Bruce Prichard Assesses Likelihood Of Another Masked Wrestler Holding World Title

Pro wrestlers have been performing under masks since the early days of the sport. But while masked wrestlers enjoy enormous success in Mexico, the list of masked stars who've held world titles in the US is a relatively short one. A recent episode of "Something to Wrestle" did a deep dive on masked men in wrestling, and host Bruce Prichard assessed whether a masked wrestler could be given an extended WWE world title run in today's digital age. "With the internet and the ability to search and find who's who and what they really look like and everything, I don't know if that mystery could sustain in today's environment," Prichard said. "I think people would go search it, you'd have your dirt sheet writers [saying] 'This is their real name! This is who they are!' I think Rey [Mysterio] is kind of the last of that breed."

As an unlikely two-time WWE World Champion, there's probably few who wouldn't put Mysterio on their Mount Rushmore of masked wrestlers. In the past, Prichard has suggested that masked performers don't usually ascend to Mysterio's heights because the disguise conceals the emotions of the wearer — whether they're struggling, scheming or surprised is often lost. Prichard said Mysterio was the type of unique performer that was able to transcend that through his in-ring ability. The current WWE executive said that while "darker" masked stars like Mankind, Kane and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt still have their place, a masked wrestler carrying the company's most prestigious title probably won't happen again.

"I just think the audience has gotten a little more sophisticated," Prichard said. "They want to be able to see who's under that mask, and they can't suspend their disbelief enough ... I just think that the audience over-analyzes and take things way too seriously."