Do you remember your first time?Was
it in an intimate setting with just you and a single partner, or did a whole group
get involved?Was there lots of
sweating, lots of grunting and groaning?Was it everything you expected?Did it leave you wanting to come back for more?
I can distinctly remember my first time.I was just 3 years old.Yeah,
that’s right.We got started early in my
family.I was 3 years old the first time
I attended a live wrestling event and it definitely left me wanting to go back
for more.
I was living in East Los Angeles and I
remember how excited I was that night in 1971, and my adrenaline was flowing
not just from the anticipation of the upcoming live wrestling event, but
because it seemed like my Stepfather and I were in danger of being late for the
start of the event.I can remember my
Stepfather hopping our back fence so that we could take a shortcut to the bus
stop and my Mother trying her best to help me up the side of the chain link fence
so that my Stepfather could pull me over the other side.We then crossed the huge dirt lot that was
part of our neighbor’s property, a lot that would become bigger still in about
a year when their house burned down.I
must have been a little bit of a sadist as a kid because I remember as the
whole neighbor watched that family’s house burn to the ground; my very young
uncle and I were munching on popcorn as we watched the blaze.
My Stepfather and I had managed to catch the bus that would take us to
the wrestling venue, and I would stare out the window of the bus at the lights
of the city, with wonder as they contrasted with the darkness of the night
while also trying to imagine what it might be like when we arrived at our
destination.Finally we had arrived at the
historic Olympic Auditorium on 18th and Grand in Downtown Los
Angeles.We finally took our seats which
between the fact that they were probably fairly high up in what was a packed
house, and the fact that I was only a little kid, made the ring seem as if it
were a world away.I could see cigarette
hovering above the ring and I stared in wonder at the men with funny little red
and white striped paper hats who with unerring and amazing accuracy, could toss
a bag of peanuts to the waiting hands of anyone, regardless of how far away
they were.
I slowly ate my bag of roasted peanuts while watching the wrestling
matches, and I wish I could tell you who wrestled in those matches prior to the
main event or even on what exact date the event took place.But those facts escape me.What doesn’t escape me was the fact that the
main event was something I knew was of great importance.I don’t remember what events, what angles had
led up to this particular event, but I knew that it meant something.For in the main event, the bitterest of
enemies in Southern California wrestling, not only at that time, but perhaps in
all of Southern California wrestling, were about to engage in a war.And “Maniac” John Tolos and Freddie Blassie
didn’t disappoint.
What I can also tell you is that I was in the minority.I wasn’t in the minority because I was a
Mexican-American, hell, in the Olympic Auditorium you were probably in the
minority if you weren’t.I was in the
minority because I was there to root for John Tolos.Blame it on my upbringing if you will, but
this 3 year old would be cheering for a man nicknamed “Maniac.”John Tolos was the most hated wrestler in Los Angeles at this time
and was the definite “heel” or “bad guy” in this feud that had stretched back
to the summer of the previous year. By contrast, Freddie Blassie with his
sequined and colorful outfits, sometimes accessorized with a sombrero, had
definitely endeared himself to the hearts of the fans, many of whom were
Latinos.
Finally the main event began and a chill ran down my spine as the
combatants were introduced.And the
match did not disappoint.It was a
melodrama, and being seated so far from the ring, the epic battle was almost a pantomime
of sorts, with the only audible sounds or soundtrack being the screaming of the
fans.The match consisted of peaks and
valleys and I sat with my eyes and attention riveted to the moral play
unfolding in the ring.There was blood…lots
of blood…and I remember having to fight off breaking into tears as I saw
Freddie Blassie bite into the head of my then-hero John Tolos.
If I remember correctly, Blassie won that match, much to my disappointment.However to my delight, Tolos would return to
fight another day.Their feud would become
the stuff of legend, and all throughout their 4 four years of battling off and
on, they’d participate in every conceivable type of match against each other,
including stretcher matches, cage matches, matches involving brass knuckles,
chain matches, and “Gladiator Death matches.”They would even return many years later in 1980 to square off in a tag
team cage match.Blassie would be in his
early 60’s in this one and while the match was hardly a classic and the arena
was less than half full, the “pop” they got from the crowd made it seem as if
there were many more in the crowd than there actually was.
The first wrestling “maneuver” that I ever learned was the “corkscrew”
that John Tolos used on the temples of his opponents head.My stepfather was gracious enough to
demonstrate it’s effectiveness on me and I in turn couldn’t wait to show my
brother how effective it was in producing a headache.
But why did a 3 year cheer for such a hated guy like John Tolos?I guess I didn’t know any better.On the other hand, I think I did.Tolos was compelling, magnetic, and both his presence
in the ring as well as his unique and intense interviews made you want to watch
his every move, hang on his every word.While the goal of Tolos and the storylines may have been to make the
fans hate him, more importantly, the goal was to get us to watch him.And watch him we did, he and Blassie
both.That year in 1971, the two would
meet at the Los Angeles Coliseum in August and set what was then a record gate
for a wrestling event as 25,847 fans paid $142,158.50 to watch Blassie defeat
Tolos 2 falls to one in their “battle of the century”.
And as a whole, pro wrestling itself was still very compelling at that
time.Even if we had the technology
available back then, I guarantee you that no one would have been sending or
checking their text messages or updating their facebook status.For the only status they were concerned about
was what was going on in a 20 x 20 foot ring and the only world they knew for 2
hours or so was the world within that arena.And just as the world outside the wrestling arenas have changed so have
the worlds inside them.- RR
It was hot and it was itchy and there was no way I was getting rid of it.Thankfully, it didn’t require a trip to the free clinic.
America's Heavyweight Champ
I was living in East Los Angeles, it was October 31, 1971, and on this Halloween, the highlight for my 3 year old self wasn’t a big bag of candy, it was the fact that I was wearing a lucha libre wrestling mask for my costume.And it wasn’t just any wrestling mask; it was a replica of the kind that Mil Mascaras wore.Unlike the following Halloween, where my parents dressed me up as The Devil (complete with a long pitchfork) and dropped me off at a conservative Church function, this Halloween was memorable in a way that wouldn’t require later therapy.
Halloween has always been a favorite holiday for me and this time was no exception.The mask seemed to transform me in a way that few other costumes have since, and in addition to the fact that it made me feel empowered, almost like a superhero, I loved the positive attention I received from other trick or treaters.
It probably wasn’t surprising that I’d feel that way, for the Luchadores of Mexico seemed to be more than just wrestlers.They did in fact project the image of being true to life superheroes.For along with the masks they would often wear colorful robes or ring jackets and often capes as well.And in the case of Mil Mascaras, he was often portrayed as a Superhero type in the movies he starred in, whether he was fighting gangsters, Mummies, or other Supernatural creatures.
I wonder if he felt the same way when he’d don one of his many colorful masks?For while Aaron Rodriguez would distinguish himself as an amateur athlete, both as a competitive bodybuilder and as a National level Judo competitor in Mexico, it was as Mil Mascaras that he would reach legendary, perhaps even heroic status.And while on that Halloween he had only been wrestling in the U.S. for 3 1/2 years, he had certainly already become a hero of mine.
Initially wrestling under the name Ricardo Duran, Rodriguez would soon adopt the identity of “Mil Mascaras” the Man of a Thousand Masks, debuting in Guadalajara, Mexico in July of 1965.Larger than many ofhis fellow Mexican wrestlers, he competed as a Light Heavyweight and won his first EMLL Mexican National Light Heavyweight title in Mexico City on June 12, 1967 from El Espanto, who had in turn won the title from Lucha Legend El Santo.Mascaras would win the title yet a second time from El Nazi on October 15, 1967 before eventually vacating the title on March 22, 1968 as he set his sights on wrestling in the United States.
And I was only one of many who would be grateful that Mascaras always had great ambition.For when Mil Mascaras arrived in Mike LeBelle’s Southern California territory in the Spring of 1968, he brought with him an exciting repertoire of high flying lucha moves and wrestling holds and counters.His charismatic presence and wrestling skills combined with his colorful wrestling attire (which included beautiful capes, ring jackets, and an incredible selection of masks) to help him make an immediate impact and attract a huge following. He was truly a ground breaker, as he would experience success that other masked luchadores, including the Legendary El Santo and Blue Demon, hadn't experienced in the United States.Wrestling in singles matches as well as teaming up with former WWA World Champion Pedro Morales in tag matches, it would only be mere weeks before Mascaras defeated Buddy Austin 2 falls to 1 in a tournament final at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium for the vacant America’s Heavyweight Championship (L.A. area) on June 6, 1968.
Mascaras would hold the title for 3 months before losing it to El Mongol and leaving the area before returning to L.A. in the early part of 1969.He quickly resumed his winning ways and regained the title by defeating the Sheik on April 25,1969.By this time the WWA World Title had been retired for 5 months and the America’s title was now the most prestigious title in the area which was now affiliated with the NWA.Over the next couple of years he would feud with such wrestling greats as Freddie Blassie, John Tolos, The Sheik, and Black Gordman over the America’s title and Mascaras would hold the belt a total of 5 times.And in addition to those bouts for the area’s top single’s title, he would also wrestle Dory Funk Jr. to a draw and would also wrestle to a draw with “The Destroyer” Dick Beyer, beginning a friendly yet competitive rivalry.
Also during that same 2 years Mil Mascaras would be a co-holder of the America’s Tag Team titles, winning it twice with tag partner Alfonso Dantes and a third time with Ray Mendoza from tag team legends Black Gordman and the Great Goliath.He also rounded out his collection of titles in the area by being a part of the America’s 6 man tag team champions on 3 occasions.
Dubbed “The Superman of Wrestling” by LeBelle territory publicist Jeff Walton, Mascaras would capture the hearts and minds of the Los Angeles wrestling fans and would soon capture the attention of wrestling promoters and fans worldwide.Mascaras continued his International exposure by wrestling and winning his first match in Japan against Kantaro Hoshino on February 19, 1971.He immediately established himself as an attraction in Japan and went on to tour the country numerous times over the next few decades. While creating a legacy for himself in the Land of the Rising Sun, he also paved the way for other Mexican wrestling stars to regularly tour the country, something that contributed to an ongoing talent exchange that would help evolve the International wrestling scene. While he faced the top Japanese stars like Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Tiger Mask II in single or tag matches, and even challenged NWA World Champion Harley Race in 1980, his most memorable matches in Japan were the ones he had against fellow masked legend “The Destroyer.”
Picking up right where they left on in L.A., their encounters never failed to captivate the Japanese audience or those who still discover those classic matches on video nearly 40 years later.The 2 top International masked wrestlers in history put on displays of technical mat wrestling that were memorable not only for fans, but to the participants themselves.
“He was the best competitor that I ever wrestled,” Beyer said when the Cauliflower Alley Club honored Mascaras in 2006.“He never gave you anything ‘it’s true’, but I didn’t give him anything either.You talk about a shoot or half-shoot, and that’s the kind of match that it was.” (1)
Mil Mascaras was in such demand that he would travel constantly around the world to wrestle, commanding top money as he was a great box office draw.While he ventured there less frequently, he never neglected his home country of Mexico and one of his returns there included a match with Lou Thesz on July 26, 1975 for the UWA Heavyweight title that resulted in a draw.
1975 would also see Mascaras winning the IWA heavyweight title, a title that he would successfully defend against such standouts as Ernie Ladd and former WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff. While in the U.S. he was most popular on the West Coast and in the Southwest, thanks to the sharing of wrestling film among promoters as well as the extensive coverage that Mascaras received in the wrestling magazines, other parts of the U.S. clamored to see the masked star as well.
On December 18, 1972, New York’s MadisonSquareGarden would lift its ban on masked wrestlers allowing Mil Mascaras to make his MSG debut against the Spoiler, whom he defeated with his signature flying bodypress in a little less than 8 minutes.The WWWF and MSG would both play host to Mascaras on several other occasions, including two occasions where Mascaras challenged Superstar Billy Graham for the WWWF Title in what were exciting matches in December of 1977.
With all of his travel, being constantly on the move to fulfill his many wrestling bookings around the world, we saw less and less of Mascaras in Southern California.But he would still manage to find his way out to our area a couple of times a year. Those were always highly anticipated events, especially among those fans, who like me, were of Latino Heritage.
He was the Latino that I could look up to at the time.In the 70’s most of the Latinos who appeared on television were portrayed as uneducated, often in roles of gardeners and maids and with success just outside of their reach.And up to that point in real life, the only Latino that the young males in our family looked up to was our Uncle Jessie.He was muscular and strong and was a good street fighter.As young kids, we found that appealing and admirable.It wouldn’t be long however, that I correctly realized that my Uncle Jessie also happened to be a chronic Dumbass who couldn’t keep himself out of jail.
Mascaras on the other hand, carried himself with dignity, was almost Regal in his manner (some would say arrogant), was successful at what he did, appeared on television, was strong and muscular, and (in his movies at least) drove kick-ass cars and got hot chicks!And I didn’t recall ever seeing him being led away in handcuffs.
So in between his visits to L.A.I would enjoy the weekly wrestling television broadcasts from the Olympic Auditorium, always enjoying what I witnessed, but always hoping to hear of Mascaras’ next visit.And when my Stepfather’s supply of the magazines that he kept under his mattress would run low, I always knew that I could go to the hall closet and pull out his “Ring” Boxing magazines and the few Pro Wrestling magazines that he had.I would enjoy reading about the wrestlers that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with, and also hunt for anything that I could find on Mascaras.
With such titles as “Mil Mascaras: ‘The Time had come to tell all’ ; What he looks like without his mask” and "What I look for in a Woman: By Mil Mascaras", I would be captivated by the words of fiction that were written as well as the pictures of my masked hero.
And as could be expected, when Mascaras did visit Southern California, the box office ticket sales would dramatically increase wherever he appeared.The air would be filled with excitement and anticipation, with many fans wearing replica masks as they cheered “The Superman of Wrestling” as he challenged the area’s top heel.
However, while I was thrilled to watch his matches on television, sadly, I never got to see Mil Mascaras wrestle in person before the LeBelle Wrestling territory closed at the end of 1982 or before the Olympic Auditorium ceased hosting wrestling matches regardless of which promotion was running them.
I saw less and less of Mascaras over the years, although he appeared on occasion on the undercards of the occasional U.S. promotion televised program.In the early 80’s at the age of 16, I purchased tickets for a WWF event at the L.A. Sports Arena, mere months before the angles that led up to the very first Wrestlemania were to begin. With front row seats, The Sports Arena event would be a spectacular and memorable event for my cousin and I, with “Mr. T” in the audience being taunted by the wrestlers, “Dr. D” David Shultz slapping a fan around not long before he did it to John Stossel, and Hulk Hogan would successful defend his World Title against Big John Studd.But the main attraction that lured me there, causing me to take 3 or 4 buses to get to the venue, was Mil Mascaras participating in a 6 man tag match with the Samoans against WWF Tag Champs Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, along with manager Lou Albano.Although Mascaras was in a tag match and would probably spend less than 10 minutes in the ring, it was a thrill to see him in person for the first time!
Nearly 20 years later, long after I thought the opportunity had passed me by, I had the opportunity to meet Mil Mascaras in person in the Spring of 2004.I didn’t quite know what to expect, as in the interim, with the advent of the internet, the demise of kayfabe, and my progress from a kid into a mature adult, I had heard different things regarding Mascaras and I wondered if the experience might taint my memories of him.
In spite of some of the things that I had heard, he was humble, gracious, friendly, and with a perpetual smile, seemed genuinely honored to hear that he had provided so many with such great memories.It was a dream come true to meet him and perhaps more importantly, he allowed my fond memories of him to remain intact, and sealed his legend in my eyes.I would also witness him wrestle in a match a couple of months later, and being just shy of his 62nd birthday, he looked incredibly fit!
While famed Southern California venues like the Olympic Auditorium are no longer playing host to wrestling or to Mil Mascaras, his accomplishments in the wrestling world have not ceased.In 2009 he was inducted into the NWA Hall of fame and in July of 2011 he participated in a match to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his debut in Japan.The following year he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April of 2013.2 months later, just 1 month shy of his 70th birthday, Mil Mascaras would defeat rising star Samuray Del Sol.And just one month before the time of this writing, Mil Mascaras won a match in Japan on April 11, 2013.
Mil Mascaras… The Man of a Thousand Masks, a Thousand holds, and countless more memorable wrestling moments. - RR
You can view a 1973 match between Mil Mascaras and the Destroyer on my Youtube channel by clicking this link: http://youtu.be/W5pN1r7DxaQ
Do you remember your first time? Was
it in an intimate setting with just you and a single partner, or did a whole group
get involved? Was there lots of
sweating, lots of grunting and groaning?
Was it everything you expected?
Did it leave you wanting to come back for more?
