For Chicagoans with roots in Mexico, lucha libre, a form of professional wrestling that originated south of the border, transcends mere entertainment — it’s part of their heritage. And the metro area has become a hub for it, thanks to local promoters — such as Galli Lucha Libre, All Star Lucha Libre Wrestling, and Lucha Libre Total — that stage events featuring both homegrown and Mexican luchadores, as the fighters are called.
“In the ’90s, all the lucha libre matches were happening at the Congress Theatre on Milwaukee,” says Fernando Guzman, a luchador who goes by Atomico in the ring and also operates All Star. “Back then, matches were every other month or so. Today, the main promoters are offering different types of bouts nearly every day of the week.”
At these raucous matches, held everywhere from Pilsen’s Mole de Mayo Festival to often makeshift venues in Cicero, Villa Park, and Berwyn, the spectacle of lucha libre is on full display. Luchadores wear flamboyant costumes, often with colorful masks, and adopt personas to heighten the drama. Matches don’t just pit one competitor against another — they’re a clash between good and evil, with heroes known as técnicos taking on villainous rudos.
In Chicago, the craft is taken seriously. Three of the six local luchadores featured here even wrestle as a full-time job. Two declined to share their real names, citing lucha tradition.
Atomico (above)
REAL NAME: FERNANDO GUZMAN
ELMWOOD PARK
“When I started at 36, my trainer told me, ‘You’re crazy. At your age, it’s suicide.’ Now, at 53, I’m nearing retiring. My knee is shot. But my dream of becoming a luchador came true. There have been times in my life I’ve been depressed, and the best medicine has been my work as a luchador. The moment you put on your shoes, you step in the ring, you get that first body slam — you forget everything else. You forget about the $300 car payment or that tomorrow you have to wake up at 5 a.m. to go to another job.”
Gringo Loco
REAL NAME: CHARLES SANTO
LOOP
“I’m not Mexican, so I’ve felt like an outsider my entire career. But I’ve worked past it by staying focused on learning lucha. I’ve been in it so long, it kind of resonates with people — like, ‘This guy is for real.’ In high school, a pro wrestler saw me and my buddies at the gym practicing moves and invited us to train with him at a lucha gym. There my two professors, the Escobedo brothers, gave me my name, and I ran with it.”
Paloma Starr
(A.K.A. THE SRIRACHA MUCHACHA)
REAL NAME: PALOMA VARGAS
LAKE VIEW
“It is super hard to be a woman in wrestling. When I started, I wrestled the same five girls over and over across Texas and Oklahoma. Being taken seriously as an athlete and as a performer was hard because everybody just saw eye candy or thought it was going to be a pillow fight. I hated when people would say, ‘You’re a good wrestler for a woman.’ Why can’t I just be a good wrestler? It is awesome to see way more women wrestling now.”
