15 MORE Wrestlers WWE Debuted In The Worst Way Possible
WWE is no stranger to disastrous debuts. These are 15 of the most egregious entries in WWE history.
A pro wrestler's debut is one of the most important moments in their entire career. They say there's no second chance to make a first impression, and with how quickly fans make up their minds on a superstar, a stinky debut can put a performer back years, and sometimes sink them on their very first appearance.
WWE has struggled with this for years. For far too long, NXT would create a character and build a solid reputation for them with fans, only to see everything they had all worked towards decimated by WWE's main roster creative on night one. This isn't just a recent phenomenon either. For decades, superstars have been coming to WWE from the independents, rival federations, and even different sports, only to have their life's work compromised from the moment they arrive on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown.
Some of the best performers have managed to overcome the odds and survive their terrible debuts and the gimmicks or unpalatable partners they found themselves saddled with. Others were never able to claw their way back from a disastrous debut, and these are just a small sample of some of the most questionable debuts to ever hit our screens, courtesy of WWE.
15. Adam Rose
During the early days of NXT, Leo Kruger was one of the more left-of-centre gimmicks to find its way onto that roster. Looking like a hunter and having a threatening demeanour, it didn't ever feel like it was going to set the world on fire, but it did have a certain retro charm and menace to it (especially if you remember a similar gimmick existing in the 90s with Skinner).
His repackaging as Adam Rose for the main roster was one of the most bizarre and unlikeable to ever occur. Rose himself would talk like Austin Powers if he had a South African accent, sucking on a lollipop and telling whoever was in earshot, "don't be a lemon, be a rosebud."
Before he hit the entrance ramp, Rose would send out members of The Exotic Express, including a man in a bunny suit, a woman dressed as Snow White, and an assorted cast of goons who look like they'd been kicked through the discount aisle at a fancy dress store, all of whom would come out dancing to his music (which also oddly shifted from a sitar intro to a completely different sounding song). This gimmick was dead as soon as it soft-launched on NXT, before completely tanking on the main roster. It was every bit as rubbish as this sounds, and made Leo Kruger seem like a potential Hall of Famer.