Ian Hodgkinson
(The Champ)

Ian Hodgkinson, aka Vampiro, grew up fatherless in the Northern Ontario community of Thunder Bay, dreaming of becoming a star.

He had to travel all the way to Mexico City and the plunge into the violent arena of the Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) to find that stardom – and when he did, “it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I had access to anything and everything, in excess, 24 hours a day. Good, bad, and ugly. Women, drugs, fame, alcohol, power."

Overnight, he was a sex symbol and pinup idol for millions of teenage girls. He was an innovator, pioneering extreme wrestling and bringing the worlds of punk music and wrestling together in a way never before seen. He was a media personality on a massive scale, appearing in the ring, on TV, in video games, in comic books, and in action movies like Vampiro: Guerrero de la Noche (Vampiro: Warrior of the Night).

A documentary about his life, Vampiro: Angel, Devil, Hero, is forthcoming from Zed Filmworks.

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