Every luchador develops a unique character.
Every mask has a meaning.
Saturday on the opening day of Festival La Onda, hundreds of festivalgoers gathered around a wrestling ring built in the middle of the Napa Valley Expo, the midday sun beating down and anticipation building.
"Are you guys ready to watch some lucha libre?" a commentator screamed above blaring music over the public-address speakers.
The crowd responded with a roar before each luchador was announced. Tornado Power ran through the crowd, high-fiving audience members as they cheered him on. His partner for the tag-team match, Mosco Negro, made an edgier entrance, solemnly walking in to "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.
They were pitted against two luchadores wearing clown-inspired masks. Payaso de Rodeo entered to the crowd's thunderous applause before his partner, Tilin, stole the show. Tilin, wearing a clown-like face covering over a bright neon-green wardrobe, waded headfirst into the crowd, at one point even grabbing a spectator for an impromptu dance.
The familiar ding-ding of a bell signaled it was time for the four luchadores to duel.
In a flurry of acrobatics, smacks and thuds, Tornado Power and Mosco Negro appeared to gain the upper hand.
But they were not the heroes of this bout. Instead, Tilin and Payaso de Rodeo overcame their foes and triumphantly pinned them, securing the match. The crowd erupted, and then rushed the ring to snap off selfies with their favorite luchadores.
"It got a bit out of hand there, but it was a good time," Hector Morales, of the Southern California-based Sports Marketing Media, said with a smile.
As they did at the inaugural La Onda a year ago, Morales and his business partner, Oscar Martinez of Dallas-based Martinez Entertainment, are providing attendees at Napa's two-day Latin music festival with the entertaining spectacle of lucha libre, the Mexican form of professional wrestling. Morales and his team have taken lucha libre all across the U.S., most recently performing at the Würth 400 NASCAR race in Fort Worth, Texas.
Initially, Morales said the idea was to engage with a Latino audience, which he identified as a rapidly growing consumer base. Over the course of more than two decades, however, that audience has shifted.
"We've not only engaged with a Latino audience, we represent our culture, and we're ambassadors of our culture," he said.
Fourteen luchadores were slated to perform during four shows on each day of La Onda, with six of the wrestlers hailing from the Bay Area. Morales said he tries to work with the same luchadores at as many events as possible, so the wrestlers know what to expect and Morales knows they'll engage with the audience.
"To be a good luchador, you need to love it," Morales said. "They train hard to develop these skills."
One of the luchadores visiting Napa, Murcielago Plateado, proudly donned his mask before being interviewed by a Napa Valley Register reproter. He said his mask, adorned with wings and a large vampire bat, represents discipline and perseverance. The original version of the mask was worn by his grandfather, he added, and he has adjusted the designs over his years in the ring.
"It's very important to perform at La Onda," he said. "It's an achievement in my career to perform at this event next to so many major artists."
Through La Onda weekend, luchadores will show festivalgoers their unique brand of drama and spectacle. Onlookers will also receive a firsthand look at a unique part of Mexican culture.
"Every single event we do, we're trying to inspire the people with our culture," Martinez said.