10 Disappointing Wrestling Reveals That Let EVERYBODY Down

There's nothing quite like a great reveal in wrestling.

We still get goosebumps remembering the thunderous pop that greeted The Rock when he returned as WrestleMania XXVII's host, and the revelation that Hulk Hogan was the nWo's third man turned WCW from also-rans into serious threats to WWE's crown.

A good wrestling reveal is what happens when the hype balloon, having been puffed up for weeks or months on end, explodes in a roar of sound and fury, signifying greatness. A bad reveal, on the other hand, is what happens when the hype balloon doesn't so much explode as deflate limply, and the audience reaction is less "sound and fury", more "shrug and sigh".

Naturally, it's the latter type of reveal this article will be taking a look at.

Oh, and before we begin - "It's...it's Christian" will not be appearing on this list. Christian's return to WWE programming was a welcome sight for wrestling fans (even if it did happen on WWE's ill-fated ECW revival), and his arrival deserved a damn sight more excitement than that engendered by Todd Grisham's notoriouly apathetic announcement.

Christian's arrival in AEW, however, was a genuine disappointment.

Once again, Christian found his arrival stymied by forces outside his control. Except in this case it wasn't atrocious announcing that ensured the beleagured wrestler stumbled out of the starting gates - rather, it was unrealistic expectations brought about by the AEW hype machine.

To give the necessary context, AEW had recently made waves by luring Paul Wight, a.k.a. The Big Show, away from the WWE. This pilfering of a hugely recognisable talent felt like a big statement from Tony Khan’s company, but it was immediately overshadowed by Wight promising he would introduce another big name at AEW's upcoming pay-per-view.

This immediately sent the wrestling world buzzing. After all, if Paul Wight's AEW debut was mere prelude to this mysterious newcomer's arrival, then the latter had to be a bigger name, right? As such, when Christian - a great wrestler, but definitely a less well-known figure than the man brought in to announce him - came through the curtain, it was hard not to feel disappointed.

Again, this wasn't Christian's fault. If AEW hadn't made such a song and dance about their new mystery signing, Christian would have generated a huge buzz when he stepped through the curtain. Good thing AEW never made that mistake again! (Spoiler warning: they definitely made that mistake again).