One of the in-ring highlights of WCW from throughout their hottest period was Rey Mysterio. The diminutive luchador was incredibly captivating in the ring and his breathtaking style was revolutionizing what U.S. audiences were used to witnessing. His extremely small size made him the ideal underdog and someone the fans could easily rally behind. For those unfamiliar, the masked tradition among the luchadores is very important, and the removal of one's mask for any reason can be seen as a disgrace in some ways. Mask vs. mask matches in Mexico are a huge deal, and once someone loses their mask they must honor that stipulation for the remainder of their career. WCW booked Kevin Nash and Scott Hall against Rey and Konnan in a mask vs. hair match, in which the luchas lost and Rey was forced to reveal his face. He was unhappy about the decision, and has been quoted as saying: "I was strongly against it! I don't think WCW understood what the mask meant to me, to my fans and to my family. It was a very bad move on their behalf. The fans wanted Rey Mysterio with the mask and losing it hurt me a lot. It was also frustrating that it didn't come as the climax to a feud with another masked wrestler, but in a throwaway match. I think the fans understand that I was in a position where I had no option. I either had to lose my mask or lose my job.on where I had no option. I either had to lose my mask or lose my job."
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
