Where to Watch Mexican Wrestling in Mexico City

Mexican wrestling is an increasingly popular tourist attraction, with thousands of annual visitors considering it a key part of Mexican culture. They’re not wrong; it’s a spectacle like no other that surpasses the WWE in the US, throwing in some extra athleticism, spangle and Lycra for good measure.

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The current home of Mexican wrestling is undeniably the enormous Arena México, built in the 1950s especially for the luchas (fights), which now hosts regular luchas every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Here, you can see some of Mexico’s most well-known luchadores (wrestlers), such as Máximo and Shocker, being threatened with the removal of their trademark masks and, with it, their masculinity, pride and reputation. It’s not really a surprise that this is known as the “cathedral of lucha libre”, and, with a 16,000+ capacity, you needn’t worry about getting tickets for your run-of-the-mill lucha. Just buy them at the door when you arrive, or online in advance. The only issue with this wrestling location is that the neighborhood in which it’s situated isn’t the most savory after dark. Therefore, don’t hang around for too long after the fight.

If Arena México is the grandfather of Mexican wrestling venues, Arena Coliseo (also known as the Lagunilla Funnel) is more akin to the baby brother. Despite actually having been around for longer than its rival, this smaller and older arena simply didn’t have the capacity during the golden age of lucha libre and was cast aside. Nowadays, the capacity is double what it once was and actually equals that of Arena México. However, despite being shunned in the past, it still hosts regular luchas and is a popular venue to catch a spot of Mexican wrestling in the capital. Again, this arena is not situated in the greatest of neighborhoods, so don’t dawdle in getting back to your accommodation after a fight.

Our final suggestion for Mexican wrestling venues in Mexico City is the lesser-known and slightly more out-of-the-way Arena Naucalpan. As the name suggests, rather than located fairly centrally in the capital, it’s situated in the north-western municipality of Naucalpan. If you want a smaller and, arguably, less commercial, lucha libre experience, this is the destination for you. With a capacity of just 2,400 spectators, it’s certainly much more intimate and has been hosting regular luchas since the early 1960s. Currently, you can catch a wrestling match here on Wednesdays and Sundays.