Lucha Libre on Domingoes Familiares

Good vs Evil. Feats of strength. Speedos. Smoke bombs mixing with blinky lights. Masked men flying through ropes. And oh yes, glitter. There’s nothing quite like seeing Lucha libre on Domingoes Familiares, or family wrestling night at Guadalajara’s Arena Coliseo.

 

Wrestling in Worcester and Guadalajara

My brother and I witnessed this magic on a trip to Mexico in 2018. The last time we saw wrestling was in the big bad eighties when our parents took us to see Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and other assorted characters dazzle the crowd at the Worcester Centrum. I don’t remember much but I recall it was very heavy metal meets actual body slamming. My parents were kind of horrified by the entire scene while my brother and his friends couldn’t get enough.

Since then I’ve come to love wrestling’s spectacle and have long admired Lucha libre’s “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” allure. I never dreamed that thirty-odd years later my parents would retire near Guadalajara where my brother and I would recreate this cherished family memory Mexican style but hey, you never know were life will take you. If yours takes you to Guadalajara, go to Arena Coliseo and see los Luchadores in action. You won’t regret it.

A Slice of Guadalajara’s Lucha Libre Scene

During our visit we wanted to take in a bit of the local sports scene. My brother originally suggested we go see the Charros de Jalisco in a Caribbean Winter League baseball game, but the schedule didn’t work out. I can’t remember which one of us got hit with the Lucha libre lightning bolt, but after a few emails my mom arranged for a local guide to take us to Lucha libre on Family Night, and off we went.

The arena’s located down a dusty side street in a semi-shady, mostly safe side of town. Our driver politely declined our offer to join us for the matches as he bought our tickets. He told us to hold on to our wallets and cell phones, showed us where to meet him for the drive home, and left us to enjoy the evening. We had time before the first match so my brother bought my niece a blue souvenir luchadora mask and we walked around a bit. There wasn’t much to see so we went back to the arena and took our seats.

The arena was worn but spotless. An elaborate ramp led to a ring in the center of the arena’s wooden floor. Black curtains blocked any remaining sunlight so the arena’s colored lights would sparkle and beam with full force on the luchadores as they made their entrance. Ringside seats were about ten feet away form the action, and a chain link fence a few rows back separated cheap seats form the swanky.

Showtime!

It wasn’t a capacity crowd but it was a fun one—regulars bantered with the food vendors while kids ran around, giddy with anticipation of meeting their idols. At 6:00 the energy rose and the smoke machines kicked in. The announcer took his place, the lights got more intense, and a masked, white-caped Luchador materialized at the top of the ramp. Showtime!

Within seconds kids of all ages dotted both sides of the ramp. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like watching little kids cheer on a Luchador entrance. An ocean of tiny arms waved to high-five the Luchador as he made his way to the ring. He bent down to greet his fans and then hopped over the top rope into the ring to wait for his opponents. As he paced parents brought their kids up to the side of the ring where they kneeled and watched in awe as the remaining Luchadores made their way into the ring. The announcer cleared the fans and called the two main opponents to the ring’s center, stepped back, and it was ON.

Yes, you can tell it’s fake the second they start. Some guys mailed it in, others tried a little too hard. Moves were missed. Loud slaps weren’t followed by any reaction. A few Luchadores were off their meal plan, trying to hide extra pounds under long-sleeved Under Armour shirts. But who cares. American wrestling has NOTHING on Lucha libre.

There’s more acrobatics. Somehow, a little more tension. A lot more showmanship. I chalk all this up to the mask.

Behind The Lucha Libre Mask

Something mysterious happens to you when you put on a Lucha libre mask. You can’t help but change when you slap it on. Seeing wings, flames, or something similar on your face makes it easy to imagine how you, too could sail from ringside ropes and land on your opponent with the grace of a dancer to stop him cold in his tracks.

Needless to say, after two matches my brother and I were as crazed as the kids. We cheered, booed, and chided: “Come on,” my brother begged a tired Luchador. “Sell it – do it for the kids!!” We had a blast.

But not as much fun as the kids. It’s school-night-out perfection: There’s an early start time, refs who keep things moving, and just enough time in between matches for kids to greet their Luchador and get fun selfies to share on Monday morning. My brother and I did all these things, and can’t wait to go back.