The Indies are a great way for unsigned young wrestling talent to build a name for themselves and show the world and the majors what they are bringing and why they should be signed andapart of their roster. It’s also a great place for journeymen to entertain the crowds as well as work with the next generation. Tthe indies is also a great place for the legends to wind down their careers and be able to show that they still have it and work with the youngsters as well as bond with their fans. For this update we are going to look at another amazing indie Luchador who was a journeyman who became a legend and who gave so much back to the world of Lucha Libre as he became a trainer to so many of the next generation Luchador stars of the ring. And the amazing talent I am talking about for this Indie Luchador Files update is Flama Azul aka Blue Flame! So let’s enter the Rotten Ink Arena and chat about this iconic Lucha Libre star.
Again, I want to think all the blogs and websites that had information on Flama Azul as not only did they make this update possible but also are keeping the legacy of Flama Azul alive. I also have chosen him to be the second Luchador featured in an Indie Luchador Files update because I feel he really did make a mark in the world of Wrestling, and with that, let’s take a brief look at the one and only Flama Azul.
Flama Azul
Started: 1967 Companies: Indies & CMLL Active: No Seen Live: No
In 1967 Antonio Sanchez Vargas started his wrestling career as Flamer 1 before settling on the name Flama Azul (Blue Flame), and due to his skill and popularity with fans he quickly captured many titles on the indie scene with such titles as National Lightweight Championship, Border Middleweight Championship, Tamaulipas Middleweight Championship and Cd Juarez Couples Championship! During his time on the indies, he really was popular and headlined many events and was capturing not only the fans’ attention but also the respect of his fellow Luchadors for his hard work in the ring and his crowd drawing ability. After working hard on the indies, he would get the call to sign with CMLL and would be part of the group Superlibres at the Pavillob Azteca and would even have some matches against the likes of Blue Panther, Jaguar and Black and would even win the masks and hair of many of his fellow Luchadors! But his luck would run out in 1982 as he found himself on the losing end of a bet match and he himself lost his mask along with Nurse II when they were pinned by the Brazos and worse once unmasked he found himself in a downward spiral in bet matches as he would lose his hair a total of four times. But he would be on track to at least win a few more title belts in the Indies when he captured the AWWA World Title! Flama Azul would even have matches against the likes of El Hijo del Santo and El Solar both of whom would even be ones that took the hair of Flama Azul in bet matches! Flama Azul would wrestle well into the 1990s and would even start training future Luchadors in the art of Lucha Libre! Sadly on March 28, 2018 Antonio Sanchez Vargas aka Flama Azul passed away and the world lost a great Luchador and teacher. Working his career, it looks like Flama Azul would be both a Rudo and a Tecnico and would be masked and unmasked and he would entertain the fans with his Lucha Libre style.
Flama Azul is one of those Luchadors that I feel would have made a great fit for WCW in 1996 when they had the massive boom of cruiserweights coming in to help build their Cruiserweight division. I mean sure he would have been older and at that point unmasked, but I feel he could have been a veteran in the division who could have put over many of the younger talent all the while also teaching them. I am also happy that in what history we know of Flama Azul, he did get a break in Mexico’s biggest company at the time, CMLL ,as it’s great to see hard workers and journeymen like him get a bigger spotlight. Some of his later matches can be found online with his hair losing match against El Solar being on YouTube. Wwith next month being WWF Wrestlemania month, let’s stay in the world of wrestling and in the Rotten Ink Arena for our next update and take a look at Phantasio for a “R.I.W Wrestling Legends” update. So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Indie Wrestlers.
