Thursday, April 24, 2008
Will we ever see Rey Mysterio unmasked in WWE?
One of the things that makes Rey Mysterio so unique in WWE is that he's a high flying masked wrestler. The mask adds a bit of mystery to him
However, those of us that have been following Rey Mysterio long enough to remember his WCW stint knows exactly what he looks like underneath that mask.
WCW and Rey Mysterio took a bold step in removing the mask.
First of all, the mask makes Rey Mysterio extremely marketable. It makes him a bit like a super hero.
When you take off the mask, you run the risk of him becoming just another wrestler.Things worked out pretty well, though, since they were able to give him a lovable character that was patterned after his real life persona.
Controversy Creates Cash...
When Rey Mysterio decided to sign up with WWE, he did something that was quite controversial.In Mexican wrestling, it's quite taboo for a wrestler to put his mask back on after he loses it in a match.There are actually rules in place that punishes wrestlers from doing that down in Mexico.More important than the rules, though, is tradition. It is extremely frowned upon to do something like that.
However, the heat on Rey Mysterio isn't really all that bad. He's still loved by the audience when he tours there with WWE.Most people probably realize that he put the mask back on in order to get a contract with WWE.Above everything else, the guy still needs to make a living. He has a family to feed.
Marketing Mysterio..!
Right now, Rey Mysterio is one of the top merchandise sellers in WWE. The mask plays a big part in that, so it's hard to see WWE taking the mask off of him right now.However, it's not completely impossible for his popularity to start declining soon.If that happens, it'll be interesting to see if WWE would be willing to have him take off his mask again.
Even without the mask, Rey Mysterio can pull off the "undersized underdog" routine pretty well.
Plus, WWE could add a ton of heel heat to Edge by having him be the wrestler that ends up removing Rey Mysterio's mask.
Closing Thoughts
It'd be interesting to see what WWE can do with an unmasked Rey Mysterio.
