Rey Mysterio's Mexican heritage and culture are among the most important aspects of his character, especially in the presentation of his luchador mask. However, even his enemies knew how important the mask was to the Hall of Famer, and some of them capitalized on it by removing it.
On this week's WWE RAW, Xavier Woods committed one of the most disrespectful acts in wrestling by removing Rey Mysterio's mask during their singles match. Although it seemed like an accident, Woods took advantage of it by getting a roll-up win and leaving the legend inside the ring with no mask. However, this was just one of the many instances the Hall of Famer was unmasked in the Stamford-based promotion.
For this list, we will look at five times Rey Mysterio was unmasked on WWE television.
#5. One of WWE's biggest babyface unmasked Rey Mysterio in 2011
In 2011, Rey and Cody Rhodes feuded after the former broke the latter's nose, which caused him to wear a protective nose guard, ending his "Dashing" persona. In one of their confrontations, the now Undisputed WWE Champion got revenge by removing his rival's mask.
In a 2011 episode of SmackDown, Cody ambushed Rey inside the ring after being persuaded by Dusty Rhodes. After brawling in and outside the ring, Cody removed the mask and proudly showed it off like a trophy.
#4. Rey Mysterio was unmasked by a fellow Mexican wrestler
Most of the entries in this list saw Rey be unmasked intentionally as part of a feud or storyline. However, in 2011, Mysterio was unmasked unintentionally during a high-stakes match.
During the 2011 Money in the Bank, Alberto Del Rio and Rey were the only stars in the ring. While they were trading shots on top of the ladder in an attempt to win the contract, Del Rio unmasked Mysterio and pushed him off the ladder to win the match.
#3. Rey Mysterio was unmasked by a close friend in 2018
Rey and Randy Orton have shared their respect and admiration for each other throughout the years, even sharing a close friendship behind the scenes. However, that wasn't the case six years ago.
Rey and Randy had a heated feud in 2018 and in one instance on SmackDown, The Viper continued to attack the Hall of Famer after the bell rang which ended in Orton unmasking Mysterio. The following week, The Apex Predator still had possession of the mask and like Cody, paraded it like a trophy.
#2. Andrade unmasked Rey before they allied earlier this year
Earlier this year, Rey and Andrade partnered against Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio en route to WrestleMania XL. While the duo got the victory during the event, they weren't always on the same page.
Rey and Andrade feuded for the United States Championship in 2020, with one of their matches taking place on RAW. The match ended with Mysterio winning back the title but was restarted when the referee saw the champion had his foot on the bottom rope. Andrade won the second match due to interference from Zelina Vega, and to add insult to injury, the champion ripped off Rey's mask after the bout.
#1. The Miz pulled off the ultimate heel move in 2022
The Miz is known to be one of the best heels in the business but also remains one of the most underrated. In 2022, he pulled off one of the worst things a heel can do by not only unmasking Rey but gifting it to another superstar.
In a March 2022 episode of RAW, Rey Mysterio teamed up with Dominik Mysterio against The Dirty Dawgz. Although the Mysterios won the match, their opponents attacked Dom after the clash and The Miz appeared from behind and ripped off Rey's mask. The A-Lister later gifted the mask to Logan Paul, his then-partner, who wore it on the following RAW episode.