10 Current WWE Superstars That Belong In Another Era

9. Kalisto - Mid-1990s WCW

Finn Balor Paige
WWE.com

It's astonishing Kalisto didn't become another grim wrestling statistic after viewing Rey Mysterio's 2018 Royal Rumble return. Drowning in a mask filled with tears wouldn't have been an unreasonable response after witnessing the man he was booked to replace return with vigour unseen since elevating WCW's Cruiserweight league in Nitro's halcyon days.

He dazzled in the division more than most at the time, but it was loaded with good-to-great lightweights to fill out the wrestling quotient of the Monday Night juggernaut underneath the New World Order. Dean Malenko was a menace-turned-megastar with the title alongside incomparable irritant Chris Jericho, whilst Mysterio's Halloween Havoc 1997 clash with Eddie Guerrero is fondly remembered as one of the company's greatest ever battles.

Armed with his Salida del Sol finisher and a sort-of charisma if you really go looking for it, 'The King of Flight' wouldn't have remotely looked out of place amongst fellow hooded hit-makers Super Calo, Ultimo Dragon, Psychosis, and Juventud Guerrera.

No good on the microphone he may be, but WCW's gross negligence towards the oft-forgotten group would be his gain. There for flips rather than quips and humiliating trips, Kalisto's poise would earn him at least 10 personality-free minutes a week on Nitro. It's more than he'd get today.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett