I've always thought that professional wrestling was a uniquely American phenomenon-- something about huge, brawny men performing in a faux-struggle strikes me as appealing to specifically American tastes, but that's not exactly the case.  In actuality, U.S. professional wrestling has been highly influenced by Lucha Libre, a Latin American take on pro wrestling.  In the spirit of our upcoming Latino sports spotlight, I decided to look into Lucha Libre a bit more.

American Pro Wrestling is dominated by WWE and "Sports Entertainment"-- the emphasis of the wrestling that I grew up watching was always on storylines, character-building, and other showbiz glitz.  This breed of pro wrestling rose to prominence in the 1980's, but the tradition of pro wrestling goes back much further.

Lucha Libre became a national phenomenon in Mexico during the 1940's when a mysterious wrestler in a silver mask called "El Santo" (The Saint) turned up in the ring.  He became a cultural icon, being featured in comic books, toys, and cartoons, perhaps setting the precedent for all the wrestling personalities that would emerge later on.  Luchadores (that's the spanish word for Lucha Libre wrestlers) also pioneered a number of the more spectacular moves that viewers have come to love watching.  In general, the style of wrestling practiced by Luchadores is far more acrobatic than the slow fighting styles of more 'traditional' North American wrestlers, and a number of the 'high-flying' wrestlers that have found success in American wrestling were highly influenced by Lucha Libre.  So next time you see a spectacular aerial maneuver on cable televesion, thank El Santo.