10 Original Failed WWE Pushes You Completely Forgot About
4. Essa Rios - Papi Chulo
Long before Essa Rios was a dynamic C-show light heavyweight, Papi Chulo was a...dynamic C-show light heavyweight.
Something of a wasted talent on a bigger stage, Rios' repackaging as firebrand babyface alongside Lita in early 2000 ultimately did more for the latter than the former, but it appeared to be a noble effort to repackage a weekend show favourite into something more palatable.
As a bit of a sleaze in fur coat, coloured shades and ostentatious leather...everything, his aesthetic was Attitude Era bargain bin by mistake. Looking more like a Tiger King talking head than a pro wrestler, Chulo then kicked all that into his own cocked hat with jaw-dropping high spots rather similar to those done by the masked Mexican star Aguila that had suspiciously disappeared just before his debut.
Like virtually every character trapped on Metal/Jakked at the time, he did nothing but work and worked for nothing. Only as Rios did he claim the Cruiserweight Title and a feud with Eddie Guerrero that snuck him on to PPV in the company's glorious and all-things-to-everybody year 2000.