The Left-Handed Smoker

N ALL ACTUALITY, Reinaldo Silva Montez was a second rate luchador in Guadalajara; who did travel throughout Mexico, but was never the prizefighter his son thought him to be.

When Reinaldo was younger, he grew up idolizing the great Mexican luchadores who were more or less pioneers for the sport in his opinion.

The Guerreros
The Guerreras
The Blue Demon
El Santo

He was also a fan of many Oriental wrestlers, and specifically idolized the respect Asian athletes were shown in their native countries. Some of the more notable influences in his career were:

Atsushi Onita
Giant Baba

and his favorite:

The Great Kabuki.

The Great Kabuki's signature gimmick was the Asian Mist- a green concoction that he would spit into the crowd prior to, during, and after a match. If an opponent was unfortunate enough to get sprayed, it would blind him instantly (albeit momentarily)- either giving The Great Kabuki an opportunity to finish the match, or (if the referee was not distracted) lead to his disqualification.

This was typically a display for showman effect during his entrance, and even after his retirement from the ring, The Great Kabuki's Asian Mist remained a very popular gimmick, as it was later passed on to his counterpart/supposed son:

The Great Muta.

"Mejor antes que despues." Reinaldo would often say, as the bell would ring and the match would start.

These days were so much different than what he had known as a boy. The direction wasn't as clear as before, and indeed, Reinaldo felt a certain amount of relief in the fact. But watching this new generation become more disillusioned with the classics, the real "Greats" of yesterday, caused an uneasiness in him when he thought of the projected future.

Now, it was The Great Muta who ascended the turnbuckles,
and even though the gimmick was the same, it just felt cheap when this new fucker spit.



Reinaldo's favorite luchador, however, was the flamboyant and extremely influential Mil Mascaras.

Sometimes clad in leopard print masks and banana spandex tights, he would enter an arena with the same star quality Reinaldo idolized in his American/Asian counterparts.

Reinaldo dreamed of being inside the squared circle with Mil Mascaras (if only as a referee) just to have the experience.

Among his many accomplishments inside the ring, Mil Mascaras was reputed for his contributions to the:

"scholary arts and film industry."

He was cast in starring roles of such pictures as:

The Mummies of Guanajuanto
(The highest grossing luchador film of all time.)

Mil Mascaras vs. The Aztec Mummy
(A more recent release. 2007.)

and of course, his big screen premiere:

Mil Mascaras

which was shot entirely in black and white as an origins tale for the masked hero.

In the film, an infant is found holding close to his dead mother's arms somewhere in war torn Europe, circa World War II. He is later found by a group of scientists, who subject the fledgling to extreme training sessions, resulting in a super-human acceleration of the boy's mental and physical prowess. Coming into his own as an adolescent, Mil Mascaras has finally reached his peak capacity and soon goes out into society with the motivation to save the world.



Mil Masacaras has never removed his mask, whether inside or outside the ring.

These days, it is more common to see the former luchador acting one part or another; mostly in an archetypal role or playing in professional golf tournaments around the globe.



Reinaldo never saw him play at the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament... and for that matter he never saw Mil Mascaras versus The Aztec Mummy or Las Momias De Guanajuanto.