Strict Rules Masked Wrestlers Must Follow

Masks have been around in professional wrestling since the 19th century, and have been an integral part of some grappling cultures around the world. In Japan, famous manga characters like Tiger Mask have become cultural icons. In North America, masks have been used to keep a performer's identity a secret in order to make them seem more mysterious and dangerous. Meanwhile, in Mexico, masks are often seen as more important to a wrestler than any championships they can get their hands on.

Due to this, there are strict rules and regulations that masked wrestlers must abide by — especially in Mexico, where a Lucha Libre Commission is enforced to make sure wrestlers are all working under the same guidelines. This means that while modern companies like WWE and AEW might enforce their own rules on stars like Rey Mysterio, The Lucha Brothers, and Dragon Lee, they all have to consider the guidelines associated with wearing a mask. With that in mind, let's dig into the strict rules that masked wrestlers must follow.

One of the most important match stipulations in Mexico is the Luchas de Apuestas, which translates to "gambling battles," where performers will put something they value more than anything on the line. The biggest match of this kind is, of course, when two wrestlers put their masks on the line, with the loser being revealed to the entire world, never to wear the mask again.

That is the most common rule when it comes to masked wrestlers in Mexico — once they lose their mask, they can't put it back on. The reason being is that it protects the integrity of the Luchas de Apuestas stipulation, which is still a huge draw for Mexican promotions whenever one is announced. The wrestler who loses their mask is still allowed to perform, but they either have to continue wrestling without a mask or portray a new character. This edict has been enforced by the Lucha Libre commission for many years, but they have let things slide on certain occasions.

WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio lost his mask while wrestling in WCW, and continued competing without it until he signed with WWE in 2002. Vince McMahon reportedly asked the Lucha Libre Commission if Mysterio could have his mask back, and they agreed. The Lucha Libre Commission has become more lenient over the years, with Juventud Guerrera also getting his mask back after Eric Bischoff made him lose it in WCW.

When a wrestler loses their mask in a Luchas de Apuestas, it isn't just the performer's face that gets revealed. The reason why a mask is so important to a luchador is because it is literally their identity until it comes off. Fans around the world will only know a wrestler by their ring name, as their birthname, birthplace, and years wrestled are all kept a secret while a performer dons a mask. However, when that mask comes off, all of the wrestler's personal information is revealed to the world for the very first time. In fact, when a wrestler gets unmasked in a company like CMLL or AAA, all of this information is usually announced to the live crowd in attendance as the performer shows off their face for the very first time.

Part of the reason why this is such a big deal in Mexico is because a lot of wrestlers come from a long line of Lucha families. For example, current WWE star Andrade was unmasked for good in 2015 after wrestling as La Sombra for many years in Japan and Mexico, but when his identity was revealed, it became known that he was the son of famous luchador Brillante. Andrade did wrestle as Brillante Jr. during his formative years before adopting other characters, but the confirmation of the urban myth that he was Brillante's son was a very big deal.

While fans might not know the personal information of many of their favorite masked performers, such as former AEW Tag Team Champions Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix, the info is known to family and close friends, who honor the tradition of keeping their identities secret by not revealing it to the rest of the world.

To keep their identities a secret, a masked wrestler will usually always wear their mask out in public to maintain the status quo. While this isn't an official rule enforced by the Lucha Libre Commission, as there would be situations where wearing a mask simply wouldn't be practical, a number of wrestlers have been very serious about wearing tit at all times.

The most famous example of this is El Santo, arguably the most famous luchador in wrestling history, who became a folk hero in his home country and even had a successful acting career, all while wearing his famous silver mask. Santo wore his mask everywhere, including public events and when he went out to eat in order to keep his identity a secret.

In fact, Santo's face was only revealed to the public once in his entire career. After his retirement, Santo was a guest on the "Contrapunto" TV program in 1984, where he was interviewed in front of a live studio audience. Without warning Santo lifted up his mask to reveal his face for the very first time, with his personal information being revealed shortly after. This moment is often considered one of the most famous in Mexican wrestling history, but it comes with a tragic reason behind it, as Santo used this moment as a way to say goodbye to his fans, before passing away a week later. He was buried with mask on.

As we've already mentioned, a wrestler will usually try to keep their mask on at all times. Of course, there are occasions where that is not only impractical, but also not allowed entirely, with the most obvious being traveling.

Airport security has only gotten stricter as the years pass by. As such, you can imagine what it must be like for masked wrestlers when they arrive at an airport full of people, only to be told to take their mask off. As much as it is part of their culture, the airline would need to make sure the face on the passport matches that of the person under the mask. Because of this, masked wrestlers will often travel alone, especially internationally. They will take their mask off privately and travel with their face on full display for the entire world to see. If a masked wrestler has followed all of the rules that have been bestowed upon them and worn their mask at all times, then no one will know what they look like anyway. 

The reason for travelling solo is simply because if a masked wrestler travels with another performer who doesn't wear a mask, fans will more than likely connect the dots, even if their face has never been publicly revealed. This has become more of a challenge in the age of the internet and social media, where virtually everyone has access to a smartphone and a camera, meaning that one slip of the mask could end up circulating around X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram in a matter of seconds.

Lucha Libre is built on a number of families giving their blood, sweat, and tears to the wrestling business, with children wanting to follow in their parents' footsteps and become a famous luchador. A lot of the time, the son of a famous luchador will have "Jr." at the end of their name, or "El Hijo de," which directly translates to "The Son of." A number of famous examples include the likes of Rey Mysterio, who was formerly known as Rey Misterio Jr. after his uncle, current ROH Television Champion Atlantis Jr., and El Hijo del Santo. But while their masks are almost identical to their parents' variations, they aren't the exact same.

This is because a mask isn't usually transferable. While not an official rule, it is down to the family's discretion. For example, El Hijo del Santo wears a silver mask just like his father, but it isn't the same one El Santo wore. The same goes for Mysterio and Atlantis Jr., who both wear variations of the masks of the men that came before them.

Mysterio is a unique example as, in recent years, some fans have speculated that when he eventually retires from in-ring action, his son Dominik Mysterio will inherit his father's mask for himself, but it isn't that simple. While it is entirely down to Mysterio to decide if Dominik has earned the right to wear his mask, it isn't tradition to pass the exact head attires between bloodlines. If Dominik was to wear a mask, it would probably have to be some sort of variation on his father's, or an entirely new one, which would be an even bigger anomaly considering that Dominik has gone through his entire career thus far wrestling without a mask.