Who convinced Rey Mysterio to wrestle without his mask? Exploring the Hall of Famer's rise to prominence

Former WWE Champion Rey Mysterio has had one of the most Hall of Fame-worthy wrestling careers. He wrestled with his mask most of the time, with a few exceptions over the years. One of the first times he was unmasked was in 1999 on WCW, and the idea didn't come from the luchador.

In a past interview with Ariel Helwani, Rey Mysterio revealed that Scott Hall was the one who convinced him to take off his mask. The luchador stated that Hall spread rumors that the former was good-looking, which may have led to Mysterio wrestling without a mask while in WCW.

"From my understanding, there was a rumor that was spread out by one person and one person only - Scott Hall. Scott Hall was like 'Rey what are you doing with that mask, you're a pretty mother*****r man'. I was like 'come on man, don't start rumors' and that led into another thing and you know, eventually they felt that it was time for me to wrestle without the mask."

Rey Mysterio teamed up with Konnan against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in a mask vs. hair match. The stipulation of the February 1999 WCW Superbrawl IX included that if Mysterio's team lost, he would have to have his mask removed, which is what happened.

The soon-to-be Hall of Famer had to wrestle unmasked while in WCW, his mask only returning when he was signed to WWE.

Wrestling veteran was not a fan of Rey Mysterio being unmasked by Hall of Famer Scott Hall

It's no secret that for luchadors, their mask is more than just an accessory for their attire as it is deeply connected to their culture. As it turns out, this was a concern for Rey's former partner.

In a past episode of Keepin it 100, Konnan revealed that he was not a fan of Scott Hall suggesting the unmasking of Mysterio. The former WCW star stated that being unmasked for luchadors is a big tradition and should be done by a fellow luchador.

"I told Eric [Bischoff], ‘Don’t.’ Scott said, ‘He’s a good looking motherfu**er. He doesn’t need a fu**ing mask.' I was like, ‘What you don’t understand is first of all, there’s a big tradition. You can’t just take the mask off. You have to build it up. You want to do it with [Kevin] Nash? Who the f*ck thinks Rey is going to beat Nash. If you’re going to do it, do it with Juventud [Guerrera]."

Rey Mysterio has since proven that his mask is more than just attire and culture, it is also a sign of respect and admiration. With or without a mask, the 2023 Hall of Famer has definitely inspired numerous stars over the years.