Lucha Tributes: Marty "The Moth" Martinez
If you missed any of the previous Lucha Tributes, click below to check them out!
I have…seen things you people wouldn’t believe; dragon’s fire off the roof of the Temple. I’ve watched Aerostar fly off into the distance near Tanhauser Gates. All of these moments will be lost…in time…like…moth’s in oh alright I’ll stop with the Blade Runner quotes. Silly me for thinking the greatest monologue in film history from the greatest film ever made would be a great way to start off this next Lucha Tribute. I mean yeah, it may have made no sense and it may ultimately have nothing to do with the column but…actually yeah, I’ve got nothing. Let me now distract you with an actual clip of this scene while I try to restore order to my sanity.
And sanity restored! Where was I? Oh yes, we’re doing another Lucha Tribute this evening. Which means I’ll be all caught up on my schedule, which also means I can start doing only one Lucha Tribute a day while working on something else as well (get ready for a Lucha Underground Survival Guide, a CMLL Super Vierda preview and possibly something X-Files related!). So who are we paying honor to tonight? None other than one of the Temple’s most entertaining performers, a young man who came on strong at the end of last season and has a penchant for flapping his wings and possibly not being entirely right in the head. But then again, who is? See, totally just snuck a Blade Runner line in there. I shall now pat myself on the back while you all read the Lucha Tribute to the man with Aztec blood running through his veins, Marty “The Moth” Martinez!
What You Already Know
Long before we knew he was a descendant of ancient Aztec warriors, Marty the Moth was just a normal dude from Utah named Martin Casaus. Alright, that’s not the whole story; he was a normal dude from Utah who happened to be on the Steve Austin season of WWE Tough Enough, which was shepherded by the Godfather of Lucha Underground himself Eric Van Wagnen. Those who remember that Tough Enough (arguably the best of all the Tough Enough’s) will remember that Marty probably should’ve won the competition; in seven weeks on the show, he never once found himself in the bottom three and looked to be a front runner to win the whole thing. Unfortunately, Marty injured himself in the seventh week of the show, which was serious enough to force him to pull out of it. The ramifications for that were, and might still be, huge. Can you imagine if Marty hadn’t gotten injured and went onto win Tough Enough? He could perhaps be a big time WWE star right now, while the legend of Marty the Moth would’ve never been discovered. Those are the breaks of the universe I suppose.
As you all know by now however, the misfortune Marty had in Tough Enough would eventually lead to the highest point of his career. Years after Tough Enough, he would find himself at the doors of Lucha Underground, having shed the skin of Martin Casaus to become Marty “The Moth” Martinez. Seemingly a cross between Robert De Nero in The Fan and a toned down version of Jeremy Irons' character from Dungeons and Dragons, Marty believed he was a descendent of ancient Aztec warriors, specifically a tribe that worshipped the symbol of the moth. Initially dismissed as a crazed fan/comedy act, Marty would slowly gain credibility in the Temple, despite losing at a rate that would make the Cleveland Browns feel sympathetic. By the end of season one however, the Moth had transformed into a completely psychotic predator, desperate for respect and for one of those Aztec Medallions (which he failed to get a few times). He was last seen in the basement of the Temple with a tied up Sexy Star, where he revealed his sister would be arriving. It was like watching the Joker threaten a poor hostage while also flapping his wings like a bird. This is exactly what DC needs to do to resurrect Killer Moth. What are you waiting for dudes?!
What You Didn’t Know
Much like his fellow Tough Enough contestants and future co-workers Ivelisse and Son of Havoc, Marty wasn’t a rookie when he appeared on the WWE show. After being trained back in 2003, Marty would begin working for his hometown promotion Ultra Championship Wrestling-Zero. Initially working under the name Tristan Gallo (though he would go under his real name following his Tough Enough run), he would go on to work for the promotion for the next eleven years, becoming the company’s top star along the way. That’s right, Marty the Moth, top man in the Utah wrestling scene. Really, it shouldn’t be that surprising. A natural athlete, Marty was a four sport star in high school (most notably in football and lacrosse), thus making his transition to wrestling a relatively simple one (well, as simple as it gets I suppose). Why didn’t Marty become a football star you ask? As it turns out, he’s also a genius, and decided instead to focus on being a genius instead of a sports star. In fact, Marty would graduate from college with a wondrous 3.98 GPA in Business Administrations. Basically, one day we’re all going to be working for Marty and he’ll find a way to save humanity when the machines of Skynet rise up to kill us all.
Hyperbole aside, Marty’s interests go beyond wrestling and business. Have you ever wondered how he’s so good at portraying the deranged Marty the Moth on Lucha Underground? Well, that’s because Marty is also a professional actor. Back in 2004 (while he was still with UCW-Zero), Marty would be cast in the small role of a folk style wrestler in the popular WB show Everwood, aka the show that kept Treat Williams’ career alive just a tad longer. Following the role, Marty would start learning the craft, and has since gone on to act in a few TV shows and several TV commercials for products like 7 Up and Doritos. So to sum it up, Marty is an impressive athlete, a high caliber wrestler, a really intelligent dude and an aspiring actor. Excuse me while I go bemoan the fact that I’ve accomplished not nearly as much as this man!
Best Moment
Normally we’d go with a match here, but as Marty lost a good chunk of his Lucha Underground bouts I say we go with something a bit more uplifting. And by that, I mean we’re going with that batshit crazy final scene from season one featuring Marty channeling a super villain while Sexy Star was tied up in a cocoon down in the Temple basement. Perhaps it’s not your idea of a good time, but you can’t deny that this scene was perhaps the best non Aerostar flying off into space part of the LU’s close to season one, carried by Marty being just pure, creepy, unadulterated gold. Plus, he gave us the hint about his sister coming in, adding only another layer to Lucha Underground’s awesome kingdom of layers! Accept this moment as the winner and let’s move on!
Conclusion
I’ll make no bones about the fact that I’m rooting hard for Marty “The Moth” Martinez here. While almost everyone in the first season of Lucha Underground entertained me, he was one of the performers I was always looked forward to seeing and who always, ALWAYS was entertaining, regardless of what he was doing. Furthermore, he’s one of the few wrestlers I’ve ever had the privilege of interacting with, and he couldn’t have been a nice guy to me. Thus, consider me the leader of the Killer Moths and someone who expects to see Marty be a huge factor in the coming years for Lucha Underground. He has the charisma and the ability to be a big star, and from where we left off at the end of season one; I anticipate he’ll be one of the biggest players of season two. I know I can’t wait to find out. So let’s wrap this up with some chants for Marty; WE WANT THE MOTH! WE WANT THE MOTH!
That’s a wrap dudes and dudettes. I’ll be back tomorrow with another tribute and maybe something else too! Till then, something something DUCHOVNY, something something X-Files.
