Exposed

One of the easiest ways for Mexican wrestlers to rile up the crowd is to try to remove their opponent’s mask.  Whether violently ripping at the fabric of the mask, or slowly, deliberately peeling out the laces, the fans go into a frenzy when they see their hero helpless, his identity about to be exposed.

Mexican wrestling, or Lucha Libre, is built on the sanctity of the masks — the concept that many of the wrestlers love to wear sweet looking hoods, and their entire career depends on keeping their faces hidden.  To have your mask ripped off, or to lose a match that requires unmasking, will for some reason end a man’s wrestling career.  It is also considered the ultimate humiliation (so they do it all the time.)

Part of the appeal of a forced unmasking is the violent imagery — the bad guy digging in and ripping and shredding the fabric, busting the seams, leaving the victim looking distorted and maimed, the eyes or mouth of his mask hanging in tatters which makes him look ridiculous.

Being unmaked also, I think, resembles a rape scene — over-powering the victim, holding him captive, forcibly tearing off clothing — what’s next?

I like to watch unmaskings because it is so deliciously evil, so cruel, to pull his mask off.  The one thing your opponent asks in life is that he get to wear a mask.  His very livelihood — his life — depends on it!  Yet you relentlessly go after the mask, repeatedly yanking at it or unlacing it, without mercy for him.  It seems to put the masked wrestlers at a disadvantage to their opponents who always wrestle without a mask and don’t need to protect their secret identity.

Masked wrestlers in Mexico are treated as Superheroes.  Fans of comic books certainly can relate to the excitement and drama of seeing the hero’s mask pulled off, his secret identity exposed, his career in crime-fighting finished once and for all.  The comic book authors were constantly teasing us with the ultimate unmasking of our hero, forever putting Batman in situations where he couldn’t stop some villain from ripping off his cowl.  It’s even been remarked that  Batman and Robin may have a closeted relationship, and their masks hide not only their true identities, but also their love.  So their unmasking would be more like an outing!

Watching and enjoying the removal of a mask begs the question of why the wrestler wears the mask in the first place.  Isn’t it hot under there, and hard to breathe?  They would say that it’s a mystery why a man would wrestle in a mask, or maybe he’s wanted by the police.  Maybe he wants to be able to walk around in public without being mobbed for autographs.

I used to think maybe they didn’t have enough wrestlers to fill up all the matches, so they’d re-use a man by having him wrestle a couple times, wearing a mask so nobody noticed.  I also used to think maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know he gets into wrestling with other guys. Maybe he’s embarrassed by his love of wrestling and doesn’t want his family members asking about it or judging him, so he keeps his identity on the down-low.

Young wrestling fans know all about keeping secrets.  Just as a wrestler may not want his identity revealed, so too does the young fan want his enjoyment of wrestling, his addiction to watching it, to be hidden.  Just as you should have a right to watch what you want on television without anybody knowing, so too should the Luchadore have a right to mask his face.  Seeing him forcibly revealed symbolizes being revealed yourself, your secret exposed.  Therefore, you can easily relate to the unmasked wrestler, and sympathize with his humiliation, when his privacy is violated.