There’s a lively underground pro wrestling scene in L.A. County. Numerous small companies host wrestling events monthly in Los Angeles and all around Southern California. Some of them represent a particular style of the sport: Mexican wrestling, also called Lucha Libre.
Many new wrestlers want to make it in the sport, but some may never get the opportunity to perform in front of a live crowd. Luckily, there are more experienced wrestlers who are willing to help newcomers to the sport get ahead.
One of those is Eli Everfly, who has been a pro wrestler for over 10 years. His love for pro wrestling started when he was a small child, watching wrestling with his grandfather.
“Earliest memories of lucha libre is me sitting down and me playing with Legos and watching lucha libre in the background, with my grandfather just sitting there with a beer in his hand,” Everfly said.
Lucha libre is more fast-paced than typical American wrestling. And it can be a lot more boisterous. Many Mexican wrestlers, also known as luchadores, are known for wearing masks. There are an endless variety of colorful, patterned masks that cover the wrestlers’ faces.
There are lucha libre shows all over Mexico, and there’s also a thriving lucha and pro wrestling scene here in Southern California, where Eli Everfly wrestles. In Southern California there are hundreds of wrestlers representing different styles of wrestling. Eli says it’s tough to get ahead.
“When you’re first coming up, nobody really knows who you are. You’re not gonna get any bookings. You have to really network. That’s a struggle itself,” he said.
Everfly developed his network by diversifying his approach. He wrestles for different companies in the U.S. Everywhere he goes, he makes connections. He has leveraged them to get him where he is today: he has even competed at Arena Mexico, the legendary arena whose fights he used to watch with his grandfather when he was a child. He’s had a lot of luck. And today, he’s paying it forward.
A few years ago, Everfly became a trainer. Then he founded his own wrestling promotion company, East Los Lucha. He runs a show in the Don Quixote nightclub in East L.A. every second month. Everfly says he tries to give new wrestlers as much advice about breaking in the business as possible.
“When you’re coming to professional wrestling, you definitely do have to get coached how to network too,” he said. “How to come about and talk to promoters. You never want to really hit somebody up and be like ‘Hey, I see you’re having a show. Can I be on it?’”
Everfly’s former trainer, now wrestling colleague Big Dick Hoss, also wrestles in Everfly’s shows. He says Everfly is doing important work.
“There’s no one like him in this business. His heart, his passion to this business helping with the younger crop. I’m really proud of him,” he said.
For Everfly, it’s obvious why he’s still spending most of his time wrestling.
“It never should be like, ‘Oh, I’m doing it just to make money,’ or ‘I’m doing this to get something out of it,’” he said. “For me, it’s all about just creating a good platform for students and for people to grow. You know, that’s really why I like to do it.”