Wrestlers Who Were Unmasked In The Ring

Unmasking a wrestler who made their name under a disguise is a huge decision, and one that should never be taken lightly. Lucha libre traditions put great importance on the mask, and putting one on the line is a career threatening risk. Legendary luchador El Santo, for example, was never seen in public without his silver mask until he revealed his face on television a week before his death. Former WWE performer Lince Dorado suffered a concussion and seizure during a match for CHIKARA, and the man who provided first aid made a point to use a towel to hide Dorado's face, even during that harrowing moment. More recently, Villano IV lost a mask versus mask match to AEW mainstay Penta El Zero M, ending a 42 year run as a villain in disguise.

However, American promotions have been notorious for wanting their performers unmasked. If you saw a mask on a WCW or WWF wrestler in the late '90s or early 2000s, odds were pretty high that they would be losing the face covering pretty soon — and sometimes not in a high-profile matchup. Plenty of reasons for retiring a mask exist, from a blood rivalry or legal issues to something as simple as the reintroduction of a wrestler we hadn't seen in a while — or just, well, Eric Bischoff. Let's take a look at some of the many wrestlers who were unmasked in the squared circle, and the reasons behind the reveals.

Juventud Guerrera is a second generation luchador, the son of masked luchador Fuerza Guerrera. He debuted in August of 1996 against Billy Kidman, opening an episode of "WCW Monday Nitro" with the kind of fun, fast paced cruiserweight action WCW was known for at the time. His most memorable match was on February 22, 1998, when Guerrera battled Chris Jericho for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship in a title versus mask match at WCW's "SuperBrawl 1998" pay-per-view. Jericho was in his element on the microphone for this feud, claiming that Juvy was hideous and used his mask to hide his gruesome face. After forcing Guerrera to submit, Jericho humiliated his opponent further, ripping the mask off his defeated opponent.

Recently it was revealed that Juvy's unmasking was a decision that neither man wanted. On "Talk is Jericho" (h/t Fightful), Juventud said, "That was shocking because when I started my career, every wrestler, you don't want to lose your mask, you always want to have it...I went with the flow, but it was shocking." When Guerrera asked if Jericho had something to do with the decision, Chris replied, "It wasn't me at all. I had no power or anything at that point." Jericho went on to say he did his best to help Juventud by playing up his own heel character, but said that he was told "that's what Eric [Bischoff] wants."

Despite the unmasking, Juventud has had a long career since, working with dozens of promotions worldwide. He has performed both masked and unmasked, telling Sports Illustrated, "Now I have two different personas — Juvy with the mask, and The Juice without the mask."

If there was a list of the most recognizable masked wrestlers in history, Rey Mysterio would be at the top. But even though it seems Rey has defeated every obstacle in his path, including Father Time himself, there was one opponent that was able to bare Mysterio's face to the world — WCW executive Eric Bischoff. 

Bischoff's decision to have Rey lose his mask in a tag match in 1999 was one he justified on his "83 Weeks" podcast (h/t 411mania.com): "Having the mask off would enhance his ability to connect to the audience." Rey himself told Ariel Helwani of BT Sport that ,"Rey Mysterio, I think, is marketable with the mask, and he's always been." Rey told Kurt Angle on "The Kurt Angle Show" that he was actually scheduled to lose his mask two years earlier, against Eddie Guerrero at "Halloween Havoc".

Rey doesn't seem to hold a grudge about losing the mask, though. As he said to Kurt Angle, "When I lost the mask, the next night I faced Kevin Nash. That's when the 'Giant Killer' came up. I think sometimes I think to myself, if I wouldn't have lost the mask, would I have had the push that I got against all these bigger guys?" As he told BT Sport, when Rey arrived at OVW to train for his WWE debut, he was asked what gear he'd be wearing. "They were like, 'Where's the mask?, I said ... I'm not wearing the mask right now. 'Oh, no no no no, Vince wants you to bring the mask back.' I was like oh, you guys should have told me!" The rest is history.

The storyline half-brother of the Undertaker and a Hall of Famer in his own right, Kane is undoubtedly one of the most successful men to ever wear a mask in the WWE. He's also the victim of another unmasking, this one at the hands of a then-villainous Triple H and Evolution. The "Big Red Machine" had a shot at Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship on June 23, 2003's episode of "Raw", but he put his mask on the line to get that opportunity. Triple H, fresh off a victory at Hell in a Cell, held his own against the "Devil's Favorite Demon" while Jerry Lawler continuously referenced Kane's hideous face on commentary. Despite the crowd being firmly behind Kane, the match ended in an interference-filled finish and a Kane loss, one that ultimately led to "Raw" co-GM Eric Bischoff demanding Kane remove his mask per the stipulations. Kane was attacked by Evolution, but his tag team partner Rob Van Dam arrived to make the save. Despite this, Kane unmasked, revealing a bad haircut and some splotchy makeup underneath — truly a hideous sight to behold.

Sky Sports calls the match "one of the most famous moments in WWE history at Madison Square Garden" and "one of the most watched segments in 'Raw' history," but the reality behind Kane's unmasking is far less dramatic. Speaking with WWE.com, Glenn "Kane" Jacobs said, "I felt I had gone as far as I could with the mask at that point ... at the time, the only people behind the decision to remove it were myself and Mr. McMahon."

Sin Cara was tapped by Triple H to be a WWE superstar when he was signed to WWE in 2011. The former Mistico was given a cool entrance, dramatic music, and even special lighting for his matches. He was mostly impressive, showing a toned-down-for-WWE lucha style that looked good despite the occasional botch. Unfortunately, a wellness violation required Sin Cara to be suspended — but not until well after he could be written out with a kayfabe injury. Perhaps due to WWE not wanting the Sin Cara signing to be viewed as a failure, another performer was given the character. Sin Cara started acting a little more heelish, and it was then revealed that there were two Sin Caras (Sins Cara?) — the face, labeled Sin Cara Azul, and the evil Sin Cara Negro. They faced off in a mask versus mask match on the October 21, 2011 episode of "SmackDown," with Sin Cara Azul retaining the mask and name, and Sin Cara Negro reverting to the NXT character of Hunico he portrayed prior to the unmasking.

Hunico and Mistico have a weird bit of symmetry in their careers, as Hunico donned the mask of Mistico when the original Mistico signed to WWE as Sin Cara. After the original Mistico/Sin Cara left the WWE, Hunico would once again put the mask on and portray Sin Cara, enjoying some success in both WWE and NXT as both a singles competitor and one half of the beloved Lucha Dragons tag team.

On November 27, 1999's episode of "WCW Monday Nitro" luchador Psichosis participated in a hair versus mask match against Billy Kidman. Despite interference from both Chavo Guerrero Jr. and an already-unmasked Juventud Guerrera, Kidman was able to overcome the odds and hit a shooting star press for the pinfall victory, quickly unmasking Psichosis afterward. Psichosis lost his memorable horned face covering, and due to some legal action regarding the name, went on to perform for years after as El Chivo and Nicho El Milionario.

However, according to Psichosis, once the decision was made that he'd lose his mask, he asked to lose it in Tijuana first. In an interview with Alfredo Esparza on luchaworld.com, he said, "Yeah, I had a contract so I had to do it. So I talked to [WCW] and asked if I could drop it first in Tijuana and they said yes, so I quickly went over and dropped it there first." He said it was more about tradition in Mexico, so he wanted to lose the mask there first, and he did so against the man who trained him, Rey Misterio — the uncle of WWE's Rey Mysterio. Asked how he felt about losing his mask twice, Psichosis replied, "I see it badly. Sorry, but I see it as a fraud. A fraud for the people because everyone knew about it through the internet."

Eddie Guerrero was his own man, a legendary performer and one of the best to ever step in the ring. His life was tragically cut short, but his legacy is one we still see honored today. As recently as 2022's AEW Full Gear, we're still seeing tributes to Eddie's entrance, moves, gear, and unique personality show up on wrestling programming worldwide. While most fans remember Guerrero from his time in American promotions ECW, WCW, and WWE, he started his career in Mexico and southern Texas, wrestling in the promotions his family helped to make famous.

After spending time learning and performing in Japan, Guerrero returned to Mexico's CMLL promotion, where he wrestled under a mask as Máscara Mágica. He hated working with the mask, as he wrote in his autobiography, and when he left CMLL for new rival promotion AAA he brought the mask with him. He quickly rectified that situation and made history in the process. In his first match, Guerrero had his trios partners that night remove his mask, an unbelievable move that hadn't been seen in lucha libre to that point. He cut a promo afterward explaining that he didn't mean to disrespect the tradition of masked wrestlers, but Eddie was a Guerrero and wanted to live up to that legacy. He went on to do more than that, becoming one of the most popular wrestlers of all time.

Gail Kim is known today as a true legend and pioneer in women's wrestling. She won the WWE Women's Championship in her first televised match with the company, a Divas battle royal on "Raw." She won the inaugural Impact Knockouts Championship and earned her way into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame by winning that title seven times in her career.

Kim started out with the now-defunct Apocalypse Wrestling Federation, based out of her hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Performing under a mask as La Felina, Kim had some success in the year she worked with AWF, and in that time she developed a rivalry with another future Impact standout, Tracy Brooks. Miss Tracy and La Felina competed in a hair versus mask match at AWF's "November to Dismember" show, and Felina lost her mask in the contest. When asked about competing under a mask in a 2004 interview with Slam Sports, Gail said, "I don't miss that mask at all. I was paying my dues as part of my wrestling days. I never came up with that idea." She was signed to WWE shortly afterward, and went on to have the spectacular career she's now remembered for.

AEW's "Swerve" Strickland has performed all over the world in his 11 year career, starting out wrestling in a National Guard Armory and learning pro wrestling while also serving in the Army National Guard. While he's since graduated from the independent scene to NXT and AEW fame, one notable stop on Swerve's wrestling journey was "Lucha Underground," where his military background helped to create one of the most memorable characters on that short lived program.

During the show's final season, series mainstay Killshot began a heated rivalry with fellow masked luchador Son of Havoc. After Killshot broke away from his trios teammates Son of Havoc and Willie Mack, he continued to antagonize them both, and removed Son of Havoc's mask in a segment that incited a mask versus mask match at Ultima Lucha, the "Lucha Underground" season finale/WrestleMania equivalent. The match itself was a brutal affair, and the pair were given a ton of time on what would end up being one of the last episodes of "LU." Killshot brought a stretcher with him to the ring, and it was used by both participants to make their moves look a little more dangerous. Son of Havoc prevailed in the end, but it was Killshot who removed his own mask, dramatically presenting it to Son of Havoc. He gave an impassioned speech about leaving his brothers for dead (a reference to the previous season's accusations by Dante Fox), and how the mask helped him hide from his past. He then left the arena, never to return.

When a trio of mysterious masked people in suits began appearing on "Impact," people took notice. Promising to restore order to TNA, the Death Crew Council performed a series of attacks on the Broken Hardys, Grado and Bobby E., and World Champion Eddie Edwards. It was after that attack on Edwards that the mysterious faction laid the belt on his body in the middle of the ring, unmasked, and revealed itself as Bram, a newly signed Eddie Kingston, and a returning James Storm. Storm had been suspended about a month earlier by Billy Corgan, and the story was that Storm had become a free agent because of a poor relationship with Corgan. The group continued to wear the masks to the ring for their short run afterward, but they disbanded shortly after as Storm was turned on by his two partners.

The presentation of the DCC was interesting, but real life interfered with the story as it so often does. After Corgan left the company due to a fallout with Dixie Carter, the DCC needed to be reworked because Storm no longer had a nemesis in the former TNA president. For his part, Bram said he enjoyed the Death Crew Council and would have liked to have seen it continue. In an interview with Robert Krupar of artofwrestling.cz (via WrestleZone), Bram said, "We all had fun in the DCC. Storm and Kingston are close amigos of mine so us teaming together was awesome, super easy and fun. I'd like to have kept going with it, but that's outta my hands."

"Divisive" does not even begin to describe WWE's Fabulous Moolah. Moolah's influence on women's wrestling is undeniable, but it's also disrespectful to the dozens of women she allegedly hurt to sweep these accusations under the rug.

Wendi Richter is another WWE Hall of Famer, albeit one that is less well known than Moolah. Richter became wildly popular when Vince McMahon engineered the partnership between MTV and WWF known as the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection, which culminated in singer Cyndi Lauper becoming Richter's manager. Wendi eventually won the recently introduced WWF Women's Championship from Moolah. Richter wanted a better contract due to her success, but McMahon decided he'd rather not have a wrestler involved in a contract dispute holding the title.

On November 25, 1985, Wendi Richter was booked to defend her WWF Women's championship. Suspicions arose when, as Wendy said in an interview with Sean Mooney, she found out that day that the mysterious "Spider Woman" she'd been booked against was going Moolah. Richter, when asked if she thought it was strange, answered, "I did because it was a championship match and ... I called Cindy [Lauper] and said 'Cindy are you gonna be there?' and she said 'I don't know anything about it.'" 

Her suspicions were justified, as the referee counted three after an obvious kickout, getting the title off Richter and back to Moolah. Irate, Richter attacked Moolah and ripped her mask off. According to Richter, "I gathered up my stuff and left in my wrestling suit to the airport."

Tomohiro Ishii is known for his intimidating appearance and violent in-ring style. Recent matches against Chris Jericho, Adam Cole, and Eddie Kingston showed the world that Ishii can hold his own against many of AEW's top stars. Fans on cagematch.net use terms like "consistent," "underrated," and "a workhorse" to describe Ishii, and much has been written about his career and the reliability he's put on display. The man truly lives up to his nickname of "Stone Pitbull."

In 2010 and '11, Ishii was involved in a rivalry with Tiger Mask. After losing a mask versus hair match with the legendary wrestler, Ishii continued the rivalry under the guise of Tiger Mask's longtime nemesis, Black Tiger. The legend of Black Tiger versus Tiger Mask is generational, one that has undergone several changes under the masks, but the longstanding hate remains whenever these characters meet in the ring. Their feud continued until New Japan's The New Beginning show in February of 2011, when they met for a mask versus mask match. Tiger Mask defeated his rival, unmasking Ishii for the crowd. Oddly, Ishii's version is officially considered to be "Black Tiger VI" despite him never using the name, only the mask and gear.

The "Master of 1000 Holds" in WCW, Dean Malenko, was having a rough 1998. After he submitted to Chris Jericho's "Liontamer," he was told by an accusatory Gene Okerlund that it was a match that he should have won, and he didn't. After calling Dean a "bona fide loser," Okerlund asked, "Where does Dean Malenko go from here?" "Home," replied Malenko, and he walked out of the ring with his head down, and wasn't seen for months. Jericho wasn't about to let that go, as he responded with what might be one of the best promos of all time — the list of 1004 holds. After shaming Malenko before a short match with Marty Jannetty on March 30's episode of "WCW Monday Nitro," Jericho produced a list of every hold he knows — 1004, compared to the "about 60" he accused Malenko of actually knowing. He then went ahead and read, on air and through a commercial break.

Jericho's taunting went on for the coming weeks, including an attack on Malenko's brother Joe. At "Slamboree," Jericho was on commentary during a 15 man battle royale that would decide his opponent for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship that night. When the last two competitors were Juventud Guerrera and unknown luchador Ciclope, Juvy shocked fans by shaking Ciclope's hand and hopping out of the ring. Ciclope removed his mask, revealing Malenko underneath. The returned hero was welcomed by cheers after a two month absence, and he went on to defeat Jericho for the championship.