Page "Wrestling mask" Paragraph 10

In Lucha Libre the highest achievement is not winning a championship but winning the mask of an opponent in a " Luchas de Apuestas " match, a " bet fight " where each wrestler bets their mask.

The Luchas de Apuestas match is usually seen as the culmination of a long and heated storyline between two or more wrestlers with the winner getting the " ultimate victory ".

After losing a match of this time the wrestler must reveal his real name, where he's from and how long he has been a wrestler before taking the mask off to show his face.

Unmasked wrestlers will wager their hair instead, risking having his or her head shaved bald in case of defeat.

There can be several reasons to book a " Luchas de Apuestas " match beyond the obvious purporse of elevating the winner.

If the loser is a younger wrestler then the loss of the mask can sometimes lead to a promotional push after unmasking, or the wrestler is being given a new ring persona.

Older wrestlers often lose their masks during the last couple of years of their career, often for a big payday depending on how long and successful a career they've had, The more successful the wrestler that's unmasked the bigger the honor for the winner.