10 Disastrous Wrestling Debuts

5. Tito Ortiz

Shockmaster Fall Botch GIF
TNA

TNA's habit of declaring mystery announcements was so histrionically over-the-top that anything less than the second coming of Jesus himself would have disappointed the weary fanbase. That those surprises were invariably awful rendered North America's second promotion a total joke at times - a desperate, clingy, needy friend you didn't quite have the heart to cut out of your life. They were trying, after all.

Most awful of all was the #August1Warning. Nobody was expecting anybody monumental. TNA had already established itself as wrestling's most luxurious, easygoing retirement community - the place where most every ex-WCW and WWE name had already set up their hammocks for one last breezy payday.

That said, a wrestler would have been nice. Instead, UFC legend Tito Ortiz rather unceremoniously waddled out to the entrance ramp on the August 1, 2013 Impact. There was no tron countdown, no telegraphing - he simply walked out after the lights went down for all of four seconds. Uncharacteristically for TNA, zero anticipation was built.

The problem with Ortiz is that nobody in the building knew he was. He stood there, arms crossed, like an idiot. TNA, unfathomably, went the 'Taker/Triple H silent showdown route - a catastrophic misjudgement. His aura wasn't enough to carry the segment. To those fans, he didn't have one. If they had, it might have somewhat justified the incongruous, hilariously terrified reactions of the Main Event Mafia and Aces & Eights

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!