The Wrestler who saved the World PART 1: Secret Origins
For a long time, it has been stated that the very concept of masked superheroes started with the comic book adventures of THE PHANTOM or the GREEN HORNET Radio show back in 1936. It could even go back to 1919 if you consider the pulp adventures of ZORRO. But I will postulate that the very idea of the masked athletic hero found its origins further back in the mid 1800s, with an enigmatic Frenchman from Alsace who may just have, unwittingly, sparked the mystique that would lead to a gigantic industry rife with myriads of Masked Marvels flaunting their considerable physical prowess and strength. More on this later, but first:
I grew up in Montréal, Québec and was pretty much like any typical boys from my neighbourhood. And whereas I may not have been much into sports like Hockey or Baseball, I did enjoy watching Wrestling on French television, where I could marvel at the brawny antics of Mad Dog Vachon, André the Giant (Named here ''le Géant Ferré'') or Gilles ''The Fish'' Poisson. Once in a while, there would be a mysterious wrestler, invariably ''From Parts Unknown'', who would perform wearing a colourful mask that would engulf his whole head. It could either be the inscrutable UFO, or the pugnacious DESTROYER, who had even wrestled a bear back in the day. This was always particularly exciting for my young unspoiled brain because I was also an avid comic book reader, and the combination of the secret identity and the athletics conferred to the masked wrestler a vaguely superheroic quality.
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| The popular DESTROYER aka Dick Beyer. |
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| From parts unknown, the mysterious UFO. |
Masked Wrestlers go back, WAY Back. Back to 1865, at the Paris World's Fair, where a wrestler named Theobaud Bauer performed for the first time using a mask to hide his identity, egging on and challenging the growing crowds of onlookers. The gimmick worked so well he started touring France with a travelling circus and in the 1870s, moved on to the United States to stun the English speaking crowds.
Jump ahead to 1915, as some enterprising fight promoters decide to organize an international wrestling
tournament at the Opera House in New York. They were hoping their roster of international grapplers would attract the crowds, but the seats were just not being filled. Then a mysterious masked man sitting in the front row near the ring started demanding the right to fight the pugilistic stars. For a couple of months, he sat at ringside, starting to grow public support for his involvement. Wrestling promoter Samuel Rachmann ''gave in'' to the public outcry, and the "Masked Marvel" entered the ring, defeating a series of opponents.
Turns out it was all a gimmick, set up to attract the attention of the papers and create publicity. And it worked beautifully, leading to an actual bit of investigative journalism by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, who revealed in December 1915 that the Masked Marvel was in fact a guy named Mort Henderson. The paper went as far as calling him ''the life-saver of the International Wrestling Show''.
His winning streak ended eventually, but a fad was born, as promoters found that the public LOVED a mystery man.
As an aside, if the whole gimmick seems familiar to comic book fans, they have to look no further than the origin of SPIDER-MAN in Amazing Fantasy #15, as Peter Parker creates his web-slinging personae to make money through a similar scheme. All this to find out, of course, that ''with great power comes great responsibility''.
The mask became a great way for a wrestler who had started to lose popularity in a certain area to find new life as a Mystery Man. For who could tell a burly rassler's body from another one.
Meanwhile, In Mexico, wrestler Enrique Ugartechea first came up with a new ''free style'' of wrestling in 1863, but no enmascarados were performing yet. With their current cultural monopoly in the field of Masked Wrestlers, one would think they created that particular sub-genre in itself. There even exists a myth that the Mexican masked wrestler came from Aztec Inca or Mayan traditions, but the reality is much less romantic. In 1936, a Mexican wrestling promoter saw ''Cyclone'' McKay perform on stage as The Masked Marvel in Texas, and decided to bring him to Mexico where he was an instant hit as El Maravilla Enmascarado, inspiring numbers of imitators and starting a major cultural trend. They had bought in into the gimmick lock, stock and barrel. And Local promoters were eager to get into the game. (Some other historical accounts mention a different unnamed masked American wrestler who would have come from Chicago to wrestle as El Enmascarado in 1934, to be followed 2 years later by McKay. But since he remains unknown, we'll have to give credits to McKay as the first Masked Wrestler to step South of the border.)
It is rumoured that a young medical student named Mario Nunez was considering leaving wrestling to finish his studies, but instead opted to wear a mask and become El Enmascarado in 1934, thus becoming the first Mexican to be a masked wrestler, even predating McKay. But no proofs exist to support that fact. By most accounts, one of the very first Mexican wrestler to adorn a mask ended up becoming a true legend of the sport. I will let André Dubois take over to talk about The Man in the Silver Mask; El Santo:
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| The athletic and stunningly mustachioed Theobaud Bauer, without his mask. |
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| An editorial cartoon published in Le Charivari on November 9, 1867, banking in on Theobaud Bauer's popularity, portraying ''the future'', as the one true Masked Wrestler, waiting only to challenge anyone in the crowd to a fight. |
Turns out it was all a gimmick, set up to attract the attention of the papers and create publicity. And it worked beautifully, leading to an actual bit of investigative journalism by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, who revealed in December 1915 that the Masked Marvel was in fact a guy named Mort Henderson. The paper went as far as calling him ''the life-saver of the International Wrestling Show''.
His winning streak ended eventually, but a fad was born, as promoters found that the public LOVED a mystery man.
As an aside, if the whole gimmick seems familiar to comic book fans, they have to look no further than the origin of SPIDER-MAN in Amazing Fantasy #15, as Peter Parker creates his web-slinging personae to make money through a similar scheme. All this to find out, of course, that ''with great power comes great responsibility''.
The mask became a great way for a wrestler who had started to lose popularity in a certain area to find new life as a Mystery Man. For who could tell a burly rassler's body from another one.
Meanwhile, In Mexico, wrestler Enrique Ugartechea first came up with a new ''free style'' of wrestling in 1863, but no enmascarados were performing yet. With their current cultural monopoly in the field of Masked Wrestlers, one would think they created that particular sub-genre in itself. There even exists a myth that the Mexican masked wrestler came from Aztec Inca or Mayan traditions, but the reality is much less romantic. In 1936, a Mexican wrestling promoter saw ''Cyclone'' McKay perform on stage as The Masked Marvel in Texas, and decided to bring him to Mexico where he was an instant hit as El Maravilla Enmascarado, inspiring numbers of imitators and starting a major cultural trend. They had bought in into the gimmick lock, stock and barrel. And Local promoters were eager to get into the game. (Some other historical accounts mention a different unnamed masked American wrestler who would have come from Chicago to wrestle as El Enmascarado in 1934, to be followed 2 years later by McKay. But since he remains unknown, we'll have to give credits to McKay as the first Masked Wrestler to step South of the border.)
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| ''Cyclone'' McKay, who is the inspiration for a generation of enmascarados in Mexico. |
It is rumoured that a young medical student named Mario Nunez was considering leaving wrestling to finish his studies, but instead opted to wear a mask and become El Enmascarado in 1934, thus becoming the first Mexican to be a masked wrestler, even predating McKay. But no proofs exist to support that fact. By most accounts, one of the very first Mexican wrestler to adorn a mask ended up becoming a true legend of the sport. I will let André Dubois take over to talk about The Man in the Silver Mask; El Santo:
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| Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, AKA El Santo |
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| El Santo as he looked early in his career. |
In the late 30s, a 16 year old Rodolfo
Guzman Huerta went from training at the Police Casino Gym in Mexico City to performing professionally as a Rudo (a villain) called el hombre
rozo (the Red man). He then changed to Murcielago 2 (The Bat number two). The thing is, he never did ask permission from The Bat number One (Murciélago Velázquez, who is also considered by some to be the first Mexican Masked Wrestler) about taking that mantle, so he had yet again to assume a new personae. Inspired by both Dumas THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK and the PHANTOM, he decided to join the ranks of the technico (a hero) with his new identity: The Saint (EL SANTO) Also known as el enmascarado de
plata (the man in the silver mask) a 25 year old Rodolfo had chosen his fate, and from that day in 1942, he would never put down the silver mask that would follow him to the
grave.
His commitment to his mythic character was so strong, he has maintained by and large his real identity a secret, like any good superhero worth their salt, and cultivated that myth with a long series of films and comic books, transforming him from a simple athlete to an adventurer, scientist, spy and hero. His legend is such in Mexico, and especially in his hometown of Tulancingo, that he is now honoured by statues, a museum and even a boulevard bearing his name.
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| Murciélago Velázquez, probably the first Masked wrestler of Mexican descent. |
His commitment to his mythic character was so strong, he has maintained by and large his real identity a secret, like any good superhero worth their salt, and cultivated that myth with a long series of films and comic books, transforming him from a simple athlete to an adventurer, scientist, spy and hero. His legend is such in Mexico, and especially in his hometown of Tulancingo, that he is now honoured by statues, a museum and even a boulevard bearing his name.
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| El Santo's statue in in birth town of Tulancingo |
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| Museo de El Santo located on Boulevard Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, El Santo. |
In the second part of this article, we will cover Santo's career in film and the dawn of a new kind of superhero in the movies.
In the meantime, feel free to stop by this artist's shops to check out some luchador themed wares.
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| The PAST PERFECT Zazzle store, with a growing selection of Geek and luchador items to sell. Click this text to offer your patronage. |
http://myluchalibrelife.blogspot.ca/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/mexico-city/travel-tips-and-articles/lucha-libre-an-introduction-to-mexican-wrestling/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d2760c4d
http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/information/masks/
http://theundefeated.com/features/on-this-day-in-latinx-history-mexican-wrestler-el-santo-is-born/
https://bklyn.newspapers.com/
http://www.thisdayinpopculture.com/2016/12/december-8-birth-of-modern-wrestling.html
http://www.prowrestlinghistoricalsociety.com/bauer-prof-thiebaud1.html
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