The extravaganza of Lucha Vavoom returns to the ring in Los Angeles

Veronica Yune mal finishes undressing hanging headfirst in a hoop in the heights, when the fighters “Sexi and Mexi” enter the scene wagging their hips to face Dirty Sánchez. In a hurry and extravagance, Lucha Vavoom is back in the ring.

“Blood is running through the veins!” , says Serafina, a stilt dancer dressed in a red corset and a huge bell skirt from which the presenters who open the first performance of this troupe in Los Angeles after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic come out.

Lucha Vavoom combines the sensuality of American burlesque with the action of Mexican wrestling, bringing to the ring that mix that characterizes Los Angeles and gaining loyal fans that fill the old Mayan theater in each performance.

Serafina explains that this fidelity is due to the fact that “Vavoom is a way of life, it is a call to accept freedom of expression”.

“We're alive!” , yell. He immediately grabs a staff crowned by a heart and takes to the stage, on this night that, on Valentine's Day, is dedicated to “Impossible Love”.

The story of Lucha Vavoom resembles, in fact, the plot of a romantic comedy, but with a more contemporary ending.

More than two decades ago, American Liz Fairbairn left everything to go to Mexico following a wrestler she had met on a movie set in California. The relationship ended, but the romance with wrestling was forever, says Fairbairn, who embraced the show and brought it home.

Convinced that she needed something more for her Angelina proposal, she partnered with a burlesque company.

“We thought that if we attracted the audience to see the burlesque they would also see the fight, and they would love it. And so it was,” says Fairbairn sitting on an imposing yellow chair surrounded by hearts.

“Vavoom is a way of life,” he said.

- “Be back” -

The stoppage of activities caused by the pandemic sent home the entire cast.

“I practiced at home. It was like continuing to practice to be ready to return,” says Yune as a stylist adjusts the pink wig that culminates her vintage look.

“I dreamed a lot about the performances in Lucha Vavoom at the beginning of the quarantine,” says Serafina. “It's an honor to be back on this stage.”

The wardrobe smells like hairspray and burnt hair. Several hairdressers touch up wigs and hairstyles. Makeup artists strain huge false eyelashes and draw dramatic outlines. There are feathers, glitter and lingerie everywhere.

Preparations take up to three hours.

Dancers and wrestlers warm up and stretch. Some are covered in oil to further highlight toned muscles.

During the stoppage, the cast worked on other projects but most of them without an audience.

“It was super difficult,” says Taya Valkyrie, former WWE wrestler. “They [the spectators] are part of the show, they give me their energy and I give them, it's an interaction,” he explains before putting on a huge black cape that resembles that of bullfighters, from which a long train of red loops comes out.

In a tribute to Mexico, where he lived for years, he leaves aside his native English during the interview: “If we are going to talk about wrestling, it has to be in Spanish”.

Taya is the only fighter tonight who fights without a mask, an element that defines wrestling.

“It's magic”, says the Chupacabra, a fighter inspired by the folk character who attacks herds and eats chickens.

Just as the dancers say they are “timeless” when asked how old they are, the wrestlers stay in character when asked for their real name.

“The magic of the character I bring is what is important to people,” says the fighter whose suit resembles a reptile and who will face the Crazy Chickens tonight.

The feather duo was impossible to interview: they don't speak English or Spanish, they hardly cackle.

Already Dirty Sanchez (Dirty Sanchez), one of the audience's favorites, almost ripped off the microphone to promise an action-packed night. “I'm going to hurt people,” shouted the masked man who bears his name seriously in the ring.

Dirty Sanchez and the Crazy Chickens were the highlight of the night for Clix, a fan who traveled from Arizona to watch the show.

“It's my seventh show,” he said after buying a t-shirt at the souvenir shop. “During the pandemic, my heart was broken, two years without Vavoom was like hell, but now I'm back in the clouds.”

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