A movie is in production about a legendary, barrier-breaking, inspiring exotico luchador
On the heels of a documentary which ran the gantlet of film festivals globally, a major motion picture is now in the works, depicting the life and career of legendary exotico luchador Cassandro.
Exoticos in lucha libre are male wrestlers dressed in drag, portraying gay personas. While most exoticos are heterosexual, Cassandro is gay and proud of it.
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He broke barriers in wrestling in Mexico in the early 1990s as the first openly gay wrestler in the country. The inspiring journey almost ended too soon.
Overcoming a suicide attempt at an early age in the wrestling business — stemming from the egregious way he was treated behind the scenes by wrestlers and others for being gay — Cassandro gained the respect of the passionate and believing Mexican fan base and his peers shortly after with an outstanding match against champion El Hijo del Santo.
He has combined gymnastics and wrestling with a figure skater’s flare into his repertoire.
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“The Liberace of Lucha Libre,” Cassandro has spent 33 years in the business and counting. He became the first exotico to win a world championship title in his weight class. He also battled his demons — alcohol and drugs — during his lengthy career. He turned his life around through rehab.
Even with dozens of broken bones and metal pins in his body, today, at age 50, he continues to wrestle at a solid level and showcase his elaborate ring attire. No timeline set. It’s a day-to-day process.
Born in El Paso, close to the Mexican border, Cassandro trained in lucha libre in Mexico under the guidance of Rey Mysterio Sr. He debuted in 1998 at age 17 for UWA in Mexico. He later worked for AAA. He won over fans, peers and family. In the United States, he wrestled for TNA Impact Wrestling (briefly) and Ring of Honor. He also wrestled in Japan.
Here is my audio interview with the legend Cassandro, who discusses LGBTQ, Liberace, his suicide attempt, Rey Mysterio Jr. and Sr., his hair, elaborate ring gear, overcoming addiction, the pandemic, the movie, Masked Republic and more.
Cassandro continues to wrestle today (when pandemic approved) independently.
About the documentary
“Cassandro, The Exotico!” is a documentary (released 2018) on legendary exótico luchador Cassandro, “The Liberace of Lucha Libre.”
Documentary synopsis.
(Credit https://www.filmmovement.com/educational/film/cassandro-the-exotico)
This stirring feature portrait of lucha libre star Cassandro in his waning years in the ring is less a swan song than a meteor shower rendered in Technicolor.
Famed as much for his flamboyant drag and sky-high pompadour as for his show-stopping kicks and flips, Cassandro’s trailblazing ascent as one the industry’s first openly gay wrestlers has resonated internationally for a quarter century.
Director Marie Losier captures the moving, at times humorous, and always colorful dualities of this legendary figure with her talent for forging intimacy with a subject while celebrating his individuality broadly.
Cassandro, a prize-winning fighter who reinvented a staunchly macho sport, exudes resilience of all kinds—from the physical power to leave his opponents KOed to an ability to revisit past trauma and cope with the scars of a body pushed to its limits.
Cassandro’s story—of an underdog and a queer icon, simultaneously fragile and mighty—is ever more evocative as it unfolds on both sides of the Mexican-American border.
Losier’s signature 16mm filming melds tender encounters and larger-than-life fight scenes into a stylish whole that reflects the vivid textures and hues of a dazzling life in sport.
About the movie
Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams will helm a movie based on Cassandro’s life story set to star Golden Globe winner Gael García Bernal.
With that announcement, this barrier-breaking luchador Cassandro has signed with Masked Republic’s Legends of Lucha Libre to represent his IP and build his brand at retail.
Los Angeles Times: “With camp grace and bulldog ferocity, El Paso-born luchador Cassandro took the Mexican wrestling world by storm starting in the 1990s as its first openly gay performer.”
While he has been wrestling in main events in three different decades now, this is the champion luchador’s first global IP representation deal.
“Who would have thought a little broken, fatherless boy from the barrios of Cuidad Juarez and El Paso – no discrimination, no rejection, no abuse physical, mentally, emotionally nor sexual stopped me from believing one day this was going to happen. Bendita lucha libre, nunca te acabes,” Cassandro said in a release.
Masked Republic President and COO Kevin Kleinrock said. “We are so very excited to welcome Cassandro into the Legends of Lucha Libre famly. His personality and in-ring performances certainly place him into the legendary category alone. But, the manner in which he has championed equal rights in lucha libre and promoted the message to live life on one’s own terms also make him a champion outside of the ring in our eyes.”
Hollywood Reporter: “In 1992, Cassandro managed to become the first exotico to win a world champion belt in his weight class, setting an example for other gay wrestlers who would follow in his wake.”
Masked Republic founder and CEO Ruben Zamora added, “There are hundreds, maybe thousands of luchadores who are known throughout Mexico, but it takes a special talent and persona to find yourself in a class of luchadores recognized around the globe.”
The New Yorker: “He gives talks on diversity at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, and at the National Autonomous University there. Lucha libre seems to have seized the imaginations of many Europeans. Cassandro teaches classes in England and France…In 2009, Cassandro and Hijo del Santo wrestled for two consecutive evenings at the Louvre. Cassandro won his current world welterweight title in a match in London, in 2011. He’s been a guest on “BBC Breakfast.”
Legends of Lucha Libre will manage Cassandro’s IP in all product categories worldwide. Legends of Lucha Libre is represented by Firefly Brand Management.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/movies/cassandro-the-exotico-review.html
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/cassandro-exotico-review-1111481
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