Santos Escobar was involved in the world of Lucha Libre since he was a young child, and it helped prepare him to become the WWE Superstar he is today.
SmackDown Superstar Santos Escobar was a recent guest on Out of Character with Ryan Satin to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about growing up with his father, who was always seen in public with his Luchadore mask on, Escobar compared it to his dad being a superhero and later discovered how much it had to do with character development.
“It was weird because it’s not, quote-unquote, normal to have these circumstances where I used to drive along with him everywhere, do the shows, interviews, photoshoots, and whatnot,” Santos Escobar said. “TV shows, movies, and all that. And we would be driving normally casually in the car, and then maybe like a block before we arrived to the venue; mask.
“And I was just so impressed by it because, mind you, a kid doesn’t know the difference between Superman, Batman, or your dad. When they put on the mask, they’re superheroes too. He’s one too. So that’s what I thought back then. But then I realized it’s a tradition.
“The tradition of guarding the Lucha Libre image and how you have to portray your character, and it’s a lot of character development, without calling it character development. You have to always portray yourself as a superstar. And you have to always dress like a superstar, and you always have to present that image, and it is a tradition, but it’s also you, and I would call it a huge character development.”
Santos Escobar believes the time he spent in Mexican Lucha Libre really helped prepare him for the transition of becoming a WWE Superstar.
“So everyone asks me how difficult it was to transition from Mexican Lucha Libre to the WWE Universe. In reality, Mexican Lucha Libre has got a lot of what you need,” Santos Escobar said. “A lot of the boxes that you have to check to become a WWE Superstar.
“As a Mexican Luchadore, you already do it. The character development is telling the story. How you portray and present a product. It’s a lot of what we do. Just some people call it different industries or different worlds, different psychology, or whatever. But in my mind, it wasn’t hard because I already knew how to present myself. For example.”
When Satin brought up that he’s noticed wrestlers who have worn masks throughout most of their careers have gotten incredibly good at displaying emotions on their faces. Escobar agreed with this, explaining how difficult it was for him to breathe when he first started competing under a mask.
“Exactly. I think I agree with you, and I wore the mask for those 18 years. And at first, it was very difficult. It was very difficult just to perform. I couldn’t breathe because I felt like I had hands over my face covering my nostrils, covering my mouth, but then it sort of became my second atmosphere in the ring wearing my mask.
“And then I started digging down and getting the expressions portraying properly what I was feeling to the audience, and it just sort of became a challenge back then. But then, as you mentioned, when I took my mask off, it was all there. It was all there, times ten. So I think Mexican Lucha Libre is the best.”
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What do you make of Santos Escobar’s comments? Do you understand more about the tradition of the Luchadore mask after reading what he had to say? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit Out of Character with a link back to this article for the transcription.
