"You could see the Latino crowd show up. Our culture embraced it. Lucha libre is a style of Mexican wrestling full of theatrical pageantry, colorful spandex costumes and masks to conceal identities. The shows at O'Connell frequently sold out, making the Mission District location perfect for the events."
"The real-estate office broke it down to a point where it's impossible to rent the gymnasium. By the time you rent that facility, that holds maybe six to eight hundred people, max, it was costing me four, five thousand just to rent there. How can I pay that much money?"
"For the 15 years that Ramirez held shows at O'Connell, he coordinated directly with teachers and administration at the school. It worked out well for all parties. I always made sure they were making a profit, he said. That meant O'Connell took 100 per"
Gabriel Ramirez founded Pro Wrestling Revolution in 2008, organizing lucha libre shows at John O'Connell High School in San Francisco's Mission District. The theatrical Mexican wrestling events attracted the Latino community and frequently sold out. Despite challenges including a sexual abuse scandal and pandemic disruptions, Ramirez maintained the shows for 15 years, holding 18 events total. After the school gym reopened in January 2025 following roof repairs, new permit requirements from the San Francisco Unified School District made the venue financially unviable. Rental costs increased to four to five thousand dollars, making it impossible for Ramirez to continue organizing shows at the school.
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