Every hub of professional wrestling has that central figure that sits above all others. For the States, the biggest example would arguably be Hulk Hogan, for the UK it's easily Big Daddy, and for Japan, either Rikidozan or his students, Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba. For Mexico, the most historic territory of all, there have been no bigger stars from the world of lucha libre than the legendary El Santo.
Whilst those others might dip into the mainstream culture on occasion, El Santo became a major part of Mexican culture as a whole. Tales of his mysterious identity, and the lengths he went to protect it, were just as storied as the actual feats he accomplished. His fame extended beyond the mat, stretching from Arena México all the way to the film reels of Mexican theaters. As famous as the likes of The Rock or John Cena might become away from wrestling, they could never hope to reach the heights of El Santo.
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The Rise Of The Saint
Born Rodolfo Guzman Huerta in 1917, it didn't take long for him to try his hand at lucha libre. His brother took to the ring first, competing as Black Guzman, and pioneered the fast-paced, aerial style of lucha libre, having invented many variations of the headscissor takedown. El Santo's first recorded match occurred in early 1934, going by Rudy Guzman. Showing a great talent at such a young age, he was brought to Mexico City and signed with EMLL, the oldest company in wrestling history.
To differentiate himself from his brother, Huerta took on many names over the next few years. Finally, after a number of different gimmicks, Huerta donned the silver mask and took up the name of El Santo in the summer of 1942. In contrast to the label of "The Saint", El Santo wrestled as a dastardly and vicious rudo, known for brutalizing his opponents. El Santo soon struck up a partnership with Gory Guerrero, the patriarch of the famed wrestling family, as La Pareja Atomica. His days as a tag team competitor spawned his most fierce rivalries with Black Shadow and Blue Demon, Los Hermanos Shadow. Though maintaining his heel persona, El Santo soon found himself becoming cheered by all.
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El Santo Becomes A Pop Culture Phenomenon
In 1952, El Santo debuted in a new medium — comic books. Created by Jose G. Cruz, El Santo comic books saw the silver masked luchador taking on all sorts of foes, from the common criminal to monsters and supervillains. The books mixed drawn art with photos of El Santo, building his legend. The success of these books led to an entire genre of lucha libre comics, with El Santo's tales spanning multiple series, and even outselling Superman.
The biggest transition in El Santo's career was in taking his talents from the wrestling ring to the silver screen. El Santo took up an offer from a filmmaker and former wrestler Fernando Osés, making two films together in 1958, but couldn't find a distributor. Then, in 1961, El Santo's third film, Santo vs. Los Zombies hit theaters to rapturous acclaim. His previous unreleased films were snapped up as eager studios looked for more Santo movies. Santo went on to star in over fifty films, with some even being dubbed in English and released in the United States. To be more in line with his cinematic portrayals, Santo became a brace tecnico in the ring, becoming beloved across the board.
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The Legend Of El Santo
The myth of El Santo was just as famous as the man himself. Reportedly inspired by tales of The Man in the Iron Mask from 17th century France, El Santo was incredibly secretive of his identity and was never seen without his mask, not even around his fellow wrestlers. To facilitate this, Santo even had a variety of masks, some with wider mouths for eating, some for formal occasions, and supposedly different ones made for the warmer and colder seasons.
As Santo's stardom grew, the mystique did too. El Santo's character is only ever unmasked in one film, revealing his face to the love interest of the piece. However, he faced away from the camera, and even then, Santo insisted on using a body double. Further still, all of Santo's speaking roles were dubbed over by another actor. Regardless of the script, Santo remained masked, leading to some odd movies where he would play characters, such as a police chief, that inexplicably always wore a silver luchador mask.
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Publicly, there are two instances El Santo was unmasked. Testifying in court, Santo was not allowed to wear his mask. Instead, he wrapped his face in bandages and wore sunglasses, saying that he was involved in a 'wrestling accident'. The only time Santo showed his face came in 1984. He appeared on a talk show with fellow luchadors, and unprompted, lifted his mask to reveal much of his face for the first time ever. Ten days later, El Santo passed away of a heart attack at the age of 66.
El Santo was a cultural icon, surpassing all of his peers, and cemented himself in the collected conscience of an entire country. He will be tied to lucha libre culture forever, and eighty years since the first appearance of the silver mask, El Santo is destined to be remembered as the greatest luchador who ever lived.
