Tulancingo, Hidalgo, saw the birth of the greatest glory of Mexican professional wrestling almost a century ago, so the celebrations to remember the legendary gladiator have begun.
Today, on what would have been his 99th birthday, we remember the legacy of Professor Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, better known as "El Santo".
An action hero
After trying his luck with various names, even losing his mask as Murciélago II, in 1942, Jesús Lomelí, the wrestler's trainer, formed a team of gladiators with shiny covers and proposed three names to Rodolfo: El Santo, El Diablo, and El Ángel.
On April 26 of that year, he wore the silver suit for the first time as a villain, a situation that did not favor him, so he later made the jump to the side of good.
It was in the 1950s when his influence on popular culture reached unsuspected levels.
In 1952, Rodolfo Guzmán became the first wrestling character in national comic strips, as José Guadalupe Cruz began editing the comic strip known as "Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata"; however, it was not published until the 1980s.
At the end of the 1950s, he was invited by Fernando Osés to participate in movies without neglecting his career as a wrestler, and in 1958 the first two of 52 films starring El Santo were released: "Santo contra el Cerebro del Mal" and "Santo contra los Hombres Infernales".
An unfinished rivalry
El Santo was one of the two best gladiators of his time, so a rivalry between them would be more than imminent; however, the long-awaited mask duel against Blue Demon never happened.
"My father was more technical, if that duel had taken place, surely the mask of El Santo would be in our trophy cabinet," Blue Demon Jr. once stated in an interview, heating up the atmosphere for a possible rivalry with El Hijo del Santo.
The sons of the legends inherited the rivalry, but the fight still has not taken place, with both gladiators accusing each other of avoiding signing a contract.
However, even if the duel between heirs takes place, it will never be known if El Santo would have defeated 'Manotas', as both wrestlers are in the celestial arena.
The third generation
El Hijo del Santo, owner of the rights to his father's character, has dedicated everything related to El Santo to him and his family, so several years ago, when Axel 'el nieto del Santo' made his debut, he was forced to change his wrestling name to Axel 'el heredero', the nickname he carries in the functions in which he performs.
On the other hand, El Hijo del Santo designated the name Santo Jr. for his own son, who made his debut in Mexico just a few weeks ago against Ángel Blanco and Rayman.
The heirs of the 'Silver Legend' came out victorious and issued challenges. El Hijo del Santo will celebrate 35 years of his career in a mask versus mask match against Hijo de Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Rayman. Meanwhile, Santo Jr. challenged Ángel Blanco Jr. to a mask versus hair match, trying to prove that the silver mask still prevails and still carries weight in the world of wrestling.
Celebration leading to the 100th anniversary
El Hijo del Santo himself unveiled all the tributes that will take place for his father's 99th birthday, including the Google 'doodle' dedicated to him today and the ticket from the Mexico City Metro system that started circulating a few weeks ago.
Over the course of 365 days, wrestling shows dedicated to El Santo, cultural exhibitions, a Metro station dedicated to the gladiator, photo books, a giant alebrije with the image of Rodolfo Guzmán, and the creation of the Great House of Santo in Mexico City are expected.