Absurdity. Extravagance. Fashion. Mystique. Physique.
These are the shared ingredients that make up the seemingly incongruous pairing of lucha libre and burlesque that local company Lucha VaVoom de La Liz has offered the public for over two decades at Downtown L.A.’s the Mayan theater.
That run will come to an end at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 22, with VaVoom’s “The Good, the Bad and the Fabulous” showcase. While the cadre of talent at VaVoom is here to stay, the Mayan is permanently closing its doors at the end of September after 35 years under its current management.
The 98-year-old venue’s shuttering was announced in a social media post in July. Its president, Sammy Chao, shared a statement with The Times about its closing.
“[T]he past five years have delivered an unrelenting barrage of adversity,” wrote Chao. “We’ve done everything possible to stay afloat, adapt and serve, but the path forward has been eroded beyond recognition. We have given this business everything we have — and more — and come this far, so the decision to close is not so much one of defeat, but of necessity and truth.”
But worry not, lucha lovers: Lucha VaVoom is determined to send the DTLA staple out with a bang.
“Physically, I’m preparing more because I got pressure since I’m the one on the poster. I gotta look like the [cartoonishly muscular] guy that’s on there,” said longtime VaVoom luchador Magno (real name Oscar Vasquez), who is one of the main performers at Friday’s extravaganza.
“Mentally, it’s hard though, because I’ve been [with VaVoom] for like 21 years now… I started with them when I was 19 and now I’m 41,” Magno said. “It’s gonna be a tough one, especially because all the feelings, all the times that I’ve been there. To me it’s very special.”
Having initially worked with WWE, Magno left the televised spectacle and was immediately contacted by VaVoom owner Liz Fairbairn, who got him back in the ring as soon as she could.
“It’s bittersweet. We’ve had such a close relationship with the Mayan and the owner Sammy and everybody has become family,” Fairbairn said of her organization’s partnership with the downtown theater. “People change and come and go over 23 years, but Sammy has been a constant. I honestly couldn’t see us still being here if it wasn’t for Sammy. He’s been very nurturing and supportive of us.”
Fairbairn noted that there is a special video in the works for Friday’s performance and that the roster of performers is larger than usual for this last go. She’s also built in time for everyone to “shed a tear and share a hug” by keeping the event running until 1:30 a.m.
The show’s “The Good, the Bad and the Fabulous” theme was inspired by Beyonce’s y’all-ed up album, “Cowboy Carter.” It includes the western-themed tagline, “Saddle up! Get your hat and boots ready to experience the best show ever.” Serendipitously, the Friday event works as a fitting last rodeo for VaVoom at the Mayan.
The performance’s bonus burlesque component adds a unique touch to the average wrestling event and provides for a different crowd experience for all involved. (Attendees must be over the age of 21.)
Ruby Champagne (real name Laura Avina) first caught wind of the Mayan in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, as she enjoyed salsa dancing at the venue almost every week. It wasn’t until 2010 that she joined VaVoom as a ring girl before ultimately stepping into the role of burlesque dancer — an art form that she’s studied for 19 years.
“I like to think that I’m presenting not just classic burlesque, but also a little bit of a Latin flair,” says Champagne. “I usually tend to include [that] in most of my performances, but more so for Lucha VaVoom since it’s with Mexican wrestling, and my tagline is ‘Mexican spitfire of burlesque,’ so I like to portray that every chance.”
Aside from her first burlesque performance with VaVoom, one of Champagne’s most memorable moments at the Mayan came last year.
“In 2024, I got to be a go-go dancer for DJ Irene’s birthday party at the Mayan,” Champagne recalled. “I felt like that was full circle for me because I had gone to the Mayan for house music as well. I had been a fan of DJ Irene since the ‘90s. [I] was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’”
Reflecting on the gravity of one final sold-out show at the Mayan, Magno acknowledged there will be “hard feelings there in a good way,” while Fairbairn said that VaVoom will never truly leave the Mayan.
“We will always have a part of the Mayan in us,” she said. “Honestly, the Mayan is so integrated with Lucha VaVoom, there’s no way we won’t carry it around with us. So many memories. Twenty-three years of amazing memories.”
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