While he debuted in WCW as Rey Mysterio Jr. wearing a mask more similar to his uncle’s, Rey Mysterio and several other luchadores were unfortunately unmasked during this tenure. With his face exposed and the rules of Lucha Libre being broken, it is particularly unique that Mysterio was allowed to debut his mask in WWE and continue to wrestle with it to this day.
“I went to OVW the week before my debut and I was trying out there and I forget who approached me, but they asked me if I knew what I was going to wear,” he recalled during his appearance.What is your story? With Steph McMahon” podcast, adding that she briefly introduced her outfit, but the person was surprised she didn’t mention wearing a mask. “I don’t struggle with the mask anymore.” “Oh!” No, no, no. Vince wants you in the mask again. ‘Well… No one ever told me that.’ Even better.’
Mysterio then recalled that he made a mask for his debut, expressing how great it was for him to return with a mask. The veteran then explained that he was surprised by how the fans welcomed him back despite being unmasked, noting how it was the first time in Lucha Libre history that this had happened to anyone.
In the past, Mysterio commented on the unmasking story in WCWcriticizing the promotion’s reasoning behind it and claiming that WCW had no idea how important the masks were to the legacy of the Luchadores.
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