Fray Tormenta: The Mexican priest who wrestled to support orphans

Sergio Gutierrez Benitez is a Mexican priest who spent his life supporting and fighting for orphans. He financed an orphanage for 23 years as a lucha libre wrestler, under the name of Fray Tormenta.

The 2006 film Nacho Libre, starring the iconic Jack Black, was based on the real-life story of Sergio Gutierrez Benitez. A man of God who served his community by fighting in a ring.

Born in 1945 in San Agustin Metzquitlan (Mexico), Gutierrez Benitez faced multiple hardships growing up in a troublesome neighbourhood. Crime and addiction to drugs took over his life at an early age. His life changed drastically after a profound encounter at a church confessional, leading him to join a local seminary.

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In 1976, Gutierrez Benitez founded a local orphanage for children in need. However, the young priest was in desperate need of financial support to keep the orphanage running.

He drew inspiration from the film El señor Tormenta (1963), in which a priest becomes an esteemed wrestler in order to help local orphans.

Gutierrez Benitez adopted the name 'Fray Tormenta' and began to train rigorously in order to kickstart his wrestling career. At first, he started with small local fight nights, but his unique identity and dedication to his cause gained him widespread attention across Mexico.

"His wrestling career began with rigorous training sessions that started at 4 AM and continued until just before his morning mass", reports BE Latina.

His identity was accidentally revealed by another fighter during an event (Huracan Ramirez), which only led to even more fame and success, boosting the orphanage's cause. Fray Tormenta was known as the fighting priest!

Fray Tormenta's wrestling career spanned 23 years! During that time, he raised awareness and funds for his orphanage, which helped over 2,000 children.

"He's very compassionate. He helps everybody so much. The truth is, he's reached out his hand to us and for that reason, everybody loves him," confessed a middle-aged woman named Sofia after exiting mass, according to VICE.

He named his orphanage 'La Casa de los Cachorros de Fray Tormenta' (''Fray Tormenta's Children's Home'), which housed some children who later would become professionals in various fields. To this day, he continues supporting his orphanage by selling memorabilia.

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