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Men Under Masks

Posted: May 2nd 2008 By: mikeiles

Back in the days when North American pro wrestling was divided up into territories, many areas had one or more individuals that worked under a mask. Invariably, this was almost always a tip-off of a villainous character. Those who plied their trade in anonymity bore names like Mephisto, Mighty Atlas, Mr. X, Dr. X, Masked Marvel and Hangman.

Most of these mystery men shared similar character traits. With the exception of masked babyface rarities such as Mr. Wrestling (both I and II) and The Midnight Rider, they would use their camouflage as an aid in pulling heelish stunts. For instance, many masked individuals were known to conceal foreign objects inside the upper part of their hoods and then headbutt their hapless opponents. (Something that seemed inconsistent about that action was the fact that the recipient of the collision was always knocked into a semi-or-unconscious state, while the masked man rarely felt anything at all). Of course, by the time the referee began suspecting that something wasn?t kosher, the offender would have removed the small steel plate, which remained undetected. All of which got the desired response ? it raised the ire of the crowd and strengthened their desire to see the masked man?s face uncovered. No less than his abject humiliation would do.

When a masked man?s anonymity was threatened, he would resort to using just about any tactic. Regardless of how cowardly the act and no matter how low he sank to escape, the desperate heel could be counted upon to do anything to keep his face from public scrutiny. To have his identity exposed would be to suffer the greatest possible indignation, which meant it was typically reserved for the conclusion of a well-developed program. The best were those designed to build anticipation of the unmasking over a long period of time.

Executed properly, fans were certain to beat down the doors and fill the buildings as the time approached for the grand reveal. And when it finally did come to pass, the unveiling amounted to stripping the once fearsome villain of his depraved powers. At the moment of disclosure, the suddenly weak and bare-faced heel was at the mercy of his conqueror.

For its part, the crowd would explode, releasing the months (and often years) of frustration that had built up to the bursting point. They would hoot with derision, born of a delirium held in check too long. Taking no pity in witnessing the bad guy?s distress, the fans would release all of their pent-up hostility. As one, they discharged the bile they?d been forced to suppress for so long. At last, the moment of sweet and glorious retribution and release had finally arrived.

Masked wrestlers were particularly prominent in the southern wrestling circuits. The Mighty Yankees, their very name defining them as heels below the Mason-Dixon line, prospered for much of the 60s. One of the most despised (i.e. successful) teams was The Infernos, with their red-headed manager J.C. Dykes. Given the allusion to fearful heat, it was not a great surprise when occasional fireballs were used to subdue babyface teams. The Infernos were the source of more than a few riots, as they blazed a violent path through Florida, Tennessee, Texas and the Gulf Coast. Although the occurrence came close on a couple of occasions, they were never unmasked before a paying crowd.

The team that headed the list was The Assassins. Jody Hamilton, who had appeared under a hood in Atlanta as The Assassin, hooked up with Tom Renesto and applied the same name to the team. The fans discovered an instant hatred for them, and it required nothing but the duo?s very presence to set the crowd?s blood to boiling. According to the profile found at Brad Dykens? Online World of Wrestling website, the two men met one another for the first time the very night they won the Southern Tag Team championship.

The Assassins' services were soon in demand on a world-wide scale, and they traveled extensively. From their home base in Georgia, they made memorable appearances in Canada, Europe and Asia. Only when they turned up to work for Jim Crockett Promotions in the Carolinas did they refrain from using the name they?d made famous. Because Tom Renesto had established himself as ?The Great Bolo? prior to becoming an Assassin, they were known as The Bolos (Tom was ?The Great? and Jody was ?The Mighty?) in that territory. It made no difference. The crowds were every bit as passionate in their loathing of the twosome as those that despised The Assassins elsewhere.

Interestingly, masked wrestlers were not a part of the proceedings for close to two decades along the upper eastern seaboard. The New York State Athletic Commission made a ruling in the 1950s, declaring it illegal for wrestlers to work under a hood. (This same ?law? was adopted by Connecticut and other states in the region). Such colorful characters were not permitted to accept work as grapplers unless they did so without their adornments.

Thus a wrestler, such as The Spoiler, who had successfully made a solid name for himself in other parts of the country, was forced to start over without his gimmick if he intended to work in the Capitol/WWWF territory. Another star from the Midwest, The Golden Terror, was not permitted to maintain the mystery of his facial features whenever he was booked in Gotham. Instead, he wore a leather helmet (reminiscent of those worn by World War I aviators) that covered the top of his head. Rather than trying to solve the mystery of who was under a mask, eastern fans had to be satisfied with wondering what color hair The Terror was hiding.

The ban was finally lifted in 1972. That?s when the amazingly acrobatic luchador from Mexico, Mil Mascaras, who had created a sensation in California and Texas, tried to get a booking in the Big Apple. Vincent J. McMahon and the WWWF promoters were anxious to bring him in. So, Mil Mascaras himself appeared before the New York State Athletic Commission to make an appeal for the retention of his mask when making his debut at Madison Square Garden. It was through his efforts that northeastern wrestling fans were finally able to see less of a man?s face as he entered the ring to wrestle. Ironically, Mil?s first bout at MSG was against Don Jardine, AKA The Spoiler (still wrestling without his mask).

Finally, one of the more amusing articles to ever appear in a wrestling magazine in the late 60s involved one of the greatest masked wrestlers of all time. Dick Beyer, better known under his custom-made hood as The Intelligent Sensational Destroyer, was a mainstay in the old WWA (Worldwide Wrestling Association) of southern California. Appearing in the region throughout most of the 60s, he would refer to himself with the rather lengthy title The Intelligent Sensational Destroyer.

One of the magazines of the day took us to visit The Destroyer in his home. Along with a story about his life away from the ring, we saw photos of the masked man doing everyday chores around the house. The pictures brought us an up-close-and-personal glance into the daily doings of the masked man, with captions such as ?Here?s The Destroyer mowing the front lawn,? and ?Here he is paying bills,? and ?Now we see the hooded figure hanging a picture in the family den.? With most anybody else it would have been routine and dull, a kind of bland and ordinary day-in-the-life rendering.

What took it out of the realm of the mundane and into the surreal was the fact that The Destroyer was wearing his mask while performing all these familiar tasks. We can only imagine how unnerving it must have been for someone to take a look outside his front window on a Saturday morning, only to see the next-door-neighbor wearing a mask while taking out the trash or trimming the hedges. At least that?s what the article would have us believe.

This was taken a step further when we were introduced to Mrs. Destroyer. A woman who was probably quite attractive, it was impossible to say with certainty because she too wore a hood. We were treated to several pictures of the lady of the house puttering about domestically as she cooked and made beds, all the while wearing the exact same headgear her husband sported. Readers were informed that the duo always wore their masks in their everyday endeavors, only removing them when retiring for the evening.

The punch line came on the last page of the article. That?s when we were treated to a startling photo of the FAMILY DOG wearing a mask.

Is it any wonder why so many people once loved this wacky business?

Tags: Dr. X, Mr. Wrestling II, The Assassins, Spoiler, Mil Mascaras