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WWE: Looking back at the many highs and lows of Sin Cara’s career

By Graham GSM Matthews

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - JUNE 25: Mexican American professional wrestler Sin Cara poses for pictures during the photocall to announce the WWE Lucha Dragons at Hacienda Los Morales on June 25, 2015 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/LatinContent via Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - JUNE 25: Mexican American professional wrestler Sin Cara poses for pictures during the photocall to announce the WWE Lucha Dragons at Hacienda Los Morales on June 25, 2015 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/LatinContent via Getty Images) /
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Low: A botched WWE debut

Given the immense amount of hype that Sin Cara’s WWE debut received after weeks of vignettes, his arrival on the Raw brand in the spring of 2011 couldn’t be considered anything but a disappointment.

He made a splash one night removed from WrestleMania 27 by attacking then-United States champion Sheamus, even though they never ended up feuding.

Unfortunately, his first match against Primo was filled with embarrassing blunders and caused his Raw run to get off to a less-than-stellar start.

Whether it was a result of his in-ring style from Mexico being toned down or a language barrier holding him back, it didn’t change how Sin Cara failed to make a good impression on fans. The goofy blue lighting during his matches and apparent lack of mic skills didn’t help his cause, either.

The legendary luchador had become known for his botches around this time, which was among the reasons why he was shipped to SmackDown in the 2011 WWE Draft (swapping shows with Rey Mysterio in the process). At least there his matches could be edited or re-filmed if they went wrong due to the taped nature of the show back then.

Even still, any momentum or mystique Sin Cara had from the get-go was virtually gone by the summer.

High: Sin Cara Azul vs. Sin Cara Negro

Sin Cara had a few run-ins with the likes of Chavo Guerrero and Daniel Bryan on SmackDown, but his first real feud was actually against … himself, oddly enough.

Right when it looked like he was turning heel following his attack on Bryan in Aug. 2011, it was revealed a different person had been under the mask for a few weeks while the real Sin Cara was away.

Fans were confused by what they were seeing, but it eventually became clear that one of these Sin Caras was evil, with his black attire earning him the title of Sin Cara Negro. Meanwhile, the other Sin Cara continued to sport the blue and gold and was referred to as Sin Cara Azul during this time.

It was a strange storyline, but the reason this was among his career highlights was because the matches were actually entertaining and allowed him to showcase his skills for a change. The two of them faced off at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view as well as on an episode of SmackDown in Mexico that October with Sin Cara Azul winning both bouts.

As a result of his victories, Sin Cara Negro was forced to unmask, which led him to being repackaged as Hunico. In an interesting twist, Hunico resumed his role as Sin Cara years later when Mistico left to return to Mexico, but their rivalry was fun for what it was.

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