During our chat the other night, we also talked about The Gladiator's
masks. The idea for the mask and The Gladiator character was suggested
by a friend of his. It caught on with crowds and took him all over the
world.
The mask was made of a nylon fabric and after a while in a match it
would become soaking wet with sweat, cutting off 50% of Rick's
hearing. There was also a danger of strangulation or suffocation if
another wrestler tried to pull the mask off.
I think he said he had seven masks and they were designed to match the
costume.

Jimmy