Kevin Nash has confirmed that he was responsible for booking the moment when Rey Mysterio lost his mask in WCW, and he continues to support that decision. Nash believes WCW wanted to highlight the man behind the mask rather than the mask itself as part of a broader marketing strategy. During a recent Ask Nash segment on the podcast Kliq This, Nash discussed the unmasking that took place at SuperBrawl IX on February 21, 1999. In that event, Mysterio and Konnan were defeated by Nash and Scott Hall in a hair versus mask match. Originally, Lex Luger was slated to team with Nash, but he was written off three days earlier due to a storyline injury, which led to Hall stepping in.
Nash took credit for booking the unmasking, explaining it tied into a major advertising campaign WCW was launching. He noted that the marketing team had seen Rey without his mask and decided it wouldn’t work to feature a luchador mask in big public ads, such as in Times Square. Nash’s rationale was to reveal Mysterio’s face so the audience could connect with the wrestler behind the persona.
While many fans and wrestlers voiced concerns about breaking lucha libre traditions—which usually reserve mask losses for personal feuds and typically involve masked opponents—Nash dismissed those objections. He highlighted that hair versus mask matches and losing masks in tag matches weren’t unprecedented. This viewpoint contrasts with Mysterio’s own stance, who has previously shared that WCW initially wanted to unmask him in 1997 but he resisted it at the time.
Nash praised Mysterio for making the best of the situation, pointing out how Rey adapted by often appearing with sunglasses and hand gestures to maintain his mystique even without the mask. Nash also asserted that the mask was never the core of Mysterio’s appeal but rather his earning potential via merchandise, a potential that WCW lacked the infrastructure to capitalize on properly. His goal was simply to showcase Mysterio’s face, believing it would strengthen his connection with the audience.
Furthermore, Nash mentioned that when he began booking matches, he deliberately arranged for Mysterio to defeat him cleanly in the ring to set a tone of decisive finishes and send a clear message to the locker room. Over time, Mysterio’s own feelings about being unmasked evolved, acknowledging that working without it helped establish his reputation as a giant killer and eventually proved to WWE that a smaller wrestler could be a top star. Mysterio remained unmasked until WCW folded in 2001 and then returned to wearing his mask upon joining WWE in 2002. Since then, he has enjoyed a decorated career, including a Royal Rumble victory, multiple world titles, and a Hall of Fame induction in 2023.
Although Nash hedges his claim with “I think,” and multiple people were involved in WCW booking decisions at the time, his version of events sheds light on an important moment in wrestling history that continues to generate discussion among fans and insiders.
Fan Take: This insight from Kevin Nash matters because it reveals how business decisions sometimes clash with cultural traditions in wrestling, especially in lucha libre. Understanding these behind-the-scenes choices helps fans appreciate the complexity of storytelling in wrestling and how those moments can shape the sport’s evolution and the careers of its biggest stars.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
