10 Most Disastrous Wrestling Debuts Ever
7. Glacier
WCW made a number of failed attempts at cashing-in on fashionable pop culture movements through their last decade, and the next two entries typify their failings perfectly.
Glacier was the company’s attempt at taking advantage of Mortal Kombat’s immense popularity at the time. Initially debuting through a series of vignettes, Glacier felt like a direct aping of the game’s Sub Zero character, and fell victim to the New World Order storyline’s immense success. His appearances coincided with the nWo really taking off, so WCW opted to hold back on Glacier’s debut… for a whole five months.
Yes, WCW ran almost half a year’s worth of Glacier vignettes before debuting the character in September 1996. By that point, fan interest in the character had all but evaporated, and his actual debut only made matters worse. Glacier debuted on WCW Pro, the company’s fourth most important show at the time, which is akin to calling-up Samoa Joe and having him debut on Main Event in 2016.
As daft as the character was, Glacier was never given a chance to get over after debuting on the D-show. His entrance and extravagant ring attire cost the company an alleged $500,00 at the time, and he used them just four times over his run’s early stages. The endless vignettes and cold (ahem) debut killed any chance Glacier had of building momentum, and he never ascended beyond midcard level through his WCW tenure.