When I was a boy, I wondered what it would have been like to watch gladiators battle it out in a Roman amphitheater. While spending a long weekend in Mexico City, we got a chance to see a Lucha Libre event and, while we weren’t wearing togas, I felt like I had been transported back in time.
From what I know of history (thank you Hollywood), I’m pretty sure that we witnessed something that was close to what it was like during the days of Cesar.
Sculpted warriors would make their way into the arena…(Lucha Libre) and walk through a phalanx of scantly-clad, gyrating women.
The crowd would roar with anticipation of the pending clash of titans…(Lucha Libre) and go crazy when the fighters flexed and pointed at their six packs.
The combat was devoid of any rules…(Lucha Libre) and officiants, who were supposed to ensure a fair fight, would be rendered powerless as the warriors would listen only to the will of the crowd.
The outcome of the fight was unknown…(Lucha Libre) and opponents would frequently parry and reverse the course of what looked surely to be their demise; sometimes pausing to let the other opponent, who may have missed their cue, adjust their attack and get back on script.
As the night would wear on, the crowd would habituate to the man-on-man violence…(Lucha Libre) so, to overcome this, novelty would be introduced in the form of miniature combatants, dressed in animal costumes.
And, most importantly, the crowd would be reminded of who they should be indebted to for providing such a spectacle…(Lucha Libre) which was 3M, of course.
Why read when you can see how this night of pitched battles played out from our grainy video? Warning: little people may have been hurt during this performance and I might sound like an over-excited school boy.
And we are still scratching our heads over 3M’s decision to be the main sponsor of Mexican wrestling.
[jwplayer mediaid=”2575″]
