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All The King’s Men 07.29.12: Week 10 – Is Sin Cara a Bust?

July 29, 2012 | Posted by Larry Csonka

ALL THE KING’s MEN!

The Concept
The concept of the column is simple. As the “King” of the 411 Roundtable, I will pick a topic for discussion. The staff, or “Knights” of the old roundtable will then have the opportunity to state of they are FOR or AGAINST the week’s topic, and then will have the chance to defend their position. Lets get to it…

IS SIN CARA A BUST?

At one time Sin Cara (as Mistico) was the biggest star in Mexico; becoming the top draw in the business and was also the first luchador to win the Wrestler of the Year award from the Wrestling Observer. Judging by his time thus far in WWE, Sin Cara has been a bust.

Bobby KnightMichael OrnelasDISAGREE: I honestly don’t find this guy to be as bad as most people. His style doesn’t necessarily mix fantastically with the WWE style, but I’m pretty sure his unique style is exactly why they hired him in the first place. He also doesn’t botch any more than say Shelton Benjamin when he was in WWE. And a lot of the time, he’s actually quite crisp. The biggest problem with Sin Cara is that creative doesn’t seem to know how to put him in a feud. The only real feud he has was with a carbon copy of himself. And it wasn’t too bad except that it dragged on too long. Someone doesn’t need to speak English to be in a feud. Hell, the problem with MOST characters that aren’t clicking in WWE right now is that there are no feuds anymore outside of the main event. There are guys who are lazily paired against one another multiple times to where eventually WWE calls it a feud (Kofi vs. Dolph). But the lack of feuds is why Antonio Cesaro hasn’t been effective. It’s why Tensai’s perceived as a flop. And it’s why Bryan/Punk IS working really well. The lack of creating feuds is why WWE isn’t clicking with everyone right now. The list goes on — when did The Miz last have a feud? Jack Swagger? Brodus Clay, Damien Sandow, the list goes on. There are no motivations behind matches. It doesn’t have to be anything too original! I’m not asking creative to re-invent the wheel — I’m just asking them to use it to begin with. Sin Cara hasn’t been a flop. The people who write for him have. I think it’d be a lot of fun to feud Sin Cara with The Miz. He’s someone who plays whiny and frustrated well, and I think Miz can carry a feud on the mic by himself. Their matches could show Sin Cara flipping Miz all over the ring and rack up some wins over a former WWE Champion.

Also, lose the mood lighting. If it stays, he’ll never feel like anything more than an exhibition wrestler.

The White KnightJeremy ThomasAGREE: The key in this statement is “thus far,” which means we’re basing his WWE career on what he’s done, not what he may still do. I absolutely believe that he can be salvaged, but purely based on what he’s done from his WWE debut to the current moment, I can’t find anything to refer to him as but “bust.” And one of the primary reasons is because of expectations. Think about it; this is a guy who was brought in as Triple H’s first big international signings, to a ton of fanfare. Few people these days get their own press conference for when they sign with the company. Then they brought the guy in, didn’t give him any developmental time because they figured he would be the guy everyone loves him as in Mexico, and brought him right up to the main roster. They even had him pre-pegged for a WrestleMania match with Rey Mysterio. And he proceeded to have trouble adapting to the WWE ring style, had some noticeable botches and required more than one Smackdown match to require re-filming as a result. If that isn’t problematic enough, he gets a Wellness violation and then gets a ton of heat on him for trying to pass the buck, pull a Shaggy and say, “It wasn’t me!”

Now, I think there is a lot in there that isn’t Cara’s fault, and I think the big one is that he should have been left in developmental to learn the WWE style and such. I also am 100% positive that Cara can be worked with and make a reliable midcarder for a good, long while. He made some mistakes, and they’re the kind of mistake any guy might make in transitioning from where he was at to where he is now. The problem is that he made those mistakes with a big yellow spotlight on his ass and that pretty much screwed his rep. Bringing in Mystico for that Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara feud was a hideous idea as well, as they initially looked so similar that you couldn’t tell who was who in matches, which killed fan interest before it could get off the ground. And shuffling Sin Cara Negro off into Hunico for a go-nowhere spot on the roster just emphasized how unimportant it (and Sin Cara) was in the scheme of things. At this point, Cara needs to be rebuilt a little bit, string a few wins together and then get him the one thing he hasn’t had in the WWE so far: a feud. No, I don’t count Cara vs. Cara or Cara vs. Chavo, because no one gave a crap about them. Get him a real, actual feud. Get him a manager. The mysterious thing isn’t working out, so he needs a mouthpiece. And then maybe he’ll go somewhere. Until then, he’s a complete bust.

Michael KnightJake St-PierreDISAGREE: Although I certainly see reasons why people think he’s a bust, I think he can be salvaged. I’ve always been an avid supporter of the former Mistico, mainly because the stuff he’s done in CMLL is fantastic. He was one of their biggest draws and he always attempts to be exciting, which is something not many can say. He does botch a whole lot which has lost him value in the eyes of many. But here’s the thing: he bypassed developmental. Whether the hardcore fans like this or not, FCW would have helped him with his crispness in the decidedly much safer WWE style. Rey Mysterio did a bunch of really cool stuff in WCW, ECW, and other places but when he needed to adapt his style, he did. But he also had people who could work with him. Sin Cara has worked in Mexico his whole career and I think it’s just lazy to expect guys like Heath Slater or whatever whipping boy you have to automatically mesh with this style. If you’re going to have Sin Cara–a much different wrestler to anyone you have–to skip developmental, put him with people who can take his style. That’s why he had good stuff with Daniel Bryan is because Bryan knows how to work different styles. Sin Cara isn’t that good and doesn’t adapt quickly. That’s why you should have put him in FCW. Sin Cara isn’t the best ever and not even the best in the WWE, but you can salvage what he’s been saddled with and the errors he made himself now that he has taken the time to try and adapt himself. Oh and that whole “Dolph Ziggler is pissed at Sin Cara” thing? That was Dolph’s fault. And it was from SuperLuchas. Take it with a grain of salt. Sin Cara has made his own mistakes in WWE, but one of the biggest errors of all was WWE bypassing FCW for the man without a face.

GREEN KNIGHTDimitri DorlisDISAGREE: Bust is a pretty strong word. If Sin Cara was a bust, he’d already be gone from the WWE. Now, certainly his run hasn’t been very good, but it hasn’t been a complete failure. Let me explain.

See, as much as we like to bitch and complain about Sin Cara, he does connect with the general WWE audience, mostly due to the fact that he does flippy shit. Plus, every time that he’s come back, it’s been with a decent amount of hype. Plus his merchandise must be moving at a decent amount (the masks must be, anyway) and as HHH’s first big signee, I can’t see them just dropping him.

Now, that being said, he certainly hasn’t had a great run so far. Part of that was the idiotic decision not to send him to developmental first so that he could learn the WWE style. There were early flashes of brilliance (the matches w/ Daniel Bryan come to mind) but a combination of Wellness Violations and injuries has sidelined Sin Cara for a large amount of time. He’s still very salvageable, but he needs to be placed in an actual feud. Have him wrestle for the Intercontinental Title against the greatest house show worker on the roster, Christian. But give him something to do other than “beat the shit out of Camacho or Hunico” each week. Also ditch the mood lighting. It makes it ridiculously hard for those in attendance to follow the action, plus looks terrible on TV.

SUGE KNIGHTJack StevensonAGREE: Sin Cara has spent his career in the WWE staggering almost drunkenly from disaster to disaster. He’s violated the wellness policy, suffered a painful long term injury, committed a string of botches in several high-profile matches, and at time of writing, if you’re to believe internet rumors, he’s having an official complaint filed against him by Dolph Ziggler. Back in Mexico, he was a universally popular high flyer whose matches drew admiring glances from all corners of the wrestling world; since joining the WWE, he’s become a punch line, almost the modern day equivalent of the Shockmaster.

There are saving graces with Sin Cara. He’s never killed someone. His masks are an enticing option at the merchandise table. He’s the first big signing engineered by Triple H, so he will still be afforded ample opportunity to shine. Most importantly though, he does show flashes of genuine talent; when his moves are on point there isn’t a more graceful high flyer in the entire WWE, and he’s had more good matches then you might think. A bout with Daniel Bryan on Smackdown last year absolutely dazzled, and although even I could have a good match with Daniel Bryan, it’s testament to the potential that Sin Cara has that he looked right at home with the best wrestler to have come along in at least the last decade.

Still, when such highlights are overshadowed by a litany of embarrassments, I’d broadly agree with the statement that his career in the WWE thus far has been a bust, with the caveat that he’s got the ability to, in the coming months, cast off the negative stereotypes associated with him.

KNIGHTJames WrightAGREE: In terms of potential and the ability to turn things around I will say that if the question was ‘could Sin Cara be a success in the WWE’ I would have possibly agreed. After all despite all the mishaps and bad luck the guy still gets a pretty decent pop and his sheer hype and presence means that he isn’t completely unbelievable going into upper mid-card matches even at the moment. Plus the guy’s merchandise sells itself, and that is always a major factor in who garners support from the higher-ups since there is obviously a lot of money in a marketable image and in the end those guys see wrestling as a business.

However since the question explicitly asks whether Cara’s career ‘thus far’ has been a bust then I have to say yes, precisely because of the same reasons listed above. Considering how much hype and how much support this guy has gotten you could imagine that he might even be in the title picture right now if things had gone right, he would have certainly at least had a few major rivalries by now. As it is he hasn’t really even feuded with anyone apart from Del Rio and the evil Sin Cara, and even those rivalries haven’t been all that major outside of south of the border. Therefore based on potential, Cara’s time in the WWE has been a bust at this point, he could have done so much and has instead messed it all up over and over again.

Also on a personal note I don’t exactly see the point of a guy with ‘breath-taking moves’ if he botches half of them to the point where matches have to be re-taped, it’s bad for the crowd and it’s bad for business and isn’t going to help with the WWE’s existing problems over drawing crowds.

KNIGHTFrancisco RamirezAGREE:Sin Cara, a bust? As much as it hurts me to say, yeah, he sure is! Various factors play into this, some Sin Cara’s, some WWE’s. So the blame can’t squarely be put on the man under the mask. It’s painful to see how hyped Sin Cara was when he first signed into the WWE, and now, to this day Sin Cara has yet to do anything of note. The hype didn’t deliver, and in the end we find ourselves with an epic sized bust.

During his debut and days in the CMLL as Mistico, the young high flyer showed intense athleticism, drive and hunger. He had great opponents to help him out, he has delivered great to classic matches with Dr. Wagner Jr., who he also had a tag title run with, Black Warrior, Ultimo Guerrero, and Los Hijos de Averno. CMLL and Mexico experienced a small boom, Mistico was one of the reasons. To say Mistico was a star would be an understatement. The man is short of being a cultural icon, like El Santo and Blue Demon before him. He appeared in music videos, TV shows and magazines. Eventually reports came in that he’d become big headed, even to the point of having issues with locker room leaders like Dos Caras Jr. aka Alberto Del Rio. CMLL booking started making less and less sense, houses were down, and the WWE came into Mexico.

I was excited when Mistico signed, but I was hesitant. Rey is one of a kind, the Mexicools went through WCW, and ECW, and Alberto Del Rio went through FCW. Word was out that Sin Cara would go straight to the main roster. Worst decision ever! Konnan recently stated in a shoot interview, that just like Alberto Del Rio, Mistico should have gone through FCW and gotten completely “reprogrammed” to WWE style. I agree wholeheartedly! Hell, people coming in from the U.S. indys have to adapt, let alone someone who comes in from Mexico, where acrobatics are huge, psychology is damn near non-existent in the ring, and wrestlers work the right side, as opposed to the U.S. and the rest of the world. Instead, we receive a rushed Sin Cara, with the biggest spotlight, and highest expectations. It’s been over a year and he’s had one wellness violation, gone through an injury, various botches, and no notable feud. It’s safe to say he’s a bust. Unlike the former Dos Caras Jr., who went through FCW, has put on good matches, and has found success and even had a run with the title. The damage has been done, and affected the minds of the WWE. Beforehand, Sin Cara was asked who he could put on good matches with in Mexico, Averno was named and was to be brought in. That didn’t go through, and according to various reports, WWE has put a stop on signing Lucha stars due to the lack of success they have found with Sin Cara. Sin Cara can be salvaged, but with the short term memory, and lack of patience in the WWE, it might be too late. Which leaves Sin Cara in question, what will happen with him? If he returns to CMLL, the Mistico name and gimmick has been transferred over to Dragon Lee, AAA is an option, but no matter what he does, he might not be able to reach the heights he once did.

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Larry Csonka