Wrestling occupies a unique cavern within my soul. I could spend the next twenty years in cryogenic stasis only to wake up and immediately use the handiest piece of tech available to browse the net for wrestling news. I'm a lifer.
Through my somewhat obsessive fandom, I've galavanted across the globe to immerse myself in the various styles of grappling from every culture. Even though Mexico is America's proverbial next-door neighbor, their version of pro wrestling and the contrasting philosophies behind it couldn't be further removed from the style in the States. Unlike America, which only began to present its wrestlers as superheroes in the 80s, Mexican wrestlers have been comparable to superheroes since the 50s. The key figure behind the association is El Santo.
In Mexico, El Santo was the equivalent of Superman. To capitalize on the luchador's immense popularity in the ring, the Mexican film industry began to churn out countless films starring El Santo. Within the confines of the celluloid, Santo battled everything from gangsters to witches and monsters. If you're into B movies and don't mind piecing together a plot without the benefit of dialogue, I highly recommend checking out his work on YouTube. Some benevolent souls have uploaded a slew of his slugfests on the website, and they're all glorious in their own way.
I included one of my favorite scenes in the video linked above to whet your appetite. In the video, El Santo and Captain America—yes, you read that correctly—battle a horde of evil Spider-Men and Disney's lawyers. It's a hilarious scene, and I hope you enjoy it.
