Luchas de Apuestas in Spanish Lucha Libre (1960-1978)

A list of luchas de apuestas that took place in Spain in 1960-1978.

Below I've put together a list of all the luchas de apuestas that I've found while researching the history of pro wrestling in Spain. Over 40 matches in total. For those unaware, luchas de apuestas is a Mexican wrestling term that describes matches where the wrestlers put their mask or hair on the line. The term wasn't used in Spain back then, but it's the best term to describe these types of matches so I'm sticking with it. That said, I'm stretching the definition a bit because some of the matches in Spain weren't luchas de apuestas in the traditional sense where both wrestlers put something on the line. The list is by no means complete. My research was focused mostly on five of the ten biggest Spanish cities and surely there must have been luchas de apuestas elsewhere in Spain as well, and I'm likely missing some matches from the five cities that I researched too (particularly in the later years). I'm also missing some of the match results. It is what it is.

Before the list, a quick glimpse into Spanish pro wrestling history. Lucha libre americana, as pro wrestling as we know it was most commonly known in Spain back then, became extremely popular in Spain in the mid 1940s and had a very strong run in the country for more than two decades until cooling off and eventually dying out in the mid 1980s (well, not completely dead, but just about). The unique thing about Spain, compared to everywhere else in Europe, was that in addition to all the weekly shows at small to mid-size indoor venues in the big cities from fall through spring, in the summer months a lot of Spanish cities would host regular lucha libre shows at their local bullring or stadium. We're talking about arenas that could hold ten, fifteen and some even over twenty thousand spectators. Back in those days Spain was a hotbed for pro wrestling.

Overall, luchas de apuestas in Spain weren't as big a deal as they were/are in Mexico, but still they were an interesting and novel gimmick in Spanish pro wrestling for their time. As you will notice in some of the newspaper adverts and headlines shared below, the Spanish luchas de apuestas weren't always the main event. They were definitely an attraction and often involved top stars, but keep in mind in Spain these types of wager matches typically weren't feudenders and there wasn't a lot of build to them. The usual scenario was a new masked wrestler going on a dominant win streak and then somewhat randomly losing his mask to someone. There was build in the sense of building up the guy with wins and the fans wanting to see him get unmasked, but there usually wasn't build in the sense of him and the other guy feuding over the course of several weeks/months until the big lucha de apuesta blow off. Also, what happened in one city didn't necessarily affect things in other cities so if a wrestler lost his mask in city A he would continue being masked in city B, which was why you would see the same guy losing his mask multiple times (in different cities). The identity of the unmasked man was usually not reported in the press either.

Spanish luchas de apuestas record

To begin with, we can't talk about masked wrestlers in Spain without acknowledging Black Shadow first.

Black Shadow

The first masked wrestler in Spanish lucha libre made his debut on 3 July 1959 at Plaza de toros Las Ventas in Madrid and then went on to wrestle elsewhere in Spain too. As the first masked star, he attracted a lot of attention. His name was Black Shadow. They would also bill him as La Sombra Negra (the Spanish translation of the name). It's not clear who was under the mask, because he never lost it, but this definitely wasn't the famous Mexican Black Shadow (Alejandro Cruz Ortiz). This Black Shadow got a big push in Spain as a dominant heel and went on a winning streak in several of the main Spanish wrestling cities until finally losing a few matches later in the year. Never his mask though. In fact, I don't think he ever put his mask on the line in a match. In Barcelona they did a storyline where one of the promoters offered a big sum of money to whoever could unmask Black Shadow. Shadow wrestled a couple of the top Spanish stars, Pedro Bengoechea (twice) and "Cabeza de Hierro" (Iron Head) Jose Tarres as part of that storyline, but the mask itself wasn't officially on the line in the matches.

And in case you're wondering why a masked wrestler would all of a sudden show up in Spain in 1959 and not earlier, this was a direct result of what was happening in France where that same year the masked babyface hero L'Ange Blanc and other masked wrestlers had become a major attraction so now masked wrestlers were starting to pop up in other European countries as a result of that. 

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The next masked wrestler to appear in Spain, in January 1960, was the exact opposite of the black-wearing villain Black Shadow. It was the white-clad babyface Angelo. Angelo was pretty much Spain's version of L'Ange Blanc. They also gave him the nickname "La Sombra Blanca" (The White Shadow). Like Black Shadow, he went on a winning streak, especially in Barcelona, and was pushed as a main event attraction. Unlike Shadow though, Angelo did end up putting his mask on the line in at least three matches. The first time, curiously, was against another babyface when he faced the up-and-coming star Jose Marques in Madrid.

mask on the line in Madrid: Angelo vs. Jose Marques

Date: 4 May 1960
Place: Madrid, Spain
Arena: Circo de Price (2,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Angelo vs. Jose Marques
Stipulation: Angelo was to unmask if he lost
Winner: Jose Marques

Angelo was revealed to be the Spanish wrestler Jose Villaverde.

Angelo unmasked: Jose Villaverde

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Angelo got his biggest push in Barcelona where he became the face of the local Gran Price promotion for the first half of year. While initially announced as having a white mask, he ended up wrestling under a blue mask in Barcelona. In Barcelona Angelo went undefeated for four months until he ran into Al Sourman. Sourman was a newly-arrived Lebanese heel, who prior to wrestling Angelo had beat a few other top stars and was on a roll. Sourman was pushed as an Olympic champion and was using a suplex as his signature move. Angelo, on the other hand, was known for his dropkick.

mask vs. 10,000 pesetas in Barcelona: Angelo (blue mask) vs. Al Sourman

Date: 13 May 1960
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Sala Gran Price (4,500 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Angelo vs. Al Sourman
Stipulation: mask vs. 10,000 Spanish pesetas (Angelo was to unmask if he didn't manage to beat Sourman in 5 minutes, but if Angelo lasted the 5 minutes Sourman was to give him 10,000 pesetas)
Winner: Al Sourman (in just 2:25 minutes)

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Spain's next masked villain came in August 1960 and was another one in the vein of Black Shadow (who was also still around too). This new masked man went by the name Samaraj. He was also known as El Diablo Rojo and Enmascarado Rojo. The Angelo vs. Samaraj match below was the first ever mask vs. mask match in the history of Spain that I've been able to find.

mask vs. mask in Zaragoza: Angelo vs. Samaraj

Date: 7 January 1961
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Frontón Cinema (1,250 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Samaraj vs. Angelo
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: Samaraj

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Next up there was Samaraj putting his mask on the line against the reigning World Middleweight champion Pedro Catarecha.

Mask on the line in Zaragoza: Samaraj vs. Pedro Catarecha

Date: 4 February 1961
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Frontón Cinema (1,250 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Samaraj vs. Pedro Catarecha
Stipulation: Catarecha had already defeated Samaraj once and if he won again Samaraj was to unmask
Winner: Samaraj

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The next masked villain to arrive on the Spanish scene, in June 1961, was Sumac a.k.a. La Sombra Peruana/La Sombra del Peru. Five weeks into his run, he was already putting his mask on the line. First, against pro wrestling's "Yul Brynner" - Jose Garcia Arroyo.

mask on the line in Barcelona: Sumac vs. Jose Garcia Arroyo

Date: 23 July 1961
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de las Arenas (14,893 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Sumac vs. Jose Garcia Arroyo 
Stipulation: Sumac was to unmask if he lost
Winner: Jose Garcia Arroyo

Sumac was revealed to be Alberto Tamayo of Peru (years later better known elsewhere as Joe Soto, Blue Demon #2, Rocky Tomayo, etc.).

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About a week later Sumac once again put his mask on the line, in a different city, against a particularly interesting opponent - the UK's Bill Robinson (better known as Billy Robinson).

mask on the line in Palma de Mallorca: Bill Robinson vs. Sumac

Date: 1 August 1961
Place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Palma (14,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Reported Attendance: "large crowd"
Match: Sumac vs. Bill Robinson
Stipulation: Sumac was to unmask if he lost
Winner: Bill Robinson

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L'Ange Blanc, the biggest sensation in all of European pro wrestling at the time, first made his way to Spain in July 1960, but he wasn't putting his mask on the line just yet. In Spain he was mostly billed as L'Ange Blanc (The White Angel in French), but they also referred to him with the Spanish equivalent too - El Angel Blanco. It was against Sumac in 1961 that L'Ange put his mask on the line for the first time in Spain.

mask vs. mask in Zaragoza: L'Ange Blanc vs. Sumac

Date: 19 August 1961
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Reported attendance: "great attendance"
Match: L'Ange Blanc vs. Sumac
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: L'Ange Blanc

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The following month they did mask vs. mask match in Madrid too.

mask vs. mask in Madrid: Sumac vs. L'Ange Blanc

Date: 9 September 1961
Place: Madrid, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros Las Ventas (23,798 seats) 
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: L'Ange Blanc vs. Sumac
Stipulation: mask vs. mask, if the match ended in a draw both wrestlers were to unmask
Winner: ? (L'Ange Blanc most likely)

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Then there was a whole run of shows where the storyline was that Samaraj was putting up his mask on the line weekly in Zaragoza while his opponents were putting up their payday for the match (i.e. if Samaraj won he kept his mask and took the whole purse for the match, both his and his opponent's pay). The matches were also to be wrestled without rounds, just one single fall (the typical match format in Spain back then was four 5-minute rounds). In this run Samaraj faced some big Spanish stars such as Pedro Bengoechea, Felix Lamban and Jose Tarres.

mask vs. pay in Zaragoza: Samaraj vs. various opponents

Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Frontón Cinema (1,250 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Stipulation: Samaraj's mask vs. the other wrestler's pay for the match, match with no rounds
Matches: 
- 9 December 1961: Samaraj vs. Pedro Catarecha (the reigning World Middleweight champion)
- 16 December 1961: Samaraj vs. Victor Castilla
- 23 December 1961: Samaraj vs. Benito Galan
- 30 December 1961: Samaraj vs. Benito Galan
- 6 January 1962: Samaraj vs. Teizo Okada (former JWA wrestler Teizo Watanabe)
- 13 January 1962: Samaraj vs. Felix Lamban
- 20 January 1962: Samaraj vs. Antonio Morlans, Toni Rubio or Carlos Moll (determined by a random draw at the show)
- 27 January 1962: Samaraj vs. Carlos Moll (the reigning Spanish Heavyweight champion)
- 3 February 1962: Samaraj vs. Jose Tarres (the reigning European Mid-Heavyweight champion)
* Samaraj was injured and out of action for a month
- 3 March 1962: Samaraj vs. Jim Oliver

I don't have all the results for the matches above, but Samaraj definitely did not lose his mask during this run so it was all wins for him with perhaps the occasional time limit draw or disqualification.
 

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Samaraj's next time putting his mask on the line was at the big local bullring in Zaragoza against "El Ciclon del Caribe" Victor Castilla (better known internationally as Quasimodo).

mask vs. pay in Zaragoza: Samaraj vs. Victor Castilla

Date: 14 July 1962
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Samaraj vs. Victor Castilla
Stipulation: Samaraj's mask vs. Castilla's pay for the match
Winner: ? (Samaraj did not lose the mask here)

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Then Sumaraj put his mask on the line against one of the top Spanish stars - "El Estrangulador" (The Strangler) Felix Lamban.

mask on the line in Zaragoza: Samaraj vs. Felix Lamban

Date: 25 August 1962
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Samaraj vs. Felix Lamban
Stipulation: Samaraj was to unmask if he lost
Winner: ? (Samaraj did not lose the mask here)

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Samaraj's run came to a conclusion at the hands of the reigning Spanish Heavyweight champion Mariano Yugueros.

mask vs. title in Zaragoza: Samaraj vs. Mariano Yugueros

Date: 3 November 1962
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Frontón Cinema (1,250 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Samaraj vs. Mariano Yugueros
Stipulation: mask vs. Spanish Heavyweight Title (Yugueros was to relinquish the title if he didn't win)
Winner: Mariano Yugueros

Samaraj was revealed to be a wrestler by the name of Roy (my guess is that was Willy Roy, but I can't confirm).

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The next masked wrestler to appear in Spain was a notable one. This was the so-called "Luchador Suicida" (Suicide Wrestler) Kamikaze, a supposed Japanese wrestler. Occasionally they would also refer to him as "El Diablo Negro". Kamikaze was a gimmick that first made its debut in France in 1961 and then made its way to Spain in June 1963. The in-ring style of Kamikaze was different for the time, kind of peculiar and explosive (pun intended). What was also unique about him was that he was a middleweight, if not a welterweight, and was regularly taking on significantly bigger guys and beating them. Back then there were multiple weight classes in Spanish/European wrestling and matches between smaller and bigger guys were a rare sight. On top of it all, and perhaps most interestingly, Kamikaze was not the David in this David vs. Goliath scenario. He was, technically, the Goliath in that Kamikaze was the heel dominating the babyfaces. The gimmick was a big hit in both France and Spain, and became one of the most often imitated masked gimmicks in European pro wrestling (along with L'Ange Blanc and couple of others from France).

mask vs. mask in Madrid: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc

Date: 31 July 1963
Place: Madrid, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros Las Ventas (23,798 seats) 
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc
Stipulation: mask vs. mask, there must be a winner
Winner: Kamikaze

L'Ange Blanc was revealed to be the Spanish wrestler Francisco Pino. Pino had already unmasked, voluntarily, in France in 1961 and lost a mask vs. mask match in the United Kingdom in 1962, so him being under the mask wasn't exactly a major revelation. However, I would imagine the vast majority of fans in Spain back then weren't aware of his exploits abroad so to them L'Ange Blanc being unmasked and his identity being revealed was probably a big deal.

L'Ange Blanc unmasked: Francisco Pino 

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About two weeks later they did the match in Barcelona as well.

mask vs. mask in Barcelona: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc

Date: 11 August 1963
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros Monumental (19,582 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Reported attendance: "full, the biggest crowd of the season"
Match: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: Kamikaze

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And then two days later they had the match in Palma de Mallorca too.

mask vs. mask in Palma de Mallorca: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc

Date: 13 August 1963
Place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Palma (14,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Reported Attendance: "very large crowd"
Match: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: Kamikaze

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And then finally, they also did it in Murcia.

mask vs. mask in Murcia: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc

Date: 5 September 1963
Place: Murcia, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Murcia (15,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Iniesta
Match: Kamikaze vs. L'Ange Blanc
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: Kamikaze

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Kamikaze's string of mask matches in 1963 was not over just yet. Next he faced one of the best Spanish in-ring technicians and reigning European Welterweight champion Nino Pizarro

mask vs. 5,000 pesetas in Palma de Mallorca: Kamikaze vs. Nino Pizarro

Date: 17 September 1963
Place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Palma (14,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Reported Attendance: "large crowd"
Match: Kamikaze vs. Nino Pizarro
Stipulation: mask vs. 5,000 Spanish pesetas
Winner: Kamikaze

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And for his final mask match of 1963 Kamikaze faced one of Spanish pro wrestling's biggest names Pedro Bengoechea. Originally, the match was supposed to take place on 15 September 1963, but the show got canceled because of rain.

mask vs. 5,000 pesetas in Barcelona: Kamikaze vs. Pedro Bengoechea

Date: 22 September 1963
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros Monumental (19,582 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Reported attendance: "impressively full, packed to the rafters"
Match: Kamikaze vs. Pedro Bengoechea
Stipulation: mask vs. 5,000 Spanish pesetas
Winner: Kamikaze (via disqualification)

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In January 1964 a second Kamikaze appeared in Spain so the original one became known as Kamikaze I going forward and the newest Kamikaze was known as Kamikaze II. In 1964 Kamikaze I and Bengoechea did a rematch of their Barcelona match from the year prior, but this time Bengoechea put his hair on the line instead of money.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Kamikaze vs. Pedro Bengoechea

Date: 2 October 1964
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Sala Gran Price (4,500 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Gran Price
Reported attendance: "sold out"
Match: Kamikaze I vs. Pedro Bengoechea (the reigning World Light Heavyweight champion)
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Pedro Bengoechea

Regrettably, the report for the show above did not say who was under the Kamikaze I hood. It just said that he removed his mask to the delight of the crowd. The chances are it was Modesto Aledo, one of the all time great Spanish workers, because he was known as the guy who was usually Kamikaze / Kamikaze I (in both France and Spain).

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The following year Kamikaze I put his mask on the line an additional two times. His first opponent was the Peruvian Conde Maximiliano.

mask vs. hair in Palma de Mallorca: Kamikaze I vs. Conde Maximiliano

Date: 6 July 1965
Place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Palma (14,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Kamikaze I vs. Conde Maximiliano
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Conde Maximiliano

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Kamikaze I's second opponent in 1965 was an unexpected one: Kamikaze II! It is worth noting that when the Kamikaze gimmick first made its debut in France in 1961 it was a singles gimmick, but by spring 1963 it became mostly a tag team gimmick. In Spain, however, while there were two Kamikazes, as of 1965 they weren't teaming yet, as far as I've been able to tell. They did team eventually in Spain too though.

mask vs. mask in Zaragoza: Kamikaze I vs. Kamikaze II

Date: 24 July 1965
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Reported attendance: "great attendance"
Match: Kamikaze I vs. Kamikaze II
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: Kamikaze I

Kamikaze II's identity was not revealed by the report. A Spanish wrestler by the name of Benny was known to have wrestled under the Kamikaze II mask most often in Spain so this could've been him.

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Kamikaze I having been unmasked in Palma de Mallorca the year prior, Kamikaze II was now the sole Kamikaze in town. In 1966 he put his mask on the line against the heel Spanish wrestler Fred Turner, known as "El Beatle del Ring" because to his Beatles-like haircut. They would run that match several times over the next few years.

mask vs. hair in Palma de Mallorca: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner

Date: 21 June 1966
Place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Palma (14,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: ? (it seems like there was no winner, because later on Kamikaze II still had his mask and Turner still had his hair)

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Among the new masked wrestlers to appear in Spain in 1966 there was a supposed South American - Halcon de Oro. He was a babyface. 

mask vs. mask in Madrid: Halcon de Oro vs. Kamikaze II

Date: 13 July 1966
Place: Madrid, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros Las Ventas (23,798 seats) 
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Halcon de Oro vs. Kamikaze II
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: Halcon de Oro

Kamikaze I was now the only masked Kamikaze in Madrid and here's an interesting twist: later in the year Kamikaze I teamed up with... Modesto Aledo. Which just serves as further confirmation of what was already known about the Kamikazes: different guys were under the mask at different times.

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On 21 July 1966 in Barcelona at Plaza de toros de las Arenas Halcon de Oro was supposed to wrestle Fred Turner in a mask vs. hair match. I couldn't find a report for this show and I think there's a good chance it got canceled at the last moment due to bad weather (as would happen occasionally with such open-air bullring shows). 

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Halcon de Oro vs. Fred Turner

Date: 21 July 1966
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de las Arenas (14,893 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Halcon de Oro vs. Fred Turner
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: ?

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Another masked newcomer in 1966, a heel, was The Red Demon. He also went by the Spanish equivalent - El Diablo Rojo.

mask vs. mask in Zaragoza: Halcon de Oro vs. The Red Demon

Date: 30 July 1966
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Halcon de Oro vs. The Red Demon
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: The Red Demon

Halcon de Oro's identity was not revealed in the press.

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Kamikaze I had not lost his mask in Zaragoza yet so in 1966 he put it on the line there against The Red Demon.

mask vs. mask in Zaragoza: Kamikaze I vs. The Red Demon

Date: 6 August 1966
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Kamikaze I vs. The Red Demon
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: The Red Demon

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The two newcomers, Halcon de Oro and The Red Demon, faced each other in another mask vs. mask match. This time in Madrid.

mask vs. mask in Madrid: Halcon de Oro vs. The Red Demon

Date: 20 August 1966
Place: Madrid, Spain
Arena: Campo del Gas 
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Halcon de Oro vs. The Red Demon
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: The Red Demon

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Another new masked newcomer in 1966, although one that seemingly did not work as many places as the other two, was Neutron. That character must've been directly inspired by the 1965 Mexican lucha libre superhero movie "Neutron contra los asesinos del karate", which was being shown in Spanish cinemas at the time. Neutron faced Kamikaze in a mask vs. mask match in Murcia. As you will notice in the newspaper advert below, in Murcia Kamikaze was not known as Kamikaze I for the simple fact that the other Kamikaze had not yet appeared in Murcia.

mask vs. mask in Murcia: Kamikaze vs. Neutron

Date: 3 September 1966
Place: Murcia, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Murcia (15,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Iniesta
Match: Kamikaze vs. Neutron
Stipulation: mask vs. mask
Winner: ? (most likely Kamikaze)

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Halcon de Oro's final mask match saw him trying to take the luscious hair of the Peruvian Conde Maximiliano.

mask vs. hair in Palma de Mallorca: Halcon de Oro vs. Conde Maximiliano

Date: 13 September 1966
Place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Palma (14,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Balañá + Empresa del Gran Price
Reported attendance: "large audience"
Match: Halcon de Oro vs. Conde Maximiliano
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Conde Maximiliano

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In 1966 Kamikaze II and Fred Turner had their first, of three, mask vs. hair matches in Barcelona.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner

Date: 4 October 1966
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Sala Gran Price (4,500 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Kamikaze II

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Their next mask vs. hair match was almost exactly a year later.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner

Date: 6 October 1967
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Sala Gran Price (4,500 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Kamikaze II (via disqualification)

The report didn't mention whether Turner actually shaved his head. I would guess no, because it was a DQ loss, but anything's possible.

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In 1967 the Halcon de Oro gimmick from 1966 became a tag team gimmick in Spain. Over the next few years that gimmick became a staple of the Spanish and French tag team scenes, and I believe there were different guys under the masks at different times. The match below is the first, and only, match that I've been able to find in Spanish lucha libre history where a tag team put their masks on the line in the same match.

masks vs. pay in Zaragoza: Los Halcones de Oro vs. L'Ange Blanc & Eduardo Castillo

Date: 24 August 1968
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Plaza de toros de Zaragoza (14,300 seats)
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Los Halcones de Oro vs. L'Ange Blanc & Eduardo Castillo
Stipulation: masks vs. their opponents' pay for the match
Winner: ?

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In 1968 Kamikaze II and "The Beatle of the Ring" Fred Turner had their third annual mask vs. hair match in Barcelona.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner

Date: 12 December 1968
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Salon Iris (1,050 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Salon Iris
Match: Kamikaze II vs. Fred Turner
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Kamikaze II

The story with the match above was that Kamikaze II had now beaten Fred Turner in three mask vs. hair matches in Barcelona and it was getting a bit ridiculous so going forward Turner was going to be forbidden from putting his hair on the line again.

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In 1969 a new masked heel character was introduced and got a big push - Black Bear a.k.a. Oso Negro. His nickname was "El Sanguinario del Ring". Black Bear was a character in the same vein as Black Shadow, Samaraj and The Red Devil before him - a monster heel who went on a tear. The claim was that he was an international star and had wrestled in London, Paris, Hamburg, Brussels, etc. And can you guess what his finishing move was? Yep, you probably guessed correctly... It was the bear hug! The first guy he put his mask on the line against was one of the top Spanish stars and reigning Spanish Heavyweight champion Felix Lamban.

mask on the line in Barcelona: Black Bear vs. Felix Lamban

Date: 25 April 1969
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Sala Gran Price (4,500 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Gran Price
Match: Black Bear vs. Felix Lamban
Stipulation: Black Bear was to unmask if he lost
Winner: ? (Black Bear still had the mask on the following week so he did not lose it here)

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The "bloodthirsty" Black Bear then put his mask on the line against the reigning Spanish Light Heavyweight champion Jose Marques.

mask vs. pay in Zaragoza: Black Bear vs. Jose Marques

Date: 26 April 1969
Place: Zaragoza, Spain
Arena: Gimnasio Polideportivo
Promotion: Empresa Bamala
Match: Black Bear vs. Jose Marques
Stipulation: Bear's mask vs. Marques' pay for the match
Winner: ? (probably Black Bear)

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In 1972 a new masked babyface arrived on the scene and right away became the headline star for the local promotion in Barcelona. His initial name was El Olimpico, but soon thereafter it switched to Rayo Blanco (although they would still use the El Olimpico name too). His nickname was "El Caballero de la Flor" (The Knight of the Flower), and occasionally they would also dub him "Enmascarado Blanco", "Caballero Blanco" and "Mascara Blanca". Part of his gimmick was that he was somewhat of a heartthrob, a big gentleman toward women and would give them flowers. In a funny bit of character building, when he first appeared in Barcelona one claim the promotion pushed in the press was that when he was in Germany and France Rayo Blanco would train with American women's wrestling stars because, and I quote, "the smell of men's sweat bothered him". And then the article went on to mention that his debut opponent in Barcelona was... known for sweating profusely, which I thought was a very wacky and amusing way to push a match. About a month into his run Rayo Blanco put his mask on the line for the first time, against one of the top local heels Joe Adell.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Rayo Blanco vs. Joe Adell

Date: 18 March 1972
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Salon Iris (1,050 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Salon Iris
Reported attendance: "packed to capacity"
Match: Rayo Blanco vs. Joe Adell
Stipulation: mask vs. hair, there must be a winner
Winner: Rayo Blanco

Joe Adell getting his head shaved

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The following year Rayo Blanco put his hair on the line against Rudy Lara (an occasional tag team partner of the aformentioned Joe Adell).

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Rayo Blanco vs. Rudy Lara

Date: 31 March 1973
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Casino La Alianza de Pueblo Nuevo (about 1,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Casino La Alianza
Match: Rayo Blanco vs. Rudy Lara
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: Rayo Blanco

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And then finally Rayo Blanco took on the Spanish heel veteran Ricardo Moyan.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Rayo Blanco vs. Ricardo Moyan

Date: 26 May 1973
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Casino La Alianza de Pueblo Nuevo (about 1,000 seats)
Promotion: Empresa del Casino La Alianza
Match: Rayo Blanco vs. Ricardo Moyan
Stipulation: mask vs. hair
Winner: ?

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The next Spanish masked character that we'll discuss was a unique one: a masked hunchback! His name was El Chepas. Nicknames such as "El Jorobado" (The Hunchback), "El Monstruo" and "El Moderno Qausimodo" were sometimes used in the press to describe him. Interestingly enough, he was not Spanish pro wrestling's first masked hunchback. The first one was back in 1968 and went by the name Le Masque Contrefait (The Counterfeit Mask). He wasn't around for long. Fast forward seven years, and they tried the gimmick again and this time it stuck around for longer. This was not a comedy gimmick. El Chepas was pushed as a vicious heel. He ended up putting his mask on the line against the experienced Celso Sotelo (a veteran with about 23 years of in-ring experience by that point). This was a heel vs. heel match too.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: El Chepas vs. Celso Sotelo

Date: 5 April 1975
Place: San Andres, Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Pista Polideportiva de San Andres
Promotion: Empresa Garlabasa
Match: El Chepas vs. Celso Sotelo
Stipulation: mask vs. hair + 10,000 Spanish pesetas for the winner
Winner: ? (a disqualification or a non-finish because the following week Chepas still had his mask and Sotelo still had his hair and there seems to have been some controversy with the referee)

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As of 1975, and even later, the Kamikaze character was still around in Spain. In Barcelona in particular the Is and IIs had been dropped and now there was only one Kamikaze. In 1975 the Kamikaze in question put his mask on the line against Bru Mont, who was a somewhat well-established heel in the Spanish territory.

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Kamikaze vs. Bru Mont

Date: 17 May 1975
Place: San Andres, Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Pista Polideportiva de San Andres
Promotion: Empresa Garlabasa
Match: Kamikaze vs. Bru Mont
Stipulation: mask vs. hair, there must be a winner
Winner: ? (Kamikaze was still masked later on so he did not lose the mask here)

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The final lucha de apuesta that I have a record of took place in 1978. At the time there was a masked villain going by the name El Gigante Mister X, who was getting a push. He put his mask on the line against "El Hombre Oso" (The Man-Bear) Ursus. 

mask vs. hair in Barcelona: Mister X vs. Ursus

Date: 2 December 1978
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Arena: Palau Blaugrana 2
Promotion: ?
Match: Mister X vs. Ursus
Stipulation: mask vs. hair, there must be a winner
Winner: ? (it seems like neither man lost)

Later that same month Ursus (real name Felipe Calvo Viudes) joined the cast of "Los Héroes del X'ondo". That was a pro wrestling TV show that aired on Spanish national television for about four months (December 1978-April 1979). It was the first wrestling show to air on TV in Spain and it was basically a Spanish version of Argentina's "Titanes en el Ring". Felipe starred as Mister Fiera and was the show's most popular character.


Acknowledgements: Thank you to Prof. Pepe Serrano for his help with some of the Madrid matches.