WWE News: Místico, Rey Mysterio and the Top 35 Masked Wrestlers of All Time

Most aspiring professional wrestlers get into the business for the glitz and the glamor.  It is no secret that the independent contractors who agree to sacrifice their bodies, and in many cases their lives, for the rewards implicit of a pro wrestler want to see their name in the proverbial lights. 

Wearing a mask seems to defeat the purpose of one blazing their own path to become famous; however, some of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world just so happened to have donned a mask. 

Given the meaning, prestige and heritage behind some of the more famous masks in professional wrestling history, the term "mask" seems to almost undercut the true depiction of a professional wrestler adopting a gimmick that demands the concealment of their face. 

The tradition of masked wrestling has had a noted influence on wrestling promotions all around the world, both large and small.  The mask itself is often used to add depth to heated feuds as the inevitable Luchas del Apuestas match is held with the loser oftentimes having to give up the very accessory that helped symbolize their career and legacy. 

There is certainly a large outfit of professional wrestlers who can lay claim to competing under the masked wrestling genre, but only a select few of them truly transcended their respective masks into a relic of greatness. 

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35. Delirious

As one of Ring of Honor's most prominent masked men, Delirious' madman gimmick of running wildly around the ring and rambling incoherently is just that—a gimmick. 

Hunter Johnson, who portrays the Delirious gimmick, is actually one of the better wrestling minds in the business.  He currently serves as both the head booker for Ring of Honor as well as the head trainer for ROH's wrestling school. 

Delirious has wrestled all around the world, bringing his unorthodox antics, proficient in ring acumen and a host of critical acclaim with him.

34. El Generico

El Generico is one of the more popular masked wrestlers on the North American circuit, as he has received much acclaim for his work with Ring of Honor, Chikara and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

Generico's career is closely linked with that of ROH's Kevin Steen, with whom he has been tag team partners with as well as bitter rivals. 

The feud between Steen and Generico last year received much praise from wrestling pundits, and El Generico continues to stake his claim as one of the best in ring tacticians through a unique Lucha Libre style that serves as a unique juxtaposition with his Canadian roots.

33. The Hurricane

With a gimmick that could easily be considered laughable, and in many ways was, longtime comic book fan Gregory Helms made the Hurricane gimmick his own, as he got a significant amount of mileage from his masked superhero persona. 

Helms' run as the Hurricane saw him feud with the likes of Ric Flair (with Evolution) and the Rock.  Helms received another run as the Hurricane as recently as 2010; however, this incarnation was cut short when an incident outside the ring lead to Helms' release. 

32. Super Strong Machine

As his name suggests, Super Strong Machine (Junji Hirata) is one of the more physical masked wrestlers.  As one of the top heavyweights, Machine has wrestled all over the world, from Canada to Mexico, but much of his notoriety comes from his work in Japan. 

The influence of Super Strong Machine's popular gimmick reverberated to the WWF, where the famed North American promotion swiped the gimmick and used it to form a stable of "machines" that featured WWE Hall of Famers Andre the Giant (Giant Machine) and Blackjack Mulligan (Big Machine).

31. Abismo Negro

Known for shooting a flamethrower in the air during his entrances, Abismo Negro was a staple of both the CMLL and AAA promotions of Mexico.  Along with being one of the top Luchadors in Mexico, Negro also toured prominent wrestling promotions in Japan. 

Negro has also been scarcely featured in WWF and TNA as part of talent exchange agreements they had with AAA wrestling promotion. 

Tragically, the Lucha Libre standout was found dead in a river near Sinaloa, and it is believed that he drowned.

30. The Great Sasuke

The Great Sasuke is one of the most talented and decorated Japanese masked wrestlers in history.  Armed with a unique and electrifying moveset, Sasuke has participated in a handful of classic matchaes and should be considered one of the all time greats based on his finisher alone—the Saske Special.

29. The Dragon Kid

Billed as the Ultimo Dragon's apprentice, the Dragon Kid's exciting high flying style mimicked that of his legendary mentor. 

As a mainstay in the Dragongate USA promotion, Dragon Kid has dazzled on the strength of spectacular, death defying maneuvers including his finisher, the Dragonrana.

28. Averno

You may have heard Averno's name thrown around as a potential signing of WWE to help Sin Cara get over in the top wrestling promotion.  However, with Sin Cara's future in jeopardy, it's unlikely that Averno's WWE career will ever come to fruition. 

If Averno is to eventually debut with the fed, however, he will be bringing with him a wealth of experience and a Lucha Libre style that has made him one of the top performers in CMLL. 

Averno recently lost his third career Luchas De Apuestas match (match with wager) to La Mascara, where he was forced to remove his mask.  The move was seen by many as a way to write him off of CMLL as he prepared to make his debut with WWE, but at last word, he is still working with CMLL in Mexico.

27. El Oriental

As a AAA legend, El Oriental became a bona fide star on the strength of a 10-year run with AAA.  El Oriental has defended his mask and hair on several occasions over his long career, losing only one Luchas de Apuestas match to Místico in 2010, where he was forced to remove his mask.  

El Oriental's talents have migrated to the Unites States where he has competed in Chikara, and was featured on MTV2's Lucha Libre USA promotion.

26. Dr. Wagner Jr.

Dr. Wagner Jr. surpassed all of his father's, Dr. Wagner, accolades and has blazed his own trail as one of the best Lucha Libre competitors in the business today.  Wagner made his hay in both the CMLL and AAA Mexican wrestling promotions, where he managed to capture both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Championships between the two promotions. 

Wagner Jr. also tasted gold in Japan, where he became a Jr. Heavyweight tag team champion with Kendo Kashin.

He recently defeated Rob Van Dam in AAA's annual TripleMania event, where he became the AAA Latin American Champion

25. Juventud Guerrera

Juventud Guerrera's long Lucha Libre career was featured most prominently in WCW, where he became a multiple time cruiserweight champion and mastered the 450 splash. 

Guerrera always seemed to play second fiddle to some of the more high profile cruiserweights in WCW, like Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio Jr. However, he never put on a bad match, and his work in a handful of independent and national wrestling circuits speaks for itself. 

Guerrera, without the mask, had a forgettable run in WWE, where Lucha Libre wrestling goes to die, alongside fellow former masked wrestler Psicosis as the Mexicools.

But Juvi's legacy will be inherent in his lighting quick in ring style that made for fast paced and high flying excitement. 

24. The Monster Abyss

Abyss has been a staple in TNA, remaining with the embattled national promotion since its inception.  Abyss is one of only two masked wrestlers in history to win the NWA Heavyweight Championship and has remained masked throughout his entire career in TNA as he has never competed without it. 

Abyss is known for his hardcore style that has seen him ravage his body by way of tables and thumbtacks.  The gross out specialist was recently crowned as an unlikely X-Division champion, but recently dropped the title to Brian Kendrick.

23. The Spoiler

No, not Stephanie Brown, but Don Jardine is one of the most legendary masked wrestlers to compete in the NWA.  T

The Canadian wrestler was one of the original members of the Legion of Doom alongside Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Hawk and Animal and has captured a litany of championships along the Georgia and Florida territories. 

Once managed by the legendary Gary Hart, Spoiler etched his name in immortality when he competed against Mil Mascaras in the first wrestling match in the state of New York to feature a masked performer. 

The Spoiler was a true pioneer for the masked wrestling genre, as he continues to have a profound influence on North American masked wrestlers.

22. Dos Caras

Dos Caras' hall of fame level career was forged in Mexico by way of the Universal Wrestling Alliance promotion.  Dos Caras' legacy has defined him as one of the greatest Mexican Heavyweight wrestlers of all time. 

Caras is the father of WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio, who wore a mask in honor of his father to compete in Mixed Martial Arts competition only to get his head kicked off by an artifically talented Mirko Cro Cop back in PRIDE.

Dos Caras wore one of the most honorable masks in Mexican Wrestling history, as he never lost a Luchas de Apuestas match, going 8-0 when his mask was on the line.    

21. Tiger Mask I

The popular Tiger Mask gimmick in Japan was based upon the similarly popular anime of the same distinction.  The original owner of the Tiger Mask gimmick was Satoru Sayama, who created the gimmick as a means to connect with the New Japan Pro Wrestling audience. 

Despite owning the Tiger Mask gimmick for just over one year, Tiger Mask's influence had a significant influence on the culture of Japanese professional wrestling and continues to be a staple of Japanese wrestling to this day with the recent debut of a fifth generation Tiger Mask.

20. Mr. Wrestling

Mr. Wrestling's career was not as decorated as his second generation successor, Mr. Wrestling II; however, the Florida/Georgia mainstay enjoyed a prolific wrestling career on the strength of an amateur wrestling background. 

As a predecessor of Jack Brisco and Kurt Angle, Mr. Wrestling was one of the first true amateur wrestlers to have a successful pro wrestling career. 

Mr. Wrestling lays claim to multiple NWA Championship reigns in the Florida and Georgia territories, and upon retirement, he bequeathed his gimmick to John Walker, who would go on to become Mr. Wrestling II.

19. Mr. Wrestling II

Mr. Wrestling II was a celebrated athlete and pro wrestler who surpassed Mr. Wrestling's accolades throughout his legendary career. 

Competing in the NWA and Mid-South wrestling promotions, among others, Mr. Wrestling II was a true student of the game as he trained the likes of Rick Rude and Tony Atlas along with being featured as a main event-level performer.

18. Tiger Mask II

Tiger Mask II was portrayed by the legendary Misuhara Misawa, arguably the greatest Japanese pro wrestler in history.  For six years, Misawa's adaptation of the folk hero was interpreted proficiently, as he wrestled iconic figures such as Bret "the Hitman" Hart and Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat. 

Trained by masked legend Dick Beyer, Misawa would go on to enjoy a legendary career of his own after he ditched the mask in 1990. 

Misawa tragically died in the ring in June 2009 during a tag team match after taking a stiff belly to back suplex.

17. Tiger Mask IV

While Misuhara Misawa was the greatest wrestler to ever portray Tiger Mask, Yoshihiro Yamazaki was the greatest Tiger Mask of them all.  Yamazaki was the fourth generation Tiger Mask who portrayed the gimmick since his debut in1995 until 2010, where a fifth generation Tiger Mask debuted. 

Tiger Mask IV successfully competed in four Luchas de Apuestas matches, claiming the masks of two generations of Black Tiger (Tiger Masks' arch rival).

Tiger Mask recently passed down the Tiger Mask gimmick to a fifth generation Tiger Mask in Ikuhisa Minowa, who became the first non-alliterative performer to adopt the gimmick. 

16. Lizmark

During Lizmark's incomparable career, he competed in EMLL, CMLL, and AAA.

Lizmark's proficiency in both grappling and high flying helped the "little blue genius" compile a career and legacy that lived on through his son Lizmark Jr., who has competed in WCW and currently works with the AAA promotion.

15. El Canek

The talented masked athlete El Canek has performed as both a wrestler and a mixed martial artist and is known as one of the greatest adversaries of the famed Mil Mascaras. 

As one of the biggest heavyweight attractions of the Universal Wrestling Association in the 80's, El Canek's impressive resume includes victories over Lou Thez, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Yokozuna. 

14. El Hijo Del Santo

Few can cast a shadow as big as the legendary El Santo. However, his son, El Hijo Del Santo, put forth a valiant effort in doing so. 

Carrying on the tradition of the beloved El Santo, El Hijo del Santo did the mask proud as he consistently remained as one of the top Lucha Libre workers in the world throughout his long standing career.

El Hijo del Santo competed in a high profile feud involving the late Eddie Guerrero in the mid 90s that was met with critical acclaim among wrestling pundits.   

Along with being a hall of fame-caliber pro wrestler, El Hijo del Santo has gone on to become a political activist in Mexico, and yes, he does wear his masks with his suits. 

El Hijo del Santo has defended the prestigious honor of the El Santo mask in over 40 occasions, and has been victorious in every contest.

13. Psicosis

The well traveled master of the Guillotine leg drop competed in virtually ever major wrestling promotion from America, to Mexico, to Japan. 

Psicosis' most successful run came in WCW, where he and his cruiserweight counterparts helped create an alternative form of pro wrestling to successfully combat the WWE in the mid-nineties. 

While he does have one of the coolest masks of all the Lucha Libres, Psichosis doesn't exactly have a great track record defending it, as he has only won one career match with his mask on the line.

12. L.A. Park (La Parka)

La Parka lost the rights to his name following his memorable run in WCW, and although he now goes by the name L.A. Park, he is will always be remembered by American wrestling fans as the "chairman of the board" from his days in WCW as a Lucha Libre hardcore specialist. 

L.A. Park remains a high profile wrestler as he was featured, and victorious, in the co-main event of AAA's TripleMania XIX in a mask vs. hair match against El Mesias.

11. Mankind

The deranged superstar otherwise known as Mick Foley made himself a star in the WWE through his pin point portrayal of a mentally disturbed masked madman known simply as Mankind. 

Mankind's brutal feud with the Undertaker would eventually propel him to new heights in the WWE despite ironically having to fall almost 20 feet through a table to achieve these heights. 

As one of the charter members of the WWE's wildly successful Attitude Era, Mankind became a WWE Champion in a pre-taped event that was infamously spoiled by the WCW announcing team to their own detriment. 

10. Jushin Liger

This decorated Junior Heavyweight is widely regarded as one of the greatest masked wrestlers to ever come out of Japan.  Liger has competed in promotions ranging from WCW to New Japan Pro Wrestling and even Ring of Honor, showcasing an extended moveset with every stop. 

Liger's most famous maneuver, the Liger Bomb, has been used by a handful of top main event talents including Batista. 

To cement his legacy as a top junior heavyweight, Liger has captured both the WCW and WWF Light Heavyweight Championships during an impressive North American wrestling career.

9. Blue Demon

Blue Demon was one of many masked Lucha Libre wrestlers to use their popularity in pro wrestling as a means to launch a movie career.  Like El Santo, Blue Demon starred in several Luchador films, and was even featured in his own self-titled documentary in 1989. 

Blue Demon in movies was often seen as a cheap replacement for legendary masked wrestler El Santo, with whom Blue Demon had a high profile feud within the early 50's.

8. Vader

Vader is arguably the greatest super heavyweight to compete in pro wrestling.  His athletic prowess as a 300 pounder made him one of the more imposing forces in a host of both national and international wrestling promotions. 

A product of the American Wrestling Association, Vader made his initial big splash in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and eventually made his way to WCW in 1990 and eventually became a big time star in 1992. 

Through feuds with the likes of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Mick Foley, Vader dominated WCW as a multiple-time heavyweight champion. Vader's third world championship reign ended when he lost to Flair in an emotional match with Flair's career on the line. 

Vader competed in WWE under the moniker "Vader", and remained similarly as dominant as he came within an eyelash of winning the WWE Championship from Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam in 1996. 

Today, Vader competes on occasion as he mentors his son Jesse, who is an aspiring professional wrestler.

7. Kane

Kane is one of the most tenured superstars on the WWE roster dating back to his days as Isaac Yankem DDS and the Fake Diesel. 

Glenn Jacob's gimmick of the Undertaker's little brother stuck when he hit the scene at WWE's Badd Blood in 1997.  He has since terrorized the WWE as Kane, who is one of two WWE Superstars in history to win the world championship, WWE Championship and ECW Championship. 

Even though he unmasked in 2003, Kane remains one of the longest tenured veterans on the WWE roster. 

6. Dick Beyer

Dick Beyer was another true pioneer in the masked wrestling genre, as he has trained and competed against several of the masked wrestling genre's most prestigious talents from the 50's through the 80's. 

Beyer showcased his flexibility as a mask wrestler competing as both the Destroyer and Dr. X.  Beyer's outstanding career took him though various NWA territories mainly on the West coast. 

Some of Beyer's most prominent opponents include Bob Backlund, Andre the Giant and the Funks. 

5. Último Dragón

Último Dragón was such a decorated athlete that championship belts were virtually part of his wardrobe. 

As a world renowned talent by way of Japan, the Dragon migrated to WCW, where he continued his unstoppable path as one of the top cruiserweights in that division. 

Dragon is credited with creating the Asai Moonsault, used by the likes of Chris Jericho, and while his run in WWE left much to be desired, he will always be regarded as one of the top masked wrestlers to ever compete inside of a wrestling ring. 

4. Místico

You might know him as Sin Cara, but when it's all said and done, I'm sure he'd rather take credit for being the guy who portrayed the electrifying Mistico character before trying his hand in the WWE. 

Místico is widely regarded as one of the biggest box office draws in Mexico, with his high flying style often considered better than that of his legendary Lucha Libre counterpart Rey Mysterio Jr.

Místico's accolades in Mexico landed him a high profile contract in WWE, where he would be one of the first signings of the WWE's new talent division. 

Rebranded as Sin Cara, Místico has since failed to capture the magic he had in Mexico due to communication constraints and growing pains of working a North American style of pro wrestling.  Sin Cara recently failed a drug test per WWE's Wellness policy. 

News of the failed test resulted in his real name being disclosed by the company, which is looked down upon in the Lucha Libre culture. 

Despite how his career as Sin Cara pans out, nobody can take anything away from Místico as one of the all time greats in Lucha Libre.  

3. El Santo

El Santo is more than just a masked wrestler in his home country of Mexico, as his efforts inside of a wrestling ring translated to mainstream appeal as an icon of Mexico. 

Truly a John-Cena type figure in Mexico, El Santo used his popularity to launch a prominent movie career that included over 50 Lucha Libre films. 

Like many masked legends, El Santo never lost a match where his prestigious mask was on the line, and following his retirement, he bequeathed his prestige to his son, who carried on the El Santo tradition with pride.
 

2. Mil Mascaras

Mil Mascaras is comparable to Hulk Hogan in Mexican wrestling for better and for worse.  As a member of the prominent Arrellano family (Alberto Del Rio, Dos Caras Sr.), Mascaras became one of the biggest stars that Mexican professional wrestling has ever seen (better).

However Mascaras is not without his critics, namely Chris Jericho and Mick Foley, who have complained of his propensity to no-sell maneuvers during matches (worse). 

Of course, Mascaras' mask was successfully defended on every occasion, and he also starred alongside fellow masked celebrity El Santo and others in a series of Lucha Libre films. 

Mil Mascaras has been recognized by the WWE as one of the greatest masked wrestlers of all time, and despite a controversial career, there is no denying that few can hold a candle to his accomplishments.

1. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rey Mysterio Jr. has to be considered the greatest masked wrestler of all time for his accolades on both the international circuit and the national wrestling scene. 

Unlike the majority of his fellow masked competitors, Rey Mysterio became a huge star in America in addition to his fame in Mexico. 

The product in San Diego competed in WCW, where he was the most popular cruiserweight, and even holds victories over the likes of Kevin Nash despite his diminutive frame.  Mysterio didn't miss a beat when he eventually signed with WWE to do everything that the Último Dragón was supposed to do but didn't. 

Mysterio inherited his gimmick from his uncle Rey Mysterio Sr., and like many next-generation Lucha Libres, he surpassed his predecessor on the strength of a career that will be considered hall of fame-caliber no matter who you ask.

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