A wrestling mask is a fabric-based mask that some professional wrestlers wear as part of their in-ring persona or gimmick. The history of the wrestling mask began in Mexico, or so many believe. But upon doing a little bit of research, it was first used in France by circus/carnival wrestler Theobaud Bauer in the year 1865, wrestling as "The Masked Wrestler" in Paris, France.
Bauer as the Masked Wrestler of Paris in the 1860s, would be followed by more masked wrestlers in his home country. A wrestling mask was known in France as a "cagoule" (hood) and fans would often chant "he he la cagoule" to encourage the babyface to unmask a masked heel. Doing so, however, was banned under French wrestling rules - if unmasked, a wrestler would crouch on the mat face-down until the referee restored his mask.
February 21, 1891, San Antonio's "The Light" reported on an upcoming wrestling event being held at San Antonio's historic Washington Theatre. Today, masked wrestlers are not a common sight in the United States and Canada, but masked wrestlers have a long history in that region, dating back to 1891.
In 1915, Mort Henderson started wrestling as the "Masked Marvel" in the New York area making him the second earliest North American wrestler to perform with such a gimmick. 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".
Many wrestlers have had very successful careers while masked such as The Destroyer/Dr. X, Mr. Wrestling, Masked Superstar and the Spoiler. One of the best-known North American masked wrestlers was Big Van Vader, who was also known for his in-ring agility despite his large frame during the 1980s and 90s.
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A mask sometimes will be used by a well known wrestler in a storyline where they must get around various "stipulations" or betray a trust without revealing their true identity. For instance wrestlers who are suspended in a storyline return under a mask under another name, 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, Dan Marsh as Mr. X and Bo Dallas as Mr. NXT.
Another interesting wrestling mask fact was that they were used sometimes when performers were getting stale in a particular area of the country and they needed to give a character a break.
Tag team wrestling has seen more masked teams, using identical masks to create unity between wrestlers. In the days where professional wrestling was more regional, with less national television coverage, it was not uncommon for more than one person or team to use the same gimmick and mask, and there have at times been several masked "Interns", "Assassins" and "Executioners" working simultaneously.
Jimmy Valiant once returned under a mask as Charlie Brown from Outta Town after losing to Paul Jones in a "Loser Leaves Town" match (a stipulation where the loser of the match must resign from the organization for which he worked).
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.
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In the 1930s, a Mexican shoe maker called Antonio Martinez created a mask on request from Charro Aguayo that became the standard for wrestling masks created since then. The basic design consists 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, 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.
Originally being made from fabric, masks have evolved and are now made from a variety of materials from cotton to nylon to various vinyl polymers in many different colours and patterns. Several additions have been made to the mask decorations over the years with the most prevalent and visually striking being foam horns and artificial hair attached to the mask.
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, his top priority is to cover up his face and they usually get help from people at ringside to do so.
Lucha Libre and the Mask
This article is about the professional wrestling style popularized in Mexico. For the history of professional wrestling in the country, see Professional wrestling in Mexico.
Lucha libre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlutʃa ˈliβɾe], meaning "freestyle wrestling"[1] or more literally translated as "free fight" and "free fighting") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century,[2] it has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and high-flying aerial techniques, some of which have been adopted by wrestlers in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached.
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Although in English the term specifically refers to the Mexican style of theatrical professional wrestling, in Mexico (and certain other Spanish-speaking territories) it can refer to other kinds of wrestling, including competitive amateur wrestling (es:lucha libre olímpica) and professional wrestling in general (es:lucha libre profesional) in addition to Mexican professional wrestling in particular (es:lucha libre mexicana).
Male lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores (singular luchador) while female lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadoras (singular luchadora). Mexican wrestlers often come from extended wrestling families, who often form their own stables.
Masks (máscaras) have been used dating back to the beginnings of lucha libre in the early part of the 20th century, and have a historical significance to Mexico in general, dating to the days of the Aztecs.[8] Early masks were very simple with basic colors to distinguish the wrestler. In modern lucha libre, masks are colorfully designed to evoke the images of animals, gods, ancient heroes and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance.
Mexican luchadores are traditionally more agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than American professional wrestlers, who more often rely on power and hard strikes to subdue their opponents. The difference in styles is due to the independent evolution of professional wrestling in Mexico beginning in the 1930s and the fact that luchadores in cruiserweight divisions (Peso Crucero) and other lower weight divisions are often more popular in Mexican lucha libre than heavyweights.[5]
Luchadores execute characteristic high-flying attacks by using the wrestling ring's ropes to catapult themselves towards their opponents, using intricate combinations in rapid-fire succession, and applying complex submission holds known as llaves. and Japanese rings; as a result, lucha libre does not emphasize "flat back bumps" like in other professional wrestling styles.
Lucha libre has several different weight classes, many catered to smaller agile wrestlers, who often make their debuts in their mid-teens. This enabled dynamic high-flying luchadores such as Rey Misterio Jr., Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy, and Místico among others, to develop years of experience by their mid-twenties.[6]
A number of prominent Japanese wrestlers also started their careers training in Mexico and competing in lucha libre's lighter weight classes before becoming stars in Japan. Lucha libre is also known for its tag team wrestling matches.
The teams are often made up of three or four members, instead of two as is common in the United States. Three-man teams participate in what are called trios matches while four-man teams participate in Atómicos matches. Of the team members, one member is often designated the captain.
A successful fall in a multi-person tag team match can be achieved by either pinning the captain of the opposing team or by pinning both of the other members. A referee can also stop the match because of "excessive punishment" and he can then award the match to the victim of the "excessive punishment". Falls often occur simultaneously, which adds to the extremely stylized nature of the action. In addition, a wrestler can opt to roll out of the ring in lieu of tagging a partner or simply be knocked out of the ring, at which point one of his partners may enter. tag matches is different from lucha libre because the race to tag is not a priority.
Virtually all wrestlers in Mexico will start their careers wearing masks, but over the span of their careers, a large number of them will be unmasked. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his final bout or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying a 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.
El Santo and Blue Demon, two of the most iconic luchadores.
Masked luchadores will go to great lengths to conceal their true identities; in effect, the mask is synonymous with the luchador. More recently, the masks luchadores wear have become iconic symbols of Mexican culture. Although masks are a prominent feature of lucha libre, it is a misconception that every Mexican wrestler uses one.
There have been several maskless wrestlers who have been successful, particularly Tarzán López, Gory Guerrero, Perro Aguayo, and Negro Casas. With the importance placed on masks in lucha libre, losing the mask to an opponent is seen as the ultimate insult, and can at times seriously hurt the career of the unmasked wrestler.
Putting one's mask on the line against a hated opponent is a tradition in lucha libre as a means to settle a heated feud between two or more wrestlers. In a lucha de apuesta, wrestlers make a public bet on the outcome of the match. The most common forms are the mask-against-mask, hair-against-hair, or mask-against-hair matches. A wrestler who loses his or her mask has to remove the mask after the match.
Masked wrestlers first appeared in Mexico somewhere around the 1920s, in imitation of the covered roosters in cockfighting, and became widespread in the country in the 1930s after the arrival of popular masked American wrestler La Maravilla Enmascarada. During the early years of lucha libre, people could bet on the known wrestler or on the covered one; at the end of the match, the covered one would be revealed and people could see which luchador it was.
Promoters soon discovered that mystery was very attractive for the audience, and opted to keep the secret or to sell that the masked wrestler would reveal himself only if he was defeated. These weren't luchas de apuestas in the proper sense, since there weren't any bets on the line among the luchadores. These were generally covered wrestlers that usually revealed themselves at the end of the night or after a few shows. However, luchadores increasingly became conscious of the expectation their secret identity set for the audiences, and gradually chose to keep their identities secret for longer.
One of the first lucha de apuestas (i.e. two wrestlers with a bet on the line) was presented on July 14, 1940, at Arena México. A masked middleweight wrestler, El Murciélago Enmascarado, was so much lighter than his opponent Octavio Gaona, he requested a further condition before he would sign a contract to face him: Octavio Gaona would have to put his hair on the line in exchange for his mask.
Types of "Luchas de Apuestas"
- Máscara contra Máscara (mask versus mask): In this match, two masked luchadores engage in a high-stakes confrontation where the wager involves their masks. The outcome dictates that the losing wrestler is ceremoniously unmasked by the winning opponent and must reveal his/her identity (usually the face and name of masked wrestlers are kept secret). The act of unmasking a wrestler often serves as a significant catalyst for the winner's career advancement and have the opposite effect for the loser.
- Máscara contra Cabellera (mask versus hair): In this variant, a masked wrestler and an unmasked one compete. If the masked luchador wins, the unmasked luchador shaves his head as a sign of humiliation. If the unmasked luchador wins, he keeps his hair and the loser is unmasked. These matches are infrequent because masked wrestlers are usually reluctant to bet their masks against hair, as masks are a more appreciated trophy, unmasking often results in a decrease in popularity for the wrestler, and a masked wrestler usually loses his mask just once, while unmasked wrestlers can be shaved many times. The most common result of these matches is the masked wrestler winning the hair of the unmasked one, but there are notable exceptions.
- Cabellera contra Cabellera (hair versus hair): In this match the loser has his head shaved. These matches are very common and do not command the interest and expectation of mask wagers. However, there are wrestlers who gained notice via these matches. Examples are El Satánico, Negro Casas, Perro Aguayo, and Villano III. Noteworthy was the feud between El Dandy and El Satánico which led to a long-run storyline of hair vs.
- Apuestas al Revés (reverse bet): This is a controversial variant of wager matches, where two masked wrestlers bet their hair. The competitors either wear a modified version of their mask which shows their hair, or the loser must remove their mask enough to allow the hair to be shaved. This variation was frequently held in the late 1990s during Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide shows.
- Título contra Cabello, Máscara o Carrera (title versus hair, mask or career): In this match, if the title challenger loses, they are unmasked, shaved bald or forced to retire. But if the champion loses, the challenger is crowned the new champion.
- Máscara o Cabellera contra Efectivo (mask or hair versus cash): If the masked or haired luchador loses this match, his opponent wins the mask or hair.
- Carrera contra Carrera (career versus career): In this very uncommon match, the loser must retire.
- Máscara o Cabellera contra Retiro (mask or hair versus retirement): If the masked or haired luchador loses this match, his opponent wins the mask or hair. If he wins, his opponent must retire.
- Apuesta por el Nombre (bet for the name): This is a rare type of match in which two luchadores with the same or a similar name battle for the right to use the name or identity.
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 enjoy a higher degree of anonymity about their personal lives.
In lucha libre, the highest achievement is not winning a championship but winning the mask of an opponent in a luchas de apuestas, a "bet fight" where each wrestler bets their mask. The luchas de apuestas is usually seen as the culmination of a long and heated storyline between two or more wrestlers, with the winner getting the "ultimate victory". It is customary for the loser of such a match to 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 beyond the obvious purpose 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 being given a new ring persona.
High-profile luchas de apuestas include El Santo winning the mask of Black Shadow, Los Villanos winning the masks of all three Los Brazos (El Brazo, Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata), Atlantis winning the mask of Villano III, La Parka unmasking both Cibernético and El Mesias, Villano V taking Blue Panther's mask and Último Guerrero winning the mask of Villano V.
The original Máscara Sagrada has been involved in a long running copyright dispute over the use of the Máscara Sagrada name, outfit and mask with AAA, who claimed that they owned the copyright to the character and has even promoted other wrestlers as "Máscara Sagrada".
Luchadores are traditionally divided into two categories, rudos (lit. "tough guys", who are "bad guys", or "heels"), who bend or break the rules, and técnicos (the "good guys", or "faces", literally "technicians"), who play by the rules. Técnicos tend to have very formal wrestling styles, close to Greco-Roman wrestling and traditional martial arts while incorporating aerial techniques, whereas rudos tend to be brawlers.
Although rudos often resort to using underhanded tactics, they are still expected to live up to a luchador code of honor. For instance, a luchador who has lost a wager match would prefer to endure the humiliation of being unmasked or having his head shaved rather than live with the shame that would come from not honoring his bet. Rudos have also been known to make the transition into técnicos after a career-defining moment.
Masks in Pro Wrestling & Lucha Libre [History/Traditions]
The Mask and El Santo
Rudolfo Guzmán Huerta moved to Mexico City as a youth and quickly fell in love with lucha libre. He trained at Police Casino gym and in 1939 made his wrestling debut as Rudy Guzmán in one of the city’s smaller arenas. He was rudo, the Mexican version of the heel or bad guy. Guzmán had some impact on the wrestling world, but not enough for his ambition. All his friends were donning masks, so he decided to follow suit. His first adopted persona was Murcielago II (The Bat II); this name was a ploy to catch some of the glory of the original Murcielago, the Mexican champion. Unfortunately, Murcielago objected, and Rudy quickly had to drop the idea. A promoter suggested a new name, El Santo; Rudy added “The Man in the Silver Mask,” and the legend was born.
El Santo moved quickly to build his name. He switched from the rudos camp to the científicos, the “babyfaces” or good guys, who were naturally more popular. He cultivated his reputation out of the ring and became known for being polite, generous, honest, and kind to children. And most important: he never removed his mask.
Rene Cardona, the late film director who made dozens of Santo movies, said: “He was Santo because he never showed his face. He would leave the set with his mask still on. In the studio commissary he ate wearing a mask with a hole for his chin so he could move his jaw.” When a film crew traveled to Miami for a shoot, Santo flew on a different plane so nobody on the production would see his face when he removed his mask for customs.
Through wrestling, and also films and comic books, Santo became the first Latin American superhero, popular in places as far away as Lebanon. His mask was the equivalent of Superman’s “S”-instantly and universally recognizable. Journalists assured fans that despite his fame, when he walked the streets without his mask he blended with the crowd, just a humble member of Mexico City’s millions.
When he finally retired in the early 1980s, Santo halted his career by publicly unmasking himself. Underneath he was humble; bald, with dark bags under his eyes, he looked like a retired factory worker or craftsman. In 1984 he died of a heart attack, and he lay in state once more masked as in life. Other masked wrestlers attended the wake, tears flowing from their eyeholes.
Statue of El Santo in Tulancingo, Mexico.
Masks Beyond Mexico
The Destroyer, an American, 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. The first Japanese masked wrestler is considered to be Shozo Kobayashi, who briefly competed under a mask as Fukumen Taro ("Masked Taro"). In the 1970s Mil Máscaras became the first Mexican 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, meaning that the wrestler can perform both masked one day and unmasked another if he so wishes.
Although at live shows, masked wrestlers were as prolific in British wrestling as its American counterpart, they were largely kept off ITV's television coverage until the late 1960s. Successful masked wrestlers up until this point included Count Bartelli (Geoff Condliffe), the White Angel (Judo Al Hayes) and Doctor Death (promoter Paul Lincoln as the top villain of his own major independent promotion). The most famous masked wrestler in British history, Peter Thornley, the original British version of Kendo Nagasaki, made his professional debut - complete with masked Samurai gimmick - in 1964 but did not appear on television until 1971. Nagasaki's first big victory was a win over mentor (and real life trainer) Bartelli in a 1966 mask vs mask match.
His own mask was pulled off by opponent Big Daddy during a televised match in December 1975, an important turning point in Daddy's rise in popularity. Nagasaki later voluntarily unmasked in a ceremony in the ring on TV in December 1977. At Christmas 1979, Big Daddy defeated and unmasked Mr. X on television. Subsequently, during the 1980s in Joint Promotions, masked wrestlers were generally built towards being fodder for Daddy to defeat, unmask and humiliate in headline tag matches on ITV, such as the Spoiler (Drew McDonald) King Kendo (aka Red Devil), Battle Star (Barry Douglas), El Diablo, the Black Baron, the Masked Marauders tag team and The Emperor. Meanwhile in All Star Wrestling - apart from Nagasaki - they were mostly treated as short lived reflections of recent fads in popular culture.
The Wrestling Mask in Scotland
Another mask altogether could of course be the ‘Crimson Mask’ made famous by such wrestlers as Terry Funk, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley et al. Do we have a Scottish wrestling equivalent? Why of course we do. The ‘Blood Tourist’ himself Lou King Sharp.
Lucha Scotland hinted earlier that their aim was to prove that masked wrestlers deserved top billing, which they don’t seem to get on the European or American scene.