8 Times Vince McMahon Regretted Huge WWE Contracts

5. Sin Cara

Vince McMahon Ultimate Warrior
WWE.com

Back when Mistico signed with WWE in 2011, it was seen as a genuinely big deal for the company. A Triple H signing, this CMLL standout had long been viewed as one of the best in-ring talents in the world, and now WWE had secured a signing viewed by many as the heir apparent to Rey Mysteiro Jr.

Mistico had already had several opportunities to sign with WWE, yet he would always ultimately turn down the advances of Vince McMahon's sports entertainment juggernaut. That was until he became unhappy in CMLL in 2010, and then the shiny promised land of World Wrestling Entertainment became a much more appealing prospect for the real-life Luis Uribe.

Much was made of Mistico's signing, with WWE holding a press release to welcome this major Mexican name. While the salary specifics of Mistico's signing were never revealed, it's believed that this marque signing was tied down to an extremely lucrative multi-year deal. Unfortunately for WWE though, it soon became apparent that this signing was to be a dud.

Taking on the new mantle of Sin Cara, a botch-laced debut match against Primo Colon was the first warning sign for WWE. Several uninspired, average-at-best matches followed for Sin Cara before he would be suspended for failing a wellness test, then was put on the shelf with a lengthy knee injury.

Uribe's last match in WWE came in October 2013, with the Hunico taking over the Sin Cara role as Uribe returned to CMLL and cemented his spot as one of WWE's most frustrating big-name signings in history.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.