10 Embarrassing WWE Debuts You’ve Totally Forgotten About

2. Lord Tensai (2 April 2012 - Raw)

Lord Tensai Debut
WWE.com

What could be worse than being reminded you used to play a human penis for a living when you're trying to get a new gimmick over? That might be up there on the list of things no person wants to experience, but it happened to the physically dominant heel monster Lord Tensai on the 2 April 2012 Raw.

Fans in Miami had a blast roaring "Aaaaaaaalbeeeeert!" at the big guy.

Unwavering, Tensai did his able best to squash John Cena's favourite wrestler Alex Riley and become WWE's new heel sensation. It was an uphill battle, and it wasn't going to happen. No amount of tattoos, incongruous Japanese lore or flashy entrance routines could sell people on the thought that Prince Albert/Albert/A-Train was some fearsome samurai overlord.

This gimmick belonged in 1993, not 2012. To think, it also debuted 24 hours after WrestleMania XXVIII; that was a poor decision on WWE's part. The post-'Mania Raw crowds are well-known for trolling, being drunk and demanding neat surprises. Debuting Tensai here was creative sabotage.

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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.