{{Short description|Mexican professional wrestler (1968–2020)}} {{good article}} {{Infobox professional wrestler | name = Espantito | image = Espantito.JPG | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = Martín Rodríguez | birth_date = {{birth date|1968|4|24}}<ref name="EncyEspantito"/> | birth_place = Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico<ref name="EncyEspantito"/> | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|10|12|1968|4|24}} | death_place = City Heights, San Diego, California, U.S. | resides = | spouse = | children = 2 | family = Piratita Morgan (brother) | alma_mater = | names =El Espantito<br />Espantito I | height = {{convert|160|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="EncyEspantito"/><!-- In Mexico they measure height in meters so that should be first --> | weight ={{convert|65|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="EncyEspantito"/><!--In Mexico they measure weight in kilograms so that should be first --> | billed = | trainer =Espanto II<ref name="EncyEspantito"/><br />Indio Chirikawa<ref name="EncyEspantito"/> | debut = 1993<ref name="EncyEspantito"/> | retired = | website = }}
'''Martín Rodríguez''' (April 24, 1968 – October 12, 2020), better known by the ring name '''Espantito''' (Spanish for "Little Terror" or "Little Scare"), was a Mexican professional wrestler. He worked in the ''Mini-Estrella'' ("Mini-Star") division, which does not automatically mean that Espantito had dwarfism, as several wrestlers who are just shorter in stature work in the "Mini" division. As a ''luchador enmascarado'', Espantito's real name was not a matter of public record, but it was revealed upon his death in 2020.
Espantito made his professional wrestling debut in 1993 and was allowed to use a version of the ''Espanto'' mask and name with permission of the only surviving Espanto, Espanto III. He worked primarily on the Mexican independent circuit, but also worked for AAA, one of Mexico's largest professional wrestling promotions.
==Personal life== Martín Rodríguez was born on April 25, 1968, in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.<ref name="EncyEspantito"/> Growing up in Torreón, he became a wrestling fan at a young age, often watching local wrestlers Espanto II and Espanto III wrestle in his hometown. In a 1999 interview, he remarked that while his friends would cheer the ''técnicos'' (the faces, those that portray the "good guys"), he personally always favored the ''rudos'' (those that portray the bad guys, also known as "Heels").<ref name=PequenoHeredor>{{cite news|title=El Espantito, el Pequeño heredor de Los Espantos|pages=14–16|id=issue 2411|date=June 18, 1999|publisher=Box y Lucha Magazine|location=Mexico City, Mexico|language=Spanish}}</ref> While he wanted to become a professional wrestler, it was hard for him to find a trainer willing to train someone of his diminutive stature, standing only {{convert|151|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} in his teens.<ref name=PequenoHeredor/> His younger brother Raymundo also worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Piratita Morgan.
He had two children with his wife and settled in City Heights, San Diego, where he owned a landscaping business. In September 2020, Rodríguez was admitted to Sharp Memorial Hospital after being treated for pneumonia and then tested positive for COVID-19. He died on October 12, aged 52.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/professional-wrestler-espantito-and-city-heights-resident-dies-of-covid-19|title=Professional wrestler 'Espantito' and City Heights resident dies of COVID-19|website=ABC 10 News|first=Michael|last=Chen|date=October 14, 2020|access-date=February 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/city-heights-family-loses-luchador-father-to-covid-19/2426053/|title='He Died a Star': City Heights Family Loses Luchador Father to COVID-19|website=NBC 7 San Diego|first=Melissa|last=Adan|date=October 16, 2020|access-date=February 5, 2021}}</ref>
==Professional wrestling career== Due to the secretive culture around masked wrestlers in ''lucha libre'', Espantito's real name was not a matter of common knowledge (prior to his death in 2020), nor was it revealed if he worked under a different ring name before making his in-ring debut as Espantito.<ref name=Mondo>{{cite book | author= Madigan, Dan | title= Mondo Lucha Libre: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling | publisher= HarperCollins Publisher | year= 2007 | chapter = Okay... what is Lucha Libre? | pages = 29–40|isbn=978-0-06-085583-3}}</ref> It has been confirmed that Espantito trained in his native Torreón, Coahuila under the tutelage of Edgardo Cisneros Díaz, better known as Espanto II, and also received further training from Indio Chirikawa.<ref name="EncyEspantito">{{cite news | author = Encyclopedia staff | title = Enciclopedia de las Mascaras | work = Espantito| location = Mexico | id = Tomo II | pages = 31 | date = July 2007 | language = Spanish}}</ref> In the early 1990s, the ''Mini-Estrella'' ("Mini-Star") concept was introduced in Mexico, featuring not just midget wrestling, but also wrestlers who were short in stature. The majority of new ''Mini-Estrellas'' used the same ring character as regular sized wrestlers, much like Octagoncito being a smaller version of Octagón.<ref name="EncyOctagoncito">{{cite news | author = Enciclopedia staff | title = Enciclopedia de las Mascaras | work = Octagoncito | location = Mexico City, Mexico | id = Tomo III | pages = 31 | date = October 1, 2007 | language = Spanish}}</ref> Espantito working in this division did not necessarily mean that he had dwarfism. Unlike midget wrestling, where all competitors are under the height of {{convert|147|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}, ''Mini-Estrellas'' like Espantito, at {{convert|160|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}, are often wrestlers of shorter stature, but not true little people in a medical sense.<ref name="MondoMini">{{cite book|author=Madigan, Dan|title=Mondo Lucha A Go-Go: the bizarre & honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling|publisher=HarperCollins Publisher|year=2007|chapter=You ain't seen nothing yet: the minis|pages=209–212|isbn=978-0-06-085583-3}}</ref>
He was given permission by his trainer to start working as El Espantito, a smaller version of ''Los Espantos'' ("The Terrors"), wearing the signature black mask with a white cross on it (popularized by Espanto I, Espanto II and Espanto III), as well as the same black-and-white ring gear of the originals.<ref name="EncyEspantito" /> He was one of the first competitors in the newly created Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's (AAA) ''Mini-Estrella'' division in 1993.<ref name="YIR1993">{{cite news|title=1993 Especial!|work=Box y Lucha Magazine|pages=2–28|id=issue 2214|date=January 7, 1994|language=Spanish}}</ref> Most of AAA's ''Mini-Estrella'' division consisted of ''luchadors'' that had followed AAA founder Antonio Peña from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where some of the ''Mini-Estrellas'' changed their name and mask due to the larger version of the character not jumping to AAA at the time. One example was Super Muñequito, who was working as "Angelito Azteca" in CMLL, but had to change his name as Ángel Azteca did not leave CMLL.<ref name="LuchaMinis">{{cite book|title=Lucha Libre: Masked Superstars of Mexican Wrestling|publisher=Distributed Art Publishers, Inc.|year=2005|chapter=''La Pequeña Escala'' / On a small scale|pages=80–86|isbn=968-6842-48-9}}</ref> It has not been revealed if Espectrito also worked in the CMLL ''Mini-Estrella'' division at the time of the AAA exodus.<ref name="YIR1993">{{cite news|title=1993 Especial!|work=Box y Lucha Magazine|pages=2–28|id=issue 2214|date=January 7, 1994|language=Spanish}}</ref> For a short while, Espantito was teamed up with a wrestler working as "Espantito II", but Espantito II was only used for a few matches in 1993.<ref name="EspantitoMatches"/> Despite working for AAA for several years, he never made an appearance on one of their major shows, despite the ''Mini-Estrella'' division being featured on (in some cases headlining) several of them. In 1999, Espantito once again briefly teamed with a wrestler working as "Espantito II", although it is unclear if it was the same worker under the mask from six years prior.<ref name=YIR1999>{{cite news|title=1999 Especial!|work=Box y Lucha Magazine|pages=2–28|id=issue 2436|date=January 10, 2000|language=Spanish}}</ref>
By the late 1990s, Espantito left AAA and began working primarily on the Mexican Independent circuit, often touring with a troupe of ''Mini-Estrellas'' such as Octagoncito, Piratita Morgan and Tzuki. The group toured the United States, working for various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) promotions and showcasing the ''lucha libre'' and ''Mini-Estrella'' styles throughout the south-west.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bakersfield.com/entertainment/2008/09/17/lucha-libre-masked-wrestlers-big-and-small-pack-a-punch-at-the-fair.html | title=Lucha Libre! Masked wrestlers, big and small, pack a punch at the fair | first=Louis | last=Medina | date=September 17, 2008 | access-date=March 23, 2016 | publisher=The Bakersfield Californian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/495795.gran-jornada-de-lucha-libre-se-vera-esta-tarde.html | title=Gran jornada de lucha libre se verá esta tarde | publisher=El Siglo del Torreon | date=January 24, 2010 | access-date=March 23, 2016 | language=Spanish | first=Joel | last=Flores Maltos}}</ref> On September 20, 2009, Espantito faced Octagoncito for the vacant NWA World Midget's Championship at a Pro Wrestling Revolution (PWR) show, which saw Octagoncito win the match and the championship.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://superluchas.com/octagoncito-primer-pro-wrestling-revolution-nwa-worlds-mini-champion/ | title=Octagoncito: primer Pro Wrestling Revolution/ NWA World's Mini Champion | date=September 29, 2009 | access-date=March 23, 2016 | first=Jorge | last=Ocampo | work=Súper Luchas | language=Spanish}}</ref> The troupe of ''Mini-Estrellas'' would continue to use the NWA World Midget's Championship as part of their shows, promoting matches where Octagoncito would defend the championship against Espantito.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mixedvoces.com/deportes/octagoncito-retiene-en-phoenix-titulo-de-la-wwa-30732 | title=Octagoncito retiene en Phoenix título de la WWA | first=Marco | last=Arreortúa | publisher=Mixed Voces | language=Spanish | access-date=March 23, 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415001340/http://mixedvoces.com/deportes/octagoncito-retiene-en-phoenix-titulo-de-la-wwa-30732 | archive-date=April 15, 2016 }}</ref> Later on, when Pro Wrestling Revolution split from the NWA, the championship was re-branded the PWR World Midget's Championship, with Octagoncito defending it on occasion against Espectrito in various southern states.<ref name="2010YIR">{{cite news|title=Número Especial – Lo mejor de la lucha libre mexicana durante el 2010|work=Súper Luchas|id=399|date=January 12, 2011|language=Spanish}}</ref> His last documented match took place at a Expo Lucha show on August 18, 2019, where he and Felinito lost to Mini Halcón and Payacito.<ref name="EspantitoMatches">{{Cite web |title=Espantito >> Matches |url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=7934&page=4 |access-date=April 28, 2026 |website=CageMatch}}</ref>
==Legal rights to the Espanto name== While several wrestlers have used the "Espanto" name over the years, El Hijo del Espanto I claims to have full rights to the use of the name "Espanto" in ''lucha libre'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://superluchas.com/video-hijo-del-espanto-demandara-a-espanto-jr-de-la-generacion-2012-del-cmll/ | title=Video: Hijo del Espanto demandara a Espanto Jr. de la generación 2012 del CMLL. | first=Alex | last=Ruiz Glez | date=September 30, 2012 | access-date=March 27, 2013 | work=Súper Luchas | language=Spanish}}</ref> though his claim to the name did not seem all-inclusive as Espanto Jr. was featured on CMLL's roster.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://superluchas.com/video-oro-jr-y-molotov-vs-zayko-y-espanto-jr/ | title=Video: Oro Jr. y Molotov vs. Zayko y Espanto Jr. | date=April 1, 2013 | access-date=March 26, 2016 | work=Súper Luchas | language=Spanish}}</ref> It is unclear if Espantito legally owned the name, or if that was what prevented the "Espantito II" name from being used more than once or twice.<ref name=YIR1993>{{cite news|title=1993 Especial!|work=Box y Lucha Magazine|pages=2–28|id=issue 2214|date=January 7, 1994|language=Spanish}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Los Espantos}} {{Portal bar|Biography|Mexico}} {{italic title}}
Category:1968 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Masked wrestlers Category:Mexican male professional wrestlers Category:Mini-Estrella wrestlers Category:Professional wrestlers from Torreón