Since 1996 the Mexican wrestling company Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Spanish for "World Wrestling Council"; CMLL) has held a show in March each year to commemorate the passing of CMLL founder Salvador Lutteroth who died in March 1987.[3] For the first three years the show paid homage to Lutteroth himself, from 1999 through 2004 the show paid homage to Lutteroth and El Santo, Mexico's most famous wrestler ever[4] and from 2005 forward the show has paid homage to Lutteroth and a different leyenda ("Legend") each year, celebrating the career and accomplishments of past CMLL stars. Originally billed as Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth, it has been held under the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to two legends") since 1999 and is the only show outside of CMLL's Anniversary shows that CMLL has presented every year since its inception. All Homenaje a Dos Leyendas shows have been held in Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico, which is CMLL's main venue, its "home".[5] Traditionally CMLL holds their major events on Friday Nights, which means the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas shows replace their regularly scheduled Super Viernes show.[5] The 2005 show was the tenth overall Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show.
The Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show featured five professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either heels (referred to as rudos in Mexico, those that portray the "bad guys") or faces (técnicos in Mexico, the "good guy" characters) as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[6]
In September 1933 Salvador Lutteroth González founded Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), which would later be renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Over time Lutteroth would become responsible for building both Arena Coliseo in Mexico City and Arena Mexico, which became known as "The Cathedral of Lucha Libre".[3][5] Over time EMLL became the oldest wrestling promotion in the world, with 2018 marking the 85th year of its existence.[7] Lutteroth has often been credited with being the "father of Lucha Libre", introducing the concept of masked wrestlers to Mexico as well as the Luchas de Apuestas match. Lutteroth died on September 5, 1987.[3] EMLL, late CMLL, remained under the ownership and control of the Lutteroth family as first Salvador's son Chavo Lutteroth and later his grandson Paco Alonso took over ownership of the company.[8]
The life and achievements of Salvador Lutteroth is always honored at the annual Homenaje a Dos Leyenda' show and since 1999 CMLL has also honored a second person, a Leyenda of lucha libre, in some ways CMLL's version of their Hall of Fame. For the 2005 show CMLL commemorated the life and career of Pedro Aguayo Damián (January 18, 1946—July 3, 2019), known under the ring name Perro Aguayo (Spanish for "Dog Aguayo"). Aguayo was famous for his violent wrestling style, often involving breaking the rules, the use of various weapons and often saw Aguayo or his opponent bleed during the match. He made his debut in 1968 and was active until 2001, coming out of retirement specifically for the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show. His son, Perro Aguayo Jr., would later follow in his footsteps, becoming a luchador. Aguayo was part of the group of wrestlers who helped get Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) off the ground, especially his storyline feud with Máscara Año 2000 and Cien Caras. He would win Máscara Año 2000's mask as part of Triplemanía I.[9] during his 33-year career Aguayo won a plethora of championships including the NWA World Middleweight Championship,[10] the AAA Campeón de Campeones Championship, the IWC World Heavyweight Championship,[11] the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship,[12] the Mexican National Tag Team Championship with Perro Jr. twice,[13] the Mexican National Middleweight Championship[14] the UWA World Heavyweight Championship,[15] the UWA World Lightweight Championship, the UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship[16] the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship,[17] the UWA World Tag Team Championship,[18] the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship seven times,[19] and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship 3 times[20]
