Mask collection retrospective: 2020

We've now arrived at the year 2020. As you all know, COVID hit most of the western world by March, shutting down practically everything. Even so, I was able to buy some pretty cool masks: For previous entries in this series, see 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

• Flamita
• Bandido
• Titán/Mephisto fusion

Flamita and Bandido (2020-01-11)

These are the masks that Flamita and Bandido wore when Mexasquad won the Ring of Honor Six-Man titles in January. Unfortunately, COVID derailed any plans that ROH had for them for 2020, but even so, these are really cool tricolor masks.

Bandido initially filmed a skit for ROH in which he mentioned that he wasn't going to sell the mask. But then he put a bunch of masks up for sale, and I noticed that one of them looked like the mask from the title match. I confirmed that the mask was indeed the one in question and immediately bought.

In hindsight, I should have tried to get Rey Horus's mask from this match, too. At least I know who has it, and that it's in good hands. Also in hindsight, I should have attended this show live. I had the opportunity to do so and would've lost it when Mexasquad won. This is a good example of the reason why I say that I never regret the trips that I make, only the ones that I don't.

P.S. Part of me still misses Mexablood/Mexasquad.

Titán/Mephisto

Although most of the masks that I've collected in the last several years have been ring-worn, this is one of the exceptions. This fusion mask has a design very similar to the one that Titán used during the parejas increíbles tournament that CMLL held in February 2020. I inquired about the original but was too late; even so, the design is unique, so I was happy buying an unused mask.

I paid Titán in March 2020 for the mask but didn't feel comfortable asking him to ship it, so I told him that I would pick it up in person the next time that I was in Mexico City. At the time, I fully expected that to be later in the year. It ended up being September 2022. A cool story here is that Titán actually remembered about the mask before I brought it up to him. Given the two and a half years that had passed, I expected to need to remind him at some point. I didn't. Titán is awesome.

This was a bit of shorter entry, fitting since 2020 was essentially an abbreviated year for lucha – and a lot of other things. 2021 wasn't a great year either, but I did resume seeing shows and did pick up masks there. I'll talk about that next time.