10 Wrestlers Who Returned Under A Mask
CM Punk isn't the only wrestler who has made a grand return under a mask.
So, CM Punk made his wrestling return under a mask recently. No big deal...
The former WWE Champion and UFC, umm, fighter, recently appeared at a show for MKE Wrestling in Wisconsin. A hooded figure, later confirmed to be Punk, saved Ace Steel - one of the men who trained him - from an attack using the Go To Sleep. Pretty solid evidence there.
The return of one of wrestling's most beloved and isolated figures is one of the biggest news stories of the entire year and the fact that he did it under a mask makes the whole thing even cooler.
Wrestling has a proud history of masked men and women and any performer who chooses to hide their face instantly has an air of intrigue about them. But Punk is far from the first well-known grappler to make a big return under a mask.
For decades, masks have been used to hide the identities of established wrestlers, either as part of a storyline or to give them a new gimmick without having to retcon the old one.
For some of these wrestlers, their time under a mask lasted but a few minutes, for some, a few months, and some are still under these same masks to this very day.
So, whilst the Internet loses their minds over when Punk is going to return to WWE - spoilers, he's not - let's look back at ten other times top wrestlers used masks to make big comebacks.
10. Mickie James
Mickie James hadn't been since in WWE since 2010 before making her in-ring comeback at NXT TakeOver: Toronto in 2016.
James unsuccessfully challenged Asuka for her NXT Women's Championship, but impressed enough to earn herself a new main roster deal.
She appeared on main roster WWE TV for the first time in over six years when she was revealed to be the masked "La Luchadora" character who had been terrorising Becky Lynch during her feud with SmackDown Women's Champion, Alexa Bliss.
La Luchadora was originally played by Lynch, who wore the mask to beat the champ in a match on SmackDown. Then Bliss wore the mask in another match with Lynch, only for a second La Luchadora - played by a masked Deonna Purrazzo - to attack Lynch from behind.
During a Steel Cage match between Bliss and Lynch in January 2017, La Luchadora again interfered, only to have her mask ripped off to reveal Mickie James underneath. Got all that? Good.
The La Luchadora gimmick was a great way to reintroduce James and drop her straight into the Women's title picture on SmackDown. Whilst her alliance with Bliss would never really go anywhere after this moment, this was still a great return for the most decorated female American wrestler of all time.