Even for people who don’t know much about Lucha libre wrestling, the name Mil Mascaras should still be familiar. The man is a titan of the wrestling industry and one of the most influential Mexican wrestlers of all time. His countless bouts put Mexican wrestling on the map and showed the world that Mexico was putting out top-tier talent.
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The famed masked wrestler has competed in some of the biggest companies in the history of wrestling and even made a few appearances in some major matches. Whether anyone knows a bit or a lot about him, there seems to be a never-ending spout of information to learn about Mil Mascaras.
10 He Is Regarded As The First Worldwide Luchador
It might be hard to imagine these days thanks to how much of a global phenomenon wrestling as a whole has become, but for some time, Lucha libre was mostly stuck in Mexico. When performers did leave Mexico, those performers were traditionally seen as heels.
Mil Mascaras bucked that trend and became one of, if not the first, faces to break into popularity across the world. He competed in some of the biggest companies in North America like WWE and even WCW and even made his way to compete in Japan.
9 He Was Also A Movie Star
Some wrestlers try their hand at acting when their careers are over, but generally, that career move doesn’t work out all that well. Not everyone can be The Rock or John Cena, but Mil Mascaras was in a league of his own.
The man has appeared in roughly twenty films over the span of his career starting back in 1966 with the self-titled film, Mil Mascaras. His most recent role came back in 2015 in a movie called Aztec Revenge. It’s worth searching up at least one of the films to experience the bizarre greatness.
8 He’s Even Appeared On Mexican Stamps
There aren’t too many wrestlers who become national icons. If anyone pointed to a North American wrestler that might come close to that, it would be The Rock, but it's probably fair to say that he doesn’t stack up to Mil Mascaras in this regard either.
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Mil Mascaras is a Mexican icon, and as such has been honored in countless ways. One of the simplest, yet major ways was when he was included on multiple official postage stamps for the country. Being a strong ambassador for his home country, it’s clear the people there love him.
7 He Has Never Been Unmasked In A Match
Every wrestling fan should know about the importance of a luchador’s mask. For a lot of old-school luchadors, there are few fates worse than being unmasked to the world. It’s that very thing that should make Mil Mascaras having never been unmasked make sense.
Just because he hasn’t been unmasked doesn’t mean his mas was never in danger. He’s competed in countless Luchas de Apuestas matches and came out victorious every single time. Mil Mascaras managed to claim seven different luchador’s masks over the course of his career.
6 He Has A Bad Reputation When It Comes To Selling
Some people might be excited to hear what the likes of Mick Foley has to say about someone as legendary as Mil Mascaras, but unfortunately, there were some negative words. Apparently, Mil Mascaras is a bit of a notorious no-seller.
Chris Jericho and even Billy Graham are just a few men who have shared similar sentiments about Mil Mascaras. It’s a hard reputation to have, but it likely came from his old school background and just how highly he is held back in his home country.
5 He Set A New Standard For Luchadors
When most people think of luchadors, they probably think of smaller performers running around and delivering high-octane action. While that’s definitely a fair thing to picture, Mil Mascaras set a new standard for what a luchador could actually be.
While not the largest man in the world, Mil Mascaras was considered to be a heavyweight around the world. That type of billing likely only made his high-flying style all the more exciting to see, as it could be argued that he was well ahead of his time.
4 He Is The Man To Thank For Dive Spots
Everyone loves a good dive spot as long as a match isn’t filled with them, and Mil Mascaras might be one of the biggest performers to thank for that very thing. The much-beloved tope suicida was just one of the techniques Mascaras showed off to Japanese fans.
The awe of seeing a man flying through the air at his opponent is something that wrestling fans have always loved, so it only makes sense that the moves caught on further. Although, those who dislike the overuse of dives might have less than appreciative words for the luchador.
3 He Was The First Masked Wrestler In Madison Square Garden
While Mil Mascaras certainly holds a number of fantastic and unique accolades, he also holds a couple of stranger ones. One of the strangest is that he was actually the first masked wrestler to compete in Madison Square Garden.
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The reason for this was that MSG had previously upheld a rule against masks thanks to a New York law at the time. It seems that the rule was dropped in MSG, at least in part due to plenty of pressure, thanks to the sheer draw that Mil Mascaras was.
2 He Eliminated Himself From The Royal Rumble
Wrestling fans will remember the 1997 Royal Rumble match as being the first of the three that Stone Cold Steve Austin would win. What others may not remember is Mil Mascaras’s, among many other Mexican stars who failed to thrill the WWE audience, participation in that very match.
The thing was, in that match, Mil Mascaras tossed himself out of the ring, eliminating himself from the Royal Rumble. He did a dive over the top rope to continue attacking an opponent, something that resulted in his elimination. The moment was confusing for most people, so it’s generally regarded as a high-profile Royal Rumble botch.
1 Much Of His Life Is Shrouded In Secrecy
Since so much respect is given to luchadors in Mexico, it should come as no surprise that Mil Mascaras’ life is actually quite private. In fact, people probably wouldn’t even know his name if he hadn’t wound up performing in movies.
Aside from his family, and probably also close friends, most people don’t even know what Mil Mascaras looks like out of his mask. Some may hate that, but many more respect his commitment to his role as a historic luchador that changed the way everyone views wrestling.
- Wrestling
- WWE
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