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On the September 31, 2024 episode of Monday Night Raw, a match between Rey Mysterio and Xavier Woods took a sharp turn when Woods (perhaps) accidentally unmasked Mysterio. In Lucha Libre culture, the mask has been a part of their presentation for decades.
A Luchador pretty much never removes their mask, remaining anonymous in the face of the public eye. But sometimes, whether by a mask stipulation match or a forced removing, a mask can be removed. However, if it taken off by force, the Luchador covers his or her face to protect their anonymity. The WWE YouTube channel marked last week’s unmasking by adding a playlist about wrestlers who have unmasked Rey Mysterio during his WWE career.
This was an informative video showing that a Lucha mask is very important to a Luchador whenever they are in a wrestling match, and that Rey Mysterio is deeply respectful of Lucha Libre culture. Although Rey Mysterio has wrestled unmasked in WCW and has been seen unmasked in various photos and videos across the internet and social media, he has spoken negatively about wrestling unmasked in the years since then and always hides his face when his mask comes off.
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He could’ve just wrestled without a mask, like many Luchadors do since losing it, or fully revealed his face to the audience. But Mysterio honors the Lucha Libre culture by choosing to always cover up his face whenever possible. Even though his son wrestles without a mask, he continues to do so to out of respect for his heritage.
He could’ve easily declined the mask ripping spots, but a lot of them tell a story or were part of a storyline, so he accepted to give the audience a good show. Rey Mysterio is a true professional who honors his culture and is always willing to tell a good story, even if it means damaging a lucha mask in order to do so.
It remains to be seen whether his accidental unmasking will carry over to tonight’s Monday Night Raw episode through storylines and whether or not another unmasking will occur during his career.
RECOMMENDED? Yes. Overall, this was an entertaining video showing why Rey Mysterio is so important to Lucha Libre wrestling as a whole. Not only has he won a ton of championships over the years and dazzled millions with his high-flying moves, Mysterio respects the Lucha Libre culture by choosing to wear a mask and always covers his face whenever the mask comes off during a match, even though his real face is widely known. By doing so, it’s always a big event whenever it does come off. This playlist shows that last week’s occurrence wasn’t a first and introduced to newer fans and reminds long-time fans of prior times Rey has been unmasked and puts in context the stories behind each incident.
How many wrestlers can you name who have unmasked Rey? Test yourself before watching the video.
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