WWE Signs Averno (Major Lucha Name)

[X]

Averno has signed with WWE, expected to drop his mask at Jucio Final


Averno, one of the top rudos for CMLL for the half decade, has signed a contract with WWE. Averno is joining the US promotion to resume his feud with Misitco (now Sin Cara) as an unmasked heel. The plan was for him to lose his mask to La Mascara at June 17th’s Jucio Final, but plans may change as this news gets out. Multiple sources have confirmed to me both Averno’s signing and his imminent mask loss.

WWE has been unhappy with Sin Cara’s matches so far. Atypically, they’ve sought to resolve this by bringing in more agreeable opponents for him to work with. The story I was told is WWE went to Sin Cara and asked him that if he could work with anyone in the world, who would he most like to work with. Obviously, he picked his long time rival (and probably close friend) Averno. WWE earlier had Averno in for a tryout last October, the same tryout Mistico and Diamante were at (and which Durango Kid helped set up), but decided not to sign him at that time. Things have changed, and Averno secretly signed with WWE during their last tour of Mexico.

It’s worth noting this is not actually an expanded WWE raid of CMLL luchadors or lucha style wrestlers in general. They want Averno to fill a specific need. I do not believe this directly increases (or decreases) their chances of signing anyone else from Mexico. To put it simply, WWE signing Averno does not mean they’re about to sign Fantasma or Sombra or anyone else.

This is also a big risk for Averno; he’s coming in for a defined spot, but there may not be plans past that; compare Averno to Tyson Kidd, who works the style they WWE prefers, is very good at it, and is barely on their roster. Dropping your mask and going to WWE in hopes of a big push worked out for Alberto Del Rio, but not so much for Rey Ortiz. Since the plan is for him to work against Sin Cara, I expect he will be brought to the main roster quickly, and not go to FCW.

Averno has not informed CMLL of his WWE signing. Instead, Averno only told their programming department he wanted to lost his mask ASAP and, if they weren’t willing to do it, he would go to whichever outside promoter could pay him the most to drop it. CMLL agreed to do it there and scrambled their plans for June (a cage match which would’ve included the Gen11/Rayos feud and probably other rivalries; no loser had been definitively been decided), putting Averno’s mask loss in on 06/17. Mascara Dorada would’ve been the preferred choice to win the mask, but he’s locked in with NJPW comittements. It’s unknown if other people were considered, but CMLL is said to be a very divided and unhappy place at the moment, and politics surely played some role in the decision (as they do in most.)

As I write this, I believe upper CMLL management is still unaware of Averno signing with WWE (though I’m the impression that many other people in the company, which again speaks to the fractured nature of CMLL) and would’ve been when the card for next Friday was announced. Averno is not yet on any of the big six cards next week (GDL/Puebla/Mexico/Coliseo), but I do not believe that has anything to do with this news, and he is scheduled to work shows in Queretaro (Tuesday) and Xalapa (Wednesday).

I have declined to post about this because of that, and because early release of this information may cost people’s jobs, and may cost Averno a big payday. That’s not really worth being first, to me. I’m posting this story now because the word has gotten out to enough people that there’s really no way it can be kept as a secret any more. SuperLuchas has put the Averno to WWE portion on their cover, out today, though they are not confirming the mask loss.

It’s possible that CMLL may pull the match – as much for the betrayal as the result getting out – (though that would mean Averno would just find someone else to pay for the mask), but the CMLL way tends to be to ignore the world around them. Also, they’d be able to beat soon to be WWE star on the way out, and CMLL thinks that would mean a lot to their fans. We’ll see.

Sorry I had to spoil this result for everyone. Didn’t want to know who was going to win myself, but can’t tell this story without telling that part.

For those unaware, TheCubsFan is basically THE American news source for all lucha libre news. There were rumors swirling around this weekend that the WWE had signed a major name, and it appears this is it.

Averno, for those unaware, has been one of the top heels in Mexico for the last 10 years and is one of the biggest names in all of lucha libre. He's feuded with Mistico (Sin Cara) in the past as well, so that's why they've brought him in, since they've been having problems matching Cara's style with their wrestler's.

This is big news and I for one am extremely excited about the possibilities. What are your thoughts?

Here's a photo of Averno (top) with Mistico/Sin Cara (bottom) from back in 2010.

 

[Find'er Woo'er Ryder]

Well it's different. I never heard of WWE signing anyone just to fued with someone else. They must have high hopes for Sin Cara. I like Sin Cara but I don't see him the future. If the WWE was having trouble finding someone who can help Sin Cara and take his moves and not botch, they should go with Tyson Kidd and probably Chavo Guererro. Hell, they should re-sign Kaval because he can take those moves with no botch. Even throw him in a fued with Alberto Del Rio.

I never seen this guy wrestle because I don't watch Lucha Libre. Great job on WWE's part to keep this a secret. Hope it pays off and gets Sin Cara over.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It seems like WWE is hell bent on making Sin Cara a star in the WWE. Not sure how this will help Sin Cara a lot because he can possibly wrestle the lucha libre style blindfolded. It is the WWE style that Cara needs to learn and learn fast. He should have possibly spent more time in the developmental ranks before coming up to the main shows.

As for Averno, it seems that he is going to be given a short contract. He is going to come in just to feud with Cara and then possibly leave. I don't think that WWE plans on getting too many luchadores at the same time. Also he is a rudo( heel), and it would surely be unusual to see a heel of that size feuding with the larger heavyweight wrestlers.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Well, actually Sin Cara gets good positive crowd reaction and with the imminent retirement of Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara/Del Rio/maybe Averno are WWE's hope to maintain the Hispanic demographic. The only thing I don't like about this is Averno dropping his mask to do this. Many de-masked luchadores lose everything when they lose the mask, but some actually gain more notoriety after being de-masked. I think of Konnan, Psicosis, Eddie Guerrero, and possibly Del Rio (aka Dos Caras) when I think of this.

Overall, good move on WWE's part to sign Averno, someone who knows Sin Cara as well as any wrestler can, maybe better than anyone else. This also gives CMLL/AAA/other Mexican promotions more exposure because true wrestling fans will look into the background of new signs and watch their matches from other promotions. WWE is probably one of the few self-sufficient promotions out there internationally, but they could do with a talent agreement with CMLL or a Japanese promotion. It would give a fresh view of different styles and benefit everyone present.

With that said, I give WWE a warning: Don't try to make your international stars work nothing but the WWE style. The Lucha styles brought by Sin Cara and Del Rio and Mysterio (to a lesser extent), as well as the Japanese Strong style, have been what's kept me from getting too bored with WWE. The mixture of styles allows for more varied matches and keeps things more entertaining than the same old shit.

 

[SyndicateSaint]

Also he is a rudo( heel), and it would surely be unusual to see a heel of that size feuding with the larger heavyweight wrestlers.

I don't know Averno's statistics, but Eddie Guerrero was kind of a small guy. He feuded with quite a few bigger guys. And why not have Averno become friends with a bigger guy, and then have Averno constantly getting them into trouble. Similar to the Hardcore Holly (can't believe I mention that guy) Big Show angle from way back. 1999-2000 I wanna say....

 

[hoffman40]

I think this is a good move. Yes it will fill an immediate need for a top feud for Sin Cara but it never hurts to have athletic, high flyers on the roster...just ask WCW. Those cruiserweights carried the shows for them when the NWO was making all the money. I hope that they continue this trend of hiring exciting performers like Daniel Bryan, Mistico(Sin Cara), and now Averno. But if they want them to be successful, they have to adapt to wrestling all the other members of the roster. For example, while Sin Cara's finisher is awe-inspiring, there is no way he can pull that move on Drew McIntyre or Sheamus. WWE needs to let these guys do their thing but also bring them along in developing their in-ring adaptablility.

 

[WWWYKI777]

If they keep up at this rate the WWE will become a luchadore league

A couple luchadors is fine though , I just hope this one speaks once in a while unlike Sin Cara...

 

[newc868]

Guessing they'll bring him in via Chavo in order to introduce him to that. Will be great to see Mistico/Sin Cara actually get to demonstrate his style for now, without having to worry too much about Primo, Chavo, etc. botching it and in the mean time he can learn the WWE style on the side.

Overall, good move from the WWE and I hope it pays off for both guys involved.

 

[TheKingHustla]

I think that this is going to be a good move. It will bring something different to the WWE fans, and it'll excite many. Cara seems so limited in his inring capabilities due to his style, that they need to bring someone in that can better fit him. I thought they should have did this sooner and ease Cara into a mixture of his and WWE's style slowly, then enabling him to have a wider range in opponents. I don't know anything about this guy because I don't follow Lucha Libre but if it's best for the overall WWE product, I'm with it.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

The quoted section in the opening post makes CMLL look like a very poorly ran company, especially when he was posting about managements oblivious attitude towards this guy leaving. If this was in WWE, and say CM Punk wanted to leave which rumour has it he does, WWE would jump on him to re-sign with them. These guys supposedly don't even know and Averno's last match is imminent? Wow, makes promotions in the States look Godly.

Don't see the benefit of bringing him in to just work with Mistico, at some point Mistico will have to work with the bigger guys who supposedly can't "adapt to his style" if he's to become anything within the company. If not, he'll remain a Mexican sideshow feature on every marquee.

Will have to wait to see what this guy has before judging the move though, time to hit YouTube.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

The quoted section in the opening post makes CMLL look like a very poorly ran company, especially when he was posting about managements oblivious attitude towards this guy leaving. If this was in WWE, and say CM Punk wanted to leave which rumour has it he does, WWE would jump on him to re-sign with them. These guys supposedly don't even know and Averno's last match is imminent? Wow, makes promotions in the States look Godly.

Don't see the benefit of bringing him in to just work with Mistico, at some point Mistico will have to work with the bigger guys who supposedly can't "adapt to his style" if he's to become anything within the company. If not, he'll remain a Mexican sideshow feature on every marquee.

Will have to wait to see what this guy has before judging the move though, time to hit YouTube.

YouTube is a good start, try Dailymotion as well, and I'm pretty sure if you Google it you can find some good quality matches of Averno. You see, CMLL comes across as more like Ring of Honor: The promotion is promoted, not so much the individual stars. That way when one star signs with a bigger promotion, CMLL itself isn't THAT negatively impacted, they can just promote another wrestler into stardom.

See, WWE wanted to sign Averno a while back, long about the same time they were first exposed to Mistico (aka Sin Cara), but it didn't go through for some reason. Had WWE signed them back in 2007-08, there would have been a far different dynamic than it is now.

 

[mr_dna]

Surely rather then get someone unknown( To WWE Fans) in to help with his style they should get some we know. I thought him and Chavo worked pretty well together and no reason that feud couldnt carry on a little while.

I would think they could also use some Ex WWE stars which the fans already know

my top pick would be Ultimo Dragon but there a fair few more i could think of .

Juventud Guerrera
Billy Kidman
Psychosis
Tajiri
Funaki
Jushin Liger
Super Crazy

even Chris jericho could probaly work with his style as looking back at the old WCW Cruiserweight stars they had alot of lucha names come in and work with the american stars. I just feel for Sin Cara to get over he needs to feud with someone the WWE/WCW/TNA fans know not someone they just pulled out of mexico to hope it works

They Have both Rey and Del rio they could use to work with him aswell. They can always have say del rio pissed as he is a Big Mexican star but dont get all the attention Sin Cara gets cross brand feud @ SS

 

[mrbrownstone]

Awesome news. I cant say I've seen a hell of a lot of Averno but from the bits and pieces I have seen of him I am impressed. If him and Sin Cara can match the match that they put on at the NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania shows then we are in for a treat as that was a sweet match. I see no reason not to like this move, it gives another person to keep Mexican WWE fans happy, we will get some great matches out of it and it should in all likelihood help out Mistico. Seems like a win win move.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Surely rather then get someone unknown( To WWE Fans) in to help with his style they should get some we know. I thought him and Chavo worked pretty well together and no reason that feud couldnt carry on a little while.

I would think they could also use some Ex WWE stars which the fans already know

my top pick would be Ultimo Dragon but there a fair few more i could think of .

Juventud Guerrera
Billy Kidman
Psychosis
Tajiri
Funaki
Jushin Liger
Super Crazy

even Chris jericho could probaly work with his style as looking back at the old WCW Cruiserweight stars they had alot of lucha names come in and work with the american stars. I just feel for Sin Cara to get over he needs to feud with someone the WWE/WCW/TNA fans know not someone they just pulled out of mexico to hope it works

They Have both Rey and Del rio they could use to work with him aswell. They can always have say del rio pissed as he is a Big Mexican star but dont get all the attention Sin Cara gets cross brand feud @ SS

Psicosis was one I was definitely thinking of, but he's doing way better in Mexico. I'd love to see Del Rio vs Sin Cara but that won't be for another year at the least. WWE seems to want to do a slower build with Sin Cara, giving him substance. It's easy to get over as a heel, not so easy as a face.

I'd love to see Ultimo Dragon as well, but after his arm surgery he's not been quite the same, though I must say I loved him teaming with Lyger vs the Machineguns back in...2004 I think.

Speaking of Lyger, he's never worked for WWE and I doubt very highly he ever will. See, in WCW the language barrier was never an issue. In WWE, it is, thus why Sin Cara will have problems getting over if he has to get on the mic.

Tajiri and Super Crazy are doing their thing elsewhere, and Funaki... not sure what he's doing these days, but I wouldn't mind seeing that. I've never been much of a Kidman fan, but if he's in shape he could give Sin Cara a better crash course in the WWE style than most of the names you mentioned.

 

[TheKingHustla]

Surely rather then get someone unknown( To WWE Fans) in to help with his style they should get some we know. I thought him and Chavo worked pretty well together and no reason that feud couldnt carry on a little while.

I would think they could also use some Ex WWE stars which the fans already know

my top pick would be Ultimo Dragon but there a fair few more i could think of .

Juventud Guerrera
Billy Kidman
Psychosis
Tajiri
Funaki
Jushin Liger
Super Crazy

even Chris jericho could probaly work with his style as looking back at the old WCW Cruiserweight stars they had alot of lucha names come in and work with the american stars. I just feel for Sin Cara to get over he needs to feud with someone the WWE/WCW/TNA fans know not someone they just pulled out of mexico to hope it works

They Have both Rey and Del rio they could use to work with him aswell. They can always have say del rio pissed as he is a Big Mexican star but dont get all the attention Sin Cara gets cross brand feud @ SS

You have to take into perspective a couple of things, 1- the overall conditioning of each of these guys, 2- the fact that maybe the abilities aren't still there for them, and 3- the fact that they would still have to work in order to get comfortable with Cara and get him comfortable with them, when in reality, they can not only have one Sin Cara, but they can ultimately have two Sin cara like stars to push, who are super comfortable with each other and are known, atleast where they come from, to have great matches together. No one in the WWE knew Sin Cara before he came so I don't think that matters. It can aslo be a great chance to show a little backstory for Cara's character to have an old villian come from Mexico to seek revenge on him. It sounds like a winning choice to me.

 

[FSWWE]

It is a good sign for WWE...
I heard that Averno vs Sin Cara was an awesome feud in CMLL, so I hope they can make it here in the WWE, and please learn to speak english!!

I want an history...
A good one, not like Chavo vs Cara...

I want to see Cara in a steel cage match against Averno!!

Very Good for SmackDown
Once again proving that is going to be the best show in 2011

I hope Averno sticks around after the feud, he is very talented

 

[Mazzaroti78]

HHH taking over the signing of wrestlers and developmental is continuing to produce talented guys. Averno is one of the FEW Mexican stars that can play the heel role well. Averno knows how to get over and he knows how to get Sin Cara over. This is a DRASTIC change from the former WWE policy of burying guys that don't acclimate to the WWE style. The fact that HHH said hell no he's not getting buried we are going to let him work HIS style against opponents HE chooses, shows a much needed change in philosophy that I hope continues. Sin Cara and Averno are going to have INSANE level matches. Both will soon be over and assets going forward.

 

[Karilas]

If they keep up at this rate the WWE will become a luchadore league

A couple luchadors is fine though , I just hope this one speaks once in a while unlike Sin Cara...

Not a fan of the silent, masked assailant?

Personally I think a silent protagonist who speaks through some pretty awesome actions has a better chance of getting over than one who speaks broken English, especially in the US.

 

[FightOwensFight]

HHH taking over the signing of wrestlers and developmental is continuing to produce talented guys. Averno is one of the FEW Mexican stars that can play the heel role well. Averno knows how to get over and he knows how to get Sin Cara over. This is a DRASTIC change from the former WWE policy of burying guys that don't acclimate to the WWE style. The fact that HHH said hell no he's not getting buried we are going to let him work HIS style against opponents HE chooses, shows a much needed change in philosophy that I hope continues. Sin Cara and Averno are going to have INSANE level matches. Both will soon be over and assets going forward.

My thoughts exactly. In the not so distant past Sin Cara would have already been Future Endeavored. The fact that HHH and the talent people are making adjustments to suit Sin Cara's style shows they actually have long-term vision. It could just as easily be HHH's ego getting in the way and him not wanting his first big signing to fail, but I honestly hope it is the former.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

If they want someone to wrestle Sin Cara, why not just promote Incognito to the main roster? They have him doing nothing down in FCW for who knows how long and he's a great wrestler. Whatever, sometimes I just don't understand WWE (most of the times).

 

[Mazzaroti78]

My thoughts exactly. In the not so distant past Sin Cara would have already been Future Endeavored. The fact that HHH and the talent people are making adjustments to suit Sin Cara's style shows they actually have long-term vision. It could just as easily be HHH's ego getting in the way and him not wanting his first big signing to fail, but I honestly hope it is the former.

Oh for sure HHH doesn't want to fail. HHH also knows that since he's banking on one of the most respected WRESTLERS(Mistico is also an athlete and he's short), as opposed to the tall pretty boy with muscles philosophy of Johnny Ace, Kevin Dunn and Stephanie McMahon, HHH knows that if Sin Cara fails to get over, Ace just might get his power back. Since HHH has had power over developmental, Jon Moxley, Cara and Averno has been signed, recruitment of collegiate wrestlers has gone up and veterans are scouting and helping FCW talent. I haven't heard of a model or a pretty boy wanna be actor being signed. A LOT is at stake here if Cara fails.

I'm rooting for HHH because I want Ace gone so bad. He single-handedly laid waste to the most talented roster in wrestling history after taking over from JR. He's a huge negative influence on WWE.

 

[93178]

I think this is a really good move on WWE's part. Averno and Cara can work some really good Lucha style matches on SmackDown! and show people how good Cara really is when he works with people that know more then just WWE's style. I think a good thing to do for now would be to have Cara fued with Averno and Chavo on TV with the Lucha Style matches that they are so good at. Also, if you bring Averno in under Chavo to go against Cara, Chavo can do all of the talking for Averno (assuming he, like Cara, doesn't speak much English)

Then at House Shows put Cara up against WWE style of wrestling, Having those matches on House Shows would give him a chance get used to the WWE style without his "warm-up" matches all being on TV (since he wasn't in FCW to learn the style). Then once he has learned how to work a little slower pace and fit in more with the current WWE wrestlers he can start feuding with them on TV and it will look better then it is right now.

Although I really wish they would let him keep his mask. I understand that the mask will not do much good to WWE as far as sales wise since he will be a heel, I just would like to see some more masked wrestlers in WWE, it gives another kind of feel to the matches in some cases.

 

[Mercer the Ruthless]

This is a smart move by WWE; it shows that they're paying attention to their talent, as they should be. Personally, I think they need a Cruiser/light-Heavy weight overhaul, including bringing back either or both title(s) and assigning writers for the division; the little guys need to shine like the big guys do.

 

[brighamosity]

I'm just wondering how WWE will make this feud interesting. I'm assuming Chavo will be doing most of the talking. Nothing against either wrestlers, but it takes more than a good wrestling match to make a feud interesting. This is the reason I wasn't too interested in WCW's luchador division. It was just random guys fighting for no reason. There was never any storylines to it, just random guys fighting. And I'm sure WWE will find a way to make us care. I'm just really curious how.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

I'm just wondering how WWE will make this feud interesting. I'm assuming Chavo will be doing most of the talking. Nothing against either wrestlers, but it takes more than a good wrestling match to make a feud interesting. This is the reason I wasn't too interested in WCW's luchador division. It was just random guys fighting for no reason. There was never any storylines to it, just random guys fighting. And I'm sure WWE will find a way to make us care. I'm just really curious how.

You've hit it on the head that Chavo will likely do a lot of the talking. I have to majorly disagree with you on something though. There were quite a few storylines in WCW's cruiserweight division. Eddie vs Rey in 1997 and Jericho vs Malenko for a good deal of 1998 come to mind. I'm sure there are a couple others that were up there when the division mattered.

I'll be honest: Ya know what killed the hype of the cruiserweight division in WCW? The announce team. Very rarely did they actually call the matches or at least give background on any of the luchadores/Japanese stars present. I got a lot of my info back then from when Mike Tenay was on announce. That's why Tenay was my favorite in WCW: He would try to help promote these guys, but half the time the rest of the team would just jabber on and on about unrelated shit like the nWo or whatever "big" matches were coming up later or just rambling in general. Tenay was just bout the only good one on that team, Zbyzsko and Brain were all right, but Schiavone, Madden, and Mongo were the absolute worst. Schiavone seemed to shoot way too much, Mongo really couldn't talk, and I never could buy Madden as a viable announcer. Hell, I can barely buy Madden as a decent wrestling blogger, but I'll admit he does make a good point now and then from a total outsider's view.

The Luchadore matches weren't quite as random as they came across, but rarely were the storylines actually brought out into focus.