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408--Mexico: Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) @ Site News     Feb 18 2008 - 20:51 PST cherie writes: No trip to Mexico is complete without experiencing Lucha Libre (or free fighting.) These silly acrobats (or Mexican wrestlers) come in all shapes and sizes. There’s usually the old guy, the fat guy, the midget, and of course an entire gang of freaky guys wearing masks and colorful tights. The luchadores (wrestlers) saunter into the arena accompanied by smoke and fireworks. The crowd goes wild, as everyone puts down their snacks and cheers for their favorite masked man. Wearing costumes that seem like their grandma designed them, the worst luchadores fight first. The comedy starts early on and the fighting gets “better” as the night rolls on until finally a fighter like Mistico (by far the overall favorite) battles it out with his arch nemesis (the bad guy of the week.) The masked-wrestlers taunt the crowd, catapult themselves across the ring and pounce on each other with little remorse. Then the loser is forced into submission and “punished”. The wrestling may be “fake” but the fans are real. Here is a glimpse into the world of Lucha Libre. Prepare to enter a realm where grown men wear pink masks. This match was held in Pittial, a small town outside of Puerto Vallarta. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 5486    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   This masked Mexican wrestler (or luchador) is about to jump into the crowd. You too can purchase your very own Mexican wrestling mask at every Lucha Libre event! Prices for ring-side seats cost about $20 USD. What color would you like your sugar? Greg standing in the popcorn line. (You can also buy chips, churros, cerveza and corn-on-the-cob.) Wrestling fans must be properly attired. The arena in Pittial holds about 4,000 spectators. Who is your favorite wrestler? Don't forget the cotton candy. The arena is packed with lucha libre fans from little girls to old men. Let's get ready to cheer (or jeer!) This luchador scans the crowd for a "victim." You simply must give me the name of your costume designer. Excuse me, did you know there's a gold octopus on your face? It's not the right time of year for Santa. "El Viejo" or "the old guy" throws candy to the children. That's a chubby "spiderman" taking a tumble. Is there anything more romantic than Mexican wrestling at sunset? Men in tights fighting. That's going to hurt in the morning. That blue-thing is about to tackle you. Beware of blue men in silver speedos. Tough choices...join the fight or stay out? This ring can't contain these guys for long. Fans line up to get a closer look as the luchadores enter the arena. A wrestler bows to his adoring fans. Did his grandma put that outfit together for him? Don't leave the event without your Mexican wrestling doll. Flying luchadores. The ref steps in. The arena is packed with Mistico fans. Which is more frightening: the mask or the chest hair? Mom, can you please sew some skulls on my purple tights so I look more scary? You never know when lightning is going to strike. Bill and Karen in their masks. You'll get no sympathy from the guy in plastic pants. Now the horns come out. Who are those masked men? We may never know. Some wrestlers have a special talent for pissing off the crowd. Fighters explode from the ring. I always knew that shoulder-pads would make a come back. The midget. They all gang-up on the small guy. There's no forced retirement, so wrestlers come in all ages. Fear the fringe. Another luchador appears through the smoke. The next batch of wrestlers enter the ring. Mistico is the crowd favorite.(How else can you explain grown men wearing pink masks in public?) Who needs rules in a fight? Mistico is "almost" dis-masked, the ultimate punishment. A pint-sized Mistico fan.