El Paso: Lucha Libre

Lucha libre mural, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. January 2017.

I am in love with lucha libre.

A lucha libre family. Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

It has everything: drama, humor, theater, athleticism, violence, art, color, surprise, sex, choreography, bravado, danger.

Lucha libre poster, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. January 2017.

Even so, while entranced and entertained, I could see how the danger is not just theatrical, but real. A missed kick, a poorly-executed throw, a bad fall, a wrong push - any of these could result in serious injury or death. And it does.

Luchadores Black Widow and Perrush K, lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

There've been several documentaries on lucha libre, aka Mexican wrestling. Viva la Lucha is one that's online in its entirety:

Viva La Lucha (Lucha Libre Documentary) English by csv29tx

The event I attended was the first episode of the second season of a TV show called Lucha Frontera.

Luchadora Delilah, lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

The audience was engaged, the music on point - loud, familiar old-school rock, for the most part - which matched the energy of the luchadores. You know, like Eye of the Tiger, which was the theme song for either Delilah or Black Widow:

I took several videos of fights this night. One of the videos features Delilah, Black Widow, and Perrush K in a three-way battle:

Lucha libre is a family event. Many fans buy posters of the day's event and get them autographed by the luchadores. Or have their t-shirts autographed.

Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

I could get hooked.

Luchador VIP. Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.

Luchador Perrush K. Lucha libre, El Paso, Texas. July 2017.