Wrestlemania season is upon us. People from all over the world will be descending onto the world of wrestling. There will be indie shows, divas and the legends of professional wrestling. One of the many things to get excited about, is reliving the past and revisiting the times that made you a fan in the first place. The best place to do that is the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony. In the past, Latino wrestlers have been inducted to the Hall – Pedro Morales, Tito Santana, Carlos Colon and Eddie Guerrero are just a few of the luchadores, so the value of the Latino contributions and dollar have been recognized. It is a disappointment that not one of Mexico’s favorite wrestlers are being inducted this year. Here are five of the greatest luchadores who should be in the WWE Hall of Fame and we can only hope will be added sometime soon.
Rey Mysterio
From Mil Mascaras to Psychosis to current fave Kalisto, Mexico’s Lucha Libre style has been less ground oriented and far more high flying and perhaps no wrestler best embodies that more than Rey Mysterio. Starting at the tender age of 14 (trained by his uncle, the original Rey Mysterio), Rey learned the ropes traveling throughout Mexico before getting his big break in AAA in 1992 while the organization itself was establishing as an alternative to powerhouse CMLL. Rey was so electric and understood so well that it wasn’t that you could do acrobatic moves but WHEN to do them in the context of the story. ECW stole him, then WCW stole him and then he conquered WWE. He is still so valuable that his presence is absolutely vital to the continued existence of Lucha Underground. His HOF induction will be sooner rather than later.
Dos Caras
The father of current WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio and the brother of legend luchadore Mil Mascaras, Dos Caras is, quite simply, the greatest heavyweight champion Mexico has ever produced. Starting in the early 1970s, Caras was very similar to his brother with a high flying style and donning a mask. Over the years he added more weight and mat skills while keeping his mobility to make him a better overall wrestler. What really set him apart from so many other greats was he was the young talent that the Universal Wrestling Association built themselves around when they branched off from CMLL. Its no coincidence that UWA’s popularity and influence declined along with Caras’ skills. Still doing the occasional bout, Dos Caras is a legend deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Gory Guerrero
The patriarch of the Guerrero clan, Gory is synonymous with Lucha Libre on both sides of the border. Learning at the tender age of 16, Guerrero started in EMLL ( the forerunner for Mexico’s biggest promotion) and quickly rose to a level of popularity where he was included in the El Santo films. Later striking out on his own, Guerrero made El Paso, Texas his personal fiefdom. His shows followed his ideal of the athleticism and blood. And those shows kept selling out week in and week out. Out of everyone here, Gory is the innovator. For all intents and purposes, he invented the camel clutch. McMahon has much love for the Guerrero’s so it’s puzzling that Gory has yet to be inducted.
Blue Demon
Like comedy and the Christian God, there is the holy trinity to Lucha Libre, the next person on this list – Blue Demon. Starting later than most listed here (at age 22), Blue Demon drew more money and more cheers than anyone else. He started as a tag team heel but then switched to become so popular, everybody started stealing the idea (including a certain Dusty Rhodes). He never unmasked, even in his films. He took his character so seriously he was even buried in his mask. THAT is dedication!
El Santo
And finally there’s the man, the legend, the literal saint, El Santo. Some of you reading this grew up with John Cena. Others came of age during Stone Cold’s reign while still others worshipped at the altar of Hulkamania so I say this, in all seriousness and no hyperbole, none of them in the States matched the popularity of El Santo in Mexico. It wasn’t just that he sold out arena after arena from the 40’s through the 80’s or that every masked wrestler owes their career, it’s that Santo developed the template for EVERY wrestler who has reached crossover appeal. Oh, the Rock is a movie star? El Santo did it first. The Undertaker has a comic book? El Santo did it first. Sammartino met the Pope? El Santo did it first. There pretty much isn’t anything that El Santo didn’t do including making other people legends like Gory or Blue Demon or Perro Aguayo or countless others. He is the one man that remade the entire industry in his image and the fact that he is not in the WWE Hall of Fame is more than an omission. It’s a crime.
