10 Disastrous Wrestling Debuts

4. Kizarny

Shockmaster Fall Botch GIF
WWE.com

Kizarny's bizarre vignettes out-totalled his WWE in-ring time, in what must be a record. Those vignettes were incomprehensible - every word he uttered was spoken in an "iz"-infused secret carny lingo - so secret that nobody understood what he was prattling on about. Moreover, he was both jovial and creepy. It was impossible to determine on which side of the face/heel spectrum he resided.

But those words were not as incomprehensible as his in-ring debut. As he made his entrance, he tagged the outstretched hands of ringside fans. His alignment was cleared up, at least.

What wasn't clear was how he made it to the main roster in the first place (clue: John Laurinaitis). His debut match, opposite MVP on the January 2, 2009 episode of SmackDown, was an absolute disaster. He overshot a routine cross-body by about two feet. It was a botch from which he did not recover. In attempting to slide across the ring to take a bump to the outside, his chest bounced off the apron. This truncated motion resulted in a faltering descent; with no momentum to carry him forward, his head bounced sickeningly on the matting below.

"That was an ugly landing," Tazz observed on commentary. No sh*t.

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!