The 55th Anniversary of Lucha Libre in Estadio de Mexico was celebrated by a professional wrestling supercard show produced and scripted by the Mexican lucha libre promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG; sometimes referred to as Grupo Internacional Revolución in Mexico) which took place on December 3, 2017, in Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan, State of Mexico (Estadio de Mexico). The event commemorated the sport of lucha libre becoming allowed in the State of Mexico, with the first lucha libre show held in the state taking place in December 1962. Over the years IWRG has on occasion celebrated the anniversary, although not consistently holding an anniversary show every year.
In the main event Ray Mendoza Jr. had come out of retirement to face Mr. Electro in a Lucha de Apuestas, bet match, with both competitors risking their hair on the outcome of the match. Mr Electro was disqualified in the third fall, causing him to lose the match and his hair as well. In the semi-main event Black Dragón and Oficial Rayan lost a Relevos Suicida match to the teams of Oficial Spector/Tortuga Teelo and Oficial Liderk/Tortuga Mike. As a result of the loss the two were scheduled to wrestle each other at the Arena Naucalpan 40th Anniversary Show on December 17, in a Lucha de Apuestas match for their masks. The show included five additional matches.
Production
Background
The history of lucha libre, or professional wrestling in Mexico goes all the way back to the early 1900s where individual promoters would hold shows on a local basis in various Mexican states. In 1933 Salvador Lutteroth created Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL; Spanish for "Mexican Wrestling Enterprise") and in subsequent years took EMLL to a national level. In the 1930s and 1940s various Mexican starts to create lucha libre commissions, often as an extension of the existing Boxing commissions, responsible for overview of lucha libre in each state, licensing wrestlers and ensuring the rules are being enforced. In the State of Mexico lucha libre was not officially sanctioned in late 1962, with the first lucha libre show in the State of Mexico held in December 1962.
The Mexican wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG; Sometimes referred to as Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish) has on occasion held a major show in December to commemorate the "birth" of Lucha Libre in their home state. It is unclear exactly when IWRG started to mark the Anniversary, records confirm that they held a show to commemorate the event starting in 2010 commemorating the 48th Anniversary of Lucha Libre in Estadio de Mexico, possibly prior to that. The 2017 show was for the 55th anniversary and was held on December 3, 2013, in Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan, State of Mexico where IWRG holds almost all of their major lucha libre shows.
Storylines
The 55th Anniversary of Lucha Libre in Estadio de Mexico event featured eight professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either heels (referred to as rudos in Mexico, those that portray the "bad guys") or faces (técnicos in Mexico, the "good guy" characters) as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.