5 WCW stars Vince McMahon never signed after buying the company

The mid to late 90s saw both WWE and WCW engage in the biggest promotional war in the history of pro-wrestling. Dubbed as the Monday Night Wars, the era saw Vince McMahon's WWE and Ted Turner's WCW trying to trump the other in terms of weekly ratings.

In early 2001, mere days before WrestleMania 17, Vince McMahon took the wrestling world by surprise when he announced that he had bought off his competition. WCW now belonged to Vince McMahon. Over the next several years, Vince kept on bringing in former WCW stars to his company.

The majority of them didn't do much of note in WWE, with WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg being a big exception. With WCW having a huge roster, there had to be a select few who never got signed by WWE following the demise of WCW.

Let's take a look at five of these stars.

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#5 La Parka

La Parka

Regarded as an underrated Cruiserweight by many fans, La Parka is best known for his incredibly unique outfit that resembled a skeleton. Even though he had some quality matches in WCW, La Parka never managed to win the Cruiserweight title during his stint in the company. He was given the nickname of "Chairman of the Board" because of him using chairs in his matches and during his entrances as well.

La Parka left WCW in 2000, mere months before WWE bought off the company. Vince McMahon seemingly didn't have any interest in signing him, as La Parka never made it to WWE following WCW's demise. He remained active on the independent scene though, and also had stints in AAA.

At 54, it seems highly unlikely that we will ever see La Parka in a WWE ring. Nevertheless, he did manage to leave a lasting impression on the industry courtesy his runs in various other promotions.

#4 Stevie Ray

Stevie Ray was never signed by Vince McMahon

Harlem Heat is universally regarded as one of the greatest tag teams to ever step foot inside the squared circle. Booker T and Stevie Ray were incredible tag team performers and won the WCW World Tag Team titles on 10 occasions during their stint with the company.

Booker T was signed to a WWE contract soon after WCW's ship sank and Vince McMahon bought the company. He went on to become one of the biggest Superstars in WWE history, and his run included a World title reign in 2006, weeks after he donned the gimmick of King Booker.

Stevie Ray didn't have as big of a singles career as his tag team partner and younger brother, Booker T. He enjoyed a WCW TV title run in the late 90s, followed by a brief Harlem Heat reunion. During his final months in WCW, Stevie Ray took on the role of a commentator on WCW Thunder.

Stevie Ray wasn't picked up by Vince McMahon's company after WCW's purchase. He wrestled a handful of matches against fellow former WCW star Ernest Miller in 2002, before announcing his retirement.

#3 Vampiro

Vampiro

Vampiro's mysterious and frightening look would probably have worked in WWE, and fans would have loved to watch him wrestle the likes of Kane, The Undertaker, and Mankind. He was a WCW mainstay for around three years in the late 90s, until the company went down.

He had spent almost the entirety of his career in Mexico before he made his way to WCW in 1998. His character was similar to WCW legend Sting in a lot of ways, and thus the company paired them up in early 2000.

Dubbed as "The Brothers of Paint", Sting and Vampiro's alliance didn't last long. He turned on Sting at Spring Stampede 2000, which was followed by a brief feud between the two.

Vampiro has claimed that he was hospitalized while WCW was being purchased by Vince McMahon. He was informed by the WWE creative team that there were no plans for him, and he would not be brought in following the purchase. He went on to wrestle for several other companies, including a brief stint in Impact Wrestling.

#2 Alex Wright

Alex Wright

Alex Wright is of British-German descent and was discovered by WCW in 1994 when the company was touring through Germany. He was soon signed to a contract and remained with the company until it was purchased by WWE. Wright's accomplishments in WCW included runs with the Cruiserweight and TV titles, plus a World Tag Team title reign with Disco Inferno.

The duo was given the moniker of Boogie Knights and won the World Tag Team titles from Sean O'Haire and Mark Jindrak at Millenium Germany. Wright and Inferno stayed together until WCW was bought off in March 2001. Wright's contract was not bought out by WWE. He later stated that WWE couldn't sign him to a contract at the time as he was under AOL Time Warner's contract.

Wright also stated in an interview that he took a break from pro-wrestling as he was upset with the backstage politics in WCW, which was instrumental in the company falling down hard in the end. Wright launched his own wrestling promotion named New European Championship Wrestling in 2009.

#1 Shark Boy

Shark Boy

Shark Boy first gained recognition while appearing at the Brian Pillman memorial shows. He was signed to a contract by WCW in 1999. His brief stint saw him making various appearances on WCW Thunder and WCW Saturday Night, before being released in early 2000.

An incredible high-flyer, Shark Boy wasn't used to his fullest potential in WCW. He never got the chance to perform in WWE and made his way to IMPACT Wrestling (formerly known as TNA) on July 31, 2002. He lost to Jimmy Rave in his debut match in TNA. For more than a decade, Shark Boy remained a mainstay in TNA and proved his mettle in the squared circle during his stint there.

He requested his release from TNA in early 2011 and was granted the same. Shark Boy went on to make several appearances for the company over the next four years. He could have had some incredible matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, and Tajiri in WWE in the early 2000s when the Cruiserweight division was on fire.