A live Lucha Libre wrestling match took place in The Hive on Oct. 10, presented by Multicultural Affairs in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The event summoned fighters from Soar Championship Wrestling to duke it out before an energetic crowd of students and instructors.

For round one, the matchmakers introduced Mowabi, who crawled into The Hive like a spider and leapt between the ropes. His opponent, Prince Ameri, showed himself off with a strut.

“The Lord pays attention to the people and the land,” Ameri said. “My prayers will be granted.”

The match kicked off with Prince Ameri dropkicking Mowabi onto his back, then pummeling him with blows while he was down. The crowd gasped as the onslaught on Mowabi continued.

“[The match] didn’t go well for me,” Mowabi said.”

Later, Mowabi got the upper hand and kicked Ameri right out the ring, but the fighter jumped back in.

Near the end, the referee got caught between Mowabi and Ameri, which resulted in the former bickering with the official. Much to his surprise, the referee responded with a backhand.

“Apparently, when it comes to lucha, the referee lays their hands on you,” Mowabi said.

That sent Mowabi swinging, and now there were three fighters – two against Mowabi.

“Cost me the match,” he said, shaking his head.

At first, Ameri kept his distance, but as the feud went on, he chose to get the jump on his opponent instead.

The match devolved into a beatdown dealt by the referee and Ameri, complete with kicking, thrashing, punching and even hair-pulling.

“That was the first time … you don’t touch my hair, man!” Mowabi said. 

Mowabi stood no chance against the weight of two men, the referee counting down right in front of his face. When the bell rang, Mowabi fell out of the ropes and proceeded to stumble away.

“He got his ass whooped – that’s what happened,” Ameri said.

Lucha Libre, which translates to ‘freestyle wrestling,’ has its roots during the French intervention in Mexico in 1863, becoming a regional phenomenon by the 20th century. It eventually evolved into one of the most prominent wrestling styles in the U.S., especially Texas with its high Mexican population.

In Eastfield, there were more students than seats and some watched from the overlook. Students flocked from other campuses to see the match, most prominently Brookhaven. 

From the way students leapt from their seats and cheered in celebration of the first match, some might say the journey was worth it.

However, the crowd quickly calmed down when it was time to move onto round two.

“We all want to win right now,” said Dynamo Americano, introducing himself with a western jingle named Big Iron.

His opponents, Branch and Jevonte, had less flashy introductions, and their opening moves consisted of a slapfest between the three.

Eventually, Branch and Jevonte decided enough was enough and opted to tag team Dynamo, their combined strength putting him at a quick loss. 

Unfortunately for Dynamo, tag teaming is a major component to lucha libre.

“There’s always next time,” Dynamo said, pledging to train more until then.

One of lucha’s characteristics are more aerial maneuvers compared to western wrestling, and the match had several moments where fighters including Dynamo were thrown around.

The final round was between Gabe XL and award-winning pro wrestler Dontae Smiley. As the proclaimed “King of Trap City,” his intro song was recorded by himself, introducing Eastfield to his side gig as a musician.

When the bell rang, Gabe XL and Smiley circled each other like lions, feinting the first move until Smiley finally committed and got the jump on Gabe XL.

However, Smiley failed to lift Gabe XL off their feet – XL leveraged their weight to pin Smiley to the ropes, then beat him without resistance.

The match consisted of Gabe XL throwing his opponent around like a ragdoll. The audience kept aweing at the one-sided fight. At first Smiley couldn’t get back up, but he eventually rebounded with a blow to his opponent.

“It was tough, but the work got done,” Smiley said.

The audience counted down alongside the referee, then exploded into cheers when the clock striked zero. That wasn’t enough for Smiley, who continued to hold down Gabe XL until his intro song returned.

“He did what he was supposed to, but what he did was not enough,” Smiley said.

Even after the ring cleared, students hung around for selfies with the wrestlers, energized by the celebration of Hispanic heritage.