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Some of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history have worn masks as part of their characters.
Masks have a huge significance in Mexico's Lucha Libre style of professional wrestling. Luchadores are often characterized by their traditional wrestling masks. The inclusion of masks in Lucha Libre culture dates back to the early part of the 20th century. However, wrestlers outside of Mexico have incorporated it as part of their gimmicks as well.
WWE has featured a large number of masked wrestlers throughout history, some of whom were loved by spectators while others were hated. Let's take a look at a few popular examples.
#1 Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio is arguably the most famous masked wrestler of all time. Although Lucha Libre has been around for several decades, Mysterio became the prime flagbearer for such wrestlers in the 21st century.
Mysterio joined WWE in 2002, and it coincided with the rise of the internet. The increased accessibility to WWE shows made Mysterio the perfect representative of masked Mexican wrestlers for the mainstream audience.
#2 Kane
Kane made a huge impact during the late 90s. The masked demon was introduced as The Undertaker's half-brother in 1997. Alongside fans, even The Undertaker was intimidated by Kane at first.
Kane went on to become one of the most recognizable WWE stars since his debut. Although he wrestled without the mask throughout several runs, the masked version of Kane is more popular among the fans.
#3 Mankind
Mick Foley has portrayed several characters in WWE. As the masked persona Mankind, Foley was an integral part of the Attitude Era.
Interestingly, Mankind's iconic mask was actually one of the prototypes for The Undertaker's look when the latter fractured his orbital bone in 1995.
Mankind was a part of a Hell in a Cell Match against The Undertaker at King of the Ring 1998. It remains one of the craziest and most famous matches of all time. Mankind was involved in several memorable moments for years, making him a significant masked character in WWE history.
#4 Vader
Vader was one of those stars who were more renowned for their work outside of WWE. The Mastadon headlined SummerSlam 1996 with Shawn Michaels. He was also part of a critically-acclaimed Fatal-Four-Way Elimination match at the In Your House event in 1997.
After he left WWE in 1998, Vader would still make occasional appearances for the promotion over the years. Thanks to his accomplishments in the professional wrestling world, Vader was recognized as one of the most popular masked wrestlers of all time.
#5 The Hurricane
Masked wrestlers in WWE are often subjected to silly or comedic storylines. Some of the ideas work, and others don't. The Hurricane remains a great example of comedic characters that were successful.
The Hurricane's mask is part of his superhero costume. Gregory Helms' alter-ego feuded with an all-time great like The Rock, defeating The Great One during a match in 2003. The crime-fighting superhero's alliances with Molly Holly and Rosey were quite fun as well.
Other notable masked wrestlers in WWE history
- Aldo Montoya (Justin Credible)
- Avatar (Al Snow)
- Battle Kat
- Battman - in WWWF
- Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan)
- The Black Knight (Jeff Gaylord, Barry Horowitz)
- Black Phantom (David Heath/Gangrel)
- Black Tiger (Marc Rocco)
- Black Venus
- Blue Blazer (Owen Hart)
- The Blue Knight (Greg Valentine)
- Calgary Kid (The Miz)
- CM Punk - in 2010
- The Cobra
- Cody Rhodes - in 2011
- The Conquistador (Jose Luis Rivera, José Estrada Sr., Edge, Christian, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Rob Conway, Eugene, and Kurt Angle)
- Diego (Primo)
- Dr. X (Tom Prichard)
- El Gran Luchadore (Paul London, Shannon Moore, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle)
- El Hijo del Fantasma
- El Olympico - in WWWF
- El Torito
- El Vagabundo (Elias)
- The Executioner (Killer Kowalski, Big John Studd, Nikolai Volkoff, Buddy Rose, Terry Gordy, Duane Gill, and Barry Hardy)
- Fernando (Epico)
- The Fiend (Bray Wyatt)
- Giant Machine (André the Giant)
- Golga (Earthquake)
- Gran Metalik
- The Gladiator
- The Great Sasuke
- Hulk Machine (Hulk Hogan)
- Jimmy Jack Funk
- Jushin Liger
- Kalisto
- Kato (Paul Diamond)
- Kim Chee (Jim Dalton, Steve Lombardi)
- Kwang (Savio Vega)
- La Luchadora (Becky Lynch, Deonna Purrazzo, Alexa Bliss, and Mickie James)
- Lince Dorado
- Mace (Dio Maddin)
- Mantaur
- Max Moon (Konnan, Paul Diamond)
- Mil Máscaras
- Mr. Águila
- Mr. America (Hulk Hogan)
- Mr. NXT (Bo Dallas)
- Mr. X
- The Patriot
- Psicosis
- Reckoning (Mia Yim)
- The Red Knight (Barry Horowitz, Steve Lombardi)
- Repo Man (Smash)
- Shadow I (Moondog Rex)
- Shadow II (José Estrada Sr.)
- Shinobi (Al Snow)
- Sin Cara (Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde, Jorge Arriaga)
- Sin Cara Negro (Jorge Arriaga)
- Slapjack (Shane Thorne)
- Spider Lady (The Fabulous Moolah)
- The Spoiler
- The Sultan (Rikishi)
- Super Machine (Bill Eadie/Ax)
- Super Ninja (Rip Oliver)
- T-Bar (Dominik Dijakovic)
- Tiger Mask I (Satoru Sayama)
- Ultimo Dragon
- The Undertaker - in 1995/1996
- White Venus (Peggy Patterson) - in WWWF
- Who (Jim Neidhart)
A few accomplishments of masked wrestlers in WWE
Masked wrestlers have achieved various accomplishments in WWE over the years. Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) won the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship thrice in his career.
In December 1972, Mil Máscaras became the first masked wrestler to compete in New York’s Madison Square Garden. In 2006, Rey Mysterio won the Royal Rumble match and simultaneously created history for masked wrestlers in WWE. Mysterio has also won multiple world championships throughout his career.
As Mankind, Mick Foley won all three of his WWE world titles. His masked persona was also part of one of the highest-rated segments in RAW history - "This Is Your Life" - on September 27, 1999.
Bray Wyatt has transcended the barriers of creative storytelling in WWE as his masked alter-ego, The Fiend. With the help of this character, Wyatt presented an advanced level of storytelling that had never been seen before in WWE. The Firefly Fun House and Firefly Inferno matches are good examples of the same.
The culture of masked wrestlers has evolved through several decades. Who are some of your favorite masked WWE wrestlers of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.
