10 Wrestlers Who Debuted At The Top
The only way is up... unless you are already there.
Wrestling debuts can come in many different forms, ranging from the jaw-droppingly awesome to the face-palmingly awful. Depending on creative direction, level of talent involved and overall execution, the impact of a wrestler's maiden voyage in a new fed can go a long way in determining their future (and whether or not they actually have one).
When it's done right, these new introductions can be pure magic. Whether it's a high profile introduction of an act previously established elsewhere or a consciously planned push for a fresh face right off the bat, the effect of an impactful debut can be emphatic and long-lasting.
Overseas stars like Hideo Itami and Shinsuke Nakamura were greeted with a hero's welcome amid huge fanfare when they signed with WWE. Meanwhile, other talents like Carlito and Paige were pushed as champions on their very first night in.
As great as those debuts were, there have been a number of talents that began their journeys even higher at the very top of the pile. Here's ten of the best incoming arrivals in wrestling history.
10. The Great Khali
They say the best way to assert dominance is to pick on the biggest, nastiest guy around - whether that's in a bar fight, a prison yard or a sports field. The Great Khali must have been a subscriber to that theory, as he had his sights firmly set on The Undertaker when he made his SmackDown debut on 7 April 2006.
Less than a month later, Khali destroyed then-World Champion, Rey Mysterio, in what was essentially a squash match. Khali would maintain this momentum when he finally did officially square off with 'The Phenom' at Judgment Day. Incredibly, Khali was booked to dismantle 'The Deadman'; the gigantic Indian barely left his feet the entire bout.
Proof that size conquers all in the world of WWE, Khali couldn't have asked for a better start to his Stamford career. In less than two months, Khali had crushed the legendary Undertaker in convincing fashion, and destroyed the reigning World Champion in just three and a half minutes.
Over the next year, Khali would travel from SmackDown to ECW and then Raw, gaining scalps and, in theory, experience along the way. Despite very little improvement to his in-ring performance, Khali returned to SmackDown - and everyone's worst fears were realised when Khali was inexplicably crowned World Heavyweight Champion in July 2007.