Cassandro: Is Lady Anarquía (Sabrina) Based on a Real Wrestler?

‘Cassandro,’ the sports drama film about Saúl Armendáriz, a lucha libre wrestler’s rise to fame as an openly gay exótico fighter, takes the viewers on a riveting journey of self-discovery and acceptance. The film revolves around the titular character Saúl Armendáriz, who starts his luchador career as a runt wrestler, “El Topo,” with promised losses. Although his current position pays the bills, Saúl soon becomes tired of his situation and seeks a change. Shortly after, his paths cross with Sabrina, a female wrestler, “Lady Anarquía,” who recognizes the talent in him and gives him the encouragement he needs to embrace “Cassandro,” Saúl’s exótico persona.

Since ‘Cassandro’ presents a biographical account of the real-life Saúl Armendáriz’s life, fans must be curious to know if Sabrina’s character is pulled from reality too, given her significant contribution to the film’s plot. If you’re wondering about the same, here is everything you need to know!

Is Lady Anarquía/Sabrina a Real Wrestler?

No, Sabrina, a.k.a. Lady Anarquía from ‘Cassandro,’ is not based on a real wrestler. Given the public life that Armendáriz has been living for the past few years, the wrestler often discusses his career. Nonetheless, he has never mentioned a wrestler named Lady Anarquía or a woman named Sabrina who trained him during his early days. Since ‘Cassandro’ takes various creative liberties in its depiction of Armendáriz’s life and career, we can write Sabrina’s character off as a result of the same.

Sabrina’s character brings a lot of depth into the narrative, specifically focusing on the solidarity between men and women in queer communities. Near the story’s start, the wrestling world remains restrictive to Saúl in many ways. His previous persona, El Topo— The Mole, presents a shy and introverted aspect of Saúl’s personality. However, once he begins training with Sabrina, Saúl gains a new sense of self-confidence.

Likewise, through Sabrina’s help, Saúl dares to bring the vision of his exótico persona, “Cassandro,” to life. Once his career as Cassandro begins, Saúl finds a constant companion in Sabrina, who accompanies him for numerous fights and supports him in all his undertakings. The pair even takes their partnership to the ring and fight as a duo for a few matches. Their close relationship with one another is a testament to their deep understanding of each other, something that is inevitably born from their shared experience as minorities within the wrestling community.

While casting Sabrina’s character, Director Roger Ross Williams wanted to ensure that the actress had the appropriate roots to understand her character. Discussing her character in a conversation with GLAAD, Williams said, “It was important that Roberta [Colindrez], who plays Sabrina, a queer woman, also have an understanding of the [Mexican] culture.”

The filmmaker maintained this perspective throughout the casting process, deeply aware of how proper representation affects any piece of media’s authenticity. “Being Mexican and understanding Mexican culture and being a Mexican actor — that is, to me, what was the most important thing because these actors understand the subtleties of being a Mexican.”

In that regard, Sabrina gains most of her authenticity from her identity as a queer Mexican woman. Within the narrative, Sabrina showcases the space that female wrestlers occupy in lucha libre. Meanwhile, her intense bond with Saúl helps her constantly move the plot forward. According to a 2014 piece about Cassandro in The New Yorker by William Finnegan, Armendáriz trained with Rey Misterio, a male wrestler who helped him form his debut persona, Mister Romano, at seventeen. Therefore, we can conclude that Sabrina’s character and wrestling persona, Lady Anarquía, is a work of fiction fabricated for the film’s benefit.