Blue Demon

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known as Blue Demon (Demonio Azul in Spanish), was a Mexican luchador Enmascarado (Masked professional wrestler) who was widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of his time. He was affectionately referred to as "Blue" and was known for his signature blue wrestling mask.

Early life
Alejandro Muñoz Moreno was born April 24, 1922 in Rinconada, Nuevo León Mexico. He was the child of farmers and was the fifth of twelve children. At a young age, Alejandro dropped out of school and moved to Monterrey, where his uncle gave him a job working on the National Railroad. His co-workers there gave him the nickname 'Manotas', referring to his large, powerful hands.

Professional wrestling career
A chance meeting with the famous Mexican wrestler Rolando Vera piqued his interest in Lucha Libre, Vera even offering to tutor him and help him start a career. He began wrestling without a mask in Laredo, Texas. His first match was against Chema Lopez on March 12, 1948, which he won handily. Adopting the mask and persona of The Blue Demon, he headed back to Mexico to start a real career. His first appearance as The Blue Demon was in Mexico City in September 1948, where he fought Benny Arcilla. Blue began his career in the ring as a rudo. From there, he formed a famous tag-team with another well-known masked luchador named The Black Shadow, and the two became known as Los Hermanos Shadow (The Shadow Brothers).

In 1952, the famous wrestler Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring, which triggered Blue's decision to become a técnico in the ring, and a legendary feud between The Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Blue's beating el Santo in a well-publicized series of matches in 1952 and another in 1953. In 1953, Blue won the NWA World Welterweight Championship from Santo, and held it until 1958. Their rivalry never entirely abated in later years (although they co-starred over the years in a number of Mexican horror films) since Santo always remembered his defeat at the Blue Demon's hands.

During the 1960s, one of Blue Demon's greatest rivals was el Rayo de Jalisco. In 1988, the year he retired, Blue Demon finally beat Jalisco in a mask vs. mask match, taking the mask of another of Mexico's wrestling legends.

Film career
Blue Demon first appeared in cameos in a couple of luchador films made in 1961, where he was one of several wrestlers who appeared in the background. But in 1964, Enrique Vergara, the producer of the then-successful Santo movies, decided to diversify by allowing the 42-year-old Blue Demon to star in a series of luchador films of his own. The plots of the Blue Demon films are thought to be extremely similar to those of Santo's films. Santo was asking for a salary increase at the time and Vergara wanted to cultivate a second movie star.

From 1964 to 1977, Blue Demon starred in a total of 25 luchador films, and more recently was the subject of a feature-length Mexican documentary entitled Blue Demon, the Champion (1989). Of those 25 films, Santo co-starred with him in nine of them, though the two were never good friends in real life. In three of his films, Blue Demon starred as the leader of a squadron of masked superheroes known as Los Campeones Justicieros (The Champions of Justice). Membership in the Champions included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Mil Máscaras, Tinieblas, Rayo de Jalisco, El Medico Asesino, El Fantasma Blanco, El Avispon Escarlata and Superzan.

Retirement and death
Blue Demon retired from the ring in 1988 at the Monterrey Arena, where he appeared in a final match, teaming up with his son, Blue Demon Jr., who has had a successful career of his own.

Blue Demon died just before noon on Saturday, December 16, 2000 from natural causes. Apparently Blue Demon suffered a fatal heart attack on a park bench near a subway kiosk while on his way home from his regular morning training session at The Blue Demon Instituto Atletico, where he enjoyed teaching others his fighting skills. Although an attempt was made to get him to a hospital, he was unable to be revived. He was 78 years old. Blue Demon was buried wearing his trademark blue mask, the mask he never removed in public as he always kept his true identity a secret.

In wrestling

 * Finishing moves
 * Octopus hold

Championships and accomplishments

 * Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre
 * Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Black Shadow
 * Mexican National Welterweight Championship (3 times)
 * NWA World Welterweight Championship (2 times)


 * Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
 * Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Filmography

 * 1964
 * Blue Demon: El Demonio Azul
 * Blue Demon contra el poder satánico (Blue Demon vs Satanic Power) Santo had a brief cameo appearance in this film


 * 1966
 * Blue Demon en la sombra del murciélago (Blue Demon in "Shadow of The Bat")
 * Blue Demon contra las aranas infernales (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Spiders) Demon's last B&W film
 * Blue Demon contra cerebros infernales (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Brains)  Demon's first Color film
 * Blue Demon contra las diabólicas (Blue Demon vs The Diabolical Women)


 * 1967
 * Blue Demon destructor de espías(Blue Demon, Destroyer of Spies)
 * Blue Demon en pasaporte à la muerte (Blue Demon in "Passport To Death")


 * 1968
 * Blue Demon contra las invasoras(Blue Demon vs. The Women Invaders) also known as Blue Demon y las seductoras (Blue Demon and the Seductresses)


 * 1969
 * Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (Santo vs Blue Demon in Atlantis)
 * Santo el enmascarado de plata y Blue Demon contra los monstruos (Santo and Blue Demon vs The Monsters)
 * Santo y Blue Demon en "El Mundo de los Muertos" (Santo and Blue Demon in "World of the Dead")


 * 1970
 * Los campeones justicieros (The Champions of Justice)
 * Las momias de Guanajuato (The Mummies of Guanajuato) co-stars Santo and Mil Máscaras)


 * 1971
 * Blue Demon y Zovek en "La invasión de los muertos" (Blue Demon and Zovek In "The Invasion of The Dead")


 * 1972
 * La noche de la muerte (Blue Demon in "Night of Death")
 * Blue Demon en la mafia amarilla (Blue Demon in "The Yellow Mafia")
 * Vuelven los campeones justicieros (The Champions of Justice Return)
 * Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dracula and The Wolfman)
 * Santo y Blue Demon en "Las bestias del terror" (Santo and Blue Demon In "The Beasts of Terror")


 * 1973
 * El triunfo de los campeones justicieros (Triumph of The Champions of Justice)
 * Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dr. Frankenstein)


 * 1974
 * Blue Demon en "El hijo de Alma Grande" (Blue Demon in "The Son of Alma Grande")


 * 1975
 * La mansion de las siete momias (Mansion of The Seven Mummies) co-starring Superzan


 * 1977
 * Misterio en las Bermudas (Mystery In Bermuda) co-stars Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras


 * 1989
 * Blue Demon, el campeón (Blue Demon, The Champion) Documentary, video release only