Photo Credit: Rey Mysterio (Instagram)
Rey Mysterio is probably the greatest and the most renowned Luchador in professional wrestling. Backed by his success in WWE, he put the exciting and high-flying Luchador wrestling on the map. However, before joining WWE in 2002, he wrestled for WCW, spending five years there till the end of the defunct company.
In the final two years of his career, Rey Mysterio was unmasked, making it the only instance of his wrestling career at the highest level where he wrestled without guarding his face. During this WCW run, he adopted a new persona of a giant killer with an impressive reign in the Cruiserweight division of WCW. Through this article, we delve into that phase of Rey Mysterio’s career, when he had to take his mask off and wrestle without it.
Rey Mysterio And Konnan Were Beaten In A ‘Hair Vs Mask’ Match
Riding on the popularity of nWo, a stable named LWO was created in WCW. The word LWO was an acronym for Latino World Order. The group consisted of all Luchadors. Almost all Latin wrestlers from the promotion teamed up to create the stable.
Rey Mysterio, being a famous Luchador at that time, joined the group as well. However, he was adamant at the beginning about not joining the group. He eventually became part of the LWO.
In early 1999, nWo was reunited. Seeing LWO, which lent the group from the legendary stable, asked the latter to break up. Assaulting LWO members, nWo made their intentions clear, showing why the group was the most successful stable in WCW history.
To resolve their conflict, nWo members, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash faced off against LWO members, Rey Mysterio and Konnan in a ‘ hair vs mask’ at SuperBrawl 1999. The match’s stipulation suggested that if nWo had lost the encounter, then their manager Miss Elizabeth would have shaved her head. On the other hand, LWO’s defeat meant, Rey Mysterio would be unmasked for the first time on TV, showing his face to the wrestling fans.
The historical tag team match took place on February 22, 1999, in Oakland, California. Originally, Lex Lugar and Kevin Nash were scheduled to team up against the LWO duo. A couple of days before the match, Luger got injured and hence, Scott Hall came in as his replacement.
The match was incredible. Despite their size differences, Rey put valiant efforts alongside Konnan. Following a battle of eleven minutes, the members of The Outsiders were victorious, meaning Rey Mysterio’s face had to be shown for the first time after taking the mask off.
The Unmasked Rey Mysterio’s Run In WCW
After taking the mask off, Rey developed a new persona. Receiving the tag of ‘giant killer’, he succeeded in beating numerous wrestlers bigger than him. He once defeated Kevin Nash, who pinned the Luchador in the hair vs mask’ match. Aside from the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion, the young and unmasked Rey Mysterio conquered big men like Scott Norton and Bam Bam Bigelow, developing a serious persona.
A month after losing his mask, he even received a WCW World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Ric Flair. Around this time, he reached the milestone of becoming a double champion after holding the WCW Cruiserweight Championship and the WCW World Tag Team Championship simultaneously. He concluded his WCW career as a five-time Cruiserweight Champion.
Rey Mysterio’s Opinion On The Unmasking In WCW
Rey Mysterio was disappointed by WCW’s decision to unmask him. After the incident, a distressed Mysterio immediately gave a call to his uncle, who was his father figure in professional wrestling. Talking to the distinguished interviewer Ariel Helwani in 2022, he opened up about the infamous unmasking in 1999.
According to the 49-year-old, Scott Hall was the brainchild behind removing the mask. Recalling his conversation with the former late wrestler, he said, “Scott Hall was like Rey what are you doing with that mask, you are a pretty man”. Then a few years later, he ended up doing it, as WCW felt it was the right thing to do.
The WWE legendary Luchador and the WWE Hall of Famer also stated that WCW didn’t understand the worth of the mask and what it meant to a Luchador. Therefore, they didn’t do the marketing like they should have.
Conversely, WWE and Vince McMahon understood the essence of the mask when he arrived in WWE. Rey Mysterio not only started wearing a mask again, an also turned into an integral part of his character. Moreover, WWE was adept at promoting its merchandise, and the mask eventually became iconic. In his storied WWE career, Rey Mysterio became a three-time World and Grand Slam Champion, contrasting to the WCW run when he never attained the main event status nor won the WCW World Heavyweight Title.
Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things
