free wrestling

A masked Aztec god, the muscles of his chest outlined in black tattoos, launches from the top rope of the ring, glittering feathers streaming from his costume. Below, a pair of little people in yellow spandex hold down another masked wrestler in a spread-eagle position. The flying Aztec flips and plunges through the thin fog of dry ice hovering over the mat. He lands with a thwack and the crowd groans with pleasure at the sight of a perfectly executed desnucadora (power bomb neck breaker). The Aztec rolls his opponent onto his back and the referee slaps the mat: "¡Uno, dos, tres...!" It's una caída (a pin). Still, it's not over. Using his knee, the Aztec shoves his opponent's face into the mat; with one hand he pulls his victim's head back into a quebradora de a caballo (camel clutch chin lock), and with the other hand tugs the man's mask away, dealing a death blow...to the loser's pride.
It's just another night of Lucha Libre, Mexico's in-your-face brand of professional wrestling. Lucha Libre which translates to "free fighting," is second only to soccer as the country's most popular sport. The use of masks mimics traditions of the original Aztecs, who wore them into battle to inspire fear, and has been popular since the sport began in Mexico City in the 1930s.