Behind The Mask
One of the coolest things about wrestling is the mystery as to who's behind the mask. The wrestlers create their own character who comes out when they don their mask. This character normally has his own set of traits, including a backstory.
Since the beginning of wrestling that we recognize today, wrestlers have used all manner of techniques to hide their faces from the spotlight. We're going to look at wrestlers when they've left their masks -- and their personas -- in the ring.
Mr. Wrestling
Mr. Wrestling is easily the oldest wrestler on this list. His career as a wrestler started in 1962 as Tim Woods. As he became more popular, he decided to don a persona with a white singlet and mask -- giving birth to Mr. Wresting.
For most of his years, he competed in the World Wide Wrestling Federation as either Tim woods or Mr. Wrestling. This depending entirely on what sort of match it was going to be.
Último Dragón
Último Dragón was a renowned wrestler. His name, Último Dragón, means "The Last Dragon" in Spanish. He started wrestling in his country of Japan but moved to Mexico to hone his skills. This is when he made famous his move “Asai Moonsault”. He eventually felt he was ready for U.S. wrestling.
He wasn't nearly as popular in the states as he was in Mexico, but proper fans of wrestling will recognize his name. He holds the record for holding the most championships consecutively.
The Road Warriors
The Road Warriors, AKA Legion of Doom, were a wrestling pair that competed in many leagues and championships. The original members of the team were Joseph Laurinaitis and Michael Hegstrand, but they would have stand-ins come and fight for them under their persona.
They picked out other wrestlers who were similar in stature and features. At their peak, there were nine wrestlers that were part of Legion of Doom. The wrestlers never actually wore a mask, instead, they preferred facepaint. It was effective at keeping their faces hidden but sometimes part of the rubbed off and exposed some of their faces.
Glacier
Glacier 's persona may make you think of someone else when you first see him. The wrestler who came up with the persona wanted to pay homage to Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat. That's why they look so similar.
Glacier was very popular among fans when he first appeared. Part of his act was that he would refuse to fight without his mask. After stepping out of the ring he's since let people see his face.
Super Liger
The Canadian pro-wrestler Chris Jericho briefly wrestled as Super Liger in the 1990s. Although the costume was scary and definitely hard to forget, it seems people remember it for the wrong things.
When Jericho moved to Japan to wrestle there, Japanese fans didn't like it. After deciding to try wrestle without any persona the audiences went crazy about him. His wrestling improved dramatically since his costume hindered his ability to see.
El Santo
El Santo was a very popular wrestler in Mexico. El Santa means "The Saint" in English. He was so renowned that he became a hero among the people of Mexico. A statue of El Santo stands in Tulancingo.
Other than 50 years of wrestling underneath his belt, El Santo has also acted in more than 52 movies, being revered by kids and adults alike. His family got into wrestling after him but never became as popular as he was.
Mil Máscaras
Mil Máscaras is another wrestler from Mexico that made groundbreaking steps in wrestling when he became the first pro wrestler from Mexico to go overseas. He made the Lucha Libre technique famous.
As much as he tried to keep his face a secret, there were a few cases where his mask was off. Even so, he still doesn't like anyone using his real name, not even in movie credits. This is a homage to Lucha Libre.
The Pegasus Kid
Chris Benoit managed to keep his mask on for more than twenty years while competing in championships. This two-time world champion is one of the best in some people's eyes.
Benoit's most renowned persona, The Pegasus Kid, was a fan favorite. He later adapted his character into the Wild Pegasus and dropped the persona entirely so he could wrestle as himself. He competed until 2007 when he passed away.
The Demon King
Underneath his terrifying makeup and mask, The Demon King looked perfectly normal. Fergal Devitt used his Demon King look before adopting Finn Balor as his new persona.
Devitt's trick was that sometimes instead of Balor coming into the ring, it would be the good old Demon King. The wrestler was the winner of a few championships throughout his career, like the World Historic Middleweight Championship.
The Hurricane
The Hurricane is Shane Helms’ most famous persona. Shane first signed with WCW at the young age of 17 and struggled to find a persona that worked for him. People often forget that he renamed himself as The Hurricane only after signing with WWE.
In 2005, he decided to reveal his real identity and wrestle under his real name, which got him more attention than he had as The Hurricane. In fact, he held the Cruiserweight Championship for over a year, which gave him the record for holding the title for the longest time.
Delirious
Delirious couldn’t have picked a better name, because this wrestler is known for his crazy antics. From screaming at the top of his lungs, to running around aimlessly and scaring half the audience, to even speaking in an incoherent fashion that almost makes him seem like an alien, this wrestler knows how to bring a persona to life.
The man behind the scary mask is Hunter Johnston, and he has kept his mask on all this time. The only way to see his face is through old pictures of him before his wrestling days. He has been Delirious since 2001 and is currently signed to Ring of Honor, as well as many other pro wrestling associations.
The Undertaker
Many consider The Undertaker one of the greatest wrestlers of all time — and for a good reason. Since 1987, he has worked in many championships and has developed a few personas, eventually creating the iconic Undertaker, a macabre, supernatural entity with a horror theme.
But, who is the man behind the mask? Mark William Calaway, a much less scary man (whose size would still care many!). So far, he has held 17 championships. Later on, we will talk about his storyline brother, Kane, so stick around.
Jerry Lyyn
Jerry Lynn is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated wrestlers in history. Before he retired in 2013, he was active for almost 30 years and participated in countless world championships. In fact, he is a two-time world heavyweight champion.
But after having such a long career as a wrestler, he decided to become a coach and step away from the spotlight, revealing his real face to the public. What is interesting about him is that he always used his real name, yet he wore a mask to keep some mystery going. He briefly went by the Mr. JL. persona, but that didn’t last long —his real self was the most appealing thing to fans anyway.
Sin Cara
Wrestler Sin Cara, which translates to “Faceless”, has the perfect name, because this character has been played by several different wrestlers over the years, much like Suicide (who we will see later on this list). The biggest part of the whole gimmick was that the real identity of the wrestler was extremely secret.
However, only one of the wrestlers who played Sin Cara was caught without his mask, Luis Urive. He was the first man to wear the mask and wrestled as him for a few years before moving on to his current gimmick, Carístico. Although he wrestled in the US for many years, he is now mostly working in Mexico.
Sting
When people hear the name Sting, they probably think of the musician. However, wrestling fans only have one person in mind: the creepy, trench-coat wearing, super tall legendary wrestler. Sting used a pretty scary mask before he ditched it for corpse paint and spiky hair for many years.
After a few years, he started wielding a baseball bat, which made him all the more terrifying. However, when you see Steve Borden without his makeup, he is suddenly not all that scary. After wrestling for over thirty years, he has become a staple in the wrestling world.
CM Punk
CM Punk was the longest-reigning WWE Champion of recent years, and he swept the floor with hundreds of other wrestlers who tried to get to his level. He was also a seven-time world champion, and he did all of that in only 15 years. When he retired, fans all over the world were devastated.
Upon his retirement in 2014, he took off his mask and became a mixed martial artist. During his time as a wrestler, his gimmick was all about the straight edge movement, which is all about staying away from alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes, which was a fairly new concept in the wrestling world.
Juan Cena
During a Nexus fight, a masked man going by the name of Juan Cena entered the ring and confused everyone in the audience. People thought this new wrestler was mocking famed wrestler John Cena, but then, he revealed that it was actually him, for some reason.
We don’t know why he did it, but everyone enjoyed it. John Cena has been wrestling since 1999 and has become a household name over the years. He has appeared in many movies and has recently dedicated most of his time to his acting career. He even became an internet meme at one point, making him a household name.
Blue Blazer
Blue Blazer started wrestling in the late 1980s, first under the Blue Angel persona. He later evolved into a sort of superhero-type gimmick, which many people loved. He gained a lot of popularity as the Blue Blazer, but he later confessed that he wasn’t happy with it at all, especially with his suit.
So, he retired for five years, and later returned as himself: Owen Hart. He made a name for himself without a persona, and his old fans also enjoyed seeing him like this. Sadly, he passed away while making an entrance at a fight due to equipment malfunction in 1999.
Papa Shango
Papa Shango brought something new to the wrestling world, and that’s what made him so appealing. He was covered in tattoos, and he opted for makeup rather than a mask, and the backstory of his character was among one of the most bizarre ones out there.
Papa Shango was an evil doctor that did dark magic, and he would curse his opponents and lure them into his dark world with his magic stick. Despite the cool character gimmick, the man behind him, Charles Wright, decided to retire and become a businessman in 2002, after wrestling for 12 years.
Jushin Liger
Jushin Liger was the longest-standing member in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling, working for them from 1984 until he retired at the beginning of 2020. He got his persona from an anime superhero and wore a demon mask along with his superhero costume, which led him to extreme popularity.
As the anime character changed, so did Liger, and he maintained this all throughout his career. Keiichi Yamada, the man behind the mask, was rarely caught without it, because he took his character very seriously. However, after so many years doing the same thing, it was time for him to retire.
Mantaur
Mantaur is definitely one of the most bizarre WWE wrestlers of all time. The character consisted of a very creepy-looking bull mask, resembling the Minotaur from Greek mythology. He would also act like one, going on rampages, charging, trampling, and even mooing at opponents.
After wrestling as Mantaur for several years, Mike Halac decided to change personas and leave the bull mask behind, revealing his face to the world. He still wore paint to cover his face, but his new persona was completely different. After being the Tank for a few years, he retired in 2005.
Sherri Martel
Sherri Martel, also known as Sensational Sherri, was a professional WWE wrestler and one of the most famous female wrestlers of all time. She competed in numerous championships under many names from 1980 to 2006, always wearing a lot of makeup and extravagant hairstyles.
Even though an injury kept her away from wrestling for several years, she made a comeback and ended up entering the Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 when she retired. Sadly, she passed away in 2007, but fans always remember her for her strong personality and glittery outfits.
Mortis
In comparison with most of the people on this list, Mortis had a pretty short-lived career that was nothing short of success. He debuted in 1995 and wrestled for the WWE and the WWF, gaining a lot of recognition for his gimmick. The character was a combination of two Mortal Kombat characters, which was extremely popular at that time.
When you put Reptile and Scorpion together, you get Mortis. The gimmick was very popular for a few years until the man behind the mask, Chris Kanyon, decided to star being himself on the ring. After only 12 years, however, he decided to retire due to two injuries which kept him from performing.
Rosemary
Rosemary debuted in 2008 with her signature skull face paint as a member of the tag team Decay. Her gimmick revolves around being a scary clown that speaks in riddles who has ties with the undead realm. She has battled many demons and saved people from darkness countless times.
The real person behind the character, Holly Letkeman, is the complete opposite. Although she is still wrestling, Letkeman has also pursued an acting career and has appeared in three movies. She has also participated in several championships and has quite a loyal fanbase in Japan.
Willow The Wisp
Willow the Wisp was one of the strangest gimmicks ever on the WWE, and it certainly garnered attention. He wore a bizarre mask and a shiny silver trench coat covered in skulls. It was disturbing, to say the least, and it wasn’t very popular with wrestling fans. Then, the man behind the mask, Jeff Hardy, decided to show his true self.
As himself, Hardy became one of the most famous wrestlers of all time, and his strange old persona was forgotten. The drastic transformation was well-received, and since then, he has become a six-time world champion. When he is not wrestling, he works as a singer-songwriter, painter and musician.
Kiss Demon
Despite his peculiar persona, not many wrestling fans remember Kiss Demon, and if they do, it is definitely for the makeup, which resembles that of the famous band KISS. The truth is that Kiss Demon actually signed a contract with the band in order to help promote them in the wrestling world, and that’s what his gimmick was all about.
However, people weren’t really fond of it because it seemed overly staged. He didn’t get a lot of good ratings on his segments and eventually, the character was left behind. Dale Torborg, the man behind the Demon, went on to wrestle a little more before quitting and becoming a baseball trainer.
Abyss
Who would think that these two pictures show the same person? Abyss, aka, The Monster, is one of the toughest, scariest wrestlers out there, but Chris Parks, the man behind him, is quite the opposite. Abyss wears a mask, long black hair, and goes on scary rampages, destroying everything in his way.
Abyss kept his face hidden until he adopted a second gimmick as his brother, where he actually showed his face and stood with the audience, telling people he was looking for his brother, who was missing. This got people excited about an Abyss comeback, which happened a couple weeks later.
Hunico
Jorge Arias, aka Hunico began his wrestling career as Mistico and then went through several name changes as he was becoming more and more popular. He became famous in Mexico before making it in the United States and being signed with the WWE in 2009. But before the Hunico mask, came another famous one.
Jorge Arias was the second person take on the persona and held it for the longest time. He also adopted other characters, and is currently wrestling as Cinta de Oro, which means “Golden Ribbon” in Spanish. No matter what gimmick he is doing, he always covers his face to keep the mystery going.
Tiger Mask IV
Tiger Mask is known for…well, wearing a tiger mask. The original one was Satoru Sayama, a Japanese wrestler that took on the character for several years before moving on to ther gimmicks. However, Tiger Mask lived on through three other man who decided to wear the mask.
The current Tiger Mask is Yoshiro Yamazaki and is only wrestling in Japan, unlike his predecessors. Before this, however, he was at the NWA World Junior Heavyweight and was a champion twice. He considered it an honor to be offered to become the new Tiger Mask and left for Japan.
The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin, aka, The Miz, made his debut as a masked wrestler in the WWE in 2010. His mask, coupled with dark eyeliner, made it impossible for people to figure out what he looked like, and that went on for a while until he decided to show his face to the world.
Then, people realized that the man behind the mask was actually a handsome actor that had already had his fair share of TV fame thanks to MTV’s The Real World. Mizanin continued wrestling but also focused on his acting career and appeared on several reality shows over the years.
Manik
Manik was a persona based on the very popular Suicide gimmick. However, it never got as popular as the original. T.J. Perkins, the man behind Manik, started his career under the character and worked in both Mexico and Japan before gaining popularity in the US.
Although he proved to be a very good wrestler, fans just didn’t like the mask. Many thought it looked silly and was just unoriginal, so Perkins decided to take it off. He had to do a campaign on Twitter and with the help of his followers, he was allowed to continue as himself and leave Manik behind for good.
Crazzy Steve
Crazzy Steve was, well, pretty crazy. He debuted with face paint instead of a mask and based his whole gimmick on strange behavior and creepy facial expressions. He was kind of a goth clown of sorts, and later he evolved as more of a dark, other-worldly creature that paired up with Abyss and Rosemary on the tag team Decay.
Nowadays, he still wears the strange outfit and the creepy face paint, but goes by his real name, Steven Scott, and is mostly fighting in the independent circuit. He is rarely seen without his makeup and when he is, he is just unrecognizable. However, as soon as he makes his signature crazy eyes, you know you’re dealing with Crazzy Steve.
Los Conquistadores
Los Conquistadores were a two-person tag team composed of masked wrestlers that went by the names of 1 and 2. They wore head-to-toe suits all in gold and barely spoke —but with those suits, they really didn’t need to. They had a strong debut, but slowly faded into obscurity after many loses.
The original team consisted of Jose Luis Rivera and Jose Estrada, who were best friends, but they later quit after many consecutive failures. Some time later, Edge and Christian revived the team and put on the golden suits, and the comeback was successful. Just before retiring, they decided to show their faces.
A Very Mysterious Ice Cream
A Very Mysterious Ice Cream came into the wrestling scene one day and the whole world was confused. The name seemed very appropriate, because the identity of the man was a complete secret. His outfit, however, got all the attention, thanks to its bright colors and the ice cream cone sticking out of the mask.
The ridiculous character wasn’t around for long, since it was discovered that famous wrestler Cesaro was hiding behind the mask. The character was a cool, fun experiment he tried out, but he never planned on doing it for long. Everyone had a good laugh, and the world just moved on afterwards.
The Executioner
The Executioner had a brief run in the WWF in 1996. Despite his intimidating name, the whole persona was more of a joke than anything else. He wore a child’s Halloween costume and had a rolling pin as his weapon of choice. He was entertaining, but not wrestling material.
Terry Gordy, the man behind The Executioner, decided the world had had enough of the gimmick and started wrestling as himself, which made him much more popular than before. Sadly, his career was cut short as he passed away in 2001 due to a heart attack.
Psicosis
Mexican professional wrestler Psicosis debuted in 1991 under the wing of Rey Mysterio, which helped him get some attention. He rose to fame as Lucha Libre became more and more popular in the United States, and his traditional mask and suit were loved by the American fans.
He made sure no one saw his face until a fight left him unmasked not once, but twice. Then, the whole world saw Dionisio Castellanos Torres’ face, and the decline of Psicosis began. He lost popularity and eventually left the WWE in 2006. Nowadays he is only wrestling in Mexico.
Curry Man
Curry Man made his first appearance in 2008 teaming up with fellow wrestler Shark Boy (who we will see later on the list) on the regular. He wore a bright yellow demon mask and remained silent for most of the time, which made him pretty scary. Because of his odd persona, he began to gain recognition.
Nobody knew that behind that mask was Christopher Daniels, also known as The Fallen Angel, an already popular wrestler. Daniels went through many different characters to keep things interesting and even played Suicide for some time while the original wrestler was recovering from an injury.
Juventud Guerrera
Juventud Guerrera rose to fame in the Mexican scene in the early 1990s with a colorful mask and long, curly, black hair. He was regularly wrestling against Rey Mysterio Jr. and other famous Mexican luchadores when he became part of the WCW in America where he gained much more popularity.
After spending some time in America, he decided to take his mask off and fight showing his face. He stayed at the WCW for a few years until fellow wrestler Konnan decided to leave. He stayed out of the spotlight for a while and made a comeback in 2018 and has mostly been in the independent circuit.
Goldust
Goldust broke into the wrestling scene in 1995 and gained attention not only for his moves, but also for the golden paint and black stripes covering his face. His nickname was actually The Bizarre One because of his strange, spooky mannerisms and of course, his extravagant looks.
After being Goldust for two years, Dustin Runnels changed into the Dustin Rhodes persona and wiped the golden paint off his face, revealing his real identity. Nowadays, he is still wrestling and only paints half of his face, but this time, with red paint under the black stripes.
The Great Muta
Japanese wrestler The Great Muta started out as an amateur wrester and while participating in Judo competitions until he managed to get a spot in the New Japan Pro Wrestling. He slowly rose to the top in his native country and later gained fame in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan.
He has been wrestling professionally since 1984 and in all this time, he has never been unmasked during combat. His real face has only been caught on camera a handful of times. He is now the President of All Japan Pro Wrestling and has become a wrestling legend. He hasn’t retired officially, so we may be seeing more of him someday.
The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman was as scary as anyone with that nickname would be. He wore a terrifying leather mask, covered his body in fur, and carried around a creepy, long stick. His gimmick was all about being creepy and making strange faces that would scare everyone to their core.
He had his fair share of scandals during his career, for example, when he lied about his age to get into the WWE. The cutoff age for the competition was 30, but he was actually 40. After he was busted, he was nicknamed “Liar” Marty Wright. In 2009, his contract was terminated.
Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio is one of the most popular wrestlers out there, and that is thanks to his uncle, Rey Misterio. He started his career in Mexico where he learned the Lucha Libre style and adopted the high flying style that would eventually become his trademark.
He has won several championships and his career has spanned three decades so far. Part of his persona is, obviously, the mystery surrounding his identity, hence the name. However, he has been caught on camera a couple times and he has even wrestled unmasked a few times in WWE tournaments.
Shark Boy
Shark Boy rose to fame as part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the 1990s, right when silly characters were extremely popular. Of course, a man with a shark mask got a lot of attention, and he quickly became a fan favorite. He also opened a wrestling school named The Shark Tank.
However, after several years, Shark Boy decided to move farther and farther away from the spotlight and focus on side projects more and more. He teased a comeback in 2015, but it never happened. Fans at least got to see his face and learn that his real name is Dean Matthew Roll.
Samurai Del Sol
Samurai del Sol, also known as Kalisto, is a WWE wrestler of Mexican origin and one of the most mysterious wrestlers in history. Not only did he change his name a few times, but also his mask, yet he hasn’t ever shown his face in public, which makes wrestling fans wonder what he actually looks like.
Despite his efforts to remain anonymous, one time during a fight, his opponent managed to pull his mask up by mistake, revealing his face. Can you believe this is the only available picture of his face? It is not much, but it was enough to shake fans up. After the incident, Kalisto became even more careful than he was before about showing his face.
The Fiend
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt sports one of the creepiest masks in wrestling history. He debuted in 2009 along with his brother and made a name for himself in the wrestling world. As The Fiend, he became a one-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion and a WWE Champion.
The mask probably got too uncomfortable for him to wear because in 2012, he decided to take it off and reveal his new persona, Axel Mulligan. He then started wearing a hockey mask, much like horror movie villain Jason. Nowadays, he is back to being Bray Wyatt, but toned his darkness down a lot.
The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior took the wrestling scene by storm in the late 1980s and became a legend. He got so popular that he legally changed his name to Warrior —yes, just Warrior, without a last name or anything. He wrestled all over the world until he decided to retire in 1999, and people could finally see what he really looked like.
But, why would he retire while being so successful? The truth is that he wanted to become a public speaker. On top of that, he created a comic book centered around his Warrior character. After working for almost 20 years away from the ring, he sadly passed away in 2014.
Mr. America
At this point, who doesn’t know who Hulk Hogan is? The man has done it all: movies, reality TV, music, tabloid scandals, and of course, wrestling. His gimmick was based on being the all-American hero that everyone in the 1980s was dying to have, and he helped make wrestling what it is today.
But, after two whole decades of an impeccable career, Hogan decided to try something new, and he adopted the Mr. America persona, covering his face with a mask. It was supposed to be a disguise, but it didn’t take long before people realized it was him. After all, he even used his usual theme music and his signature moves!
Suicide
Suicide is one of the most famous wrestling personas in wrestling history, and it’s all thanks to not one, nor two, but seven men who took on the role over the years. The character originated in the videogame TNA Impact!, and was then brought to life for the first time in 2008.
His story was about the videogame character breaking into reality, and his face always remained covered. The most famous wrestler to become Suicide was T.J. Perkins, who surprised everyone when he revealed it was him behind the mask. The latest wrestler to become Suicide is Caleb Konley.
Imposter Kane
All wrestling fans know Kane as one of the most famous wrestlers ever, but there was a time when an imposter came into the scene, claiming he was the real Kane. Imposter Kane arrived at the ring and confronted Kane, much to the confusion of fans and Kane himself.
Later, it was revealed that the fake Kane was actually Drew Hankinson, mostly known as Luke Gallows. Hankinson has gone through many different gimmicks, but this one was the most memorable one because of how strange it all was. In the end, it was discovered that the whole thing was done to promote the WWE movie See No Evil.
Mankind
Mankind was a three-time WWF Champion and the first WWF Hardcore Champion in history. The gimmick surrounding him was that he was a tortured soul that squealed like a baby constantly and screamed “Mommy!”. He also enjoyed pain and injured himself on purpose, and even had a rat friend with whom he had conversations.
As bizarre as the whole thing was, it worked, and fans loved it. But, after several years of being Mankind, the real man behind the persona, Mick Foley, decided to come out as himself and showed his face. It was fun while it lasted, but after 20 years, it had to come to an end.