Two luchadores talk about the freestyle wrestling legacy south of the border
By Cesar Arredondo
For Mexican wrestlers Canek Jr. and El Hijo de Fishman, lucha libre has been a part of their cultural upbringing and a family affair. Now the popular sports genre also gives them a chance to play superheroes with fantastic powers like in comics books and a la Hollywood style.
Both luchadores are part of a new cadre whose wrestling characters now go beyond what, until recently, was the norm in Mexico and even the United States. Canek Jr. and El Hijo de Fishman star in Heroes of Lucha Libre, a scripted series in which wrestlers arrive at the ring with a backstory to compete against rivals for special rings said to be key to harnessing the forces of nature. Playing a Mayan god and a warrior, respectively, the wrestlers try to prevail in a fight between técnicos and rudos in the mythical world of Therraton. The 11-part series is available on Crackle Plus, a free streaming ad-supported video-on-demand network.
Family Traditions
Heroes of Lucha Libre has brought new experiences for the two Mexican wrestlers, who have spent years on the ring following in the footsteps of their fathers.
“What I love the most is the production (element), the way it’s revolutionized lucha libre,” says El Hijo de Fishman, adding that the audiences’ response to Heroes of Lucha Libre has been positive.
For Canek Jr., performing in arenas of reportedly up to 12,000 people is a big accomplishment. “It’s an acknowledgment of (your) work, one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve experienced,” he states and also notes the VIP treatment Heroes get, from catering to hotel to transportation.
Both luchadores say they are proud of their roots and the Mexican tradition of lucha libre, a unique form of freestyle wrestling populated by masked characters, some of whom have become legendary in Mexico and even movie stars. The genre has proven popular in Mexican-American communities in the U.S., of late among young American-born and Mexican-by-heritage millennials.
“I was born into lucha libre,” says Canek Jr. whose name pays tribute to his professional wrestler father. “I would see my dad wrestle when I was little,” he recalls. “I’ve got lucha libre in my blood. My dad is Canek and he still works the ring.”
Lucha libre is also a family affair for El Hijo de Fishman–his name means Fishman’s son in Spanish. His father was a top Mexican wrestler in the 1970s and 1980s who retired in 2000. Fishman senior passed away a few years ago. El Hijo de Fishman has two brothers who also are professional wrestlers.
Popular the World Over
So popular is freestyle wrestling south of the border, especially in the nation’s capital that lucha libre was declared an intangible cultural heritage of Mexico City by local authorities. “It’s part of our culture,” says Canek Jr., who notes that luchadores masks and toys are popular among Mexicans. This has carried on in the U.S. with Lucha Libre iconography, events and TV shows.
Robert Rodriguez El Rey Network premiered Lucha Underground in 2014 and ran it for four years. Netflix featured the documentary Nuestra Lucha Libre and even on Etsy, the e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items, you can find hundreds of vendors selling clothing, luchador masks, and other items dedicated to the lucha libre lore.
Masks add an air of mystery to wrestling. “They are part of a luchador’s magic and we never take them off, not even for family gatherings nor at home,” states El Hijo de Fishman, sporting his signature green mask with yellow designs. “A luchador is (like) a hero, just like Batman, Spiderman, and Superman. We luchadores are Mexican heroes.”
Luchadores are loved the world over. In 1970 one of the most famous of Mexican luchadores Mil Marcaras (1000 Masks) traveled to Japan for the first time inspirng many Japanese wrestlers such as Gran Hamada, Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mask) and Jushin Thunder Liger.
Heroes of Lucha Libre was created and produced by Joaquin Vodanovich and Alejandro Ortiz, with the latter also writing the series. The show is distributed worldwide by Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company and the supplier of exclusive and original content for Crackle Plus.
Crackle linear and video networks are reportedly available in the U.S. and can be accessed on up to 27 devices and services by the end of the year, including Amazon FireTV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and XBoxOne), Plex, iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktops at Crackle.com.
Featured photo: Heroes de Lucha Libre (Crackle)