The battles of the fight to stay afloat in Mexico

"St.! TheSt.! "shouted thousands of people in the Corrida Cuatro Caminos while The Saint He was loaded on the shoulders towards the locker room, while a mariachi was playing Las Golondrinas. This is how one of the greatest idols in the Mexican struggle was to leave for the last time.

Moments before with the body extended on the canvas, The Saint did not succumb to the rudeness of the "bad guys" who they kicked him without fatigue and without giving him the opportunity to get up. Directed by The dog Aguayo, the rudos team had no consideration for the "Silver masked "during his last performance in the ring.

It is this aspect that has inflamed the spirit of the spectators. Despite being all reunited with the same goal, Honoring one of the world's most important fighters, his performance was transparent. He was truly fought without giving preferential treatment to the celebrities.

The technical partner of Santo, The solitary, was launched on the body of the star who retired on September 12, 1982. He covered him with hard knocks that he received, moments before the end of the fight said that he was the best fighter of all time.

Finally, the fight ended with the disqualification of the rudos. Good yet triumph of evil and The Saint He was victorious for the last time.

It was like that, like two years before his death, He retired from one of the most iconic figures of the Mexican lucha libre. Who transcended and pbaded the quadrilaterals to perpetuate his image in 54 films, some of which have been around the world.

After the death of "Silver masked" and Blue Demon, no fighter was still idol on the screens of cinemas. It seemed that the pbadion of the fight was fading, because the great figures have ceased to occupy protagónicos papers in the seventh art.

But this is not because the Mexican fight is no longer desired. One of the signs that this sport / show has not been forgotten, is the promulgation of National Day of Mexican Wrestling, approved on April 2 in the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City. The celebration will take place the days September 21st of each year, which corresponds to World Wrestling Council (CMLL).

First fall: change in the entertainment industry

The business has changed, but not its attractiveness, explained the expert Héctor Villarreal, social anthropologist, in an interview with Infobae Mexico.

The disappearance of fighters on the big screen responds to the change of savior figures projected on the ribbons. "Before, there was not a lot of competition in the cinema in terms of icons that represent good and bad, but now that you have this whole universe of Hollywood superhero movies and many other references that rival the fight"he explained. the big stars of other sports like football, they reduced the protagonism to the combatants.

What brought the economic model to change? The struggles of companies such as the World Wrestling Council (CMLL) and Assistance, Advice, Administration (AAA), They have migrated to the small screen to broadcast programs on weekends and arenas where the fighting takes place., opted for the attraction of tourists.

For years, this organization has worked effectively. same the new figures of the fight began to have participations in telenovelas and television programsas The son of the dog Aguayo (died in the ring), who played a role in the production of Televisa How poor, so rich.

However, another hurdle was presented to the sport when it stopped being broadcast on television. Negotiations and contracts that the CMLL concluded with open television did not benefit the wrestling society.they decided to look for other means of dissemination.

Second Fall: Moving to Digital Platforms

"Everything evolves, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and most of the time for the worst, because the essence of the fight is lost", commented in an interview with Infobae Mexico Tony Salazar, CMLL instructor and former star of the Mexican wrestling.

The format in which the struggles were transmitted had to change. The oldest wrestling company in Mexico has opted for the Marca streaming platform Claro, to draw the audience into arenas through the screens.

They also bet on social networks and They started making transmissions via their Facebook page.

Even if the scope was not the same andI could predict a decline in the popularity of the fight. It did not happen. The sand continued to fill and tourists from around the world continued to watch the show live.

"We had the same tickets, it means that people were not so interested in television. The people, the company and the fighters were more interested in the people who came to pay, because the people who watch TV do not pay. But the challenges were many. There have been fighters going to other companies. There were obstacles not to have TV ads and yet, the fight is as good as 85 years ago, "said Salazar.

Third fall: lack of idols

For a fighter to become an idol, he must have at least four characteristics: charisma, talent, authenticity and fighting pace, agree Tony Salazar and UNAM professor, wrestling expert, Ángel Garfias.

"In the fight every 10 or 8 years, a super idol appears that sends people back to the sand and at the counter, that's the problem we have. The last great idol was Mystical, the first there, where he devastated everyone, with children, women, seniors, seniors, artists, governors, MPs and everyone went back to the Mexico Arena to meet himsaid Tony Salazar.

Although currently there are other stars as Karistique (formerly mystic), Psycho Clown from AAA, To rush o Angel of gold, for the CMLL expert there is no consolidated figure that has managed to capture the relevance of characters like The Saint and Blue Demon.

These numbers are not visible only in the influx of people who attend the arena when they are fighting each other. They are also present in the sale of products related to wrestling.

Concepción Ramírez, who sells masks and toys in front of Arena Mexico for 55 years, commented in an interview with Infobae Mexico What the items that customers demand the most are those of wrestlers as Mystic, Karistic, Aztec Blood, Powder and Atlantis, who, in his opinion, came to replace the old idols.

Fourth Autumn: Return to television and its own productions

Before the return of the Mexican fight on television, The main sports companies in the country have changed their activities to make scenarios that would be most useful to them.

The CMLL has become a producer It records the luchístico material and sells it to different television channels. Some are Telemundo and Televisa, where they returned in February this year, said anthropologist Héctor Villarreal.

Meanwhile, the AAA He chose to shoot in the Mexican Republic with his show, a bit like the US show who realizes the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

"In the early 90 there is an imitation of the case of staged wrestling as the North American styleand more elements of drama are incorporated beyond what happens in the ring. Create something that looks more like a TV series, "said Dr. Villarreal.

In addition, they decided to change television and after 28 years work with the company Emilio Azcárraga, They migrated to TV Azteca in 2019.