Vampiro was signed by WCW. His first match was on the June 29, 1998, episode of WCW Monday Nitro, defeating Brad Armstrong. He would not return to WCW until the March 18, 1999 episode of WCW Thunder, when he defeated Prince Iaukea. Later that year, he formed a stable with the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) and Raven called 'The Dead Pool' (initially called 'The Necro-Ward'). Even though the stable was short-lived, they gained popularity and had a heated feud with Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr., and rival Konnan. Vampiro then feuded with Berlyn. The feud began when Vampiro beat Berlyn in the WCW World Title tournament on Nitro. To exact revenge later in the night, Berlyn cost Vampiro his match against Buff Bagwell and, as a result, Vampiro was eliminated from the tournament. This feud led to the 1999 Mayhem event, where the two fought in a Dog Collar match and Vampiro made Berlyn submit to the Camel Clutch. Vampiro later brought The Misfits into WCW, and began a feud with Oklahoma and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. Vampiro and Dr. Death then faced off at Starrcade, with the stipulation that if Vampiro won, he would get five minutes in the ring against Oklahoma. After Williams was disqualified, Vampiro had his match with Oklahoma. Surprisingly, Oklahoma was able to mount a bit of offense, until Vampiro took Oklahoma's cowboy hat and then pinned him following the Nail In The Coffin. In early 2000, he formed an alliance with Sting, as the "Brothers in Paint," after he helped Sting to defeat Lex Luger in a lumberjack match. This did not last long, with Vampiro turning on Sting by attacking him during a match on the April 10, 2000 episode of WCW Monday Nitro, thus becoming a heel and joining The New Blood. At Spring Stampede 2000, Vampiro cost Sting the United States Championship in a match against Scott Steiner when he pulled Sting underneath the ring. They feuded throughout the spring, with Sting getting the upper hand on Vampiro in nearly all their encounters. This set up the Human Torch match, in which Vampiro won by setting Sting on fire. Vampiro then focused on The Demon due to his defection from the ICP formed stable, "The Dark Carnival." He kidnapped his fiancée, Asya, in a skit resembling the 1988 film Spoorloos. Afterward, he challenged him to a Graveyard Match, which sparked the