Editing Lucha libre (section)

==History==
[[File:100 años del natalicio del Santo -i---i- (36184746106) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[El Santo]]]]
The antecedents of Mexican wrestling date back to 1863, during the [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French Intervention in Mexico]], when Enrique Ugartechea, the first Mexican wrestler, developed and invented Mexican lucha libre from [[Greco-Roman wrestling]].<ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.aguascalientes.gob.mx/temas/deporte/derechreseniasD.aspx |title=Reseñas Deportivas (breve historia) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522040540/http://www.aguascalientes.gob.mx/temas/deporte/derechreseniasD.aspx |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |language=Spanish |website=Gobierno del Estado de Aguascalientes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=El hijo del Santo <!-- /.section-date-author --> |url=http://www.record.com.mx/blog/el-hijo-del-santo/2012-02-09/los-personajes-en-la-historia-de-la-lucha-libre-mexicana |title=Los personajes en la historia de la lucha libre mexicana (Spanish) |publisher=RÉCORD |date=February 9, 2012 |access-date=August 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525235720/http://www.record.com.mx/blog/el-hijo-del-santo/2012-02-09/los-personajes-en-la-historia-de-la-lucha-libre-mexicana |archive-date=May 25, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Flickr - simononly - WWE Hall of Fame 2012 - Mil Mascaras (3).jpg|thumb|left|[[Mil Máscaras]] accompanied by the [[The Bella Twins|Bella Twins]] at the 2012 [[WWE Hall of Fame (2012)|WWE Hall of Fame]]]]
In the early 20th century, professional wrestling was mostly a regional phenomenon in Mexico until [[Salvador Lutteroth]] founded the [[Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre|Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre]] (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise'') in 1933, giving the sport a national foothold for the first time.
The promotion flourished and quickly became the premier spot for wrestlers. As television surfaced as a viable entertainment medium during the 1950s, Lutteroth was then able to broadcast his wrestling across the nation, subsequently yielding a popularity explosion for the sport. Moreover, it was the emergence of television that allowed Lutteroth to promote lucha libre's first breakout superstar into a national pop-culture phenomenon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bongo.net/papers/lucha.htm |title=The History of Lucha Libre |publisher=Bongo.net |date=October 8, 2004 |access-date=August 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913065250/http://www.bongo.net/papers/lucha.htm |archive-date=September 13, 2012 }}</ref>

In 1942, lucha libre would be forever changed when a silver-masked wrestler, known simply as [[El Santo]] (''The Saint''), first stepped into the ring. He made his debut in [[Mexico City]] by winning an 8-man [[battle royal (professional wrestling)|battle royal]]. The public fell in love with the mystique and secrecy of Santo's personality, and he quickly became the most popular ''luchador'' in Mexico. His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in [[comic books]] and [[Lucha film|movies]], while the sport received an unparalleled degree of mainstream attention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/wrestlers/elsanto2.html|title=El Santo|access-date=September 2, 2013|publisher=Wrestling Museum|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421104627/http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/wrestlers/elsanto2.html|archive-date=April 21, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Other legendary ''luchadores'' who helped popularize the sport include [[Gory Guerrero]], who is credited with developing moves and holds which are now commonplace in professional wrestling; [[Blue Demon]], a contemporary of Santo and possibly his greatest rival; and ''[[Mil Máscaras]]'' (Man of A Thousand Masks), who is credited with introducing the high flying moves of lucha libre to audiences around the world. He achieved international fame as one of the first high-flyers, something he was not considered in Mexico, where he fell under the mat-power category.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lethalwrestling.com/opinions/news_content.php?fileName=730 |title=Lucha Legends: Gory Guerrero |publisher=Lethal Wrestling |author1=Tokage |access-date=August 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513041925/http://www.lethalwrestling.com/opinions/news_content.php?fileName=730 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/demoazul.htm |title=Blue Demon |publisher=International Superheroes |date=April 24, 1922 |access-date=August 22, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609071825/http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/demoazul.htm |archive-date=June 9, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.puroresudojo.com/articles/sayama-mascaras.html |title=Interview: Mil Mascaras and Satoru Sayama |publisher=Puroresudojo.com |date=August 3, 1995 |access-date=August 22, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202752/http://www.puroresudojo.com/articles/sayama-mascaras.html |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>