10 Most Disastrous Wrestling Debuts Ever

As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

First impressions are quick, powerful, and lasting: it takes the average person just a couple of seconds to decide what they think of somebody they’ve just met, and these initial interactions set the tone for an entire relationship. Whether socially or in the workplace, first impressions are hard to shake-off, and it’s absolutely vital to get off on the best possible footing.

Bad impressions have a tendency to sink-in, and whether justified or not, they’re often impossible to overturn. The last thing you want to do is sully your rapport with somebody without ever giving it a chance to grow, and bad introductions are just as disastrous in the wrestling world as anywhere else.

A wrestler’s relationship with the fans is critical to their long-term success. Get over early, and the worker has a great chance to build a long, successful career as a heavily-pushed superstar. Should they fall on their face, however, the wrestler is doomed to struggle from day one, and their once-promising career might be cut-off at the knees before it’s even truly started.

From industry debuts to first appearances with new companies, here are the 10 most disastrous wrestling debuts ever.

Lord Tensai was WWE’s attempt to reboot Matt Bloom following a highly-productive seven-year run over in Japan. Having previously wrestled for the company as Albert and A-Train, “Tensai” was WWE’s shot at cashing-in on Bloom’s success as AJPW and NJPW’s Giant Bernard, a character that had seen him gain significant success as a dominant gaijin wrestler.

Tensai debuted on an April 2012 episode of Raw following two weeks’ of vignettes and build-up, but nobody cared. His appearance failed to garner even the faintest of murmurs from the crowd, and it was clear from the moment he stepped in the ring that Tensai wasn’t going to be taken seriously. The fans chanted “ALBERT!” mockingly at him throughout his debut against Alex Riley, and as the match reached its closing stages, they were singing Daniel Bryan’s name.

Originally set to be built as WWE’s next monster heel, Tensai enjoyed big wins over John Cena and CM Punk early in his run, but WWE abandoned the push as soon as they realised nobody was interested. Tensai’s run became a turgid mess, and in just a few months, Tensai had gone from WWE’s intended next big thing to Brodus Clay’s comedy dancing sidekick.