Have You Seen These 15 Pics Of Rey Mysterio Jr. Without His Mask?

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Rey Mysterio is perhaps the most highly decorated luchador in wrestling history. He has worked in just about every major wrestling promotion, and everywhere he wrestled, not only did he put on a show-stealing spectacle but he won championships as well. More specifically, he has won major championships in AAA, WCW, and perhaps, most prestigiously, WWE, where he's a 3-time World Champion. However, if anything has made a greater impression on audiences than Rey Mysterio's athletic and death-defying acrobatic abilities, it would have to be his mask. Much of Mysterio's career is defined by the various masks he has worn over the span of a nearly 30-year long career in the wrestling business. However, we have to keep in mind that Rey Mysterio isn't always Rey Mysterio, and he isn't always wearing the mask.

In Spanish, the name Rey Mysterio translates to "King Mystery," and thanks to the insistence on his behalf to wear a mask whenever he's in the ring, he's managed to keep his identity a mystery for a long time. As for what he does outside of the ring, that's a different story. When he isn't flying through the air as Rey Mysterio, he's Óscar Gutiérrez, married to Angie Gutiérrez since 1996 with two children. He doesn't wear a mask 24/7 and is free to live his personal life without having a tight mask strapped to his head at all times. However, for those who haven't seen his true face, it's hard for us wrestling fans not to be the least bit curious about what The Master of the 619 looks like under the mask. To ease that curiosity, those fans can look no further than this list.

His First Unmasking

This is the first image televisions around the world ever caught of an unmasked Rey Mysterio. At the WCW Superbrawl IX pay-per-view, Mysterio and Konnan lost a Hair vs Mask match against Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Mysterio was forced to unmask immediately on the spot, and this was the glimpse we got. This wasn't a decision that Mysterio wanted to go down nor was unmasking his call to make, to begin with. Previously, Eric Bischoff planned for Mysterio to lose his mask at Halloween Havoc 1997, and when Mysterio was reluctant, Bischoff threatened to sue Mysterio. Thankfully, Guerrero told Bischoff that he wouldn't force Mysterio to do something that he didn't want to do and so the finish was changed for Mysterio to win Guerrero's title instead. In 1999, Mysterio couldn't talk his way out of this one and was forced to unmask.

First Unmasked Promo Pics

Following his match and subsequent unmasking at the pay-per-view, the first person whom Mysterio called to break the news to that he'd been unmasked was his uncle, Rey Mysterio Sr., who had passed his masked down to Rey Jr.. Ever since then, Mysterio has been openly vocal about his displeasure about having to remove his mask. He always felt like WCW management never took into consideration how much the mask meant not only to Mysterio's career, but also to his family and friends. Not to mention, fellow luchadores Psicosis and Juventud Guerrera were forced to unmask around the same time, so Mysterio's mask meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, especially when done in a throwaway match rather than the culmination of a feud. After the match, Mysterio took a picture backstage with his mask in his hand, and you can clearly see the disappointment in his eyes for having to give up something he cherished so dearly.

Turning Up Latino Heat With A Handbag

In 2003, Rey Mysterio was invited to the Spike TV Video Game Awards at the MGM Arena in Las Vegas. While he didn't arrive at the event with his signature mask, he nearly left the event with this swanky and fiery handbag from the Creations Gift Bags Presentation. We can't say we blame Rey. It's a cool-looking bag. He, Trish Stratus, and Chris Jericho (both Canadians also attended the inaugural gaming award show) checked out the decorated bags presentation, and all three were impressed with the spectacle.

Fake Razor, Jericho, Psicosis, and Rey

Most unmasked picks of Rey Mysterio happen to show him with his roster mates from his time in WWE. It's rare to even get a glimpse of Mysterio from any other promotion he worked beforehand. With that said, here's a super rare pic of Rey Mysterio from his WCW days as he stands beside Chris Jericho, Psicosis, and Big Titan. While they were in WCW at the time this pic was taken, all of these men wound up in WWE at some point or another. Mysterio joined WWE in 2002 a year after WCW closed its doors. Jericho would go to WWE in 1999 after being unsatisfied with how WCW had been treating him, later going on to become a huge star within the company. Psicosis made it to WWE in 2005 as a part of the pro-Mexican stable, Mexicools, featuring Juventud Guerrera and Super Crazy. As for Big Titan, while he was never part of WCW, he was actually in WWE before any of these guys. He's recognized best as the guy who played Fake Razor Ramon in 1996. He then wrestled in Japan, where he joined the Japan branch of nWo, a stable founded by the real Razor Ramon, Scott Hall.

Rey Rey, Chavo, and Tito

One of the luxuries of being a WWE superstar is that it allows the average wrestler access to meeting some of the biggest legends in the sports world. This photo suggests that as it showcases an encounter between Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, and Tito Ortiz. Mysterio and Chavo have always been longtime rivals in and out of WWE -- most recently battling it out in the relatively new Lucha Underground promotion -- but are the closest of friends in real life. Both look elated to have met the UFC Hall of Famer. This MMA legend is no stranger to the world of pro wrestling as Ortiz played special referee for Impact Wrestling during a World Title match between Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles in 2005, then returned to the company briefly in 2013 to join the evil Aces & Eights stable. Ortiz has never been featured on WWE programming but has met a plethora of WWE stars as is evident in this picture.

Partying with WWE Stars

Ever since switching to the PG Era, WWE would like us all to think that their stars don't indulge in wild partying. When the company made the transition into more family friendly entertainment in 2008, WWE made it a point to emphasize that the days of wild parties where their wrestlers would get turned out on alcohol are officially over. This picture seems to suggest otherwise. This pic depicts a party featuring Rey Mysterio, Matt and Jeff Hardy, Nikki and Brie Bella, and referee Mike Chioda looking noticeably buzzed while holding a crushed beer in his hand. Considering the short time frame when all of these guys were employed as part of the WWE roster at the same time, this seems to have been taken in 2009 when the Bella Twins had just debuted and not long before both of The Hardy Boyz made their exit -- meaning the PG Era was in full effect when WWE was doing some heavy duty partying.

Chilling At The Beach

It's a notorious fact that the WWE wrestler's schedule is maddening and practically never ending. Wrestlers tend to work, at the very least, four nights a week on average. This means they're working weekly television programming, a couple house shows, and maybe a pay-per-view match in between. Not to mention, when they aren't wrestling, competitors don't have much downtime as they must spend their free time having to train, do press releases, and promote WWE in interviews. It isn't often that a WWE wrestler has time for themselves. This is a rare photo of Rey Mysterio getting some free time to lounge at the beach taken back when he was still employed by WWE. It's nice to know that there are at least some occasions when WWE wrestlers get enough free time to breathe and relax.

Smoking Rey and Friends

Being the global paragon of pro wrestling that it is, WWE often takes tours around the world. In the summer of 2012, the company went on a tour of Japan. When away from the ring, some of the wrestlers managed to enjoy the scenery and take pics of themselves enjoying their time together. With a cigarette in his mouth, Rey Mysterio is pictured above with fellow roster mates Kofi Kingston, Primo, Epico, Zack Ryder, Santino Marella, and ref Mike Chioda. Given how deep and long the brotherhood of the locker room runs between wrestlers of WWE's past and present, the WWE roster took time to visit their former co-workers while in town, Shelton Benjamin and MVP, who are also pictured. At the time, since leaving WWE, both men started wrestling in Japan under the NJPW as the tag team Black Dynamite.

Rey Rey and MVP

As previously stated in the Japan group photo from earlier, MVP started wrestling for NJPW after leaving WWE. He joined the Japanese promotion in February 2011, and despite only lasting a couple years on the roster, he managed to ignite big changes while there. In addition to raking in big wins against future WWE superstars like Karl Anderson, MVP managed to become the very first NJPW Intercontinental Champion after winning a tournament to determine the inaugural champion. He also managed to snag some major victories over Japan household names like Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and even MMA star Bob Sapp. Despite his busy schedule in Japan, MVP managed to find time to reunite and rekindle old friendships with guys like Rey Mysterio, as pictured above.

Rey Mysterio and His Buddies

This is another pic from WWE's August 2012 tour of Japan. Like with the last picture, this one features Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella, Zack Ryder, Epico, and what looks like the top of the head of his tag team partner, Primo, creeping in the back next to Ryder. MVP's head seems to be creeping in the back as well, but as with Primo, it's hard to tell. The main differences between this Japan group photo and the last group photo is that All American American Jack Swagger is in the mix now, and Rey Mysterio isn't sporting a cigarette this time.

Baby Picture

Every wrestler has his or her own humble beginning, and this is Rey Mysterio in his early years. This is a picture of Rey Mysterio when he was only 7 years old. Little did he know that he would grow up to become a legend in this industry. At a young age, he watched his uncle Rey Mysterio Sr. bounce off the ropes to win numerous championships in the Mexico region. Young Mysterio wound up doing the same, only in his case, he won several championships around the world by flying off the top rope. Young Mysterio not only became a global phenomenon in the wrestling industry but perhaps a bigger star than the uncle whom he idolized during his adolescence.

Rey and Mr. T

If nothing else, this pic of Rey Mysterio from the WrestleMania XXX weekend is worth seeing because of Mr. T, not because he's Mr. T, but because Mr. T looks insanely constipated. We're not sure if Mr. T wasn't expecting to get his picture taken here or he just never saw Rey Mysterio without his mask and he's as shocked as we are, but that strange perplexed look on his face is the highlight of this photo. At this time, Mr. T was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame for the work that he put into being a part of the very first WrestleMania main event so many decades ago. The event took place during Mania weekend in 2014, and somewhere between the induction ceremony and Mania itself, Mysterio must've ran into Mr. T backstage and decided to snap a quick pic with him.

Rey and Natalya

In 2012, fellow WWE superstar Natalya tweeted a pic of herself with Rey Mysterio taken in Tokyo. On the surface, this is merely a harmless picture of two friends and co-workers together, but this picture actually spurred an onslaught of controversy. Even though Mysterio had unmasked in WCW over a decade earlier, WWE was still protective of Mysterio's identity and did not want him seen anywhere without his mask or at least without his face covered. This might explain why Natalya quickly deleted her tweet shortly after posting it. She must've gotten word from WWE to take it down immediately. Not to mention, in the short amount of time that the tweet was up, Natalya received some heat from fans who thought it was an ill-advised decision for the former Divas Champion to openly post an unmasked pic of Mysterio.

Accidentally Unmasked Twice

In 2009, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho were embroiled in a bitter rivalry where Jericho was obsessed with unmasking the luchador. Jericho managed to unmask The Master of the 619 at a Scotland house show, but he did so accidentally. First, Jericho grabbed Mysterio by the mask, and the mask just slipped off. Jericho then had to jaw jack at the referee to distract the crowd while Mysterio strapped his mask back on. The second time happened minutes later when his mask fell off, and Mysterio had to dive underneath the ring to put it back on. On both occasions, Jericho merely meant to tease that he was going to pull Mysterio's mask off to tell a story for the match and get heat from the crowd but managed to pull it off completely. It seems as though either the mask was too loose for Rey's head or it wasn't strapped on properly.

A Proud Father

Some wrestling fans remember young Dominic Gutiérrez's face from when he was just a young adolescent in the middle of a 2005 feud between his dad Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero that culminated in a Ladder Match for the boy's custody. Nowadays, a much older Dominic is a recent high school graduate, and his father couldn't be prouder. Here's a picture from 2015 of Rey and his wife Angie during one of their son's high school football games. Both parents look elated to be watching their son excel in the sport, and now, they can be even prouder as Dominic transitions into a more familiar sport. Early in 2017, Dominic started training to become a pro wrestler, following in his family's footsteps and enrolling at the Battle U Pro Wrestling School in San Diego. With help from his dad, Dominic should certainly do well in the world of sports entertainment.

Sources: wrestlinginc.com; en.wikipedia.org