Wrestling legend Rey Mysterio was left scrambling after being ‘accidentally’ unmasked during a match live on WWE Raw.

The iconic performer was grappling Xavier Woods on the Monday night broadcast when, at the bout’s end, his opponent snatched his sacred Lucha mask.

Mysterio was beaten by Woods after the shocking momentWWE

Veteran Mysterio had been lining up his signature finishing move, the 619, when The New Day’s Woods ducked from off the middle rope and began to hoist his opponent in the air.

As the two grappled, Woods took advantage of Mysterio’s positioning, snatching the mask from his head, leaving the star grasping to cover his face, so rarely has he been seen without the covering over the course of his storied career.

In the chaos, Woods rolled up Mysterio for the three count and victory in the match, though the former feigned shock at the moment, playing it up as an accidental slip.

Rather than being an horrendous mishap, it seemed clear the spot was part of the planned finish to the match, and played into the current storyline for Woods, whose on-screen character has been teasing a ‘heel’ turn – changing a fan favourite figure into a bad guy on television.

Demasking Mysterio would usually be seen as a hugely disrespectful move, hence the reaction of Woods – and WWE, who posted a clip of the ending to the match on social media as ‘accidental.’

Fans were far from convinced, divided in their reaction to the shocking scene on social media.

Some lapped up the advancing storyline for Woods, applauding the evident signs of a good guy going bad, with one saying: “This is one of the biggest heel moves a wrestler can do!” Another simply quipped: “Throw him in jail!”

A third commented: “Those seeds are definitely being planted for Xavier to snap and turn heel,” while other reactions included praise for ‘the ultimate heel move’ and ‘absolutely brilliant!”

Mysterio, who turns 50 later this year, did perform for a brief part of his time in WCW without his Lucha mask. For most of his 35-year career, though, he’s wrestled proudly wearing it, even keeping it on during media interviews and outside appearances – carefully hiding his face when removing it to present it to UFC chief Dana White at UFC 306.

As such, the rare sight – even momentarily – of the grappler without the mask was still something to behold for some fans.

Legend Rey Mysterio was unmasked as part of an ongoing storyline on RawWWE

Mysterio’s face was visible for split-second moments during the quick finish to the matchWWE

WWEThe veteran performed unmasked for a period in WCW but has rarely been unmasked during his WWE tenure.[/caption]

One reply on social media said: “Oh man!! We almost got to see what Rey looks like without his mask!!”

Another added: “You can see his face there for a good moment,” while a third said they’d ‘always wondered’ about seeing the star unmasked.”

After establishing himself in WCW during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mysterio first signed with WWE in 2002 and enjoyed multiple world title reigns.

He left at the end of his contract in 2015 but would return just three years later where he’s wrestled as United States Champion – gold he lost to Logan Paul – and as part of the LWO, as well as enjoying a fierce on-screen rivalry with is own son, Dominik.

In WWE alone he’s racked up ten reigns with singles titles and won the Royal Rumble in 2006. He was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2023.