10 Disastrous Wrestling Debuts

9. The Shockmaster

Shockmaster Fall Botch GIF
WWE.com

The very name of the Shockmaster has been drenched, retrospectively, in irony. He did shock the wrestling world - into fits of convulsive laughter, which have echoed well beyond 1993.

Debuting on the Clash of the Champions XXIV Flair For The Gold segment, the former Tugboat, set to wrestle in the fabled War Games match at the imminent Fall Brawl Pay Per View, was introduced by Sting. His words were never more prescient. "All I have to say is," he began, "our partner is going to shock the world because he is none other than the Shockmaster!" he screamed.

On cue, a blaze of pyrotechnic flame engulfed the studio. It was followed immediately by the Shockmaster himself - who tore through the paper wall behind which he stood. Regrettably, he failed to take into account the panel of wood at his feet, tripping ingloriously over it in the process. "Oh God," wailed Ric Flair, as Shockmaster scrambled on the floor to reattach the glittered stormtrooper helmet which had flown off his head. Even funnier was Davey Boy Smith's reaction."He fell flat on his f*ckin' arse," he moaned in his thick Greater Mancunian brogue.

"You wanna piece of me?" Shockmaster asked Sid. "Come and get me!" If a plank of wood could take Shockmaster down, he probably wasn't concerned.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!