This Priest Secretly Became A Masked Wrestler To Fund An Orphanage

December 12, 2025

Some heroes wear capes. Father Sergio Gutiérrez Benitez wore a Lucha Libre mask.

Known across Mexico as Fray Tormenta (“Friar Storm”), this remarkable priest began his journey in the 1970s with one mission: to save the abandoned children in his community. Having overcome severe addiction in his own youth, he understood struggle—and he refused to let those children face it alone.

Sergio Gutiérrez Benitez

But running an orphanage, La Casa Hogar de los Cachorros, required money he simply didn’t have. So he did the unthinkable.

He became a professional, masked wrestler.

Night after night, Fray Tormenta stepped into the ring as a secret Lucha Libre star, funneling every peso he earned directly into the orphanage. For years, nobody knew the man beneath the mask was also a priest.

By the time his identity was revealed, the legend of Fray Tormenta had already captured the nation’s heart.

In total, his efforts helped house, feed, and educate more than 2,000 children, many of whom grew up to become doctors, lawyers, and community leaders.

One of the most unforgettable moments in his story came when the Bishop discovered his hidden wrestling career and tried to shut it down. Fray Tormenta didn’t back down.

His reported response: “Fine—you feed 2,000 children, and I’ll quit.”

The church couldn’t take on the responsibility, so he was allowed to continue wrestling to keep the orphanage alive.

Fray Tormenta eventually retired from the ring in 2011, but his love for the mask never faded—he famously still wears it during some of his duties as a priest. A symbol of defiance, compassion, and creativity, it represents exactly who he is.

A legend.

And if his story sounds familiar, it’s because Hollywood took notice too—the film “Nacho Libre,” starring Jack Black, was loosely inspired by his life.