Masks

Welcome back to Reading Wrestling, your encyclopedia on the art of pro wrestling. Today’s entry takes us to an icon of pro wrestling storytelling--the mask. Whether the mask is used to create a temporary mystery by withholding the identity of a wrestler or it’s an integral part of their character, masks are unique to pro wrestling. You don’t see mysterious baseball players, listed on the team’s roster as only a question mark, glide to the plate for their at-bat while gesticulating mysterious hand gestures to connote mystery, alas. 

Before moving on to the Lucha Libre tradition, we discuss the role of masks in U.S. wrestling. Noell suggests that a mask generates mystique for a wrestler, and she goes on to suggest that the mask can be like a "power suit," creating a dimension of psychological advantage in a match.  

We discuss the importance of the mask in the Lucha Libre tradition, including the highest-stakes grudge matches, where a wrestler wagers unmasking should he or she be defeated. Chris suggests that losing one's mask has a stigma that correlates loosely with submitting in the American tradition. Just as the Undertaker never submitted, Mil Mascaras never lost his mask. 

Noell's History Corner takes us back to 1865, to the Paris World's Fair, when the first known masked wrestler debuted.  She then speaks of Mort Henderson, the Masked Marvel, who is believed to be the first North American wrestler to wrestle in a mask. We also learn about Magdalena Caballero, La Dama Enmascarada, the first  female wrestler to use a mask. 

Separate from masks to be wrestled in, some wrestlers used elaborate masks as entrance gear. Chris discusses Vader's mastodon mask, designed by Antonio Inoki.  The mask made for a spectacular entrance with its blinking red eyes, which Noell connects to the coeval popularity of Terminator 2, and the steam it would shoot into the air. 

We end with a discussion of unmaskings and reveals. Dave takes us to the Fabulous Moolah and to when Mr. McMahon revealed himself as the head of the Ministry of Darkness. Noell starts off discussing Tiger Mask and then goes to Jushin Thunder Liger. Chris wraps up the discussion by bringing us back to the Black Scorpion incident in WCW, who ended up being Ric Flair. 

You won't want to miss this episode of Reading Wrestling!