By Mr. Mal Occhio
WRESTLER’S RAMBLINGS wrestling blog  

The mask in the world in professional wrestling is something naturally near-and-dear to the heart of Mr. Mal Occhio. To this day, the mystery surrounding the performing underneath adds an element of intrigue not found in any other form of entertainment or sport, let alone that it just makes’em look cooler. To know that – no fabe here gang – El Santo (for example) was even buried in his silver mask, with millions of people still never knowing what he truly looked like underneath (despite an impromptu unmasking that revealed an aged Rodolfo Guzman Huerta underneath to stunned viewers on a Mexican talk show only days before his death) . . . well, that is the stuff that makes Mal’s heart sing. Most who employ el máscara do so out of respect for the traditions established long ago, and will fight to the bitter end to keep from losing their unknown identity.

The first real masked performer that I could call a genuine favorite was probably the Blue Blazer, Owen Hart. Sure, I knew who was under the hood in that case – heck, I had watched Owen Hart work in Stampede Wrestling for years before he made the leap to the big-time and  the World Wrestling Federation – but it was still special, each and every time, to see the Blue Blazer come to the ring and do his stuff. Keep in mind, this was far from the days of the comedic, bumbling heel Blue Blazer Hart was performing just prior to his death. His initial stint as the character was a full-fledged face, and Owen could work like a demon in there at that time of his career.

It wasn’t long after that Dr. Mindbender and I contracted a serious case of Lucha Libre-fever thanks to the broadcasts on Telemundo – and a full-fledged, life-long affair with Mr. Mal and the masked wrestler was born. Even The Machines gimmick in the late-80s WWF was something to savor – even if viewers had to sit there and be subjected to Bruno Sammartino (God love’im) wondering whether or not the Giant Machine could – in fact – be the Giant Baba underneath, and not the (all-too-obvious) Andre the Giant. Of course, he would have probably thought Dusty Rhodes wasn’t the Midnight Rider, either – but you have to love a man so true to kayfabe so prevalent back in that day in age. The Conquistadors, The Shadows, even performers such as the late, great Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit worked for spells themselves under a hood. 

For me, having a slew of Luchadors get their big break with World Championship Wrestling in the mid-to-late 90s was heaven-sent (despite the fact it would soon turn into a nightmare when Eric Bischoff felt the workers were better-off without the masks, forcing several to forgo their hoods in favor of steady work). The first time I ever saw Rey Mysterio tangle with Dean Malenko was absolutely a landmark event in my wrestling fandom. Seeing a man of Rey’s stature do the moves he did inside that ring left an impression that still lingers to this day – several knee operations later for the man – as he performs on the Smackdown-brand for the WWE. Seeing him win the World title at Wrestlemania XXII was something Mr. Mal will never forget, especially when he came to the ring in full-fledged Azteca gear. Wearing those colorful masks just adds something special to the whole proceedings. Truly, the performers become larger-than-life.

Mr. Mal will stop this Lucha-love-fest for a spell here to give you fans a chance to think of some of your own masked wrestler stories, good or bad. I admit – I’ve been at pay-per-view wrestling parties where guys have gone outside for a cigarette the moment Pantera would get into the ring to work a match with Taka Michinoku – much to my amazement. Mr. Mal can take it, really. Are you a fan of masked wrestlers? Let me know. And thanks for visiting WrestlersRamblings.com. Next time out, we’ll visit on the Man of a Thousand Masks himself, Mil Mascaras – including a plethora of Mil’s masks!

Thanks to the people at Nuclearjackalope.com for allowing WrestlersRamblings to use images from their site. For fans of all-things-luchador, visit www.nuclearjackalope.com 

All Photos& Art Copyright Nuclear Jackalope. All Rights Reserved.
No Rights granted for reproduction in any form or format without prior permission.