The 2013 Festival de las Máscaras (Spanish for "Festival of the Mask") was a major lucha libre event produced and scripted by the Mexican International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) professional wrestling promotion on August 11, 2013. The show was held in Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan, State of Mexico, which is IWRG's primary venue.
At the 2013 event Avisman, El Hijo del Diablo, El Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Universo 2000 and Veneno all wore their masks again after having lost Luchas de Apuestas, or "bet matches", in the past and thus lost the rights to wear their mask. In the main event long time rivals Rayo de Jalisco Jr. and Universo 2000 each captained a team as Rayo de Jalisco Jr., El Solar and Veneno defeated Universo 2000, Pirata Morgan and Villano IV.
Production
Background
The wrestling mask has always held a sacred place in lucha libre, carrying with it a mystique and anonymity beyond what it means to wrestlers elsewhere in the world. The ultimate humiliation a luchador can suffer is to lose a Lucha de Apuestas, or bet match. Following a loss in a Lucha de Apuesta match the masked wrestler would be forced to unmask, state their real name and then would be unable to wear that mask while wrestling anywhere in Mexico. Since 2007 the Mexican wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG; Sometimes referred to as Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish) has held a special annual show where they received a waiver to the rule from the State of Mexico Wrestling Commission and wrestlers would be allowed to wear the mask they previously lost in a Lucha de Apuestas.
The annual IWRG Festival de las Máscaras ("Festival of the Masks") event is also partly a celebration or homage of lucha libre history with IWRG honoring wrestlers of the past at the events similar to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's (CMLL) Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to Two Legends") annual shows. The IWRG's Festival de las Máscaras shows, as well as the majority of the major IWRG shows in general, are held in Arena Naucalpan, owned by the promoters of IWRG and is their main venue. The 2013 Festival de las Máscaras show was the seventh year in a row IWRG held the show.
IWRG regular Avisman made his debut as an enmascarado, or "masked professional wrestler", Avisman I teaming up with Avisman II for years. On December 21, 2003 Avisman I lost a Lucha de Apuestas to Dr. Cerebro as part of the Arena Naucalpan 26th Anniversary Show and wa forced to unmask and reveal his given name. In 2004 he defeated the other Avisman and from that point on had the exclusive rights to the name "Avisman". The wrestler known as El Hijo del Diablo, literally "the Son of the devil", not son of a wrestler known as "El Diablo", adopted the masked persona early on in his career. > In 2006 he became involved in a storyline feud against one of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) rising stars Místico, that led to the two facing off in a "mask vs. mask", Lucha de Apuestas match on December 1, 2006. Místico won the match and the mask of El Hijo del Diablo, who was forced to unmask for the first time in his career.
The wrestler known as El Hijo de Pirata Morgan ("The son of Pirata Morgan) made his debut under that name in 2007, working as a masked wrestler with a "skull and crossbones" themed mask, teaming with his father Pirata Morgan and his brother Pirata Morgan Jr. on a regular basis. > On March 16, 2013 Hijo de Pirata Morgan teamed up with Cassandro to compete in a Ruleta de la Muerte, losers advance tag team tournament to commemorate the retirement of Ray Mendoza, Jr. The duo lost to Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. and Máscara Año 2000 in the first round, and El Solar and Toscano in the second round qualifying and then lost to the team of Villano IV and Ray Mendoza, Jr. in the finals. Due to the loss Hijo de Pirata Morgan had to unmask and reveal his birthname, Antheus Ortiz Chávez, while Cassandro was shaved bald.