20 WWE Attitude Era Superstars You Forgot Existed

16. Águila

Pantera WWE
WWE.com

Sunday Night Heat 2000 aficionados will remember Essa Rios, but do you know the gimmicks he played before linking up with Lita? Essa was 'Papi Chulo' for a short spell (mainly for the abandoned Super Astros show in Mexico), and Águila before that.

Unlike Scott Putski, Águila did compete in the Light-Heavyweight Title tourney in late-1997. After that, the WWF put him in a lofty challenger spot for Taka Michinoku's crown at WrestleMania XIV. That'd be the man's final hurrah before being repackaged as the much-more popular/memorable Rios in early-2000.

Ditching the mask and trading moonsaults with Lita would be the highlight of his run.

Águila was awesome in his own right though. You need to see that match with Taka from 'Mania if you've skipped that show's undercard, for example, and it's also well-worth seeking out anything he did during the aforementioned title tournament.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.