demon’s mask in one of the best mask in lucha libre.

That’s it for this week, I’ll continue talking about the evolution of the mask, this time the design in the masks. See you next week.

Francisco Arreola

@fcoarreola