Lucha libre, cultural phenomenon, brings Hispanic heritage to the Bay Area

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Each time they mask up with their shimmering predator-like costumes, inspired by Mayan and Aztec soldiers, they’re preserving Hispanic culture one wrestling move at a time.

Pro Wrestling Revolution is a little gym with big energy in San Jose, where lucha Libre, or Mexican wrestling, comes to life.

"It’s a spectacle," said lucha libre student Emanuel Zavala. "I’ve been watching it since I was a kid."

It’s much more than a hobby for the luchador, Spanish for wrestler.

El Cucuy gets all suited up like a comic-book character.

The fighter won’t reveal his true identity behind the mask, part of the mystique.

"It’s a way to escape reality," said El Cucuy. "Normally, what I do under the mask, I’d feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to do in person."

A few nights a week you’ll find him working up a sweat in the ring, and if you think this is just for men, you’d be wrong.

A luchadora, or female wrestler, like Karisma, who is a teacher by day, has proven she’s a worthy opponent, taking on men and women alike.

"Why the heck not?" said Karisma. "I want to show little girls and up-and-coming women that we can be strong and powerful yet feminine female athletes and do all the same things at the men’s level."

Promoter Gabriel Ramirez, who runs the gym, and coaches Lucha, has made a career out of it.

"It’s a cultural phenomenon," said Ramirez. "It’s who we are. It’s what we do. It’s part of our history. It’s part of our culture."

Ramirez organizes competitions all over the Bay Area, including the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose, and around the world.

"The biggest misconception that people think is that you have to be Latino to be a luchador and that’s the furthest from the truth," said Ramirez.

Karisma is not Hispanic but has learned to love the culture through lucha libre, just like the spectators who grew up aspiring to one day compete in the ring.

"We had a trampoline in the backyard," said Victor Robles, a student of lucha libre. "So we would go outside, and you know we would really play it out with matches, like, and so I’ve always loved it."

But while the injuries are very real, critics will point out, this type of wrestling is fake, or at least staged.

"So that’s like the big ‘f’ word, right, fake," said Ramirez. "And I think people use the word fake because they have trouble understanding what we do. Why has no one ever stood up in a movie theater and yelled ‘Hey that’s fake!’ Because you’re allowing yourself to go watch this movie, and you give yourself, and you’re entertained. You go home happy."

"It’s magical," said Karisma. "It’s all about tradition."

You can catch all the excitement of lucha libre bringing Hispanic culture to the Bay Area and beyond all year long. 

Pro Wrestling Revolution's next event is October 26 at 7 p.m. at Mount Pleasant High School in San Jose.