Last Updated on December 13, 2021, 1:06 PM | Published: December 11, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Lucha Libre (Free Fighting) is one of the most popular sports in Mexico – soccer being the most popular- and it is finding its way into Oklahoma City’s south side.
Lucha Libre was granted Intangible Cultural Heritage status in Mexico City in 2018 after more than a hundred years since its origins. The status, coined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), validates the sport as an intrinsic part of Mexico’s cultural fabric and gives the wrestlers better access to welfare, health, employment, and overall social security.
Today, Lucha Libre still offers fans in Mexico and other parts of the world an affordable entry cost to a lively entertainment showdown where wrestlers fly, slap, grab, kick, step, and fight each other for honor, pride, and recognition.
The sport’s popularity originated more than a century back when underprivileged fighters wearing masks became superheroes for a night.
The main purpose was to give the spectators of the show an affordable and stellar entertainment experience, explained the owner of Fenix International Wrestling Edgar Sierra to Free Press.
The local Lucha Libre promoting company, owned by Sierra, invited multiple luchadores (male) and luchadoras (female) to fight inside the D’Gala Event Center on Southwest 29th West of South Shartel Avenue.
Angel Meneses and his son attended the Lucha Libre event in Oklahoma City to catch Psycho Clown in action.
Mexico City’s own Psycho Clown comes from a famous lineage of wrestlers – the Alvarados – and starred in the main fight. He is Super Porky’s son who made appearances in the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE).
Meneses has followed Psycho Clown for over 9 years and his son became a fan 3 years ago.
“Events like this one are important to Oklahoma because it exposes its residents to Mexican culture. It is good for us who can’t go to Mexico to see it and for people like my kid who have never experienced this kind of event,” Meneses told us.
“Here in the heart of the Hispanic area of OKC, on SW 29th Street you are starting to see events like this where Lucha Libre is being presented, bringing me back to beautiful memories,” OKC resident Daniel Perez told us.
The showdown
The anniversary showdown began with the rookie fighters Corporal Punishment (Tulsa) and Wayne Black (OKC) wrestling each other within the elevated squared roped ring.
The ring was made in Mexico, transported to Oklahoma, and assembled on location for the show.
After the Oklahoma wrestlers fought, Rey Vampiro (Vampire King) from Dallas challenged Guerrero Divino (Divine Warrior) from San Luis de Potosi, Mexico, artistically performing the Lucha Libre also known as Mexican Wrestling.
As the matches progressed, the luchadoras and luchadores mingled with each other, the crowd, and the referee. The eclectic and energized atmosphere inside the Southside OKC building was gleaming with Mexican heritage.
The event was a free-for-all. Crowds, wrestlers, referees and the emcee – Sierra himself – all participated and dared each other as the event unfolded.
The crowd cheered and booed their favorite wrestlers deemed as heroes and villains.
“Otra, otra, otra, … ” (“another one, another one, …”) yelled the crowd asking the fighters to do another acrobatic and punishing move against their opponent.
“Fuera, fuera, fuera …” (“out, out, out, …”) also resounded from the daring audience throughout the night.
The emcee mostly sided with the audience and, as one of the main instigators, was sometimes mocked by the wrestlers.
The masked referee not only took care of the safety and the count-downs but also received and inflicted a decent amount of punishment inside the Lucha Libre arena.
The chaotic, fun, and energized atmosphere has a lot to do with the wrestlers and their personalities.
The fighter sometimes agreed with the crowd and some others flipped the attendees off to continue fighting for their pride and honor.
December 10th of 2021 was the first day in Oklahoma’s history where there was a Cabellera versus Máscara (hair versus mask) showdown between a luchador and luchadora.
Sexy Diamante (Sexy Diamond – Zacatecas, Mexico) fought Invasor Astral (Astral Invader – Tlaxcala, Mexico). Invasor Astral lost the challenge and his ponytail after Sexy Diamente knocked him out in an extraordinary comeback.
“I love Sexy Diamante. She fights and fights. She never surrenders and that is something that motivates me, women, and anyone who is a fighter in life,” Patricia Molina told the Free Press after the fight.
Molina,63, is originally from Mexico City. She lived in California before coming to the South Side of Oklahoma City 21 years ago.
“Lucha Libre is important to our culture, I think because deep down we are aggressive at heart, [we are] fighters. That is what fighting is about. It is about fighting for our lives. Fighting, for us, is like knowing how to survive. Fighting is like something that wakes you, that motivates you and it is very important,” she told Free Press.
The Femenine Championship was contested between the Brazilian Claudia Solis and Lady Sensación from Mexico City.
After Lady Sensación held her title, a tribute to one of Mexico’s recently passed luchadors followed.
Fighters, crowds, and emcee altogether did a homage to Super Porky, also known as Brazo de Plata (Silver Arm).
Psycho Clown starred in the main fight next to Sol Azteca (Aztec Sun) as they both fought the obscure Hijo del Monje Negro (Black Monk’s Son) and Clon X (Clone X) from Monterrey, Mexico.
Psycho Clown and Sol Azteca did a double finish and won the main fight while kids and adults cheered them on.
Corrections — In the original version of this report we got the name of the promoting company wrong in two places. It has been corrected to show that Fenix International Wrestling was the promoter.
Pablo Angulo is a Colombian OKC-based freelance journalist and photojournalist with a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma.
