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Wrestler takes his message to the mat

Lucha Libre USA wrestler RJ Brewer, left, battles Blue Demon Jr. in the ring at Stockton Arena. Brewer, 32, whose real name is John Stagikas, plays an anti-illegal immigration bad guy whom the largely Mexican crowds love to jeer.

Lucha Libre USA wrestler RJ Brewer, left, battles Blue Demon Jr. in the ring at Stockton Arena. Brewer, 32, whose real name is John Stagikas, plays an anti-illegal immigration bad guy whom the largely Mexican crowds love to jeer.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Characters are the stock in trade of pro wrestling, drawing audiences into its epic battles of good versus evil. And “RJ Brewer” -- a shaved-headed, in-your-face crusader against illegal immigration created two years ago by the Mexican American wrestling promotion company Lucha Libre USA -- is el mero malo, the chief bad guy. See full story

Plenty of detractors

Fans boo RJ Brewer as he wrestles Blue Demon Jr. Conservative Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer -- his so-called mother -- signed the nation’s toughest law against illegal immigrants. Stagikas’ real mother does worry about him.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Compromised positions

Blue Demon Jr. holds RJ Brewer in an upside-down headlock during their match in Stockton as part of the “Masked Warriors” tour. Brewer (he won’t say what, if anything, the RJ stands for) has wrestled his way across the Southwest, to almost entirely hostile crowds. They throw popcorn, lemons, pretzels and beverages at him. They swear at him in Spanish.  (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)

He has an arm up

RJ Brewer puts the twist on Blue Demon Jr. “When I hear the boos,” Brewer says, “I know I’m doing my job.”  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Look out below!

RJ Brewer waits to absorb an airborne blow from Blue Demon Jr. For some shows, Brewer wears red tights with “SB1070” stenciled on the back. That’s the name of Arizona’s tough anti-illegal immigration law that was signed by Gov. Brewer.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Head in his hands

RJ Brewer holds Blue Demon Jr. in a headlock. Pale and menacing, Stagikas could pass as a neo-Nazi in tights. But spend a few minutes with him and he comes across as thoughtful, articulate and somewhat sensitive. He has nothing against Mexicans and worries about being seen as a bona fide racist.  (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)

Disliking his ring tone

When RJ Brewer is in the ring, chants of “Mexico! Mexico!” echo through the packed arena. Brewer will taunt back: “How dare you boo an American hero!”  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Getting ready to rumble

RJ Brewer waits backstage for his match against Blue Demon Jr. He has loved pro wrestling for as long as he can remember. As a youngster, he would be crushed if he missed an important match. Never a big guy, he bulked up when he was 18 and then played football at Assumption College in Massachusetts, a Division II school.  (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)

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