Openly Gay Fighter Cassandro's Rocky and Courageous Road to Lucha Libre Fame Vaughn Johnson - Philly.com
go to original May 13, 2014

Lucha VaVOOM Fighter: Cassandro! (Lucha VaVoom)

In a sport where machismo is the norm, exoticos turned down the machismo and turn up the glamour and flamboyance. The effeminate characters have been a part of the Mexican Lucha Libre lore since the 1930s.

As most would expect, Cassandro makes quite an entrance. He dances to the rhythm of his entrance music with a smile on his face brighter than the gold title belt around his waist.

But once the bell rings, Cassandro becomes a wrestler. Not an exotico, not an effeminate character, but tried and true wrestler of more than 20 years. It’s almost a jarring change.

“At first, people will be shocked,” Cassandro said during an interview with Philly.com. “When they see me walking into the ring they’ll be like, ‘Oh, wow. What is this?’ I’m so flamboyant and I’m so glamorous, that’s why they call me the Liberace of Lucha Libre. But once I get in the ring and they start seeing why I’m in the ring, they forget that I’m an exotico because I’m a true wrestler and I’m very talented and I’m very skilled. When they see that, the people focus more on that than the exotico.”

As much as Cassandro is real inside of the ring, he’s just as authentic outside of it. He’s not merely playing a flamboyant character. That’s who he really is. Cassandro is openly gay.

While some exoticos have wives, children and are playing the role of an exotico, Cassandro is merely being, well, Cassandro.

Read the rest at Philly.com

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