Octavio Gaona Octavio Gaona ( 1907 – 1996 ) was a Mexican " Luchador " , or professional wrestler , known for his participation in the first ever high profile " Lucha de Apuesta " , or wager fight , against Murciélago Velázquez . Gaona held both the Mexican National Middleweight Championship and the Mexican version of the World Middleweight Championship . Gaona ' s son , adopted son , grandson and great grandson have all or are all professional wrestlers . Professional wrestling career . Octavio Gaona made his professional wrestling debut in 1934 , wrestling for various small promoters in Guanajuato and surrounding states . By 1937 Gaona wrestled full - time for Salvador Lutteroth ' s Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre ( EMLL ) . On February 6 , 1937 Gaona defeated Black Guzmán to win the vacant Mexican National Middleweight Championship . Gaona held the title until September 2 , 1938 where Firpo Segra won it but would regain it on January 1 , 1939 . Gaona ' s second reign ended just over a month later on February 9 , 1939 . The loss , however , was not a step down , instead he defeated Gus Kallio to win both the National Wrestling Association World Middleweight Champion and the Mexican version of the World Middleweight Championship . Gaona ' s title win helped establish the World Middleweight title in Mexico . Gaona unified both titles , only defending them together . On February 4 , 1940 Gaona lost the titles to Tarzán López . Shortly after the title loss Octavio Gaona took part in one of the most pivotal events in Lucha Libre as he took part of the very first " Lucha de Apuesta " match . After a long buildup of a storyline between Gaona and Murciélago Velázquez , one of the top " Rudos " ( " Bad guy " or Heel character ) of the time , Gaona challengede Velázquez to face him in a match where the masked wrestler would " bet " his mask on the outcome of the match . Since Velázquez was so much lighter than Gaona he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract : Octavio Gaona would have to put his hair on the line as well , creating the first match in Mexico where a two wrestlers " bet " either their hair or their mask . On July 14 , 1940 Octavio Gaona defeated Murciélago Velázquez , forcing him to unmask after the match in what would become a Lucha Libre tradition . Since then " Apuesta " matches have become headliners all over Mexico , especially winning the mask of an opponent is seen as prestigious , the more famous the masked man is , the bigger the victory for the opponent is . In 1942 Velázquez would get his revenege on Gaona when he defeated him to win the vacant Mexican National Middleweight Championship , although the victory could never equal the loss of the mask . By the end of the 1940s Gaona ' s wrestling career had slowed down , especially with the birth of his son Octavio Gaona , Jr . Gaona , Jr . would go on to become a professional wrestler , as would his son Arturo Gaona and Arturo ' s son Arturo Gaona , Jr . making the Gaona family a four generation wrestling family . Octavio Gaona also adopted Francisco Ruiz Arreola , who would wrestle under the name " Tamba " , nicknamed " the Flying Elephant " . Gaona came out of retirement in 1972 , in his late sixties , defeating Tamba in a " Lucha de Apuesta " match to unmask him . Octavio Gaona died in 1996 .