Don't know who El Santo is? Don't know why he should be in the WZ Hall Of Fame? Chill, I'm here to tell you. He is only the most influential figure of pro wrestling in Mexico. He is what Hulk Hogan is in the U.S. and what Antonio Inoki is to Japan in terms of pro wrestling. You think Gorgeous George was the first wrestler to gain media notoriety in the world? Well in the U.S. he was. But that was in the 50's. Santo was breaking that ground a decade earlier and easily expanded it beyond the reaches of George or even draws in larger fields like Hulk Hogan and John Cena.
El Santo is the guy who made the idea of a wrestler in the movie business a reality. You say Gorgeous George was on TV attracting the masses with his flamboyant heel persona? Bah. El Santo was fighting not only wrestlers, but werewolves, mad doctors, vampires and was setting foot in Cuba just as the revolution ended. He has his own comic line. He has grandkids carrying his name. His feuds with Blue Demon and Perro Aguayo legendary. He is the only pro wrestler to have a statue engraved in his honor.
The figure of a multi-media icon is something George, Hulk Hogan and John Cena have traversed. But before them there was El Santo and after them there is still El Santo. His influence is great. His achievements are greater.
El Santo for the WZ Hall Of Fame.
