In light of Sin Cara’s recent release from WWE, this list shines light on every highlight and low point he experienced throughout his tenure.
Sin Cara publicly requested his release from WWE in mid-November and as of this past Sunday, he is officially a free agent again.
The former Hunico has been portraying the Sin Cara character since late 2013, and before him, it was the world-reknowned Mistico working under the mask.
Despite his debut being heavily touted by the company, Sin Cara never quite lived up to the lofty expectations officials and fans had for him.
He had a chance to finally be something after Hunico took over the role, but WWE dropped the ball on his push multiple times, not to mention that injuries prevented him from ever reaching that next level.
All things considered, Cara had a fairly solid stint in WWE for as long as he was there for. He never won any gold on the main roster, mind you, but he did reign as NXT Tag Team champion with Kalisto for a while in 2014-2015.
His departure shouldn’t come as a surprise to the masses, especially considering he has hardly been on WWE TV for the past two years or so. What the future holds for him in wrestling in unknown, but he’d make a fine asset to whatever company he decides to sign with.
As Sin Cara contemplates his next move, let’s look at the many highs and lows of the Sin Cara character (as played by both Hunico and Mistico) during his eight-year WWE career.
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.
Low: Getting suspended and injured
Shortly following his move to SmackDown, Sin Cara was suspended for 30 days after he the WWE Wellness Policy.
He was written off TV by being put through a ladder by Sheamus at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view and it was while he was gone that Sin Cara Negro stole his identity for a brief bit.
That led to the aforementioned feud between the two, but once that wrapped up in the fall, Sin Cara once again found himself on the sidelines, this time with an injury.
He suffered a patella tendon rupture during a match at Survivor Series and was set to miss around six to nine months.
He was in the process of slowly regaining the momentum he had lost earlier in the year, so the setback was a devastating blow. It did allow him to feel fresh again upon his return in the spring of 2012 and redeem himself from his lackluster rookie year, but it was far from the last time that an injury stalled his push.
High: Teaming with Rey Mysterio
Even after returning to the ring in May 2012, Sin Cara didn’t do much of note until joining forces with Rey Mysterio in time for the WWE Tag Team Championship number one contender’s tournament that fall.
Fans had long wanted to see Sin Cara and Mysterio cross paths, and at long last, their dream team had come to fruition.
The two high-flying luchadors made for a terrific tandem and had great matches with the likes of The Rhodes Scholars, Primo and Epico, and The Prime Time Players.
Injuries to both men that December temporarily put their partnership on hold, but they picked up right where they left off on the road to WrestleMania 29 by beating then-WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No in non-title action on an episode of SmackDown in Feb. 2013.
Team Hell No vs. Cara and Mysterio for the tag titles would have been a logical addition to the Elimination Chamber card, but WWE went in a different direction with Daniel Bryan and Kane instead.
Their alliance came to an abrupt end when Mysterio got hurt again, leaving Cara to flounder on his own for the remainder of the year.
Mysterio vs. Cara never ended up happening one-on-one in WWE, though Mysterio did face Mistico in Mexico years later after they both had departed the company. However, it wasn’t the same as it would have been on a stage as grand as WrestleMania.
Low: More injuries and rebranding
Rey Mysterio wasn’t the only masked phenomenon cursed with injuries, as Sin Cara suffered his fair share during his first two years in WWE. As noted, he missed time at time at the end of both 2011 and 2012, and in Aug. 2013, he dislocated his finger while wrestling Alberto Del Rio.
He quietly disappeared from WWE TV again after that and when we saw Sin Cara again, he was being portrayed by a different wrestler entirely: Hunico.
It was apparent from his height and shoulder tattoo that someone else was under the mask, all but confirming that Mistico’s time in WWE had come to an end.
It had been rumored for over two years that Mistico’s departure was inevitable, so WWE chose that opportunity to give the character a fresh coat of pain by having him beat Del Rio in shocking fashion on an episode of Raw that December.
The company still saw value in Sin Cara and decided to reboot the persona by giving him a short-lived singles push. His winning ways were cut short when he was defeated by Del Rio in early 2014, and it was back to mid-card purgatory for him after that.
By that point, it was painfully obvious that any chances of Sin Cara taking off on his own was gone. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being damaged goods and was better off helping elevate others.
High: The Lucha Dragons
Sin Cara worked so well with Rey Mysterio that it seemed only logical that WWE would give him another shot in the tag team ranks. He wrestled a few matches on NXT TV in the summer of 2014, which seemed strange at first considering he never had any ties to the black-and-gold brand.
However, once it was revealed he had formed an alliance with newcomer Kalisto, his presence on the show began to make much more sense.
The two had strong chemistry from the start and wasted no time in taking NXT’s stagnant tag team scene by storm.
Collectively known as The Lucha Dragons, the duo won a number one contender’s tournament before unseating The Ascension as NXT Tag Team champions at TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way.
Their reign was far from remarkable, but did serve as a bridge between The Ascension and later tandems such as Blake and Murphy and The Vaudevillians.
Shortly following their loss of the NXT Tag Team Championship, they made the move to the main roster and had a fun run for themselves there as well.
While The Lucha Dragons were never able to win the WWE Tag Team Championship during their time together, they did have one standout match with The New Day and The Usos at TLC 2015.
Another injury to Sin Cara in early 2016 paved the way for Kalisto to branch off into singles competition before they officially went their separate ways in the 2016 WWE Draft.
Low: Move to the Cruiserweight division
WWE experimented with Sin Cara in the Cruiserweight division (being billed at 198 pounds) in Oct. 2016, which allowed him to lend legitimacy to all of the fresh faces that were being brought in.
It seemed to be a good fit for the former NXT Tag Team champion and gave him the chance to work with the talented likes of Drew Gulak, Tony Nese and The Brian Kendrick.
Before he could appear on the premiere of 205 Live, he was bumped out of the Cruiserweight division out of nowhere.
This may have had to do with an altercation he had at the time with Chris Jericho, where it was reported by The Wrestling Observer (per Pro Wrestling Sheet) that he got into it with Y2J during WWE’s tour of the United Kingdom. Interestingly enough, he continued to compete on Raw in the remainder of 2016, just not with the Cruiserweights.
He wrestled sparingly going into 2017 and won the occasional match on Main Event before being drafted to SmackDown Live in the Superstar Shake-Up that spring.
High: Feuds with Baron Corbin and Andrade
Sin Cara didn’t do a ton for the rest of his tenure with WWE, but feuds with Baron Corbin and Andrade did highlight his time on SmackDown Live.
He and Corbin had a string of matches against each other in the fall of 2017 with Sin Cara beating Corbin by count-out and disqualification on multiple occasions.
Each of their bouts was better than the last, culminating in a great United States Championship match on the Nov. 14 episode of SmackDown. Even in defeat, Sin Cara proved he was still an incredible athlete and a lot of fun to watch in the ring.
He disappeared from the blue brand after that and resurfaced in the spring for a feud with Andrade, who was calling out the masked luchador on a weekly basis. They had excellent outings on the Jul. 10, 2018 SmackDown and six days later on the Extreme Rules Kickoff show.
It seems ironically fitting that Sin Cara closed out his career in WWE with another solid series of match-ups against Andrade, this time on Raw.
He put over WWE’s next breakout Latino star to the best of his ability and now that he’s officially a free agent, there’s no telling what he’ll accomplish next and where.