Fans filled the Mayan theater Friday night for a special Lucha VaVoom tribute show honoring lucha libre trailblazer and queer icon Cassandro.
The beloved Mexican American luchador, whose real name is Saúl Armendáriz, is the subject of a new biopic that chronicles his rise to fame as an exótico — wrestlers who perform in drag — in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
The film “Cassandro,” starring Gael García Bernal, premiered on Prime Video the same night.
In the new film “Cassandro” Bad Bunny shares his first on-screen kiss with Gael García Bernal and speaks with a Mexican accent.
Cassandro wasn’t at the Mayan to get in the ring — he hasn’t had a singles match since he suffered a stroke in 2021. But it was clear who fans came to see. The luchador peeked out from backstage to catch a glimpse of the more than 1,000 fans packed into the theater, chanting “Ca-ssan-dro! Ca-ssan-dro!”
One of those fans was Keenan King, who said Cassandro’s authenticity is what makes him his favorite luchador. For him, Lucha VaVoom is a “one-stop shop for fun” and an opportunity to dress up outside of Halloween.
“You get to be someone else for a little bit of time, you get to see a lot of people dressed up, the festivity is all positive. It’s wrestling, it’s burlesque, it’s everything in one,” King said.
Cris Castrejon came to the show wearing a leather outfit and glitter on her cheeks. She said she enjoys seeing different wrestlers, the costumes and their techniques, but above all she values Cassandro’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s important to me because I have a child that is trans,” Castrejon said. “I am very grateful to [Cassandro] for being brave and going against everything. Representation matters, and I am very happy that this [celebration] is for him. He deserves that.”
Gael García Bernal is uninhibited in the ring in director Roger Ross Williams’ sports drama about a gay man who found expression and acceptance as a luchador.
Oscar Corado of Long Beach said anyone who hasn’t been to a production at the famed lucha libre event is missing out.
“Ten years in, it’s the best show, still,” Corado said of Lucha VaVoom. “The first show, it surprised me. Now sitting in the front row, it’s the best of the best.”
Veronica Montalvan of Anaheim waited in line after the show to get her poster autographed by Cassandro and take a selfie with him.
“I love Cassandro,” she said.
“I have been seeing him wrestle for years, and I was here at the Mayan the day he injured himself when he jumped off the balcony and hurt his knee. He always came out and had showmanship, glitz and glamour and how he represents the community. Anytime Cassandro has been here, I have never missed it.”
