10 Wrestlers Whose Careers Started In The Worst Way Possible
A crash course in how NOT to debut.
Making a strong first impression is important in professional wrestling as anywhere else, but some performers seem pre-ordained to receive success from day one.
New WWE signing Matt Riddle was a wunderkind from the moment he arrived, tearing up the American independent scene with in-ring standards that belied his inexperience. Ronda Rousey, meanwhile, looked like a natural from the moment she hit the ring at WrestleMania 34, stealing the show in what will likely go down as the greatest debut match in wrestling history.
Such performers used their electric introductions as springboards to megastardom, quickly establishing levels of popularity that would've taken months to accrue had they not arrived so effectively. Unfortunately, though, they are the exception rather than the rule. A long, hard grind to the top awaits most who enters this sport, but a disastrous start makes the task even tougher, turning the chore of getting over into something Herculean as they battle back against an immediate tide of negativity.
Most of the wrestlers within were eventually able to overcome their early misfortune, enjoying long, prosperous runs despite making disastrous starts to their careers. Others? Well, they weren't so fortunate...
10. Elias Struggles With Go-Away Heat
That Elias has evolved into one of Raw's most consistently entertaining performers is borderline miraculous, as nobody was more tedious than 'The Drifter' down in NXT.
Before he lost his surname, the former Mr. Samson was a developmental dud, drawing go-away heat from a Full Sail audience that wanted nothing to do with his one-note sports entertainment bullsh*ttery. His reactions weren't the result of effective heel work, but because nobody wanted to watch him. The matches were dire, with Elias struggling to execute even the most rudimentary manoeuvres convincingly, and the gimmick was as dry as sandpaper, devoid of the charm, charisma, and humour that embodies his main roster work.
All signs pointed towards Bull Dempsey-esque failure. Now, however, Elias is an absolute joy. A product of hard work and stronger presentation, he has become a master of crowd control, playing the fans like the guitar he strums. Perhaps he was always better suited to Raw's larger buildings anyway, but he should have crashed and burned in NXT. Full credit to him and the company for saving his act and transforming it into what it is today.