Rey Mysterio is willing to put up what matters most to him in the wrestling world as part of his final matches in WWE, whenever they may be.
The most famous masked wrestler of all time, the Hall of Famer’s iconic look became recognisable all around the world and has seen Mysterio keep his mask on for all of his WWE matches. Although the former World Champion has been unmasked in matches before and has been involved in matches where he could have lost his iconic mask, he has never shown his face to the camera intentionally.
The past few years have seen the rise of Rey’s son Dominik Mysterio, who has taken the opposite path to his father by wrestling unmasked and becoming a detested heel instead of an underdog babyface like his father. With the father and son team starting out as allies, becoming Tag Team Champions and eventually crossing paths as bitter enemies, the elder Mysterio would like to see their paths cross again at some point.
Speaking with CBS Sports, Mysterio detailed his eventual plans for the end of his in-ring career and revealed that he would put his mask on the line in a match against his son:
“The perfect scenario is that Dom would be the right person. And not necessarily to retire me but put what matters most to me on the line and that’s my mask. It’s something I’d be willing to do.”
One time that Mysterio did remove his mask on WWE TV was when he gave a moving tribute to close friend Eddie Guerrero following Guerrero’s sudden passing in 2005. During the same interview, Mysterio explained why he chose to remove his mask for that segment:
“The mask in lucha libre is very sacred. It’s something that we protect and we cherish,” Rey explained. “Especially when it’s within generations of a family. When it’s generational and you’re carrying the name of your father or someone who came before you — in my case Rey Misterio Sr. and Rey Mysterio Jr. — you even protect it with your life pretty much.
“I remember during that incident, I wanted the fans to hear Rey Mysterio but I also wanted them, in a way, to know who was behind the mask and the feelings I felt. Because the connection that I felt with Eddie in the ring was beautiful and incredible. But the connection we had outside of the ring was even deeper.”
During another interview, Rey Mysterio explained why he wishes Eddie Guerrero could have shared the ring with Dominik.
Rey Mysterio Looks Back On “Very Weird” Portion Of His Career
Although the Hall of Famer has kept his identity a secret on WWE TV ever since he debuted back in 2002, there was a very brief portion of his WCW career where he competed without his mask due to the stipulation set in his match at SuperBrawl IX. In a separate interview, Rey Mysterio explained why he felt uncomfortable competing with his face being shown on camera.