10 Wrestlers Who Never Should've Signed With WWE
It seemed like a good idea at the time...
WWE has been synonymous with pro wrestling for years. Even before WCW shut down (and during the years the company was actually far more profitable than Vince McMahon's organization), mainstream society associated the letters "WWF" with pro wrestling.
As a result of that perception, WWE has long been "the place to be." Most wrestlers - today and then - have a career goal of ending up on the grandest stage of all, and in recent years, even international stars have made the journey across the continent or the world to see if they can find success in the increasingly global WWE.
Unfortunately, not every star's journey to WWE works out. Sometimes, the company seems to hire stars that don't fit into their traditional mold, and while a few have managed to change the paradigm, many have flopped. That's okay, in a lot of instances - the wrestlers in question were able to get a decent payday, then transfer their exposure into a post-WWE career that was more lucrative than their pre-WWE work.
Sometimes, though, stars didn't even get that out of the deal. Some wrestlers were so poorly handled by WWE that all they did in the company was waste time and damage their legacies. For those stars, joining the promotion in the first place was a mistake.
Here are 10 wrestlers who never should have signed with WWE:
10. Andrade "Cien" Almas
Admittedly, it's a little early to close the book on Andrade "Cien" Almas's WWE run, but one thing that can't be disputed is that the star's career has taken quite a tumble since he left CMLL last year.
In CMLL, Almas - known as "La Sombra" - was arguably the hottest young talent in all of Mexico. At only 25 years old, he was still at peak athleticism and physical capacity, but he had already headlined enough major shows to have the air of superstardom. His charisma made for a total package that meant he could be a superstar for decades to come.
Instead, Almas decided to try his luck in WWE. Knowing that he was leaving, he volunteered to lose his mask to Atlantis, and once he joined NXT, he was repackaged. He debuted on TV earlier this year, and when he was forced to feud with popular heels, he didn't get over as a babyface.
A recent heel turn may change Almas's fortunes, but he's got a long way to go before leaving CMLL starts to look like a good idea.