If one were to poll North American pro wrestling fans about the greatest wrestlers of all time, answers would likely include old-school legends like Ric Flair and Randy Savage, Attitude Era favorites like Steve Austin and The Rock, and maybe a foundational talent like Lou Thesz for good measure. Some may include Japanese legends, but for some reason, it’s easy for many fans to leave out the Lucha Libre stars of Mexico, Rey Mysterio notwithstanding.

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It’s a shame, as Lucha Libre itself has a rich history with loads of tremendous talents, many of which have gained international recognition and influenced the sport abroad. Let’s take a look at the greatest luchadors of all time — both masked and non-masked performers — including several that North American fans will surely recognize.

UPDATE: 2023/10/29 07:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

The legend of Lucha Libre wrestling continues to grow to this day in both WWE and AEW. In WWE, names like Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio carry the tradition proudly. In AEW, there is even more of a Lucha Libre contingent. Names like Andrade El Idolo, Rush, and Komander carry the torch proudly for the iconic Mexican wrestling tradition. With AAA and CMLL still proudly bringing Lucha Libre to the masses in Mexico, expect more names to arrive soon as the best seems yet to come.

21 Konnan

Konnan got his start in wrestling in 1988 and wrestled for several promotions early in his career. After a short stint in WCW, Pat Patterson called him to come to WWE in 1990. He had minor success there as Max Moon, but it wasn’t until he left and began working in AAA in Mexico that Konnan found success. After making his name in Mexico, he joined ECW for a short time and then finally signed with WCW to become a star.

In WCW, Konnan held the United States Championship, but his biggest success came as a member of the nWo. He also had a good run in Impact Wrestling and finally retired in 2013 before taking on roles behind the scenes. Over his career, he has held the WCW TV Championship, WCW United States Championship, and the WCW Tag Team Championships twice. He also held the Impact Wrestling tag titles twice and several championships in Mexico.

20 Juventud Guerrera

Juventud Guerrera got his start in AAA in Mexico. He opened his career in the best way possible, feuding with Rey Mysterio Jr before following Mysterio to ECW. However, it was in WCW that Guerrera became a star. He made his debut in 1996, beating Billy Kidman and working under a mask similar to the one he wore in Mexico. While he won the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in 1998, it wasn’t until he lost his mask that he truly became a fan favorite.

RELATED: "The Juice" Juventud Guerrera's WWE Career & Why He Was Released, ExplainedIt was at this time that Guerrera began showing more charisma, which included him introducing the character of Juvi Juice, and spoofing The Rock. By the time he left WCW, he had won the cruiserweight title three times and the tag team titles once with Rey Mysterio Jr. He also had a stint in WWE, but it was a humiliating faction called The Mexicools and WWE soon let him go. Juvi also won several titles in Mexico, and he was last seen on American television when he wrestled in ECW against Chris Jericho.

19 Andrade El Idolo

Andrade El Idolo began his professional wrestling career in Mexico at the age of 14. By 2007, he began working for CMLL in Mexico as La Sombra and quickly rose up the ranks as a tag team partner of Mistico. By 2009, he was a triple champion, holding the Mexican National Trios title, NWA World Welterweight Championship, and CMLL World Tag Team Championship. He continued his success, but it was in 2014 that he truly became a star.

Andrade helped form the Mexican faction Los Ingobernables with Rush and La Mascara. That success led him to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and eventually saw him sign with WWE. In WWE, known as Andrade "Cien" Almas, he won the NXT Championship. He moved up to the main roster, but his only title there was the United States Championship once. He began working for AEW in 2021, and at 33 years old, still has a long career ahead of him.

18 Dragon Lee

At only 28 years old, Dragon Lee is still young in his wrestling career. However, he has done enough in his young career to see his name listed among the best Luchador wrestlers in history. Almost seen as a modern-day Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee has already held several titles in his young career. He has held the lightweight and welterweight titles in CMLL. He also held the tag team titles in AAA with Dralistico.

He has also seen success in Japan, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. In the United States, he has been the Ring of Honor World Television Champion twice and won the tag team titles there twice with partner Kenny King. While his brother Rush works in AEW, Dragon Lee signed with WWE and joined the NXT brand to start his career there, where the sky is the limit.

17 Dr. Wagner Jr.

Dr. Wagner Jr. got his start in 1986, and one year later he admitted that his father was the legendary Dr. Wagner. This allowed him to take on the name Dr. Wagner Jr. and become a star in his own right. WCW fans might know his brother, who worked there as Silver King, but it was Wagner Jr. who had the better career.

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He has been a three-time mega Champion and held the CMLL Light Heavyweight Champion twice. He was also a legendary masked wrestler until 2017 when he lost his mask in a match against Psycho Clown. American fans got their best look at him when he worked in Lucha Underground.

16 Rush

Rush is part of a massively successful Lucha Libre family. His father is La Bestia del Ring and his brothers are Dragon Lee and Mistico II. While his brothers have had a lot of success, Rush was the most recent world champion, holding the ROH World Championship.

He is currently working in AEW and is once again part of the Los Ingobernables faction, originally with Andrade El Idolo, although it is Rush who leads the faction now. Before his ROH success, Rush held several titles in CMLL, and at 34, he has plenty of years ahead of him.

15 La Parka

La Parka is a Lucha Libre star whose treatment in WCW made him stand out, but really never let him showcase how great he really is. His entire gimmick in WCW was carrying the chair, playing it like an air guitar, and then using it on his opponents. He was easily the best gimmick of the WCW cruiserweight era, but he never had a chance to reach the success of Rey Mysterio and others. However, in Mexico, he was a massive star.

This was the second La Parka, and the original is still around working as LA Park. He is part of the AAA Hall of Fame after his death in 2020. His death followed an in-ring accident that saw him paralyzed after suffering a severe head injury.

14 Psicosis

Wrestling fans who only knew Psicosis from his WCW days don't know the entire story of this Lucha Libre superstar. When Rey Mysterio made his WWE Hall of Fame speech, Psicosis was one of the wrestlers that Rey name-dropped as not making it to the top without him by his side.

The two wrestled in Mexico, ECW, and WCW, and Psicosis even got a stint in WWE. He was a two-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and held titles in both CMLL and AAA in Mexico over his 28-year career.

13 Rey Fenix

It feels as though there is still a level higher that Rey Fenix can go when it comes to making a name for himself in professional wrestling, but it is hard to deny that he is already one of the most breathtaking luchadors of all time.

RELATED: Rey Fenix's Broken Arm & 9 Other Wrestlers Who Recovered Quickly From Gruesome InjuriesAEW’s former Tag Team Champion steals the show whenever he is on it, putting his body on the line and performing move that many have never even seen before. He manages to somehow up himself every time he is in front of a crowd.

12 Karloff Lagarde

Much like El Santo, Blue Demon, and many other incredible lucha libre wrestlers throughout the 20th centurty, Karloff Lagarde is someone who was always competing with the top performers and having great matches in UWA, EMLL, WIA, and other promotions. He was a pivotal part to the rise of top stars like the aforementioned El Santo and Blue Demon, providing a dominant obstacle in their path to glory. He played a vital role during that era, even though he never quite reached the heights of others in terms of worldwide renown.

His reigns with the Mexican National Welterweight Title earned him the nickname of "King of the Welterweight", and when looking at some of the opponents he battled over the years, this was one hell of a moniker to have.

11 Pentagon Jr

Whether it be as Penta El Zero Miedo, Obscura, or Pentagon Jr, the many-named masked man is an icon already. Although the heights of his singles successes haven’t been reached in AEW, he has notably been a top name in the likes of AAA and Lucha Underground.

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He has had some of the most brutal matches over the last decade, mixing together lucha libre style and hard-hitting offense, making him one of the most striking performers - not to mention his incredible-looking mask and attire too.

10 Mil Mascaras

Debuting in 1963, Mil Mascaras ended up becoming an icon of the sport, following in the footsteps of El Santo and Blue Demon by starring in movies and becoming a pop culture institution. He also proved to be an international sensation, having popularized the lucha libre style outside of Mexico, notably with WWE, where he worked with the company to convince the New York State Athletic Commission to allow pro wrestlers to wear masks. While he’s been a source of controversy over the years, Mascaras’ influence cannot be understated.

9 Negro Casas

A staple of long-running Mexican promotion for decades, Negro Casas is one luchador who fans regularly compare to Ric Flair in terms of longevity as a performer and still wrestles today while in his 60s. Fans have praised Negro Casas for his remarkably consistent in-ring ability, noting that he’s had great matches with pretty much every lucha libre star of note since he came into prominence in the 1980s. While he’s had great feuds with Mistico and countless others, Negro Casas’ biggest feud was with fellow living legend El Hijo del Santo, with their 1997 apuestas match gaining high praise.

8 Blue Demon

Fans may be familiar with Blue Demon Jr., who’s appeared on WWE programming as well as Lucha Underground, but his adoptive father, the original Blue Demon, is another one of those iconic masked luchadores who starred in a ton of movies, with his blue and silver mask often imitated. Initially a heel, Blue Demon turned babyface after El Santo defeated and unmasked Demon’s tag team partner, Black Shadow, in a landmark match.

Despite his babyface status, Blue Demon would be one of El Santo’s great storied rivals during his career, dethroning the legend for the NWA World Welterweight Championship and enjoying a four-decade career.

7 Mistico

The aforementioned Mistico is best known to North American wrestling fans as the original Sin Cara in WWE, who developed a reputation for regularly botching moves as he slid down into the undercard. It’s a real shame, as Mistico was one of Mexico’s biggest draws and CMLL’s top babyface for the five years before signing to WWE, and has since regained the gimmick that made him famous in 2021. A gifted in-ring competitor, Mistico is also ridiculously decorated, having held multiple titles at the same time.

Mistico recently made his debut for AEW and it will be interesting to see how this star fares in his second major American promotion.

6 Perro Aguayo

Perro Aguayo is a name that made the news in 2010s, as El Hijo del Perro Aguayo tragically died in the ring in 2015. The elder Aguayo died in 2019, and left behind a tremendous legacy in lucha libre. Performing from the ‘70s to the ‘90s, Perro Aguayo was a huge draw during his time, notably taking on El Santo as the last big feuds in the latter’s career, including a bloody mask vs. hair apuestas match in 1975. In the ring, Aguayo was a hardcore brawler akin to Terry Funk, complete with the willingness to bleed large amounts of blood.

5 Ray Mendoza

Another non-masked legend, the highly decorated Ray Mendoza was a boxer who retired due to injury only to find even greater success in lucha libre, where he was one of the great rudos (villains) of his era. He also ended up co-founding his own promotion, the Universal Wrestling Association. Internationally, Mendoza was big in North America’s National Wrestling Alliance, becoming the first Mexican to capture the World Light Heavyweight Championship, which he held five times during his career. On top of all that, Ray Mendoza’s five sons followed in his footsteps as the masked Villanos.

4 El Hijo del Santo

El Santo has been referenced several times at this point, and will be covered below. But special consideration needs to go to his son, El Hijo del Santo. To call El Santo an icon feels like an understatement, and pro wrestling is full of second-generation talent that proved to be also-rans, so for El Hijo del Santo to reach anywhere near the heights of his father is a miracle.

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By many accounts, El Hijo del Santo is actually considered to be a better in-ring performer than his father, and is moreover considered one of the best Mexican wrestlers of all time, having competed in CMLL, AAA, and even WWE.

3 Gory Guerrero

North American fans of course know the name Guerrero thanks to Chavo Sr., Eddie, and Chavo Jr., among others. But Chavo Sr. and Eddie’s father, Gory Guerrero, is not only the source of the Guerrero wrestling dynasty, but also one of the greatest of all time. In his heyday, Gory Guerrero was part of a legendary tag team, La Pareja Atomica, with El Santo, and put on a huge match with NWA Champion Lou Thesz in Mexico in 1954. A technically gifted wrestler, Guerrero innovated a number of moves including the Gory Special, the Gory Bomb, and the Camel Clutch.

2 Rey Mysterio Jr.

At this point, Rey Mysterio Jr. — often simply referred to as Rey Mysterio — has spent more time wrestling in North America than he has in Mexico, but he still deserves his GOAT status as far as lucha libre is concerned. Wrestling for AAA in the early to mid-1990s, Mysterio moved on to WCW and later WWE, where he made the high-flying cruiserweight style a must-see affair for many fans. Still wrestling today, Mysterio is easily one of the most popular luchadores in the world, and for many is the masked wrestler from Mexico.