Lucha libre has remained a tradition in Mexico with their wrestling shows being quite different from most other countries. The wrestlers in Mexico more commonly wear masks and usually have the high-flying moves as the biggest part of their in-ring style. Many have made the jump to the United States for a chance to get over in WWE.
The results are all over the place with Vince McMahon running hot or cold on the names featured here. Best-case scenarios saw a few names making the world title picture or having Hall of Fame worthy careers. On the flip side, WWE didn’t give a fair chance to a few talented performers. Find out what caused each story to play out for the best Mexican wrestlers in WWE history and the ones that should have been bigger stars.
10 Best: Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero was born in Texas, but he grew up in Mexico and followed in the family tradition. Many of the legendary Guerrero relatives made their name in Mexico before coming to the United States for a bigger opportunity.
WWE saw Chavo have a solid career with them spending a full decade with the company. The peak of Chavo’s career came teaming with his uncle Eddie Guerrero. Both wrestlers were finally able to showcase their personalities.
9 Should Have Been Bigger: Psychosis
WWE signed Psychosis in the 2000s when looking for more roster depth during the brand split. The Mexicools faction saw Psychosis making his WWE debut without a mask after wrestling with it for years in WCW.
Fans barely got a chance to witness the talent of Psychosis during his short WWE run. The Mexicools gimmick flopped with overwhelmingly negative reactions to the trio essentially playing racial stereotypes.
8 Best: Andrade
The run of Andrade is still going in WWE, but he has accomplished a lot in a short time. Andrade gave up his mask as La Sombra to start fresh in WWE. The risk paid off when Andrade won the NXT Championship in impressive fashion.
Andrade and Zelina Vega have found more success on the main roster in the mid-card picture. The United States Championship reigns of Andrade helped him get over with new fans. Time will tell if he rises further up the list.
7 Should Have Been Bigger: Gran Metalik
The Cruiserweight Classic saw Gran Metalik break out as one of the top international stars. Metalik fell just short of winning it all in the finals when losing to TJ Perkins. WWE signed Metalik to become part of the cruiserweight division for 205 Live.
Unfortunately, things have not been going well for Metalik during his WWE stint. Metalik has been part of the roster for four years now, but he rarely gets any television time. His role in the Lucha House Party sees them all struggling to find relevance again.
6 Best: Alberto Del Rio
WWE did not want Alberto Del Rio to wrestle under a mask like he did during his time in Mexico. Del Rio did find huge WWE success after becoming a personal favorite of Vince McMahon during his first few years on the roster.
A few huge moments saw Alberto racking up accomplishments like the WWE Championship, World Championship, United States Championship and winning the Royal Rumble match. Del Rio saw his ceiling lowered historically due to his backstage issues leading to his departure from WWE.
5 Should Have Been Bigger: Super Crazy
Paul Heyman introduced Super Crazy to the United States by bringing him over to work for ECW. Crazy was gaining momentum in Mexico and Heyman was scouting all over the world to find the ideal talents for ECW’s future.
WWE eventually signed Super Crazy to the roster after he impressed at the ECW One Night Stand reunion show in 2005. Following the failure of the Mexicools, Crazy worked as a lower card singles face on Raw until his release.
4 Best: Eddie Guerrero
Few wrestlers have ever been as important to a country as Eddie Guerrero was for Mexico. The success in AAA saw Eddie becoming a draw, especially since he was the latest member of the legendary Guerrero family to keep moving the legacy forward.
Eddie’s bigger success came in the United States moving from WCW to WWE. Vince McMahon loved the work ethic and overall skill set of Guerrero to give him the biggest push of his career. Eddie winning the WWE Championship is still remembered as an iconic moment.
3 Should Have Been Bigger: Sin Cara
The success of Mistico in Mexico saw him becoming one of the top lucha libre wrestlers of the time. WWE signed him to play the new Sin Cara gimmick with expectations of succeeding Rey Mysterio as the luchador draw for the company.
Sin Cara struggled immensely with various botches and injuries ruining every plan WWE had for him. Backstage attitude issues saw him gaining heat leading to his eventual release. WWE journeyman Hunico continued the Sin Cara gimmick by working under the mask.
2 Best: Rey Mysterio
Many wrestlers and fans were pessimistic about how WWE would utilize Rey Mysterio when signing him in 2002. The evolution of Mysterio from wrestling as a teenager in Mexico to finding stardom in WCW led to him becoming a legend for WWE.
Fans fell in love with the colorful look and outstanding matches of Rey. The merchandise sales and rating among the Latinx demographic helped Mysterio’ case for an eventual main event push. Rey is still performing at a high level today as a top face on WWE’s roster.
1 Should Have Been Bigger: Juventud Guerrera
The skill set of Juventud Guerrera was right up there with Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio solely when it came to match quality. Guerrera even had a reputation for going extra hard in his best matches with innovative moves.
WWE did not get much success out of Juvie when signing him to have a role in the Mexicools faction. Guerrera struggled to break out with the putrid gimmick and developed backstage heat for some of his actions to end his WWE stint poorly.