Lucha Libre and Puroresu Explained: Wrestling Beyond the US

American promotions get most of the attention in English-language coverage, but some of the most influential wrestling in the world comes from Mexico and Japan. Both have their own styles, traditions and vocabulary, and both are well worth exploring if you want more than the mainstream shows.

Lucha libre

"Lucha libre" means "free fight" in Spanish and is the name for professional wrestling in Mexico. The style is fast and aerial, with a strong emphasis on acrobatics, and it has its own conventions:

• Masks: many luchadores wrestle in masks that represent their identity. Losing the mask in a match is a huge moment, and some wrestlers' real names stay private for their whole careers.
• Técnicos and rudos: the lucha version of faces and heels, the good guys and the rule-breakers.
• Trios: matches with teams of three are the heart of lucha libre, and trios titles are a staple.
• Two out of three falls: matches are often decided by the best of three falls rather than a single one.
• Lucha de apuestas: a match where the loser stakes something, typically their mask or their hair.

The oldest active promotion in the world, CMLL, was founded in 1933 and is based around Arena México in Mexico City. AAA, founded in 1992, is best known for its annual Triplemanía event. Both appear in the promotion pages.

Puroresu

"Puroresu" is the Japanese shortening of "pro wrestling", and the term is also used for the Japanese style. Where lucha is acrobatic, puroresu is known for its hard-hitting, realistic feel. Fans use the phrase "strong style" for the stiff strikes and intense, serious presentation that run through many Japanese promotions, particularly NJPW.

• Tokyo Dome: NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom is held there in early January and is among the biggest wrestling events in the world.
• Tournaments: the G1 Climax is a round-robin tournament held in the summer, and tournaments like it are central to how Japanese promotions tell stories.
• Young lions: NJPW has a long tradition of training young wrestlers at its dojo, who then spend time in plain black trunks before they "graduate".
• Joshi: women's wrestling is known as joshi puroresu. Stardom, founded in 2011, is the leading women's promotion.
• Other promotions: AJPW, founded in 1972 by Giant Baba, and NOAH, founded in 2000, both have deep championship traditions of their own.

Where to start

• Look at the Japan and Mexico events on the events page. Wrestle Kingdom is a good first show for puroresu, and Triplemanía for lucha.
• Try a tournament: the round-robin format means each night is a self-contained story, so you can jump in anywhere.
• Check the Champions page for the titles to know. Open a title to see its full reign history.

For how the rules of these matches work, read match types explained.