Jesús Velázquez Quintero, better known under the ring names El Murciélago Enmascarado and Murciélago Velázquez, was a Mexican luchador. Velázquez was the fourth wrestler in Mexico to wear a wrestling mask and the second Mexican to work as an enmascarado in the history of lucha libre. He became the first wrestler in Mexico to be forced to unmask, losing a Lucha de Apuestas to Octavio Gaona, creating the most prestigious match type in lucha libre. He once held the Mexican National Middleweight Championship and after his retirement was the head of the Mexico City boxing and wrestling commission for a while.
Velázquez wearing the Mexican National Middleweight Championship
Lucha libre is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and "high-flying" maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached. Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios.
Plaque commemorating lucha libre as an intangible cultural heritage in Mexico City
El Santo
Mil Máscaras accompanied by the Bella Twins at the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame
Rey Mysterio Jr. hitting the "619" on Eddie Guerrero