Rey Mysterio is up for anything for WrestleMania, including a big match which would see him put his mask on the line.

Discussing his latest feud with TVInsider.com prior to the Royal Rumble, the former champion said that following his ladder match against Andrade, he is ready to put his mask on the line against Andrade’s hair for a WrestleMania moment. “Whatever the case might be, whoever ends up winning, I think it would be a huge stepping stone for either of us,” Mysterio said.

Losing a mask is a huge deal for those who carry it and while Mysterio did wrestle without a mask for a period while in WCW, WWE has always protected his face. It was in 1999 when Mysterio was forced to remove it after losing a hair vs mask match at SuperBrawl IX where Mysterio and tag team partner Konnan lost to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

At the time, Mysterio was strongly against the idea of unmasking. “I don’t think WCW understood what the mask meant to me, to my fans and to my family. It was a very bad move on their behalf. The fans wanted Rey Mysterio with the mask and losing it hurt me a lot,” Mysterio said at the time. He also lamented the fact that it was a “throwaway match” and not a meaningful one with a climax to a feud with another masked wrestler. “I think the fans understand that I was in a position where I had no option. I either had to lose my mask or lose my job,” Mysterio recounted.