My buddies at Smart Mark Apparel have recently launched their awesome new shirt ‘Look behind the mask’
https://www.smart-mark.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/lbtm-pro-wrestling-shirt-back
Immediately I jumped up, congratulating them on not only a brilliant design but a meaningful and thought-provoking message. It got me thinking about masks, what they are, what they represent and why they are worn. I’ve written some of my thoughts, in particular what a message like this means and why it resonates so deeply, not just within the wrestling community, but in the world we live in.
A mask is generally worn on the face for protection and disguise. It is worn not only to conceal the true identity of the wearer but also take away the personal element of the wearer and allow them to become someone or something else. It allows them to do things they would not ordinarily do. It also creates intrigue and mystery and perks the inquisitive nature of the audience.
Throughout history masks have been worn for ritual, for battle, for religious purposes, cultural purposes and for entertainment purposes.
When we talk about masks in the wrestling community we immediately think of Lucha Libre wrestlers like Rey Mysterio but in fact, masks have been used in wrestling since 1865 when they were worn by wrestlers who performed with the circus in France. It wasn’t until 1915 they became prevalent in the US wrestling territories.
Masks were worn by wrestlers as they moved between territories or whose popularity had dwindled. They were worn to allow wrestlers to create new personas without the stigma of a previous character weighing on them. Debuting a new character in a mask brought life back into the athlete, allowing them to create a new move set, new stories, new rivalries under pretty much total anonymity.
In modern wrestling masks are worn to allow wrestlers to showcase different elements of their personality, elements that only appear when the “regular” character has been pushed to the absolute limit and they need to unleash something darker or different in a bid to get one up over their opponent.
In the past masks have been used as part of a story line to allow wrestlers to overcome certain stipulations such as, last chance to wrestle this guy. They have also been used to betray a trust, make a surprise move or even comeback. Sometimes wrestlers would wear their opponents masks to impersonate them, do things out of character to tarnish their opponents and create friction and complication to a story line.
Wearing a mask transforms the wrestler, giving them perhaps the strength and confidence they may find it difficult to show in their regular persona or every day life. It gives the wearer separation and distance to the day-to-day person and allows them to become something else. Without the mask, they are an everyday person, with every day problems.
They say wrestlers are superheroes who are larger than life and over the years many wrestlers have lived up to this perception. Guys like Hulk Hogan, Owen Hart, The Hardy’s and Rey Mysterio have used masks to further their careers. even more recent events have seen the use of masks or disguises. Mickie James wore a full body suit to make her WWE return and Kurt Angle used a Conquistador gimmick to qualify for the World Cup. Even Finn Balor’s “Demon King” gimmick is a mask.
Some will argue that masks are magical. Throughout history they have depicted images of animals, gods and ancient heroes, the wearer believing they are able to draw on these characteristics when needed.
In Lucha Libre a mask may be removed when a wrestler is nearing the end of their career and they are seen to be losing touch with their identity and retiring into normal civilian life. The big reveal would ultimately unveil the man behind the mask (normally for an immense pay out) and give a true identity to the person behind it after years and years of embracing it.
Removal of the mask by an opponent would be grounds for disqualification as the mask is considered sacred and only the one wearing it is allowed to remove it. You would find in these circumstances, the unmasked man would cover his face to keep his true identity a secret. In is not uncommon for a “mask v mask” match to occur, where both wrestlers bet their masks and those loser must reveal his true identity. This win, in Lucha Libre, is considered in higher regard than a championship victory. It would normally mark the end of a long rivalry. If the loser is retiring, it is a handing of the torch to the victor. If the loser is a younger talent, an unmasked, new personal push would normally be on the cards.
In the past a masked wrestler would wear their mask for all public appearances, staying true to their character at all times. This proved particularly helpful for those wishing to maintain anonymity and a private life away from the spotlight.
Nowadays wrestling fans would be quick to identify if one of their favorites was to wear a mask and wrestling under a different alias. But in the days where Kayfabe was the only thing that mattered, the mask definitely helped. It’s certainly more difficult for wrestlers to maintain any sort of private life given that their images are constantly thrown at us from various different media outlets.
I guess if you think about it, all wrestlers where a mask of some sort, whether it’s a physical one or not, they wear a mask on the TV and that person is different to the person who’s filling up at the gas station or buying groceries at the supermarket. In some instances the character on TV isn’t a million miles away from the person at the supermarket but sometimes the two are miles apart. This is perhaps one of the biggest appeals of wrestling. We like to feel like we could sit and have a beer with Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes but do we feel the same way about Kane or Charlotte Flair? The thing is that we want to. We want to know the people behind the characters and behind the masks and sometimes we get close. The AJ Styles who we see on our TV screens probably isn’t far away from the Allen Jones who plays baseball with his kids on the other hand, I can’t imagine Mark Calaway drops his daughter off at school in a long black leather coat and rolls his eyes back in his head at parents in the playground.
The masks, whether visible or not a representation of the blood, sweat and tears, the late nights, the road trips, the airport terminals in the middle of the night. They are the filthy, bug infested dojo’s, the working for pittance night after night for years on end. The are the missed birthdays, weddings and funerals, the first steps, the first days of school, the graduations. They are the girl who had an eating disorder in high school, who’s trying so hard to be a good role model to inspire those who are going through the same thing. They are the 190lb guy trying to find his way in an industry full of guys twice his size. They are the nerves when the music hits, the pause as the curtain closes around them, the fear of failure, the fear of being forgotten, the fear of being hurt, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of not being good enough.
On the other hand the masks are the celebration, the strength, the confidence and belief in the mental and physical ability. They are landing the perfect move at the perfect moment and the crowd jumping to their feet. They are a title lifted after years of hard work. They are a high-five from the kid in the crowd who’s beaming from ear to ear. They are the rumble and the roar of an audience engaged and excited. They are the pay off the sacrifices, the pat on the back from a peer. But above all else they are the appreciation and the love we have for the guys and girls who, despite wearing a “mask” give us every last piece of themselves, without even realizing they do.
A question for readers, something to consider after you’ve read this article, in one way or another, don’t we all wear a mask?
