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There are always lots of surprises in WWE. Some are wrestlers returning to the company or from injury, or are wrestlers getting called up from NXT. Others make their entrance under a mask or disguise. Doing that sometimes creates a storyline where there are questions as to who the person under the mask is.
During the end of the men’s WarGames match, a masked wrestler climbed the cage and interfered with the match. He delivered a superkick to C.M. Punk and then gave him a stomp, which is Seth Rollins’s signature move. Afterwards, Bron Breakker pinned Punk and the masked man climbed out of the cage.
In recognition of this ongoing mystery, the WWE YouTube channel uploaded another WWE Playlist video. This time featuring many different appearances by masked wrestlers. This video will bring back nostalgia for some as well as intense speculation as to who the masked man who attacked Punk is.
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This video showcased how effective masking people are in terms of storyline purposes. I really enjoyed the Wyatt Family clips. Bray Wyatt, the Wyatt Family, and the Wyatt Sicks all use masks as central parts of their characters and storylines.
Braun Strowman’s debut was especially effective, as he already had a creepy mask on. But underneath was a face with great facial expressions that told everyone that Roman Reigns was going to have a bad night. It was also nice seeing John Cena sneak into the Wyatt Family’s entrance, as he effortlessly blended in before attacking them.
Seeing Kane’s debut on this video was great, as his mask was a huge part of his character as well. His whole costume was red and black, a nice complement to the red lighting during his debut. Standing face to face with the Undertaker showed everyone that there was a man equal to him that was now in the company.
Overall, this video featuring a history of masked attackers creates intrigue and excitement as they further a storyline. The variety of different ways of which masks were used in the video highlights how they aren’t just costumes. Some, like the Wyatts and Kane, use them to enhance their characters’ appearance. The masks are used as an intimidation factor, which clearly worked many times towards other wrestlers.
Others used masks to conceal their identities while doing something bad. Jeff Hardy ruining Elias’s concert, Dakota Kai attacking Raquel Rodriguez, and the masked man ripping victory away from Punk’s team at WarGames were more effective than normal interruptions because they were under a mask while doing those things.
Masks in real life can be used for silly purposes. But masks in wrestling improve characters while also surprising fans and other wrestlers.
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