Lucha Aerea: a style of lucha libre that is prominent in Mexico and Japan. Know as high-flying wrestling in North America, lucha aerea is fast-paced and dangerous. In Mexico, wrestlers that practice this style of wrestling are often called voladores (fliers). Voladores are small in stature and physique, choosing to develop the muscular mass of small gymnast rather than a large body-builder (as is typical in North American wrestling).Luchador Mil Mascaras is known internationally as one of the greatest fliers, a title that is non-withstanding in Mexico, where his flying skills are lack-luster, compared to many other great luchadores. Currently wrestler, Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, is one of the most popular voladores in the world, having wrestled in Japan as Komachi, in Mexico as El Mistico, and most recently in the United States (through the WWE) as Sin Cara.
Lucha de Cuerdas: literally, wrestling of the ropes, lucha de cuerdas is a style of lucha libre, in which luchadores use the ropes of the ring for leverage in a match. Cuerdas (ropes) may be used to bounce off of during an aerial move or to hold on.
Ras de Lona: literally, on the level of the canvas. Ras de lona wrestling, is a style of lucha libre that is caracterized by its heavy use of candados and castigos. Visually it is reminicient of Greco-Roman wrestling. Its name comes from that fact that much of this wrestling happens on the floor (hence on the level of the canvas). Additionally, Ras de Lona is a television show featuring news from Mexico's CMLL empresa.
Pique: a heated feud between two luchadores. Piques will usually warrant media attention, and thus are a great way for promotores to push the careers of a luchador. Most piques will end with a lucha de campeonato or a lucha de apuestas (although sometimes the pique will be extended if it proves to be popular by allowing the loser to get his revenge match. Piques will sometimes prove to be so popular that careers will be built around this. Famous piques include, El Santo and Blue Demon, trios Los Brazos and Los Villanos, and recently Los Psycho Circus and Los Perros del Mal.
Screen-caps from the infamous end of the Brazos vs Villanos pique, in which three Brazos lost their masks in a single match--something unheard of to this day.
Padrino: Spanish for Godfather, in the context of lucha libre, a padrino is the luchador that sponsors or mentors a new wrestler (though not always) through during his first match as a professional. A padrino will most often present a new luchador with his equipo and his mask, if he wears one, (though he did not necessarily purchase it) as a gesture of welcoming him to professional lucha libre-- this ritual is known as the bautizo (baptism).
Who a padrino is varies, but it is regularly accepted that a padrino for a new wrestler will most often be the wrestler with whom he fights his first match, most often a veteran wrestler*. However, a padrino may also be a maestro who acts as a mentor outside the ring, or the parent of a luchador who chooses to to wrestle as a junior (ex: the padrino for Rayo de Jalisco Jr. was his father Rayo de Jalisco Sr.)
Magnus making his debut luchistico
*Editors Note: During my time in Mexico, a luchador who had only been wrestling for under a year shared with me his story of his bautizo and his first match. He mentioned that his padrino was not a veteran wrestler, but rather his cousin who was making his professional debut in the same match as him. In this case, the padrino was not someone who had mentored the luchador, but rather someone who had trained with him from the beginning.
It seems like every day, lucha libre is slowly entering new mediums. Last year we got the Heroes del Ring video game, and it looks like this year luchadores are going to be featured in the new Saints Row video game. I have never played a Saints Row game before, but it looks like this could be interesting. The trailer for the game looks pretty crazy, so who knows maybe I will check it out. From what I've seen so far, it looks like you'll actually be able to fight matches (or at least a match) in the game. There is also a hint at a lucha de apuestas match, but I am not entirely sure, so we will have to wait and see.
A screen cap from the Saints Row: The Third video game
In keeping with the wrestling theme, Hulk Hogan will be voicing the luchador character of Angel De LaMuerte (not to be confused with Arkangel de la Muerte- a real luchador). Other voice talents include actress Sasha Grey (The Girlfriend Experience, Entourage) and Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-0).
Angel de LaMuerte in the game
I don't really know what luchadores are going to do in the game, but according to the game's website:
The Saints may have owned Stilwater, but Steelport belongs to the Syndicate. As the Saints begin their takeover, nothing bigger stands in their way than Killbane. As a professional wrestler, he dominated, earning the name The Walking Apocalypse after ending the career of Angel De LaMuerte, his former tag-team partner. But the ring wasn’t big enough for Killbane, and he helped create the fiercest gang in the Syndicate, the Luchadores, ‘roided-out wrestlers* with a stranglehold on the Steelport weapons trade. Now, Angel has teamed with the Saints, and together they’ll take on Killbane once and for all, both in the ring and in the streets, in a battle royale that will leave Steelport shaking.
Having never played a Saints Row game I have no idea what most of that means, but it sounds cool.
Check out the game's trailer for more lucha libre video game goodness.
Look for Saints Row: The Third in retailers on November 15th in America and Noverber 18th in Europe for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and OnLive. Until then, keep checking our website for the latest lucha libre news and updates.
*Editors Note: I wonder if Sin Cara is in this game?
