The Masked Luchador Blue Demon Jr. Wants to Run for Office in Mexico—Without Showing His Face

MEXICO CITY - Politics may be about to get a bit rougher in Mexico City.
On January 15, three masked wrestlers, or luchadores, announced that they are planning to run for local office in three neighboring municipalities in the nation's capital.

Blue Demon Jr., arguably the most famous active luchador in Mexico, said that he saw some similarities between battling in the ring and battling in government.

"You have to luchar," he said, using a Spanish word with a variety of meanings like to fight, to strive, and to struggle, and also serves as the etymology for luchador.

But for Blue Demon Jr. and the other masked men running for office, Carístico and Tinieblas, they may never get on the ballot.

One of the principal tenets of Mexican wrestling, known as the lucha libre, is that if your mask is removed and your identity is revealed to the public, then you may never wear it again. Because of that, it’s often common to see luchadores wearing their mask in everyday situations while dressed in suits or plain clothes.

"I'm going to try to (run for office) because I believe that it's valid for me too, as a public figure, I have this right," he said. "We're working right now on this with our lawyers and we're going to see what the electoral system decides."

And for Blue Demon Jr., removing his mask would be a deal-breaker because of its historic importance.

In the annals of Mexican wrestling, few would argue that the original Blue Demon would not be on the Mount Rushmore of masked luchadores.

Blue Demon starred in films with other famed wrestlers like El Santo, and held numerous championship belts over his storied career. He also managed to never have his mask removed, and kept his face hidden from the public until his death in 2000, then was buried wearing it.

While little is known about the original Blue Demon's personal life, he did adopt a young boy who came from an abusive home in the mid-’60s. That boy would eventually go on to inherit the right to wear the famous mask, and became Blue Demon Jr.

Blue Demon Jr. didn't want to go too deep into that experience, but he told VICE World News that there were “beatings and abuse." In a publicized 2020 conversation with the son of El Santo - El Santo Jr. - he went into further detail and claimed that his mother's partner would lock him for long periods of time in a wooden box. But after being adopted, he grew up with a "beautiful" childhood under the care of Blue Demon, and that "is what made me the person that I am today."  

Blue Demon Jr. entered the ring in 1985 and went on to great success on not just the Mexican circuit, but also globally. In 2008, he became the first Mexican to hold the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship belt, which is generally considered the oldest surviving title in the world and fought for in numerous international wrestling promotions.

And like his adopted father, he also went on to great fame outside of the ring, being featured in films like Get the Gringo with Mel Gibson, and currently has a pilot that has been optioned by Disney.

He explained that this was exactly why his campaign shouldn't be considered a publicity stunt.

"I've had too much publicity in my career to go searching for something like that."

He said that over the years a number of Mexican political parties have approached him about helping with campaigns, but mostly to use his fanbase for their own political gain, rather than considering him a viable candidate.

That changed last year when a newly formed political party called Redes Sociales Progresistas (Progressive Social Networks) approached him, Carístico, and Tinieblas, to run for three neighboring Mexico City municipalities.

"Right from the beginning they invited me to work, not to be a lightbulb that attracted people like insects. They invited me to come and work, just like them," said Blue Demon Jr.

He was especially excited about the opportunity to potentially run for the rough and tumble Gustavo Madero constituency in northern Mexico City, the same area where he grew up.

"Historically, it's an area that is always considered problematic," he said, explaining how it's situated next to Ecatepec, a sprawling city in Mexico State that is considered one of the most dangerous urban centers in Mexico.

But he also believed it was important that his colleagues win their municipalities as well -  Carístico in Cuauhtémoc and Tinieblas in Venustiano Carranza - so that they can collaborate like they've done in the ring for years on the three of 16 municipalities that make up Mexico City’s north eastern corner.

"Together we want to bring a better system that works for us, so that each municipality replicates the others," he said. "They're great colleagues, and we understand each other very well."

Blue Demon Jr. knows that he isn’t a traditional candidate, but believes that his experiences in life and in the ring will help.

"I want to help everybody, obviously including children. But there's not just domestic violence with kids, but also with women, and even with men. So that's a fundamental part of what I want to combat.”

But although Blue Demon Jr. may be looking for a new day job, he isn’t quite ready to retire from the ring. If elected, he plans to keep putting on his tights, but "it will only be on the weekends."

Regardless, weekday or weekend, he’ll always wear the mask.