Credit: Cassandro El Exotico/Amazon Studios/Illustration by Nuestro Stories
Known by one name, exotico wrestler Cassandro, today is fondly called the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” It’s a description he earned, and fought for, inside and outside of the wrestling ring, since his rise in the 1980s.
He even does his own makeup, as demonstrated in a taped interview for Vice Mexico. "This is my ritual," he jokes as he transforms into the world-renowned feminine wrestler Cassandro.
But what sets this star of the ring apart from the other larger-than-life personalities in the entertaining sport? A new movie Cassandro, starring award-winning Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, delves deeper into the life of this “exotico” wrestler.
“I was totally blown away by his story,” Cassandro movie director Roger Ross Williams, who also co-wrote the script with collaborator David Teague, tells PEOPLE magazine. “For me as a storyteller, as a filmmaker, there's just a moment where a story hits you and you know this is right.”
Born in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and raised in El Paso, Texas, Saúl Armendáriz — a.k.a. Cassandro — says he always had a passion for wrestling. In fact, he said his love affair with wrestling began as a child, according to a Spanish-language report for the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia de México “Los Exoticos: Lucahdores Diversos en Construccion.”
The Mexican report, which follows the life of some of Mexico’s best-known Exotico wrestlers, explains that Armendáriz’s mother wanted to protect him from wrestling, the “macho” sport her teenage son loved. At her request, Armendáriz even earned a degree in medical administration, a backup plan, in addition to pursuing his passion.
His biggest influence was perhaps his instructor Rey Misterio Senior, a popular fighter from the 80s and 90s, who pushed the young athlete “to dig deeper into his persona.” The instructor insisted that Cassandro should look for a name and a mask to help overcome his fear of being in front of a crowd.
That's how "Mr. Romano" came about, according to Cassandro in an a 2015 interview. As Mr. Romano, he began to attract attention on the local Chihuahuan circuit between 1986 and 1987
A few years later, still under the instruction of Senior, he became the star we know today as “Cassandro, El Exotico" (a nod to Cassandra, the Greek mythological figure cursed with visions of the future that no one would believe).
In an interview with Vice Mexico, Cassandro says members of the crowd used to yell at him when he was "Mr. Romano": "This one is gay. that one's a faggot." Then he says, with a smile, "So I took off the mask, and I stayed as Cassandro."
He eventually perfected his wrestling persona as an exótico wrestler. "Cassandro's life is full of contrasts," Vice Asia states. "He's gay and an icon of a sport known for it's machismo. ... he spends his days as Saul and his nights as 'Cassandro the Exotic.'"
Sadly, his career led him to a suicide attempt in 1990, just a week prior to what would be his first title match with none other than El Hijo del Santo.Cassandro had not only to fight with his insecurities and deal with the pressure of his Exotico status, but also cope with the hardships of becoming a substance abuser. "Each bad has brought me a good," the now sober Cassandro told Vice about his struggles, and successes, inside and outside of the ring. Cassandro returned to sobriety on June 4, 2003.
A career good: In 2009, fellow wrestler, El Hijo del Santo, and Cassandro made history as special guests of the Louvre Museum, during the only occasion in which two professional wrestlers fought inside a venue.
" ... Cassandro is an open book among those who hide behind makeup or a mask because they fear what others might say,” the star says as he looks back at his career. “That's Cassandro. The Liberace of Lucha Libre."
Today, Cassandro no longer fights regularly due to the number of injuries received in the ring from his long career. But new and old fans alike will be happy to know he is doing his best to recover and eventually lace up his boots once again and jump in the ring.
