Mask collection retrospective: 2021

We're now into 2021 for this series. For context, COVID was still a major issue, but with vaccine availability, I felt comfortable enough to try attending a couple of shows live in the second half of the year.

For previous entries, see 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

The masks that I'll highlight from 2021 will be:

• Flamita
• Bandido
• Bandido / Volador Jr. fusion

Flamita (ca. 2021-03-17)

This is Flamita's mask, made by Kazuaki Takeda, from the Ring of Honor 19th Anniversary show, in which he turned heel and signaled the end of Mexasquad. At least we got an absolutely insane three-way Bandido–Flamita–Rey Horus match out of it.

(As a side note, I am fully aware that the Anniversary show aired on March 26, 2021. I am making a best guess as to the tape date.)

I first saw this mask in an ominous post on Flamita's Instagram from backstage and guessed that something along the lines of a heel turn was happening. I dove into Flamita's messages and committed to buy the mask even before I had the full context. Besides the match itself, two neat things about this mask are that (1) it features a new back design that I love, and (2) it ended up being the last mask that he used before he officially became Demonic Flamita.

I admit that I still harbor mixed feelings about the heel turn, but regardless, this is an amazing mask from an undeniably pivotal point in Flamita's career, and I'm happy to have it.

Bandido (2021-08-01)

This is the mask that Bandido used in his successful PWG title defense against Black Taurus at Mystery Vortex 7, the first PWG show since the COVID pandemic started. I had agreed in advance to buy Bandido's mask from the PWG KOBE show from 2020 that never happened because of COVID. Once PWG announced that they were returning and honoring tickets from KOBE, I reconfirmed with Bandido to buy this mask. Technically, I guess that I wasn't supposed to know in advance that he was going to be at Mystery Vortex, but it's not a difficult logical assumption to make, since he was their champion at the time.

Given the circumstances, to have a mask from the main event of the first show that I got to attend live in almost two years was special, a microcosm that represented a sense of return to some semblance of normality.

Bandido / Volador Jr. fusion

As I've mentioned a few times here, I love fusion masks, and this is no exception. I buy ring-worn masks mostly these days, but I'll often settle for unworn fusion masks, since getting the worn one can be difficult. This is an unused mask that I bought from Republic of Lucha.

Given the subsequent fallout between Bandido and CMLL, it's unlikely that we'll see any similar fusion designs with CMLL luchadors for the foreseeable future, so I'm happy that I got this one while it was available.

That wraps up 2021. I'm happy that I was able to resume attending live shows and that I got some ring-worn masks used throughout the year.