It was founded in 1899 by 6 visionary luchadores: Microsecond, Aerodynamic, Stargaze, Quickfire, Tectonic, and Vortex.

The first 4 founders’ names form MASQ’s acronym. TV didn’t yet exist, so Tectonic & Vortex missed the marquee. The trailblazing tag-team were still treated equally, and jokingly referred to themselves as the lesser founders. When TV entered living rooms in the 20th century, they finally got their flowers.

In the digital age, MASQ refers to the promotion itself, whilst its streaming service is known as MASQTV.

The 6 founders are colloquially known as the Sextet. They were MASQ’s top draws and key executives. Their influence on the wrestling industry can’t be overstated.

Differing cultures, backgrounds, and styles could’ve kept them apart, but instead pulled them together.

Five of the Sextet suffered ironic deaths: Aerodynamic forgot to pack his parachute while skydiving; Stargaze was struck by a meteorite; Quickfire dozed off with a lit cigarette; Tectonic slipped through the cracks in an earthquake; Vortex was eaten by sharks while surfing, leaving…

At the ripe young age of 144, Microsecond is the last surviving founder and the oldest person to have ever lived – though he’s remarkably spry…

Having exiled himself from MASQ for over a decade, he returned to his brainchild in an ambassadorial role in the 2010s.

The island housing MASQ’s base of operations. The Sextet said they were drawn to its location and built a ring to put on shows for the locals. Over time, with massive investment from corporate interests, it developed into a tourist attraction and company town (well, city).

Speculation that it was once a Native American burial site has never been substantiated. Its precise location is ambiguous, featuring all manner of geographical landmarks and weather events, serving as a convenient Anytown, USA. Think of Springfield in The Simpsons.

The state of the art arena hosting most of MASQ’s events. Its name is an homage to the glitzy Studio 54, with 81 resembling a luchador’s mask turned counter-clockwise.

Fans have access to food courts, bars, and lounges; understocked and overpriced merch stands; and a VIP-only meet & greet area. Masqots may utilise trainers, seamstresses, makeup and hairdressing; private locker rooms, gym, and sauna; and a skybox from which to enjoy the show.

Spectators sit in tiered seating and floor sections. The hexagonal MASQ logo also forms the set: its eyes function as opposing entrance tunnels for Knights & Rogues; the nose and mouth serve as the stage (including a hidden elevator); a raised ramp extends from the mouth, like a tongue, to the ring.

Fabric skirts line five sides of the 6-sided ring, under which Masqots may find a smorgasbord of weapons. The 6th side, facing the hardcam, comprises a large LED panel. The display cycles through show logos, match graphics, and sponsors. Three translucent ropes, containing RGB lights, pass through three turnbuckles on each of the 6 steel ringposts.

Grey mats provide minimal padding on the concrete floor. A commentary booth is situated on the side of the Hexagon furthest from the ramp, with corner seating for the ring announcer & timekeeper. Solid grey barriers separate the crowd from the action.

All of MASQ’s original programming is available through its in-house OTT subscription VOD service, for $9.99 a month.

Though we’ve no cable executives or broadcasting standards to abide by, we do still have to appease our corporate overlords – sponsors & shareholders.

Mild cussing, bleeding, and dangerous matches are acceptable, but we don’t feature sexual content or ultraviolence. Our product is generally family friendly.

All on-air staff are masked. Wrestlers, referees, ring announcers – you get the idea. Production members such as cameramen are maskless, as are the crowd.

When asked why faculty wear masks, the Sextet merely stated it was “good business”, though it’s suspected there’s more to it than that…

Masqots use mantles indicative of their talents and roles, just as people did centuries ago with surnames like Smith and Baker.

As time passed, masklines supplanted family trees. Marriages didn’t just mean the union of two houses, but the combining of their mask designs & colours. Children inherit markings from their parents, like coats of arms.

Not everyone follows in their family’s footsteps, of course. Rebels buck convention, black sheep are disowned, the disillusioned let their masklines die.

Knights and Rogues may, when changing allegiances or attitudes, shed their existing mask to reveal a new mask and, with it, a new persona underneath.

A Masqot could be known by several mantles over their career, reflecting their continual evolution.

Social norms and cues have developed in response to the reverence for masks.

Speaking ill of a mask is, by extension, dishonouring its wearer’s family; damaging their mask is tantamount to physical assault; forcibly removing a mask is a reprehensible act.

Publicly unmasking is normally reserved for when a Masqot retires, though they don’t all do it. Many even sleep and bathe in their masks. Unmasking around others is the highest compliment, a gesture of love, bestowing trust in all parties when a person is at their most vulnerable.

If MASQ is such a big deal, how come we don’t have a footprint?

One fateful day, reports went viral that a noxious green haze descended on unsuspecting victims round the world.

The sentient toxic formations discriminated only against those linked to MASQ, no matter how tangentially. They themselves weren’t harmed, but their merchandise was disintegrated… Even if they were wearing it at the time.

Cumulomistus, the biggest of the acrid clouds, loomed over Masqopolis itself, casting it into shadow. Buildings and structures were unscathed, but tangible items — employment contracts & artefacts in the Hall of Masks, for instance — were destroyed.

Victims realised their memories had been wiped. Fans couldn’t name their favourite Masqots or matches. Masqots had no recollection of their feuds, accolades, or career-defining moments.

In a bizarre turn of events now known as The Mistery, the trillion-dollar corporation had effectively been erased from the history books.

With only scraps of information to piece together its history, MASQ is working closely with authorities to get to the bottom of what happened.