My Lucha Libre Life

1951
Japan holds its first professional wrestling card.

1952
Artist and editor Jose G. Cruz starts a Santo comic book. The comic book's popularity was only rivaled by the legendary Kaliman character. The comic book would go on to run continuously for 35 years, ending in 1987.

1953
The film Huracán Ramírez premieres in Mexico, it is the first of a long list of Mexican films featuring luchadores as main characters.

1954
American bodybuilder John Grimek becomes the first strength athlete known to have used anabolic steroids on a regular and systematic basis. His supply was Dr. John Ziegler, a physician working for a Swiss pharmaceutical company associated with the CIA.

1958
El Santo stars in his first film, El Cerebro del Mal (Evil Brain). After the film did poorly at the box office distributors added El Santo's name into the movie title, thus becoming El Santo contra el Cerebro del Mal (Cerebro del Mal). El Santo's career as a movie star would lead him to be in 52 films.