Hijo del Santo: A New generation of Idols

In the 90s, a new wrestling company emerged in Mexico: AAA, founded by former wrestler Antonio Peña. Seeking to innovate within Lucha Libre, Peña believed that, as pro-wrestling, Mexican luchas could go beyond the ring. As televised wrestling made its comeback, a new generation of wrestlers like El Hijo del Santo arose, committed to upholding tradition and preserving their legacy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
On December fifteen, nineteen ninety one, a much anticipated battle
took place at the Plaza de Torres Monumental in Monterey.
The arena was absolutely packed. Four of the era's most
famous wrestlers were all about to wrestle in the same place,
and what's more, there were rivalries in play. The first

(00:23):
match was between Octagon and Fortzagerreda. The second was one
of the great rivalries in Lucha libre history, the rivalry
between Elikho Del Santo and Black Shadow Journey. Those names
should sound familiar. We know El Santo and we know
Black Shadow well Ihodel Santo and Black Shadow Junior were
those guys sons, and just as their dads hated each

(00:43):
other in the ring, they hated each other too. The
event that night was called the Quadrangle of Death quadrangulard
de la More. Each of the four wrestlers had to
defend their mask in a best two out of three
folds match without time limits. The loser's bracket faced off

(01:08):
for a mask versus mask match, meaning that by the
end of the night, at least one luch other would
be going home unmasked. The first two folds, surprisingly were clean.
The third fold, however, was a beautiful mess for Santo's mask,

(01:30):
then shadowed Otagon's mask. Octagon retaliated by turning Shadows Junior's mask.
Then I Sto did the same, turning for Sagaredra's mask,
the one who had torn his ad demonic fury to
cover the four of them and exquisite anything goes take
no prisoner's vengeance match. Remember Amarudo Rasa, So this is

(01:53):
my kind of thing. Masks were just the beginning. The
four Titans were attacking each other with everything had punches, kicks, slaps,
body slamps, pins, dives, you name it. All of it
was there. Somebody had to win, though, and after the

(02:14):
third fall, Octagona and fort Sa Gerera emerged victorious. That
meant that the extra fall where someone would lose their
mask was between none other than Elijo del Santo and
Black Shadow Junior. History was repeating itself. Thirty nine years earlier,

(02:34):
El Santo had unmasked Black Shadow. Now his son had
the chance to avenge his father. Winning would mean unmasking
the son of the greatest Mexican lucha a lot of
old time, the stakes and the opportunity for Black Shadow
Junior were enormous. The bill hadn't even rang when Shadow
charged the Lico del Santo, and not just charged charge

(02:56):
carrying a chair, he literally started smashing his over the
head with it. Shadow grabbed a Liko del Santo and
slammed him into the ring posts. Alikho del Santo's face
began to bleed and his silver mask turned red. There
was so much blood he could barely see. At some point,
while Aliko del Santo was recovering in his corner, Perro

(03:19):
Awayo leaned into the ring and whispered, let him get
over confident, then drop him. When Aliko del Santo returned
to the match, Shadow Junior lifted him up, applying a suplex.
This time, Santo didn't resist. He went along with it,
limped and cooperated him. When they both came crashing down
to the match, Shadow Junior thought he had defeated the

(03:41):
man in the silver mask once and for all, but
this was all part of Alikho del Santo's plan. As
he was getting up, Elikho del Santo wrapped Shadow up
in a pin and held down to him with everything
he had. Santo's entire legacy was at stake. After all.
The referee round fords them, dropped the A and began
to count. One didn't let go. Two. The silver mask

(04:07):
wrestler tightened his grip even more. Free your Winner, Legal sometho,
just like his father, elk had triumphed the feeding Black
Shallow Junior and retaining both his mask and his secret identity.

(04:29):
The fans there in Monterey were on their feet. The
roar was incredible. They shouted, whistled, and clapped as hard
as they could. But they weren't the only ones who
saw the match, because after thirty three years, professional wrestling
had returned to television screens. The thousands of people who

(04:50):
watched the match from their homes heard the ring announcers
say El Santo himself, the father must be smiling. What
people at home didn't hear, however, was the final speeches
that both Elko El Santo and Black Shadow Junior gave
to the crowd. They could see them at the microphone,

(05:10):
but not hear what they were saying. That was about
to change, though. One man was about to completely transform
televised Lucha Libre Forever. Don't go anywhere, Rasa, because in
this episode, I'm gonna tell you how professional wrestling conquered
Mexican television and how Eliko El Santo, El Santo's son

(05:31):
who triumphed over Black Shadow Junior, was alone for the
whole ride. I am Santos Escobara, the Emperor of Lucha
Libre and the ww Superstar. For over twenty years, I

(05:53):
have been a professional wrestler in Mexico, the United States
and around the world. I've been a champion, a hero,
a villain. I've won and.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
Lost, but I always represent Lucha Libre with pride. Lucha
Libre it's tradition, its heritage, its culture, Ladies and gentlemen.
The following podcast is Cago for twelve episodes, and it's
all about Lucha liber.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
This is Lucha Libre behind the mass. Episode eight, Ijo
del Santo and New Generation of Idols. As I mentioned
last episode, professional wrestling came back to TV in nineteen ninety.
It came back because Televisa, the broadcasting company owned by

(06:46):
the Escaraga family, and the EMLLL, owned by the ludrerog family,
finally came to an agreement. The return to TV was
a huge success, but like anything in life, it came
with a price. Started staying home instead of going to
the arena. What happened, specifically was that the Friday night

(07:06):
matches were broadcast on Sunday afternoons the same time blog
when irl matches were happening around the country, leading to
lower attendance. This heard the live event business model, and
the lucha community was not happy about it. The result
was that Televisa moved the Sunday broadcast earlier to noon,
but that was not ideal because now they were competing

(07:28):
with soccer matches, so Televisa was on the lookout for
a better solution. It's right around this time that Antonio
Penya showed up on the Lucha libre scene. Antonio Penya
was born on June thirteenth, nineteen fifty five, and he

(07:49):
grew up living and breathing lucha libre. His father was
a lucha loo named Moonsonia. His uncles were also wrestlers,
and the family wasted no time teaching and Tonio the
tricks of the trade. In nineteen seventy five, Antonio made
his debut in the city of perote Vera Cruz. Like many,

(08:10):
he got his break when a scheduled wrestler didn't show
up and he was asked to step in. His uncle
Eleespectro allowed him to use the name Eleespectro Junior, and
he quickly rose through the ranks of the E M
l L, eventually becoming the world worldterweight Champion. Antonio had

(08:30):
a knack for developing characters, so he ended up using
other names in addition to all Spectro Junior. In fact,
he developed so many characters he was able to pass
them on to his Luca colleagues and other wrestlers in
his family. Here's Luca expert Raoul Creoya e liz Omo
Delos Grandes constructor person. Raoul explains that Antonio Tonio Penya

(08:54):
was one of the greatest storytellers the sport has ever seen,
one of the greatest and one of the most controversial.
Why well, sometimes he went off script. His last character
was called Dalia Negra. But in nineteen eighty six, Antonio
suffered a knee injury that forced him into retirement. That
was not his exit from the Luche Liver universe, though.

(09:19):
Two years after leaving the ring, Antonio became the head
of public relations for the EMLL and that's where all
this loops. Back to the TV conversation, Antonio new wrestling
programming needed to change, so he checked out how the
US was doing it, because up there they had millions
of viewers. He saw some things that could help and

(09:40):
went straight to the head of EMLLL with these proposals.
The first thing he wanted to change was to make
the matches more visually appearing. He started with relatively small
things like including color lights to the set design and
lighting fireworks around the ring. He also suggested the now
i Icon intra music for when wrestlers entered the arena.

(10:05):
People doubted the big changes but decided to give them
a try. Proof that they were working came that very
same year at a Mass versus Mass match at Arena
Mexico that got closer to full capacity than any other
match in recent memory. More success followed, and it seemed
like Antonio had found the perfect formula to reinvigorate ticket

(10:27):
sales at the live events. Not all organizers supported Antonio,
though Grandista Road says that a great divide opened up
between so called new Deelibery purists and people like Antonio
pushing for innovation. Among the purists, there was one man,

(10:49):
in particular, the head of programming, who preferred the old
way the company presented the matches. He saw Antonio's changes
as an attack on tradition. There were rucchaal artist who
agreed with this man. Despite the box office success, this
bound of wrestlers thought that people would eventually stop coming
to the arena because of the changes. They even went

(11:10):
on strike. The end result was that the head of
CMLL the new name for the EMLL. At this point,
the nephew of Donchavalalutrode sided with the old school thinking
and put an end to Antonio Penya's changes. But Antonio
Penya was not ready to stop trying. He knew his
adjustments had improved things. He just needed to further prove it.

(11:33):
At some level, Lucali itself was at stake. If you
don't keep up with the times, you get left in
the dust. And in that day and age, getting the
sport in line with modern TV entertainment standards was critical,
So Antonio started working on more changes in secret. Whenever

(11:54):
he had a new idea, he better tested it with
friends and employees he could trust. Next, he consulted with wrestlers,
and finally, after months, Antonio put together everything he needed
for a whole new company. Chatter about Antonio's project reached
such a high pitch that Televisa could win a bit

(12:15):
and called him into the office. The result of the
meeting was a contract. That's how. In April nineteen ninety two,
Antonio Pena left the CMLL and founded the company Assistancia
as Asia. He administration the Spectaculus, better known as Triple

(12:36):
A La Tripleer. It was not a glamorous start. Triple
A's first office was Antonio's car. He had one secretary,
a cell phone, and a typewriter. That was it. But
Antonio had a vision and things moved quickly, and on
May seventh of that same year, nineteen ninety two, Antonio

(13:01):
officially went public with the company at a banquet hall
of a five star hotel in Mexico City. Reporters in
attendance were impressed by who showed up. Antonio had collected
significant talent for his new wrestling company De Lucallotes included
Kona and Mascara, Sagrada, and probably most significantly evolved he

(13:32):
had signed and Ego, There's Someto. Tripa hosted its first
bout on Friday May fifteenth, nineteen ninety two, in Vera, Cruz.
The lineup included several well known mass lucallores Elfantasma Mifadre.

(13:54):
My father was there, for example, and that night none
other than the famous La Parre made his debut. Another
highlight of the night was the inclusion of the so
called minis lucadores, who were little people who until then
had not often performed in the big arenas. There were

(14:15):
four thousand tickets for the event, but they sold out
within three days. Everyone wanted to see what Antonio could
pull off with his new lead. Fans, television executive, and
the nation's professional wrestlers all wanted to know if this
new brand of lucal Liire was going to be a
bust or if its drug organizer was indeed a visionary.

(14:37):
Antonio did not disappoint. He combined all the new ideas
he had been experimenting with to create an unprecedented experience.
There were colored lights and a fireworks display more spectacular
than any that had ever been seen in a lucha
liber arena. He brought back the pump music too. It's

(15:01):
hard to even imagine Lucha libre without it, isn't it.
Antonio also introduced flashy elements like the so called ring
girls et ecanis bikini klad young women who walk down
the aisles alongside the luccallo. Antonio didn't just change the
presentation of Lucha Libre, he changed the very nature of

(15:22):
the sport itself. Traditional Mexican wrestling relied heavily on holds
and counter holds. Now it was more about the characters.
They not only fought, they put on a show. Alliances
were formed, friendships were broken, and the audience was brought
more into the action than ever before. It was interactive,

(15:44):
it was ReSpectacle. If Donchava Lutherod is the father of
Lucha Libre, Antonio Pena is definitely one of its god bothers.
The look, feel, and experience of the sport today is
all a result of his pioneering innovation, and you didn't
have to be one of the four thousand people in
attendance to know the event was an overwhelming success. The

(16:06):
event was nationally broadcast the next day and its ratings
were through the roof The triple A TV broadcast was
popular for a reason. Antonio implemented lots of details that,
when put together, made for a much more exciting program.
For example, as each wrestler was introduced a picture of
them and their name would pop up on the screen. Now,

(16:33):
the CMLO League had its own arenas, Arena Mexico and
Arena Coliseo, for example. Triple A, on the other hand,
was limited to renting spaces, but Antonio found a way
to use this to his advantage. Instead of building a
business model around big shows in the capitol, Triple A
leaned into the popularity of lucha libre all over the

(16:55):
country and became a traveling show. They performed avery reware,
rodeo grounds, high school gyms, theaters. It didn't matter. If
they had the space to perform and people would come,
they put on their show. The emphasis on traveling shows
helped distinguish Triple A from their competitors, and of course,

(17:15):
whenever possible, they would televise these events. The broadcast became
so popular that only big soccer matches were getting more viewers.
By the time TRIPLEA got to its first anniversary, the
organization had grown considerably and Antonio Penya knew he had
the momentum to throw the wrestling event of the year.

(17:38):
He looked again to the United States for inspiration and then,
adding his own twist, came up with a news show.
It was called Triple Mania triple Mania, which, as you know,
endused to this day. The very first Triple Mania took
place on April thirtieth, nineteen ninety t read at the

(18:01):
Plaza de Totos in Mexico City. Over fifty thousand spectators
filled the monumental plaza to see their idols battle it out.
There were so many fans that to this day, the
first edition of Triple Mania holds the record for highest
attendance at a wrestling event in Mexico. Given the lineup
on display, the staggering numbers make sense. Wah at the

(18:25):
top of the match card was none other than Kna
and Yeah COONa, both incredibly popular wrestlers at the time.
That was just one of the marquee matches, however, also
entering the ring that night with stars like Elperro, Wayo,

(18:47):
lis Mark moscat and Mascaritada Blue Panther La Parca, and
of course, lit the silver mask wrestler as the crown
jewel of the Triple A, Eliko del Santo was a living,
breathing wrestling reminder to everyone of just how big a

(19:07):
deal Triple A was. The son of one of the
most important Luceaodas in history had left CMLL to join
this fledging new league. To be clear, Eliko del Santo
didn't live CMLL on bad terms. In nineteen ninety two,
he said that he simply wanted to try out the
new company Antonio Pinion was starting. Obviously, CMLL was not

(19:29):
thrill about his departure, but there was nothing they could do,
and they even told him, you always have a home
here if you want to come back, we'll get back
to Triple A. But first, let's walk through the journey
of Elikho del Santo. Not only was he the heir
to the greatest figure in Mexican Lucha lib he has
come to be considered one of the best wrestlers in history.

(19:51):
But don't think that Ellijo del Santo achieved his success
just because of his name, or that his road was
easier and he didn't have to work as hard. In fact,
it was the total opposite. Eliko del Santo didn't know
his dad was El Santo, the Silver Mask wrestler until

(20:13):
he was seven or eight years old. Elikho del Santo
recalls that their house was quite normal. In fact, there
was nothing to suggest it was a lutal livery house
at all, no posters of Santo, the photos know anything.
There was only one thing he had at home that
was different from his friend's houses. His dad had a private,

(20:34):
locked room that no one was allowed to go into. Ever,
like many kids of that era, he worshiped El Santo
along with other larger than life heroes like Batman and
Spider Man. He had all the action figures and fled
with them, just like kids do. But then one Sunday
his dad asked him to come along with him to work.

(20:56):
The kid was thrilled. He didn't know what his dad
did and this was sure to be an adventure. They
got into a car driven by El Santo's private driver, Ikho.
Del Santo hopped in the front seat, his dad got
into the back. As they drove along, he looked out
the window, taking in Mexico City's vibrant, voystery streets. Finally,

(21:21):
he turned around to point something out to his dad,
but that was gone. Not only was that Gune, he
found himself face to face with El Santo and mascarole Plata.
Can you imagine there are surprises and then there's total shock,
the kind of shock where your jaw drops and your
eyes get as big as quarters. Well, for this little

(21:43):
kid in particular, this was a true shock. His own
father was one of his heroes. Neither man nor boys
said a word. It was all too big to mind blowing.
At last, they arrived at a plaza pack with people
and little shop selling Lucha Libre Fandi. The driver stopped

(22:05):
the car and Al Santo his dad got out and
walked through the crowd, everyone cheering. Once they were inside
the arena, he saw his dad, El Santo in the
public eye once again, this time in the eyes of spectators.
As his father entered the arena, they cheered Santo Santo Santo,

(22:28):
and when he got close, the fans lifted him onto
their shoulders to carry him the final stretch to the ring.
Little Iho El Santo didn't understand any of it. His
dad got in the ring and El Santo started to wrestle. Naturally,
he started taking hits. It was more than his son

(22:49):
could handle, and the poor kids started to cry. But
from that day on, Lucha Libre became something even more
special to El Santo's son than it already was. He
was not another fan like all of his classmates. He
learned that day that the sport was in his blood
and he could not be any prouder to be his
father's son. His admiration for Elsanto only continued to grow,

(23:12):
and as he got older, he decided he wanted to
follow in his father's footsteps and become a luchador himself.
Elo began training at a gym in downtown Mexico City
where a friend of his dad's trained. At first, he
just worked out with lifting and so on, but eventually

(23:34):
the friend said, come on, it's time, let's get in
the ring, and from there he started learning the basic
wrestling moves of lucha lib Eventually, El Santo's son went
to his dad, El Santo himself, and told him he
thought he was ready to enter the ring. What El
Santo told him absolutely not. It's kind of funny because

(24:00):
that's exactly what my dad said to me too. He
tried to reassure El Santo, telling him that he had
been training rigorously. Santo told him it was fine to train,
but he was not going to ever wrestle professionally. Instead,
Santo told his son, you need to focus on your studies.
El Santo, like my father Fantasma, wanted their children to

(24:22):
go to college. Higher education has always been an aspiration
for families that don't have it, and both these men
were successful enough to give it to their children. I
want my own kids to go to college too. Toririjo
del Santo's credit, he listened to his father and applied
to college. Unfortunately, he wasn't admitted and he would have

(24:46):
to wait a year for the chance to apply again.
And he wanted to spend the year in Guadalajara training
under El Diablo Belasco, the Devil Velasco his coach at
the time. El Santo didn't love the idea, but sudden
he had to meet his son halfway. Just try not
to get hurt, he said, And as any parent knows,

(25:10):
sometimes we just have to let our kids go their
own way. After this short chapter in Walajara, elihudel Santo
came back to the Capitol. He kept training and also
started studying again. One day, his father sent him to
the workshop of Victor Martinez. Yeah, the Victor Martinez, famous
for making Lucha libre masks. Don't get too excited yet, though.

(25:33):
El Santo was just sending his kid on an errand
to grab his gear, not sending him to get fitted,
but in a curve ball of faith, the visit to
Victor Martinez changed his life. Aren't you going to wrestle?
The mask maker said, I can get you a match
if you want a debut. It was the invitation he
had been waiting for for years. Without hesitation, he said yes.

(25:56):
He knew that this was not what his father wanted
for him, but being a luccado is a calling, and
sometimes that cold can overpower even our parents. It's something
deep inside of you and ultimately you can't ignore it.
It's a fire, a spirit, a destiny, whatever you want
to call it, and so like that. On February sixth,

(26:19):
nineteen eighty two, the son of one of the biggest
legends in Lucha Libre made his debut in the city
of Plexkala, restling under the name of Korak Yep. He
didn't have his famous name yet, but there was no
going back. He would wrestle with any name he could.

(26:42):
The following week, kak Elijel Santo was already in San
Luis Potosi in attacked him match. He got a black
eye in that match, and when he came back to
Mexico City, his father asked him what had happened, Well,
I got kicked during training, he lied. But we're talking

(27:03):
about El Santo here Rasa. This guy basically wrote the book,
and you could not get won by him. In fact,
someone had already told him what happened training, Santo asking, look,
I know you've been wrestling. Santo told his son once
again that he needed to go back to school and
get his degree. At that point, he only had a

(27:27):
semester left, but he was loving wrestling and told his
dad he wanted to keep going. He took El Santo
a couple of days to digest his son's wish, but
finally he called him again and said, fine, you want
to be a wrestler, I'm going to give you a test.
El Santo summoned his son to are Ina Mexico the

(27:49):
very next day. He wore his mask and everything. Can
you imagine going to our Ina Mexico all by yourself
to be tested by the most decorated luch of all time,
El Santo, your own father, who imagine the giant arena,
the empty seats. Imagine Lebron James and his son at

(28:13):
the Staples Center testing him to see if he had
what it takes to play in the NBA back to Alsanto.
No one was watching but the janitors at the arena,
who were about to witness something incredible. For the test,
El Santo's son brought a sparring partner with him. The
two got in the ring and rastled, and he demonstrated

(28:35):
all the techniques he had been learning. At this point,
he had been working for many years and knew what
he was doing. El Santo stopped them and said, all right,
that's enough, and then inexplicably, he walked out of the arena.
Years later, Elijo del Santo learned that his dad left
because he was on the brink of tears away. In

(28:58):
the locker room, he cried. He was so very proud
of his son, who was already an incredibly skilled wrestler.
When Alcanto came back, he asked his son what l
each other name he was using, and he told him
he was called Korak. Who is the name of Tarzan's

(29:19):
son in the Tarzan comic. So Tarzan's son is that, said,
wouldn't it be better to be the son of El
Santo who the empty arena the Tidan passing the torch
to his rookie son. The Birth of a new name.
The whole scene gives me goose bumps. No more Kork.

(29:41):
From that moment on, he was officially Alejo del Santo. Initially,
he had wanted to create his own wrestling persona independent
from his dad. It's hard being the child of a
great so people changed their names to distinguish themselves. One
of Stephen King's son goes by Joe Hill. For example,

(30:03):
former President Barack Obama's daughter Malia uses the name Malia Ann.
But when El Santo made that proposal, he decided to
commit to the legacy of his father and said yes,
he would continue the name as a sign of honor
and respect. A decision like this, well, it's a massive one.

(30:27):
It shapes your life. I know because I did the
same thing, and for a while I used my father's
name and went by Elijho el Fantasma. Here's what anthropologist
Patricia Selis has to say about the phenomena E moi
moi dessalon Elimolko. She says, the symbolic way is hard

(30:49):
to even describe. To carry the name of your father,
what if it doesn't come naturally, or worse, what if
it doesn't come at all. Must have about all of
that in that moment, but he also felt his that's
enthusiasm for his career. El Santo committed himself to getting
his son ready for the ring, teaching him all his

(31:11):
trademark moves and holds like the famous lad A Cabayo.
Santo told his son that he didn't need to copy
the moves, just that he was giving him tools which
he could then make his own and adapt to his
own personal style. He was not going to be a
replica of El Santo. He was going to be an evolution,
because that's how Luca Libre legacies work. Tnenqeverercon COMPARTII. It's

(31:36):
a process of sharing traditions, habits, values and practices, Patricia says. So,
the newly Christian Eliko del Santo made his debut on
October eighteenth, nineteen eighty two, in Nuevolare Doo, Tamaulipas. The
arena was filled and he was thrilled to know that

(31:57):
everyone there was there to see him wrestle. It was
attacked him match against two fierce rudos, one of them
being Sangri Chicana, a legend who we know all too well.
Sangria Chicana moved up and down the ring like a
wild animal. Elikho del Santo was intimidated, even scared, but

(32:17):
there was nothing to do but try his best and
wrestle with everything he had. So that's exactly what he did.
In fact, in the first fall, Elikho del Santo and
his partner emerged victorious, but the second fall went to
the Rudos. In the third and final fall, Sangri Chicana

(32:39):
fouled Elijo del Santo and the Rudos got disqualified. That
meant Elikho del Santo and his partner were the winners.
For many in the arena that night, the result was
a disappointment. Sangre Chicana had legions of loyal fans and
the match had been in his hometown. Who did this
new guy wearing the silver mask think he was? Sports

(33:00):
pondits had doubts, too. Many thought this dew luchalod would
never be able to live up to the legacy of
El Santo. This is what I mean. In some ways,
el Santo paved the way for his son, but the
path came with unique challenges. You're fighting not just your opponents,
You're fighting the pressure of massive expectations being the son

(33:22):
of a legend, especially one the caliber of Elsanto, means
that the audience gives you nothing for free. In some ways,
they want to see you fail. You want to see
you be just the poor imitation of your father. So
you have to work extra hard. You have to fight
your own battle, both to live up to the legacy

(33:43):
and to make your own name. This is why neither
el Santo nor my own father Elfantasma, wanted their children
to follow in their footsteps, because they knew how difficult
that would be, basically mentally and emotion Victor Ti, is
also a junior, knows this feeling too, did you a

(34:04):
as criticus, he says, the criticisms come even when you're
doing your best, Even when you're doing well, it's a
constant struggle to shake off everyone saying you don't have
it in you, or that you can't embody the character.
The thing is, it's not even about embodying the character.
El Santo understood this very clearly, and he wanted to

(34:28):
free his son from any pressure to wrestle the same
way he did. He told him to have confidence in himself,
to believe in himself, giving himself permission to be his
own men gave Elkoto the tools to succeed. He started
winning matches and that year he earned the Rookie of
the Year award. But right when Alikoo was really starting

(34:54):
to climb the ranks, his life took a turn. On
February fifth, nineteen eighty four, Rodolfo Gusmann, the legendary El
Santo elen Mascarado de Plata, passed away. Elikjo el Santo
bowed to continue wearing the silver mask in his honor.

(35:19):
In fact, that very same year, Elligo El Santo won
his first title, the u w A Lightweight Championship. The
following year, in nineteen eighty six, he became the world
lightweight Champion. Things kept moving up for Lego El Santo.
In nineteen ninety he made his debut in Japan with
a group of other Mexican wrestlers, and that same year

(35:41):
he won the u w A welterweight title. By December
nineteen ninety one, the year he faced Black Shadow Junior,
he had already won many masks versus mask matches. In fact,
when Eleikho Del Santo took Black Shadows Junior's mask, it
was his twenty second victory. It was then that he

(36:02):
brought to an end the rivalry he had inherited from
his father. But just like Luca families can inherit rivalries,
they can also inherit alliances. Elko del Santo was in
an alliance with Gorri Guerrero's son Eddie Guerrero because the
Tu Luchador his fathers had wrestled together back in the day.

(36:26):
El Santo and Gori were called the atomic pair as
for the sons. They also fought for a whiless teammates,
but the alliance didn't end well. It didn't end well
at all. That story on our next episode of Lucha
Libre Behind the Mask. No Lucha Libre Behind the Mask,

(36:56):
hosted by Santos Escobar, produced by Fernanda Strada, Argumelo and
Marianna Coronell, Written in Spanish by Tania Lopez and adapted
in English by ASA Merit. Story editor Rodrigo Crespo, fact
checking by monserrad mal Donado, Research and interviews by Marianna Coronell,

(37:16):
with help from Fernandez Strada, Daniel Padilla and Saul Cortes.
Mix and sound design Daniel Padilla and Fernando Galaviz. Studio
Recordings in Orlando, Florida by High Hello Studios. Studio recordings
in Mexico City by Daniel Padilla, Fernando Glaviz and Andres
Baena in Sonorro Studios. Development by Rodrigo Crespo. Executive producers

(37:42):
Camilla Victoriano and Joshu Weinstein for Sonro and Gisel Beancez
for Iheartsmichael Tura Podcast Network. Marketing strategy and execution by
Claudia Fernandez, Marianairera, Paula Perez, Marianna Baron, Wendy Barba, and
Bernice Soto Head of Marketing, Susanna Marina. Lucha Libre Behind

(38:04):
the Mask is a Sonaro original series for iheartsmikl to
the podcast network, Listen to more podcasts in the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Agredecimentos Specialist Para Raoul Criojo, Patricia Celis Vanegas E Victor Ortiz.

(38:26):
Thank you to the CMLL for the permissions granted to
record ambient audio in their facilities.