10 Wrestlers That Stole Others Wrestler's Masks
Somebody Stop Them!
Never in human history have masks been so significant on the socio-political stage.
They are, at time of writing, either an implement that reflects selflessness in spite of minor discomfort or gosh-darned face prisons for folk sentenced to life as a sheep by the friggin' media. (It's the first one, wear a mask)
Wrestling's use for them has always been altogether more unusual, but not entirely without similar controversy. Steeped in extraordinary history in Mexico, the hood isn't quite as revered in North America, but it absolutely should be. To much consternation, WCW took a load of them off the luchadors in the late-1990s in what was theoretically an attempt by the company to make more money. As was tradition in the latter days of that particular organisaton, it achieved the opposite.
The first thing WWE decided upon signing Rey Mysterio years later was get the mask straight back on. They monetised the f*ck out of it and Mysterio's character underneath it, ensuring that generations of kids will still be chanting "619" for anybody that looks even remotely like him for the next few decades.
In the knowledge of this, they've never unmasked him. Not properly, anyway, in spite of his face being plastered all over two years of WWE Network archives and various photos online. The mythology is too valuable, and it's why it gets heels so over when they give it a good go...
10. Seth Rollins (Rey Mysterio)
As the most recent thief of joy from the life of Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins went beyond the original pinching of his mask to trying to rip out his f*cking eye at an event subtitled as a "Horror Show".
As stupid as this escalation of their rivalry was, WWE somehow got away with the bullsh*t in the end thanks in part to Mysterio's historic hood. He returned from holding his own pupil to training a pro wrestling one in the form of son Dominik.
In carefully constructed contests, the prodigal son has managed to "extract" several measures of revenge against Seth and his acolyte Murphy, including a particularly peculiar end to a recent Raw that saw Rey's wife Angie and daughter Aaliyah getting in on battering the former Cruiserweight Champion.
Families that stick together stick together was the messaging. If only Mysterio had this sort of backup when a long-tenured rival used one of the 'Biggest Little Man's greatest weapons against him...