Fray Tormenta, a masked wrestler, captivated audiences in Mexico’s lucha libre scene for many years. However, few knew that beneath the mask was a man of faith—a former drug addict turned priest—who wrestled solely to fund an orphanage. This remarkable tale, although decades old, was recently revisited by a Spanish news outlet. Sergio Gutierrez Benitez, born in 1945 as one of 18 siblings, began his struggle with addiction at just 11 years old, leading him into a life of crime and various odd jobs to support his habits.
“I started when I was 11 or 12. In this country [Mexico], drugs have always been very present,” Benitez recounted in an interview with El Confidencial. “I did everything—marijuana and cocaine every day, even mushrooms from time to time. A little after that, I started heroin.”
By the age of twenty, he faced murder charges after a gang-related incident resulted in a friend’s death. Fortunately, he escaped prosecution due to an alibi involving a drunken night out. This close call prompted him to seek confession; despite being initially rejected for his past sins, he later joined the seminary and became a priest in the Piarist Order, studying in Spain and Italy.
Upon joining the Diocese of Texcoco, Benitez aimed to establish a shelter for homeless children and orphans but found the financial demands overwhelming. Drawing from his painful past filled with gang violence and injuries, he donned a lucha libre mask and began wrestling under the name Fray Tormenta for $15 an hour.
His wrestling career spanned 23 years from 1977 to 2000, during which he traveled extensively and became a semi-famous figure in the ring. While he initially kept his identity hidden behind the mask, he eventually revealed his dual life when officiating a wedding for a fellow wrestler shortly before opening his long-desired orphanage at the turn of the millennium.
La Casa Hogar de los Cachorros de Fray Tormenta—Fray Tormenta’s Puppies Children’s Home—has welcomed over 2,000 children through its doors. Many of these children have gone on to become professionals in various fields, including medicine and law. One can’t help but wonder where they found their inspiration.