CMLL Eyes U.S. Expansion — But Lucha Libre Shouldn't Have to Become Americanized to Succeed in America
There are few things in professional wrestling that excite me quite like seeing lucha libre reach a larger audience. But there's also something I hope we don't lose along the way. CMLL is looking toward a larger footprint in the United States, with English-language broadcaster Miguel Castro recently discussing his hope of eventually seeing the promotion secure a U.S. media deal.
For me, that's exciting.
Very exciting.
I've had the privilege of working alongside talent from both CMLL and AAA during my time with Lucha Patron here, and there's something about authentic Lucha Libre that can't—and shouldn't—be replicated by simply putting American professional wrestling in masks.
It's not simply a different style of professional wrestling.
It's a culture.
And as CMLL potentially takes another step into the American wrestling market, I hope that's exactly what it remains.
CMLL Has Its Eyes on America: CMLL's visibility among American wrestling fans has already increased dramatically through its relationship with AEW. Místico has become increasingly familiar to AEW and ROH audiences. Persephone's profile has exploded. And the relationship between the companies has provided another bridge for American fans to discover wrestlers and a promotion they may not previously have followed.
Now Castro is looking even further ahead.
Speaking recently about CMLL's growth in the United States, Castro identified securing an American media deal as one of his goals for the promotion. Importantly, however, he doesn't necessarily want CMLL relegated to Spanish-language television simply because the promotion comes from Mexico.
That distinction matters.
CMLL shouldn't have to be treated as niche programming exclusively for Spanish-speaking viewers.
Lucha libre is wrestling.
And great wrestling doesn't require translation.
America Doesn't Need an Americanized CMLL: This is where my excitement comes with one concern. If CMLL continues expanding into the United States—and I sincerely hope it does—I don't want the pursuit of an American audience to slowly sand away the things that make CMLL distinctly CMLL.
Don't Americanize it.
Don't water it down.
Don't take something culturally unique and reshape it until it resembles every other wrestling product already available here.
Bring us Arena México.
Bring us the masks.
Bring us the pageantry.
Bring us técnicos and rudos, apuestas, trios, the movement, the traditions and the generations of history woven into lucha libre.
Bring us Mexico.
Because that's the selling point.
American wrestling fans don't need CMLL to become more like American professional wrestling. We already have American professional wrestling. What CMLL offers is something different.
I've Seen the Market for It Firsthand: That's not merely theoretical for me. I've experienced it firsthand working with Lucha Patron in Northern California alongside talent from both CMLL and AAA. I've seen what authentic Lucha Libre can do in front of an American crowd. Lucha Patron has built significant community support in Santa Rosa and the surrounding areas, drawing crowds ranging from roughly 400 people to more than 1,000 for events I've been part of—all while operating without nearly the level of media coverage or visibility afforded to many of its competitors. In fact, I've watched Lucha Patron outdraw other wrestling events receiving considerably more attention and coverage.
Think about that for a moment.
A promotion built around Lucha Libre can draw hundreds—and sometimes more than a thousand people—in Northern California without a major television platform or the constant attention of the larger wrestling media. To me, that's evidence of something wrestling sometimes underestimates: You don't necessarily have to change a culture to create a market for it.
There is a particular connection between Lucha Libre, its wrestlers and its audience that is difficult to explain until you've experienced it live. The masks matter. The traditions matter. The cultural identity matters. The families coming together to experience it matter.
Lucha Patron didn't need to make Lucha Libre less Mexican to connect with Northern California. The authenticity was part of the attraction. And that's precisely why I believe there is room for CMLL to grow in the United States without sacrificing what makes it special.
CMLL's Greatest Asset Is CMLL: CMLL isn't some new promotion searching for an identity. It was founded in 1933. Arena México isn't merely another wrestling venue. CMLL isn't simply another company with a weekly card. Lucha Libre itself carries generations of Mexican history, tradition and cultural identity. That history gives CMLL something you can't manufacture through production values or television deals.
Identity.
The irony is that the further professional wrestling expands globally, the more valuable that becomes. Wrestling has never been more accessible. A fan in California can watch wrestling from Mexico, Japan, England or countless other places without leaving their couch. That means promotions aren't only competing for viewers anymore. They're competing to give those viewers something they can't get anywhere else.
CMLL already has that.
Let American Fans Come to Lucha Libre: Perhaps that's the opportunity. Instead of asking how Lucha Libre needs to change for an American audience, maybe the better question is how we introduce more American fans to Lucha Libre as it already exists.
AEW has started building that bridge.
When Místico walks into an American arena and thousands of people recognize him, that's a bridge. When Persephone succeeds in front of an audience that may not have followed her career in Mexico, that's a bridge. When American fans discover CMLL and eventually decide they need to experience Arena México for themselves, that's a bridge.
And when Lucha Patron can bring 400, 800 or more than 1,000 people together for Lucha Libre in Northern California without anything resembling the exposure of wrestling's larger promotions, that's a bridge too. You don't have to tear down one culture to connect it to another. You just have to give people a way across. To be honest, I'm still in awe of watching talents like El Felino Jr., Samuray Del Sol, Xtreme Tiger, and Drago at Lucha Patron with those crowd, and that energy with the horns blaring! It's proof...
There's Room for Authentic Lucha Libre in America: I want CMLL to succeed in the United States. I want more American wrestling fans watching it and loving it as is. I want American fans discovering wrestlers they previously wouldn't have known. I want people who have spent their entire lives watching American wrestling to experience Lucha Libre and realize just how enormous this industry really is.
And yes, I would love to see CMLL land meaningful American distribution. But more than anything, I want CMLL to arrive as CMLL. Because I've already seen what happens when authentic Lucha Libre meets an American audience.
It doesn't need to apologize for being different.
It doesn't need to become less Mexican.
It doesn't need to become more American.
It just needs the opportunity to be seen.
And if CMLL gets that opportunity on a larger scale, I believe more American wrestling fans may discover what Lucha Libre fans have known for generations:
Sometimes different isn't the obstacle.
It's the reason you watch.