Tinieblas


Manuel Leal, better known as Tinieblas, is a Mexican luchador.

Professional wrestling career

Tinieblas began as a body builder and stunt man who was spotted by luchadores Black Shadow and Dory Dixon. Impressed by Leal's physique they convinced him to begin a career as a "luchador". In 1968, "Lucha Libre" magazine editor Valente Pérez, came up with the idea of a character that would act as a rival for luchador Mil Mascaras. He created a character with a faceless hood and named him "Tinieblas". Perez selected the former body builder turned luchador to wrestle as that character. Tinieblas debuted as a face on August 20, 1971. He would become a large draw in Mexico and toured internationally. Tinieblas was also one of the first luchadores to tour Japan in 1974.

Comic series

Tinieblas was the second luchador to have a comic book series based on his character. His first comic book was printed between 1976 and 1979. In 1991, a second series titled, "Tinieblas, El Hijo de la Noche" was created. It was printed until 1995. The Tinieblas comic series was relaunched in the year 2000.

Film career

Tinieblas also made appearances in luchador films. In 1971, he starred as a member of a squadron of masked superheroes in the film '"Los Campeones Justicieros"'. Membership in the Champions of Justice included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Mil Mascaras, Blue Demon, El Rayo de Jalisco Sr., El Medico Asesino, El Fantasma Blanco and Superzan. He guest-starred in many low-budget foreign series, such as Vendetta and Rederiet.

Legacy

Tinieblas debuted at a relatively old age of 32, so he never reached the same physical peak as many other popular luchadores of his generation. However, his character remains popular with young lucha libre fans, primarily due to his appearance in comic books and films. Tinieblas still wrestles occasionally and has appeared alongside his son Tinieblas Jr.

Videogames

The 2D wrestling arcade game Saturday Night Slam Masters released by Japanese game company Capcom in 1993 featured a final boss character called "El Escorpión", whose appearance was inspired by Tinieblas. The character's name in the original Japanese edition of the game was "The Astro".

Filmography

Winner Loser LocationEventDateNotes
Tinieblas El Internacional N/ALive eventN/A
Tinieblas TNT Mexico CityLive event
Tinieblas Red Terror N/AUnknownLive event
Tinieblas Super Máquina Mexico CityLive event
Tinieblas Bill Anderson Los Angeles, CaliforniaLive event1987
Tinieblas Abdullah Tamba Los Angeles, CaliforniaLive event1987
Tinieblas Médico Asesino Jr. Torreón, CoahuilaLive event
Tinieblas El Enfermero 2001 Ciudad Juárez, ChihuahuaLive event
Tinieblas Zombie II Ensenada, Baja CaliforniaLive event

Footnotes