Eric Escobar

On September 28, 2009, he performed in his last dark match against Colón, losing by pinfall. The following night, Pérez made his debut on the main roster, being placed in an angle with Vickie Guerrero and performing as a heel, the terminology used to describe a villainous character, during the tapings of SmackDown's tenth anniversary show. In his in-ring debut, he was booked to defeat Matt Hardy by pinfall, receiving a spot in the brand's team for the first edition of WWE Bragging Rights. In his debut for the WWE Superstars brand, he was teamed with Drew McIntyre (Drew Galloway) being placed over the tag team of Hardy and R-Truth (Ron Killings). On October 23, 2009, Pérez was one of five wrestlers removed from team SmackDown by the creative team. Pérez was included in his first titular contest on November 27, 2009, being booked in a loss to John Morrison  for the Intercontinental Championship . The angle with Guerrero was ended in a skit that featured a spot where she yelled at him and slapped him in the face, prompting a physical confrontation between both characters, which ultimately ended with his character being converted into a fan favorite. On December 18, Vickie Guerrero surprised Escobar by sending Kane out to face him. Kane defeated him by using a major chokeslam.