From The Wrestler
by Dave Rosenbaurn
Rey Misterio Jr. couldn’t believe what was happening. He and Konnan were
doing fine in their match against Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at SuperBrawl
IX, but then Elizabeth got in the way. Rey had just felled Nash with a springboard
backflip from the top rope when Elizabeth distracted the referee, giving
Hall the opportunity to nail Misteiro with an Outsider’s edge and place Nash
on top of him for the pin.
This wasn’t just a loss. It was a life-changing loss. Because it meant that Misterio would have to unmask.
That he did so without complaining was a testament to his sportsmanship and honesty. Misterio, however, had never done anything tougher.
“When Juventud Guerrera lost his mask last year, I kinda shrugged and felt a little bad for him,” Misterio said a few days after unmasking. “He was a wreck. He was depressed for weeks afterward. I really couldn’t relate to his situation. Now that I’ve been unmasked, I realize the mental torture he went through. This mask was an honor bestowed upon me by my uncle, and I feel terrible that this has happened. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to reverse this situation.”
The truth is, he can’t reverse the situation. Not if he wants to remain true to his word.
And really, why should he want to reverse the situation? Because as distraught as he was over having to unmask, Misterio will soon realize that losing the mask was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Maybe he realizes it already.
In the weeks after the unmasking, the 5’3”, 140-pound Luchadore scored upset victories over men more than twice his size. One night after losing his mask, Misterio cleanly beat Kevin Nash, who checks in at 356 pounds. On March 1 at Nitro, he humbled Bam Bam Bigelow, who’s a hefty 368 pounds. All attempts by the Wolfpac to intimidate and control Misterio failed, even their attack on him backstage at that March 1 Nitro. The Wolfpac became so impressed by Misterio’s resiliency that it offered him a spot in the group.
“We’ll admit Misterio showed us something when he beat ‘Big Sexy,’” said Hollywood Hogan. “And he also showed us something when he took that mask off after losing at SuperBrawl. Many guys would have folded after losing the mask, but Rey came back stronger.”
Still, Misterio freely admits that wrestling without a mask doesn’t feel right to him.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m naked, like I’m going out there totally exposed,” he said. “I’ll touch my face and something will feel strange, and then I’ll realize it’s my face that I’m touching, not my mask. It became a part of me, like a second skin. Not having it is going to take some getting used to.”
Misterio’s performances in the weeks after SuperBrawl were so impressive that, at least from a results standpoint, he seemed not to have a step. Sure, he couldn’t regain the WCW cruiserweight title from Billy Kidman despite many title shots, but he hadn’t been successful at that even with the mask.
The truth about a mask, as anyone, including Misterio, who has worn one will attest to, is that it can become a distraction. At best, it is a statement of a wrestler’s individuality and a show of respect for his heritage. Mexico has a long tradition of masked wrestlers (the most famous being Mil Mascaras, the man of 1,000 masks). At worst, it can become the reason that a wrestler is targeted.
In 1997, then-cruiserweight champ Eddy Guerrero spent a great deal of time trying to remove Misterio’s mask. Although Misterio succeeded in this feud, and ended up winning the title from Guerrero n a mask vs. title match at Halloween Havoc, the fact that he had been targeted is worth mentioning. Misterio had become a target not for who he was, but for what he wore. A mask gives opponents one more thing to shoot for...and the masked wrestler one more thing to worry about.
With the mask off, Misterio no longer has to worry about losing it.
“It’s like a man who goes bald,” said Senior Editor Bill Apter. “He doesn’t worry about his hair anymore. When he’s in the process of going bald, it’s all he worries about, but once he’s lost all his hair, it’s over. It’s gone. So why worry about it?”
Opponents frequently tried to rip off Misterio’s mask during matches. This distracted Misterio because he never wanted to give them the satisfaction of succeeding. Rather than simply defending his body, or wrestling, or counterwrestling, he expended a lot of energy defending his mask.
“That’s true,” Misterio admitted. “But losing something you cherish is never a good thing. It’s like saying, ‘I bought an $80,000 Jaguar and I was worried about it getting stolen, but then it got stolen, so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.’”
“What happened wasn’t a good thing. I can’t see
it ever becoming a good thing. But will life go on? Of course. There was
never any doubt about that.”