10 Most Influential Wrestlers Ever
4. El Santo
The greatest star that lucha libre has ever produced, El Santo (The Saint) is a figure so revered in Mexican culture that his it could be said that he represents the combined mainstream significance of Hulk Hogan, Elvis and Superman in his home country. His silver mask represents one of the single most famous pieces of iconography in all of professional wrestling. No one in Mexico has ever come close to the level of insane popularity that Santo achieved over five decades in wrestling, and it's highly unlikely that anyone ever will.
El Santo wasn't just a wrestler: he was a national treasure, a folk hero, an icon and an idol to literally millions of his countrymen, women and children, the star of his own comic book series that lasted for thirty-five years, and the featured star of fifty-two lucha libre movies - playing himself, of course.
El Santo would never be considered a technical virtuoso but with that kind of connection to the audience, who needs to be? Even today, thirty-odd years after his death, he remains the face of lucha libre, his name living on through his youngest son, El Hijo Del Santo (who retired fairly recently as one of the sports biggest names), and though the Legend Of Silver wrestling tournament.
When Santo passed away in 1984, the roads were blocked as tens of thousand of ordinary Mexicans attended to pay their respects. It took hours for the coffin to get from the funeral parlour to the hearse that would take his body on its way to its final resting place. On the anniversary of Santo's death, pilgrimages are made to his mausoleum, and the day is treated as an unofficial day of national celebration.