Who Was 'El Santo'? 5 Things To Know About Mexican Wrestler Honored By Google Doodle

Mexican wrestling legend El Santo (The Saint) is being honored with a Google Doodle on what would have been his 66th birthday.

This legendary, silver-masked luchador, whose real name was Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, died on February 5, 1984. Credited with popularizing the sport in Mexico, El Santo wrestled for nearly five decades and is remembered as one of the greatest sports figures in Mexican history.

Through his appearance in film and as the subject of many comic books, he became a cultural icon, representing justice and the fight against evil. Google says. “Legend has it that El Santo never removed his silver mask even at home and had a special mask for eating. He went to great lengths to protect his identity, particularly when traveling.”

He removed it for the first time in public after his retirement on a show called Contrapunto, on which he suddenly took off the iconic silver mask to reveal his face to his fans as a final goodbye. Guzman suffered a heart attack and died just 10 days after that TV appearance.

His funeral was one of the biggest in Mexican history, attended by family, friends, and his many fans. Shortly thereafter, a statue of El Santo was erected in his hometown of Tulancingo.

As per his wishes, El Santo was buried wearing his iconic silver mask.

Here are five other things to know about El Santo.

1. Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta was born on September 23, 1917, in Tulancigo, Hidalgo, Mexico, and moved with his family to Mexico City, where he grew up the fifth of seven children. He practiced Ju-Jitsu, played baseball and American football.

2. El Santo began his wrestling career in Mexico City in the mid-1930s; retiring in 1982 at the age of 65. He started out as a rudo, the character hated by the fans. However, once he began to don the iconic silver mask, he became a fan favorite with his high-flying acrobatic style and heroic character. He also adapted a persona as an honest, working-man’s hero who fought against corruption and evil. He used several names, including Rudy Guzman, El Hombre Rojo, El Demonio Negro before settling on El Santo.

3. El Santo’s fame was bolstered by the increasing availability of televisions throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s. During this period, El Santo claimed a number of famous victories over older, established wrestlers. His biggest match was a 1952 tag-team bout in which he unmatched a wrestler named the Black Shadow, starting a long feud with the Black Shadow’s partner, Blue Demon, that lasted for several years, and also spilled over into movies. He went on a farewell tour in 1982 and then retired after a final match on September 12, 1982.

4. He was also an actor who made almost 60 films. He made his debut in 1950 in Santo Against Brain Mal and Santo vs. the Infernal Men. He also appeared as a character in a comic book series that ran until 1987.

5. El Santo married María de los Ángeles Rodríguez Montaño in the early 1940s and had 10 children, including a son, Jorge, who followed in his father’s footsteps and wrestled under the name El Hijo del Santo (the Son of the Saint).

El Hijo del Santo retired from wrestling in 2014 after suffering a back injury. One of his sons has also started wrestling, using the name El Santo Jr. in Japan.