“El Santo” is the ring name of Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, one of the sport’s most famous luchadores and also a movie star. Lucha libre is a form of professional wrestling practiced and popularized in Mexico, a variation of theatrical wrestling found in the United States under the WWE. In lucha libre, competitors wear colorful masks and perform high-flying acrobatics to encourage the public. Although many outside of Mexico think of films like Nacho Free or shows like ¡Mucha Lucha! when they hear “lucha libre”, the sport is appreciated in its country of origin and Mexico has even declared it “intangible cultural heritage of Mexico City” (via Lucha Central).
The history of lucha libre cannot be told without mentioning Huerta or “El Santo”, one of the defining figures of the sport. El Santo first appeared in the ring on July 26, 1942 and slowly rose through the ranks, donned a silver mask and cape and became bigger than any luchador before him. Many people were said to identify with El Santo, making him a folk hero. He has transcended international and industry boundaries and been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (via WWE). He also transcended the struggle, becoming a popular star in over 54 films during his beloved career.
Many of El Santo’s films show him fighting supernatural creatures or enemies from his wrestling career. Santo vs. the Terror Riders is more of a classic western than anything else. El Santo rides a white horse to match his white mask and cape, and in the film he goes after a band of outlaws who used a group of runaway patients as scapegoats for their many crimes. Playing the role of the valiant hero, El Santo promises to donate the reward from the outlaws’ capture to a local orphanage. Despite the more “grounded” story, El Santo still has moments to show off his wrestling prowess.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
Santo vs. the evil mastermind was the luchador’s first featured performance. In this 1961 film, El Santo plays a character named El Enmascarado, although always called El Santo outside of the film. An action horror film, El Santo is captured by the evil Doctor Campos (Joaquín Cordero) who brainwashes him into following Campos’ orders. It’s up to El Santo’s partner, El Incógnito (Fernando Osés), to free him and the others who have been brainwashed. Many of El Santo’s films feature a legitimate wrestling contestwhile this one simply has El Santo getting into the fight in the film’s plot, which makes the action more natural despite the low budget.
In Santo in Revenge of the Weeping Woman, El Santo and his friend Mantequilla Nápoles (José Mantequilla Nápoles), a real boxer, investigate the grave of Eugenia Esparza. In the tomb, they discover a map to buried treasure but with the warning that if they do not recover the riches, Eugenia will murder her own child, since she has become La Llorona. El Santo never fights the creature, but his makeup is as gruesome and frightening as La Llorona in any modern character. Conjuring adaptation. Wrestling and boxing matches are interspersed throughout the film even though they have nothing to do with the actual story.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
Operation 67 is El Santo’s first color film and is a luchador’s point of view on a James Bond movie. Far from being a James Bond scam, Operation 67 This almost seems like a prototype for Austin Powers in the way it exaggerates international film tropes of the mysterious man. At the beginning of the film, El Santo is shown lounging on a beach, surrounded by women; when the camera reverses, it is revealed that the beach is a room in his huge house. Bond must travel the world to meet women, not El Santo. He only leaves to stop a Hong Kong crime syndicate that has entered Mexico.
Watch on Fubo
