10 Best WWE Pay-Per-View Debuts Ever

4. Rey Mysterio (SummerSlam 2002)

Kurt Angle Rey Mysterio SummerSlam 2002
WWE.com

Pushing the reset button on Rey Mysterio was the best thing that WWE could have done in the summer of 2002. After WCW had threatened to ruin Mysterio's appeal (imagine that) by unmasking him, WWE did everything in their power to present Rey as a star attraction.

So good were Mysterio's first appearances on SmackDown that he was put against Kurt Angle at SummerSlam. The result was one of the greatest SummerSlam openers ever, and Angle clearly enjoyed the chance to wrestle someone smaller after years of jousting with those of similar size and larger in WWE.

Rey was slick and smooth, never missing a step as he fired uncannily good offensive flurries at Angle. Even though Angle would come out on top as the match winner, it was obvious that Mysterio had done enough to be considered for a higher-profile role in WWE. This was the performance that really caught everyone's attention, including Vince McMahon.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.