Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno ( April 24 , 1922 – December 16 , 2000 ) , better known as Blue Demon ( " Demonio Azul " in Spanish ) , was a Mexican luchador Enmascarado ( Masked professional wrestler ) who was widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of his time . He was affectionately referred to as " Blue " and was known for his signature blue wrestling mask . Biography . Early life . Alejandro Muñoz Moreno was born April 24 , 1922 in Rinconada , Nuevo León Mexico . He was the child of farmers and was the fifth of twelve children . At a young age , Alejandro dropped out of school and moved to Monterrey , where his uncle gave him a job working on the National Railroad . His co - workers there gave him the nickname ' Manotas ' , referring to his large , powerful hands . Professional wrestling career . A chance meeting with the famous Mexican wrestler Rolando Vera piqued his interest in Lucha Libre , Vera even offering to tutor him and help him start a career . He began wrestling without a mask in Laredo , Texas . His first match was against Chema Lopez on March 12 , 1948 , which he won handily . Adopting the mask and persona of The Blue Demon , he headed back to Mexico to start a real career . His first appearance as The Blue Demon was in Mexico City in September 1948 , where he fought Benny Arcilla . Blue began his career in the ring as a rudo . From there , he formed a famous tag - team with another well - known masked luchador named The Black Shadow , and the two became known as " Los Hermanos Shadow " ( The Shadow Brothers ) . In 1952 , the famous wrestler Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring , which triggered Blue ' s decision to become a técnico in the ring , and a legendary feud between The Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Blue ' s beating el Santo in a well - publicized series of matches in 1952 and another in 1953 . In 1953 , Blue won the NWA World Welterweight Championship from Santo , and held it until 1958 . Their rivalry never entirely abated in later years ( although they co - starred over the years in a number of Mexican horror films ) since Santo always remembered his defeat at the Blue Demon ' s hands . During the 1960s , one of Blue Demon ' s greatest rivals was el Rayo de Jalisco . In 1988 , the year he retired , Blue Demon finally beat Jalisco in a mask vs . mask match , taking the mask of another of Mexico ' s wrestling legends . Film career . Blue Demon first appeared in cameos in a couple of luchador films made in 1961 , where he was one of several wrestlers who appeared in the background . But in 1964 , Enrique Vergara , the producer of the then - successful Santo movies , decided to diversify by allowing the 42 - year - old Blue Demon to star in a series of luchador films of his own . The plots of the Blue Demon films are thought to be extremely similar to those of Santo ' s films . Santo was asking for a salary increase at the time and Vergara wanted to cultivate a second movie star . From 1964 to 1977 , Blue Demon starred in a total of 25 luchador films , and more recently was the subject of a feature - length Mexican documentary entitled " Blue Demon , the Champion " ( 1989 ) . Of those 25 films , Santo co - starred with him in nine of them , though the two were never good friends in real life . In three of his films , Blue Demon starred as the leader of a squadron of masked superheroes known as " Los Campeones Justicieros " ( The Champions of Justice ) . Membership in the Champions included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Mil Máscaras , Tinieblas , Rayo de Jalisco , El Medico Asesino , El Fantasma Blanco , El Avispon Escarlata and Superzan . Retirement and death . Blue Demon retired from the ring in 1988 at the Monterrey Arena , where he appeared in a final match , teaming up with his son , Blue Demon Jr . , who has had a successful career of his own . Blue Demon died just before noon on Saturday , December 16 , 2000 from natural causes . Apparently Blue Demon suffered a fatal heart attack on a park bench near a subway kiosk while on his way home from his regular morning training session at The Blue Demon Instituto Atletico , where he enjoyed teaching others his fighting skills . Although an attempt was made to get him to a hospital , he was unable to be revived . He was 78 years old . Blue Demon was buried wearing his trademark blue mask , the mask he never removed in public as he always kept his true identity a secret .