An Evening Of Lucha Libre

An Evening Of Lucha Libre

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Attending a wrestling match might not be at the top of the list of things you’d consider doing on an international trip, but for lucha libre in Mexico City you’ll want to make an exception.

Yes, the fights are choreographed and ridiculous, and yes, it gets a little loud and boisterous, but it’s such an experience!

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The Arena Mexico seats 17,000 people

I had hoped to attend a lucha libre match from the beginning, but my arch-nemesis Ticketmaster made that difficult. I don’t know why I had a hard time finding the event on the website, but with the help of Wandering Aramean (who was conveniently in town just a few days prior) we figured it out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFXzuRsA1HA/?taken-by=tebfunk

You want to go to a match at Arena Mexico if you can — this is the main arena, and is definitely an experience. Tickets can be purchased online, and then claimed at Will-Call. You mush show the credit card used to purchase the tickets, and the card must have raised numbers. Supposedly. I used my Sapphire Preferred, and that was fine, but YMMV.

There are apparently tours that will take you to the fight, but I’m having a hard time imagining why that would be necessary. If you have been to any sporting event, ever, or to anything with reserved seating, you should be fine on your own. There were signs for Will-Call, signs for the entrance, signs for the bathrooms, and ushers happy to show you to your seats in exchange for a tip. I’m not sure what value a tour company would have provided.

Sit ringside, or as close as you can

We purchased Friday night tickets at the last minute, and paid ~$18 each for our ringside seats.

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Arena Mexico seating plan

I don’t know that they were the best of the ringside seats (we had a row of three seats to ourselves in the purple area), but they certainly weren’t bad.

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The closer to the action, the better

Ideally, I’d suggest sitting alongside the ramp (marked in green). The extravagant entrances were one of my favorite parts (flashing lights, highlight reels, and dancing girls), and much of the fighting action spilled out onto the ramp.

The orange seats would have been better than our purple seats, but really — this is just a place where you want to be close to the action. It’s worth the few extra dollars.

Everyone goes to the lucha

Families. Couples dressed for dates. Young people. Old people. Groups of friends. Single fans. Everyone.

I don’t know if this is the case in the U.S., because I’ve personally never been to a professional wrestling match otherwise, but I was impressed with the diversity of the crowd. That alone made the evening particularly fun, especially as it seemed everyone was having a universally fantastic time.

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The aerial moves and acrobatics were impressive, and definite crowd-pleasers

The concession crew is on point!

Granted, the offerings themselves weren’t gourmet or anything, but the concession delivery system was a well-oiled machine. The ratio of vendors to attendees was impressive, and everything from beer to chicharrones to Dominos was quickly distributed throughout the crowd.

Other vendors hawked wrestling masks, toys, noisemakers, and other souvenirs, but not aggressively so. It all contributed to the festive and enthusiastic atmosphere.

Things to know

The area around the Arena Mexico apparently has a “meh” reputation, though it didn’t seem particularly unsavory when we were there. Our hotel might be used to coddling their clientele, as they suggested we pay a taxi to wait for us during the match rather than linger in the neighborhood at night. That sounded ridiculous, and we took Uber without any problems (though we did leave a bit before the end of the match).

A few other tips:

  • Cameras are not allowed in the arena — security will check yours and give you a claim check if you forget.
  • Bring small coins to tip ushers, buy things from vendors, etc.
  • Avoid bringing large bags to the arena as there isn’t space for them

It’s also worth noting that the earlier fights have more campy (and potentially offensive) comedy. Little people, fighters in drag — apparently it’s all fair game. The later matches are better choreographed, and thus much more violent. If either option seems bothersome to you, plan your arrival and departure times accordingly.

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Lucha libre may be one of the only entertainment events where the women wear more than the men

Bottom line

I don’t know if going to a lucha libre match is something that you must do in Mexico City, but it was certainly a very entertaining evening. I had a great time.

I particularly enjoyed watching the crowd, and seeing how the fighters engaged with the fans. And even Andrew, who was not entirely thrilled with the aggressive violence of some of the luchadores admitted he would suggest others seek out a match on a visit to Mexico City.

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Mid-match deliberations

Has anyone been to lucha libre at Arena Mexico or another stadium? 

Conversations (9)
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  1. Steven_CC Guest

    Just now reading this and could not agree more with everything you wrote. Spot on. I attended in late 2019 and everything holds true. Everyone goes to Lucha, felt fine and safe in area around stadium. We sat right next to the Green section you outlined. Sit in the Green section if you can! Tickets were $25-30 but apparently we went on a special event night so tickets more than usual, we had the best...

    Just now reading this and could not agree more with everything you wrote. Spot on. I attended in late 2019 and everything holds true. Everyone goes to Lucha, felt fine and safe in area around stadium. We sat right next to the Green section you outlined. Sit in the Green section if you can! Tickets were $25-30 but apparently we went on a special event night so tickets more than usual, we had the best seats in the house for $30 amazing value. Bring pesos never had option of card for concessions. The vendors make the event, the beers were 50-70 pesos (i think). I gave first vendor at our seats 200 for two ($9usd) and told him to keep the change. He never left our group of 8, we tipped well but having a private beer vendor who cordinated any food item to be brogut to us (they have at least 20 differnt food options) all because of a simple $5 tip amazing. After its an easy walk to Roma Norte or Condesa or just take an uber. Cant recommend this enough.

  2. Phil Guest

    Never mind. Figured it out!

  3. Phil Guest

    How food you purchase with a credit card? The only way I can pay is with a Mexican credit card through ticket master. Thanks for the into!

  4. tommyx Guest

    definitely a must if in mexico city for a long weekend or more. weeknights you can walk up to the ticket booth and get seats close to the action and avoid ticketmaster altogether.

  5. Joey Diamond

    Thanks Tiffany! BTW, I just read an article stating people should check their Ticketmaster accounts for vouchers! There was a recent class action lawsuit that resulted in Ticketmaster giving $2.25 vouchers to patrons. Just an FYI.

  6. Eric Junker Guest

    Do you know what promotion you were watching? Was it AAA or CMLL? Those are the 2 biggest in Mexico with many huge international stars.

  7. Joey Diamond

    I'm planning a trip to Mexico City early next year and will hopefully watch this if it's in season. I'm presuming it goes all throughout the year?
    I agree with you in regards to Ticketmaster. I'm not a big fan of TM myself but do the seats by the ramp (in green) and the orange seats you mentioned cost all cost the same at roughly $18?
    Lastly, I know you mentioned cameras are not allowed but did you see people use their smartphone cameras to snap photos?

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ Joey -- It seems to be throughout the year, as there are various different leagues and levels. The ticket costs seem to vary more by date than anything else. Smartphones were allowed, but not many people were taking pictures.

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The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Steven_CC Guest

Just now reading this and could not agree more with everything you wrote. Spot on. I attended in late 2019 and everything holds true. Everyone goes to Lucha, felt fine and safe in area around stadium. We sat right next to the Green section you outlined. Sit in the Green section if you can! Tickets were $25-30 but apparently we went on a special event night so tickets more than usual, we had the best seats in the house for $30 amazing value. Bring pesos never had option of card for concessions. The vendors make the event, the beers were 50-70 pesos (i think). I gave first vendor at our seats 200 for two ($9usd) and told him to keep the change. He never left our group of 8, we tipped well but having a private beer vendor who cordinated any food item to be brogut to us (they have at least 20 differnt food options) all because of a simple $5 tip amazing. After its an easy walk to Roma Norte or Condesa or just take an uber. Cant recommend this enough.

0
Phil Guest

Never mind. Figured it out!

0
Phil Guest

How food you purchase with a credit card? The only way I can pay is with a Mexican credit card through ticket master. Thanks for the into!

0
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