Wrestling mask
Encyclopedia
A Wrestling mask is a fabric based mask that some professional wrestlers
wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. Professional wrestlers have been using masks as far back as 1915 and they are still widely used today, especially in Lucha Libre
in Mexico.
area. In the subsequent years many wrestlers would put on a mask after they had been used in an area, or territory, that their popularity and drawing ability diminished, it would be an easy way for a wrestler to begin working in a new area as a "fresh face". Sometimes workers wore masks in one territory and unmasked in another territory in order to keep their two identities separate.
and Canada
, but masked wrestlers have a long history in that region, dating back to 1915.
North American wrestling also use the mask for a different purpose, putting the mask on a well known wrestler in a storyline / angle that forces the wrestler to wear the mask to get around various "stipulations" or to betray a trust without revealing an identity. For instance wrestlers who are suspended in a storyline return under a mask usually with it being very obvious who is under the mask. Examples of this include: Hulk Hogan
as Mr. America, Dusty Rhodes
as The Midnight Rider, André the Giant
as Giant Machine, Brian Pillman
as The Yellow Dog, The Miz as The Calgary Kid and John Cena
as Juan Cena
In the past many wrestlers have had very successful careers while masked such as Mr. Wrestling
, Masked Superstar
and the Spoiler
. In the territory days it was not uncommon for more than one person or team to use the same gimmick and mask and as such there has been several masked "Interns", "Assassins" and "Executioners" working. Especially tag team wrestling have seen their share of masked teams, utilizing identical masks to create unity between wrestlers. Successful masked teams include the Masked Assassins, Blue Infernos and the Grapplers.
It is a common misconception that masks in Lucha Libre spring from the Aztec
, Inca or Mayan
tradition but the mask, or "Máscara" in Spanish
, was first introduced in Mexico when promoter saw American wrestler "Cyclone" McKey working in Texas
and decided to bring McKey to work for his promotion, Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre
(EMLL). The Mexican fanbase quickly took to the mystery of the masked man and soon after Mexican wrestlers themselves started wearing masks, becoming "Enmáscarados". Early masks were simplistic with strong, basic colors designs that could be recognized even in the back row of the arena. Over the years the masks evolved to become very intricate and colorful drawing on Mexico's rich history. Unlike in other parts of North America the popularity of the masked wrestlers has not waned over the years, with souvenir masks being sold at events and online. In modern lucha libre, masks are colorfully designed to evoke the images of animal
s, gods
, ancient hero
es, and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance. Most wrestlers in Mexico start their career wearing a mask, but over the span of their careers a substantial number of them will be unmasked. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his one of his final bouts or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying loss of identity as that character. Sometimes, losing the mask signifies the end of a gimmick with the wrestler moving on to a new gimmick and mask, often without public acknowledgement of the wrestler's previous persona.
The wrestling mask is considered "sacred", so much so that the intentional removal of a mask is grounds for disqualification. If a wrestler is unmasked during the match their top priority is to cover up their face and usually gets help from people at ringside to hide his face. Most masked wrestlers wear their masks for any and all public appearances using the mask to keep their personal life separate from their professional life. Because of the mask most Mexican wrestlers also enjoy a higher degree of anonymity about their personal life. Some wrestlers become larger than life characters such as El Santo
, one of the most popular cultural icons who always wore his mask in public, revealed his face only briefly in old age, and was even buried in his trademark silver mask.
The first luchas de apuestas match was presented on July 14, 1940 at Arena México. The defending champion Murciélago was so much lighter than his challenger Octavio that he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract: Octavio would have to put his hair on the line. Octavio won the match and Murciélago unmasked, giving birth to a tradition in lucha libre.
High profiled "Luchas de Apuestas" include El Santo winning the mask of Black Spirit
, Los Villaños winning the masks of all three Los Brazos (El Brazo
, Brazo de Oro
and Brazo de Plata
), Atlantis
winning the match of Villaño III
, La Parka
unmasking both Cibernético
and El Mesias
, Villaño V
taking Blue Panther
's mask and Último Guerrero
winning the mask of Villaño V. Some wrestlers have made a career by the volume of masks they have won rather than the general quality of their opponents—wrestler Super Muñeco
claims to have won over 100 masks, with at least 80 verifiable "Luchas de Apuestas" wins, while Estrella Blanca
is said to have the most Luchas de Apuestas with over 200 masks won.
was the first masked wrestler to work in Japan during the 1960s but remained a novelty with very few Japanese wrestlers choosing to wear a mask. In the 1970s Mil Máscaras
became the first Luchador to work on a regular basis and became very popular with the fans. the original Tiger Mask
, Satoru Sayama
was inspired by Mil Máscaras to create the masked "Tiger Mask" persona. After the success of Tiger Mask several wrestlers have adopted the mask, mainly lighter wrestlers who like Sayama had a more high flying and flashy style. The wrestling mask is held in more regard by the Japanese fans than the North American fans but isn't as "sacred" as the Mexican mask. Famous Japanese masked wrestlers include Jushin Liger
, Último Dragón, El Samurai, the Great Sasuke and Dragon Kid
.
The original wrestling masks were often masks attached to a top that snapped in the groin making it very uncomfortable for the people wearing it. If the masks were not attached to the top, then they were made from uncomfortable material such as brushed pig skin, leather or suede. It wasn't until a Mexican shoe maker called Antonio Martinez created a mask on request from Charro Aguayo that would become the standard for wrestling masks created since then. The basic design has not changed much over the years, consisting of four pieces of fabric sewn together to create the basic shape that covers the entire head. The mask has openings for the eyes, nose and mouth with colorful trim around the open features, this trim is known as "Antifaz" in Spanish. The back of the mask is open with a "tongue" of fabric under laces to keep it tight enough to not come off accidentally during a match. The first variation in style came when the jaw and mouth area was removed from the mask to expose the skin. Other masks have solid material over the mouth, nose, eyes or all three, in the case of fabric covering the eyes a stretched fabric that is see through up-close is used.
Originally being made from fabric masks have evolved and are now made from a variety of materials from cotton to nylon to various vinyls in all the shades of the rainbow. Several additions have been made to the mask decorations over the years with the most prevalent and visually striking being foam horns and fake hair attached to the mask. Artificial ears are also commonly used, especially if the mask has an animal motif such as a tiger.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. Professional wrestlers have been using masks as far back as 1915 and they are still widely used today, especially in Lucha Libre
Lucha libre
Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
in Mexico.
History
In 1915 a North American wrestler became the first masked wrestler ever when Mort Henderson started wrestling as the "Masked Marvel" in the New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
area. In the subsequent years many wrestlers would put on a mask after they had been used in an area, or territory, that their popularity and drawing ability diminished, it would be an easy way for a wrestler to begin working in a new area as a "fresh face". Sometimes workers wore masks in one territory and unmasked in another territory in order to keep their two identities separate.
The mask in the U.S. and Canada
Today, masked wrestlers are not a common sight in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but masked wrestlers have a long history in that region, dating back to 1915.
North American wrestling also use the mask for a different purpose, putting the mask on a well known wrestler in a storyline / angle that forces the wrestler to wear the mask to get around various "stipulations" or to betray a trust without revealing an identity. For instance wrestlers who are suspended in a storyline return under a mask usually with it being very obvious who is under the mask. Examples of this include: Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
as Mr. America, Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
as The Midnight Rider, André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
as Giant Machine, Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
as The Yellow Dog, The Miz as The Calgary Kid and John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
as Juan Cena
In the past many wrestlers have had very successful careers while masked such as Mr. Wrestling
Tim Woods
George Burrell "Tim" Woodin was an American former professional wrestler. He was best known under his ring name Mr. Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Masked Superstar
Bill Eadie
Bill Eadie is a professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar...
and the Spoiler
Don Jardine
Don Jardine was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his masked gimmick as "The Spoiler".-Career:Jardine began wrestling in the mid-1950s,making his wrestling debut in 1955 at the age of 15...
. In the territory days it was not uncommon for more than one person or team to use the same gimmick and mask and as such there has been several masked "Interns", "Assassins" and "Executioners" working. Especially tag team wrestling have seen their share of masked teams, utilizing identical masks to create unity between wrestlers. Successful masked teams include the Masked Assassins, Blue Infernos and the Grapplers.
The mask in Lucha Libre
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
, Inca or Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
tradition but the mask, or "Máscara" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, was first introduced in Mexico when promoter saw American wrestler "Cyclone" McKey working in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and decided to bring McKey to work for his promotion, Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre is a Lucha Libre-style professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City while running cards in Guadalajara, Puebla and elsewhere in central and southern Mexico...
(EMLL). The Mexican fanbase quickly took to the mystery of the masked man and soon after Mexican wrestlers themselves started wearing masks, becoming "Enmáscarados". Early masks were simplistic with strong, basic colors designs that could be recognized even in the back row of the arena. Over the years the masks evolved to become very intricate and colorful drawing on Mexico's rich history. Unlike in other parts of North America the popularity of the masked wrestlers has not waned over the years, with souvenir masks being sold at events and online. In modern lucha libre, masks are colorfully designed to evoke the images of animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, gods
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
, ancient hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
es, and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance. Most wrestlers in Mexico start their career wearing a mask, but over the span of their careers a substantial number of them will be unmasked. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his one of his final bouts or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying loss of identity as that character. Sometimes, losing the mask signifies the end of a gimmick with the wrestler moving on to a new gimmick and mask, often without public acknowledgement of the wrestler's previous persona.
The wrestling mask is considered "sacred", so much so that the intentional removal of a mask is grounds for disqualification. If a wrestler is unmasked during the match their top priority is to cover up their face and usually gets help from people at ringside to hide his face. Most masked wrestlers wear their masks for any and all public appearances using the mask to keep their personal life separate from their professional life. Because of the mask most Mexican wrestlers also enjoy a higher degree of anonymity about their personal life. Some wrestlers become larger than life characters such as El Santo
Santo
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta , more widely known as El Santo , was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado , film actor, and folk icon....
, one of the most popular cultural icons who always wore his mask in public, revealed his face only briefly in old age, and was even buried in his trademark silver mask.
Luchas de Apuestas
In Lucha Libre the highest achievement is not winning a championship but winning the mask of an opponent in a "Luchas de Apuestas" match, a "bet fight" where each wrestler bets their mask. The Luchas de Apuestas match is usually seen as the culmination of a long and heated storyline between two or more wrestlers with the winner getting the "ultimate victory". After losing a match of this time the wrestler must reveal his real name, where he's from and how long he has been a wrestler before taking the mask off to show his face. Unmasked wrestlers will wager their hair instead, risking having his or her head shaved bald in case of defeat. There can be several reasons to book a "Luchas de Apuestas" match beyond the obvious purporse of elevating the winner. If the loser is a younger wrestler then the loss of the mask can sometimes lead to a promotional push after unmasking, or the wrestler is being given a new ring persona. Older wrestlers often lose their masks during the last couple of years of their career, often for a big payday depending on how long and successful a career they've had, The more successful the wrestler that's unmasked the bigger the honor for the winner.The first luchas de apuestas match was presented on July 14, 1940 at Arena México. The defending champion Murciélago was so much lighter than his challenger Octavio that he requested a further condition before he would sign the contract: Octavio would have to put his hair on the line. Octavio won the match and Murciélago unmasked, giving birth to a tradition in lucha libre.
High profiled "Luchas de Apuestas" include El Santo winning the mask of Black Spirit
Alejandro Cruz
Alejandro Cruz was a Puerto Rican athlete and politician who was mayor of the city of Guaynabo during the 1980s and early 1990s. He became known across Puerto Rico also as Junior Cruz.-Biography:...
, Los Villaños winning the masks of all three Los Brazos (El Brazo
El Brazo
Juan Alvarado Nieves is a Mexican Luchador currently working for the Mexican based Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración wrestling promotion. He is best known under the ring name El Brazo that he has been using since his debut in 1980...
, Brazo de Oro
Brazo de Oro (wrestler)
Jesús Alvarado Nieves is a Mexican Luchador who works under the name Brazo de Oro . Alvarado currently works as a booker for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and as head of the wrestlers' union...
and Brazo de Plata
José Alvarado Nieves
José Alvarado Nieves is a Mexican Luchador best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata that he has been using since his debut in 1977 and also for his appearences for WWE as "Super Porky"...
), Atlantis
Atlantis (wrestler)
Atlantis is a Mexican Luchador Enmascarado currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre where he performs as a Technico . Atlantis has held a large number of professional wrestling championships over the years, both in Mexico and in Japan...
winning the match of Villaño III
Villano III
Arturo Díaz Mendoza is a Mexican professional wrestler best known for performing under the stage name Villano III and unmasking a very large number of wrestlers , he is most famous for teaming with one or more of his brothers: Villano I, Villano II, Villano IV, Villano V, Villano VI and Villano VII...
, La Parka
La Parka (AAA)
Jesus Escobedo is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, better known as La Parka, who has worked for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración since the mid-1990s.Escobedo is not the first wrestler to use the ring name "La Parka",...
unmasking both Cibernético
Cibernético
Octavio López Arreola is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known under the ring name Cibernético, currently working for the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración promotion in Mexico...
and El Mesias
Ricky Banderas
Gilbert Cosme better known by his ring names El Mesías and Ricky Banderas, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based on Puerto Rico...
, Villaño V
Villano V
Raymundo Díaz Mendoza Jr. is a Mexican professional wrestler who has performed under the name Villano V until he was unmasked on March 20, 2009, after which he became known as "Ray Mendoza, Jr.". Mendoza and is part of the Mendoza family, a well known Mexican wrestling family that includes all...
taking Blue Panther
Blue Panther
Genaro Vazquez Nevarez is a Mexican professional wrestler currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, better known by his ring name Blue Panther...
's mask and Último Guerrero
Último Guerrero
Último Guerrero is a Mexican currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre , where he is also part of the booking committee and former CMLL World Heavyweight Championship...
winning the mask of Villaño V. Some wrestlers have made a career by the volume of masks they have won rather than the general quality of their opponents—wrestler Super Muñeco
Super Muñeco
Super Muñeco is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler. Super Muñeco is Spanish for "Super Toy", a comedic ring character based on the clown...
claims to have won over 100 masks, with at least 80 verifiable "Luchas de Apuestas" wins, while Estrella Blanca
Estrella Blanca
Estrella Blanca is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler. Estrella Blanca is most known for his claim to have won more Luchas de Apuestas "bet matches" than anyone, winning more masks and hair than any other Luchador...
is said to have the most Luchas de Apuestas with over 200 masks won.
The mask in Japanese wrestling
The DestroyerDick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
was the first masked wrestler to work in Japan during the 1960s but remained a novelty with very few Japanese wrestlers choosing to wear a mask. In the 1970s Mil Máscaras
Mil Máscaras
Aaron Rodríguez , best known as Mil Máscaras , is a semi-retired Mexican professional wrestler and actor, who has starred in several films with fellow luchadores...
became the first Luchador to work on a regular basis and became very popular with the fans. the original Tiger Mask
Tiger Mask
is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's Bokura Magazine from 1968 to 1969 and was later published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1970 to 1971...
, Satoru Sayama
Satoru Sayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known as the original Tiger Mask. He's wrestled under his real name as well as the names Sammy Lee, and masked Super Tiger, Tiger King, Tiger Mask and The Mask of Tiger...
was inspired by Mil Máscaras to create the masked "Tiger Mask" persona. After the success of Tiger Mask several wrestlers have adopted the mask, mainly lighter wrestlers who like Sayama had a more high flying and flashy style. The wrestling mask is held in more regard by the Japanese fans than the North American fans but isn't as "sacred" as the Mexican mask. Famous Japanese masked wrestlers include Jushin Liger
Jushin Liger
, better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...
, Último Dragón, El Samurai, the Great Sasuke and Dragon Kid
Dragon Kid
Dragon Kid is a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestles for Dragon Gate.-Professional wrestling career:...
.
Anatomy of the wrestling mask
Originally being made from fabric masks have evolved and are now made from a variety of materials from cotton to nylon to various vinyls in all the shades of the rainbow. Several additions have been made to the mask decorations over the years with the most prevalent and visually striking being foam horns and fake hair attached to the mask. Artificial ears are also commonly used, especially if the mask has an animal motif such as a tiger.
Further reading
- Enciclopedia de las Mascaras, 11 volume magazine published 2007 - 2008. Covers the technical aspects of various luchador's masks from A to Z, details on fabric, construction, design and manufacturing.