Rey Mysterio Without His Mask: Photos Of What WWE Icon Really Looks Like

WWE

WWE star Rey Mysterio has wowed fans for well over 30 years, leading many to wonder who lurks behind the iconic mask.

The Career Of Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio Jr, real name Óscar Gutiérrez, made his pro-wrestling debut at the age of 14 in 1989, in Mexico. The star was trained in the style of lucha libre by his uncle, Rey Misterio Sr.

After stints with Lucha Libre AAA and ECW, Mysterio notably made his WCW debut in June 1996. The Mexican star gained popularity in WCW in the cruiserweight division, before eventually becoming a ‘giant killer’ after scoring victories over the likes of Kevin Nash and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Mysterio made his WWE debut in July 2002, where his popularity truly skyrocketed. During his first stint with the company, the luchador won the WWE, World Heavyweight, Tag Team, and Intercontinental championships, most of the titles needed for him to become a WWE Grand Slam Champion.

Mysterio returned to the independent scene in 2015, following his WWE release. After wrestling around the world for the likes of AAA, Lucha Underground and NJPW, the masked star rejoined WWE in 2018, after surprise appearances in that year’s Royal Rumble and Greatest Royal Rumble bouts.

After returning to the company, Mysterio won the US Championship, making him the 21st competitor to become a WWE Grand Slam Champion.

More recently, Mysterio welcomed his son Dominik into WWE, with Dominik wrestling his first match at SummerSlam 2020.

Rey now wrestles for the SmackDown brand, which he joined after Dominik turned on him at the September 3, 2022 Clash At The Castle premium live event.

Rey Mysterio WCW Unmasking

A luchador’s unmasking is a huge deal, with many stars refusing to publicly remove their mask for their entire career. In the case of El Santo, fans only got to see the wrestling legend’s face for the first time a week before the icon’s passing in February 1984.

While there are a number of photos floating around of Rey Mysterio without his mask, the most notable comes from a segment in which the luchador was forced to remove his mask in WCW.

At WCW Superbrawl IX in February 1999, Mysterio teamed with Konnan to face Kevin Nash & Scott Hall in a mask vs hair bout. Mysterio’s team ultimately lost, and per the stipulation, Mysterio had to unmask in the ring.

Mysterio went on to wrestle without a mask for the rest of his WCW career, before Vince McMahon requested for Mysterio to compete with his mask again after the luchador joined WWE.

Recent Unmasked Photo Of Rey Mysterio In The Gym

It has been a while since that unmasking, so what does Mysterio look like nowadays?

Mysterio occasionally posts photos and videos in the gym, showing off his insane physique and impressive workouts.

The star usually obscures part of his face, but these photos provide a glimpse at the face of the man who wears the iconic mask.

Unmasked By Randy Orton In 2018

Mysterio faced off against a sadistic Randy Orton on the November 20, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown.

While Mysterio has been ‘unmasked’ in a number of WWE matches, this bout marks one of the most recent occasions when the luchador’s face has been shown on WWE TV.

In the closing moments of the match, Orton lifted Mysterio up for the RKO by his mask, giving fans a good look at the icon’s face through the mask mouth-hole.

Following the match, Orton brutalised Mysterio with a chair and stole his mask.

Backstage With Tyson Fury

Several backstage photos have emerged over the years featuring Rey Mysterio without his mask.

The luchador appeared maskless in footage with Tyson Fury backstage before the heavyweight boxer’s match against Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel 2019.

The WWE star appeared in high spirits, and posed to the camera in Fury’s locker room.

The Legacy/Future Of The Rey Mysterio Mask

Rey Mysterio still sports his mask while wrestling on SmackDown, but the lucha libre veteran might not be the last competitor to wear the very same iconic headwear.

Speaking on the Out of Character podcast in 2021, Dominik Mysterio noted that his long-term goal in wrestling is to earn either Rey Mysterio’s mask or the Rey Mysterio name.

Rey Mysterio has previously noted that he’d be open to passing his mask down to Dominik when he decides to step away from the ring for good.

Check out WrestleShop.com for all your favorite WrestleTalk merch, the WrestleTalk Magazine, wrestling shirts for grown-ups, and more!

• Unmasked
• mask
• rey mysterio
• wwe

Share this article with friends