Will Rey Lose His Mask???

[JBK2008]

So word has it Jericho will win the Intercontinental Championship at Backlash over Rey and the feud will continue with Rey putting his mask on the line for a rematch for the title.

My question obviously is will Rey lose the mask by losing to Jericho or is the WWE just teasing him losing his mask. I know something happened in a match during the European Tour when Jericho ripped Reys mask off, but will it actually happen here?

I don't think it will just for the fact that Reys merchandise sells well and his masks are no doubt a large part of that. I just can't see it happening. I remember as a kid Jericho beat Juventud Guerrera in WCW for his mask, but will it happen here, now in the WWE?

Youre thoughts?

 

[LokiCobain]

I read somewhere that Rey is the one who "refuses" to do it, and if that's the case, I don't think WWE is going to force him to do it. He's paid his dues to the company and they should respect him for that. Wrestling means a lot more in Mexico then it does in America, where business takes the reigns over everything else. As mentioned, he's a huge money draw, and I don't think WWE would want to do anything to upset him, especially something that isn't necessary at all. I think that if he ends up putting the mask on the line, it'll be an automatic win for him pretty much.

 

[gunslinger72]

Ray already DID lose his mask. I don't remember ANY of the details, but he lost a match back in WCW and was without his mask for quite a while. No reason he would REFUSE now...but i hope he doesn't.

 

[shafe_41]

I personally don't care if Mysterio loses his mask, tattoos, pants, or his hair. I don't like the guy for some odd reason. He's too predictable anymore. Plus like someone said, he's already lost his mask so many times or taken it off when breaking character or something like that. There's no surprise/interesting element to this anymore. Losing masks lost its luster awhile ago. Which is why I believe pretty much nobody wears one anymore. They're pointless. It just gives the writers something to cop out on when they can't think of anything else to write a storyline about. Plus this Jericho Mysterio feud will be nowhere near as good as theirs in WCW when Jericho would keep calling him "Ron." THAT was classic Jericho. I think everybody over the age of 15 has seen Mysterio without his mask at some point anyway. Unfortunately, I couldn't care less what happens with Mysterio or his mask.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

As previously mentioned here, Rey has already lost his mask. He wrestled for quite a while in WCW without. I'm not sure if he ever was without his mask in WWE. But the short end of it is that NO, he probably won't. Why? He's a kids character now and they sell tons of Mysterio masks. Unmasking him isn't going to result in a ratings increase of a PPV buy but would likely result in a loss of mask sales (if he keeps it off for a while).

I think the bigger question is does anyone really care about Rey anymore?

 

[HBK-aholic]

Mysterio is a guy who needs the mask, in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I do find him entertaining. I think the mask gives him a character, and I'm not sure what his character would be if he was to lose the mask. I think this failed when they tried it with Kane, although that point is of course arguable. I just think they'd make a mistake by taking away a gimmcik and character which does work.

 

[Prince Punk]

Rey Rey needs to lose his mask for the simple fact that he already did in WCW. It will actually raise his popularity, why because its a disgrace for him to reclaim the mask after losing it as far as good old mexico is concerned so by him just wearing it in the wwe was not all that good a move to start out with plus it gives us the option to see rey turn heel at some point which as a masked wrestler i'm sorry he just can't do... Though i doubt he will lose the mask anytime soon i expect this to be another epic Jericho feud

 

[shane140]

i do like the idea of expanding the feud with Jericho but if Rey does lose his mask he will just turn into another cruiserweight, it just seems wierd if he loses it, plus wwe will lose money from the replica masks.

 

[Decarow]

I don't think he'll lose it, but they will definitely put it on the line. I remember back in '05 when Eddie ripped the mask off and cut a promo ("DO YOU THINK THIS MAKES ME HAPPY!?"). It was really dramatic and emotional. The mask just really fits Mysterio's character. Hell, just think of the name. Mysterio. Mystery. What will be mysterious when he doesn't have a mask? I hope this feud becomes as classic as Rey/Eddie in '05. Jericho certainly can deliver was well as Eddie did (maybe even better?). So we might see it come off once, but it won't be him actually losing and having the Kane treatment.

 

[KBP51883]

The bottom line is whether Vince Mcmahon thinks that Rey losing his mask will make money. Rey has the most merchandise for sale ( except maybe for Cena) which is mostly aimed at kids who surely love the idea of running around wearing a mask pretending to be their hero. Without the mask is Rey unique ?? No he isn't he starts to blend in with the Cruiserweights ( remember them ?? ). So the answer is NO he will keep the mask but the fued will still happen maybe with a ladder match with the "winner" getting the mask or the belt.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

When Chris Jericho defeated Juvi for the mask, it was a great decision by the Creative heads of W.C.W at the time, because Juvi wasn't a very huge masked Cruiserweight to begin with - thus, unmasking him and starting fresh made his entire career and I'm sure even Juvi is grateful for that.

That was then, this is now. This is also not with someone who's carry is being overshadowed by better talent, or invisible. This is Rey, fucking multi-mask wearing, Mysterio! This is his sole identity and while he's removed it in W.C.W (for the dumbest of storylines, mind you) he thankfully put it back on.

Two major issues run through my mind with this as well. Juvi's mask was awful ugly, and him losing it and showing his long hair and mexican features was actually a hugely rewarding aspect for him. Mysterio - is not Juvi beautiful. Just saying, as for the gay overtones. Mysterio looks like a child, his Son, even. And what's more - his mask, again, is his sole identity. It's a huge product on wweshop.com, (which it still would be, if he ever lost it I'm sure, so not to worry) but most importantly.. the mask is what separates Mysterio from a regular smaller sized jobber. (Like Noble, for example)

If Mysterio drops the mask, I don't think it'll be a good decision. I already wasn't a fan of him switching from the tights to the pant-like outfit, but it slowly adapted. He doesn't move as quick, but hot-damn I still have flashbacks to No Way Out and him moving like he was in W.C.W all over again. So I know he still has bits and pieces left in him to have great, fast paced matches.

I'm just strongly in belief that if Mysterio drops the mask, he won't survive.. he didn't honestly survive the issue when he did it in W.C.W, and in some manner - I think it ruined the identity of the Cruiserweight division at the same time. The mask is Mexican heritage, it's his Family's crest in a way of speaking. For the W.W.E to take it from him, or have him drop it (all over again) it'd be disrespectful (all over again) and hurtful.

Its just not a good idea, any way you see it.

 

[Flava Flav's PMing Bitch]

Didn't Rey lose the mask in WCW to Jericho. I seem to remind a storyline back in WCW where Jericho was going around collecting Masks from superstars he had defeated.

 

[Blade]

It's all gonna come down to how comfortbale Rey feels about losing his mask. In Mexico, the masks of the Lucha Libre wrsetlers are like their identity. Most Mexican wrestlers would quit before taking off their mask. In WCW, Eric Bishoff once decided that he was gonna start unmasking all the mexican cruiserweights and he got huge heat it.

But the thing is, Rey has wrestled without his mask before. He lost a hair vs mask match against Kevin Nash, and was forced to unmask live on WCW television. While Mysterio didn't like it, he still did it to keep his job. And if WCW were able to make Rey unmask, WWE will certainly be able to do it.

But for WWE, it definately wouldn't be worth unmasking him. If he loses the mask, he loses most of his character. To kids, he's like a masked superhero. And without the mask, he'll just be a guy who does some cool moves. If he lost his mask, it would be like Kane all over again in terms of destroying the character.
And also, the WWE sells looooads of Mysterio masks. Look at SD, see the kids in the front row who Mysterio walks past on the way to the ring. They're either wearing the Jeff Hardy arm thing or Mysterio masks. WWE must make hundreds of thousands of those masks. And if they took off Mysterio's mask, they wouldn't be able to sell the masks as merchendise without looking like complete morons. Sure, his unmasking would help get more ratings for a week or two, but for the money they lose from the merch, it's not worth it.

I personnally am completly indifferent to whether Mysterio loses his mask or not. I'm sure it'll get a huge reaction but it simply won't compare to the Kane unmasking. And anyway most people who have watched WCW have seen Mysterio unmasked. It would just be for the kids... Again, the demographic who buy the masks, thus making it a bad idea.

 

[saint_edward]

... you all seem to mention Mysterio unmasking in WCW, but seems to me that WWE doesnt give a shit about what has happened in other promotions. Look at Christian- he was a multi time world champion and main event staple in TNA but came back to TNA and was just 'Christian' no mention of being a world champion. So the WCW angle doesnt mean shit to WWE creative. Unmasking Rey would probably mean a character change, maybe this feud with Jericho will result in a more hardcore 'don't give a fuck' style Rey. would be interesting to see if he could deal with a heel run... imo that would be interesting to see... any thoughts?

 

[Mjolnir]

I really could care less about Mysterio either... except if Jericho is the one embarrassing him by making him give up the mask. As far as I see it, it is just more fodder for his current (and hopefully permanent) heel persona, in which I think he is by far the most hated heel in WWE. Genius.

Back to Mysterio... he is boring to me, and an angle with Jericho may be something that he can really get a rub from. It will be far better than the same old David v. Goliath crap that they keep on repeating... the Intercontinental level upper mid card is probably the best hhe can hope for IMO. I think that losing the mask can only add to the "sympathy for the undertrodden little guy" vibe that is part of the reason he is so popular. It isn't because of the moves he does anymore... he was FAR better in WCW talent-wise, and the crap he does right now is all stuff that Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, or Melina could do just as well... maybe if his Jericho program doesn't go over (which it will thanks to Jericho) Mysterio can become Mysteria and tag up with Santina against Beth Phoenix and Rosa Medez.

Losing the mask would only be a temporary bump in the road for Rey to really fire up this current rivalry... and would not keep little kids (or Eminem) from buying replica masks...

Good move, WWE. It was funny to me the first time with the NWO, and it will be even sweeter with Jericho!

 

[matt_indiana25]

I am pretty sure I remember him losing to Nash for his mask. I think I remember him being in the ring with the NWO and all of them starting to make fun of the way he looked when he took the mask off.

 

[JGlass]

I'm in the crowd who doesn't really care about Rey one way or another. I like him because he really psyches up the live crowd, and he does the nice thing for the kids on his way down the ramp and gives them his weird cover thing, but that's where the pros list ends (the 619 IS pretty cool, but totally unbelievable).

With that being said, I think he needs to keep his mask. The mask is what, in my opinion, makes him legitimate. Without that mask, nobody is going to believe that a 150 pound, 5'6 dude is going to come out and beat monsters like Knox or Kane, but when he puts that mask on he becomes mysterious, and a lucha libre master, which is the only reason he stands a chance against these giants. If he loses that mask, he's no longer the lucha libre wrestler, just a tiny high flying wrestler, and he's not going to last in the WWE as that.

 

[LamaNamaneumi]

I went to a house show on may 9th Jericho told everyone he was taking rey's mask off during the match jericho untied his mask then whiped rey into the turnbuckel rey's mask fell off and rey rolled out the ring some kid in the front row threw rey one of them cheap foam mask and rey put it on he wrestled with it for a few min. The put his mask back on and finished the match. This was just a mastake tho I bet


In WCW Nash bet rey in a match where if Nash won rey lost his mask and if rey won he got to shave liz' head we all knew who was gona win

 

[Goberz2K8]

I read somewhere that Rey is the one who "refuses" to do it, and if that's the case, I don't think WWE is going to force him to do it. He's paid his dues to the company and they should respect him for that. Wrestling means a lot more in Mexico then it does in America, where business takes the reigns over everything else. As mentioned, he's a huge money draw, and I don't think WWE would want to do anything to upset him, especially something that isn't necessary at all. I think that if he ends up putting the mask on the line, it'll be an automatic win for him pretty much.

I agree wih this. I also read that Chris Jerhico personally asked for the fued to be a long one. But I dont think Rey will loose it, then it may affect the Mexican Market, which WWE is really trying to target as well as other marets. I also think, that if he does drop the Title to Jericho at Judgement Day then, he should get it back at Summerslam.

 

[Jane]

Well, if Rey's career is really coming to a close like rumoured, then probably. It's kinda like closure to his time in WWE. If he is planning to stick around, then they'd better not do this. I've seen Rey without his mask, and he doesn't have the look of a former world champion. Without the mask he's just Rey, the Mexican wrestler, and it doesn't have the same effect. He's become one of the most recognizable wrestlers and he probably generates half of WWE's merchandise. So if this is it for him, then he can lose the mask. If not he'd better keep it.

 

[itzLEEyuhBITCH]

As previously mentioned here, Rey has already lost his mask. He wrestled for quite a while in WCW without. I'm not sure if he ever was without his mask in WWE. But the short end of it is that NO, he probably won't. Why? He's a kids character now and they sell tons of Mysterio masks. Unmasking him isn't going to result in a ratings increase of a PPV buy but would likely result in a loss of mask sales (if he keeps it off for a while).

I think the bigger question is does anyone really care about Rey anymore?

Considering the fact that he is still very over, and one of the biggest draws on SMACKDOWN...yes.

Not to mention the fact that even in his current fragile, water down state...Mysterio can still wrestle circles around most of the roster...NWO 09 was proof of that.

 

[Henry Hill]

if he does lose the mask it should be special and have some kind of build up, unlike in wcw when (in my opinion) it was disrespectfully taken in a no build up midcard nitro match that really wasnt necessary. it is especially disrespectful when you look at how it is handled in mexico. that being said rey would completely fall through the cracks and wind up being "future endeavored" if he lost his mask now

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Horrible idea, for a number of reasons.

1. The WWE doesnt have a huge, strong base of Luchadores like WCW did, so the aspect and history of the mask in the culture isnt nearly strong enough in WWE. I just dont feel like it would be a very huge deal to a vast majority of the general WWE audience. The mask actually coming off is what im on about, not the angle, I think its a fine angle, and should help jog that spanish demographic. but the mask, actually coming OFF would be a bad idea, and wouldnt be seen as very important.

2. Rey Mysterio IS the mask, and the mask is him. If he was till a spring chicken, then maybe, but he only has 1 or 2 years left in him. The guy can barely stay healthy for 6 months at a time. So its not like the character will be launched to huge new heights with his mug plastered all over the place. No way Rey Mastrio Tshirts outsell the masks at the merch table. They can get the heat for Jericho just as well with the angle itslef, not him actualy accomplishing the demasking.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Without truly thinking about this, (meaning looking at a roster - or off the pure top of my head) I don't actually think there are any other masked Superstars in the Company. Mysterio is it.

As I said previously in this very thread (somewhere) even if Mysterio does drop the mask via storyline, it's not like the Company still won't milk that cow for all it's worth in continuing to sell the masks. If anything, I reckon they make even MORE money in Mysterio losing the mask for the first month or two, because people will want to make sure they get one before they "assume" they'll run out and dry up.

I'm with NorCal in this situation though.. having Mysterio actually go through with losing the mask is a horrible idea. Great storyline to run, but horrible ending if he's to actually drop the mask and go with just what he looks like.

Spoiler: Rey Mysterio withOUT the Mask

So, as you can see - unmasking him won't help market shit. He isn't exactly market-worthy without that little multi-colored face cover. Outside of No Way Out, which I'm with every passing week beginning to think was the last in the tank sorta match.. I don't think Mysterio has too many great matches left in him.

I expected a lot from Mysterio/Jericho at Judgment Day and completely got disappointed because 80% of the match was Mysterio just trying to hit that fucking 6.1.9. If Mysterio and Jericho can't put on an exciting match, that involves more than just one failed attempt at a finisher after another - then I could honestly care less what he does with his mask, because even with it, I won't wanna see too much more of him again.

But, for now - Unmasking Mysterio is the worst possible idea they've had since giving Santino another Intercontinental title run.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I don't see any reason why Mysterio will or should lose the mask. Kane had initial success removing the mask but you can see where he is now. Mysterio has a few years left in him barring any more injuries and I believe he will keep that mask on until he retires. Maybe he will take it off after his last match but I'm just guessing.