#redirect [[ Category:Lucha libre]] ▼
[[Image:Mascara Blue Demon.jpg|thumbnail|220px|The mask of [[Blue Demon]] is a good example of a typical lucha libre mask]]
'''Wrestling masks''' are most widely used in the Mexican/Latin [[lucha libre]] style of wrestling. A wrestler's mask is usually related to a wrestler's [[gimmick (professional wrestling)|persona]] (for example, a wrestler known as 'The Panda' might wear a mask with a panda's facial markings). Often, wrestlers will put their masks on the line against other wrestlers' masks, titles or an opponent's hair.
== United States ==
While in Japan and Mexico masks are a sign of tradition, they are generally considered by many in the [[United States]] to be a deathblow to a wrestler's character. Very few masked wrestlers have succeeded in becoming popular (with exceptions such as [[Tim Woods|Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods]], [[Bill Eadie|Masked Superstar]], [[Mick Foley|Mankind]], [[Leon White|Big Van Vader]], [[Glen Jacobs|Kane]], [[Chris Parks|Abyss]], and [[Oscar Gutierrez|Rey Mysterio Jr.]]) and generally are considered as [[Job (professional wrestling)|jobbers]]. The belief is that fans want to see a face and will only get behind a wrestler that shows it.
Often already established, famous wrestlers may appear under masked identities because of ([[kayfabe]]) stipulations against them, which is used to draw more attention to their "real" personas. Examples include [[Hulk Hogan]] as '''Mr. America''', [[Virgil Runnels, Jr.|Dusty Rhodes]] as the '''Midnight Rider''', [[André the Giant]] as '''Giant Machine''' and [[Brian Pillman]] as the '''Yellow Dog'''. In all cases, the masked personas were adopted because of promotional stipulations working against them, such as forced retirement, bans from competition, or bans from title shots.
== Japan ==
*First masked Luchador to become a star in Japan: [[Mil Máscaras]], 1970s
*First masked foreigner to become a star in [[Japan]]: [[Dick Beyer|The Destroyer Dick Beyer]] ([[United States]]), 1960s
*First Japanese to regularly use a mask: Mach Hayato
*First Japanese to become a superstar with a mask: [[Tiger Mask]] [[Satoru Sayama]].
In Japan, most masked wrestlers can be found in the [[cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|junior heavyweight]] divisions, as they prefer to follow the pattern set by Mascaras and Sayama of being a masked wrestler who can do high-flying moves in the ring.
[[Category:Professional wrestling]]
▲[[Category:Lucha libre]]
[[ja:覆面レスラー]]
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