The 8 Greatest Luchadores in Comics
For the past few years, I've been hoping with all my might that masked Mexican wrestlers would follow the towering success of pirates and zombies to become the next big meme to hit comics, and this week's "Hellboy in Mexico" looks to bring that dream one step closer to reality.
Hitting shelves, appropriately enough, on Cinco de Mayo, this comic has promised an El Santo and the Blue Demon-style adventure that will join the great tradition of lucha comics. And a great tradition it is! That's why today, I'm bringing you a look at eight of the best luchadores in comics!
Why eight? Because ocho is one of my favorite words of all time.
8.
El Gorgo lives in a world that's constantly under attack by sea monsters and horrors from beyond space and time, but it's still a world I want to live in.
Grant Morrison's made an attempt to ad a little lucha flavor to his Batman run by introducing El Sombrero, but you'd have to go a long way to top Batman's greatest rudo opponent: Bane!I don't think it's ever actually been mentioned that the South American super-villain draws an awful lot of inspiration from the world of the squared circle, but it's pretty obvious if you ever actually look at the guy. The mask, the tights, the lace-up wrestling boots--heck, the guy even has an actual pro wrestling finishing move. The only way he could be more lucha is if he'd hit Batman with a steel chair instead of doing the Backbreaker!
So yes: when you get right down to it, "Knightfall" was a story about Batman getting his back injured by a 'roided-up luchador, and the fact that it didn't end with Batman and Robin teaming up as Batman and El Hijo De Batman to win the titles from Bane and KGBeast in the Steel Cage is one of the biggest tragedies of the '90s.
6.
5.
Yet.
4.
3.
His partner? Santa Claus.
2.
1.