10 Most Memorable WWE Mystery Opponents
For better or worse, these ten mystery reveals stick in the memory.
If there's one thing that professional wrestling fans love, it's a well-planned - yet shocking - surprise.
Unfortunately, not every surprise can be as great as the Randy Savage/Elizabeth reunion from WrestleMania VII (I'm dating myself, but you get the idea). Perhaps the "cheap pop" of pro-wrestling surprises would be that of a mystery opponent. Or mystery partner. Or mystery cornerman. Or mystery referee.
Basically, any appearance that is advertised in advance as being an unknown.
As you can see, there are many different contexts for mystery appearances on WWE television and it is a trope that the company has went back to quite often for the 30 years it has operated under Vincent Kennedy McMahon. From special guest referees to main event wrestlers, talents from all walks of wrestling-life have been inserted into events and onto cards with hopes that the surprise element will boost viewership and peak interest.
If the audience reacts favourably to surprises, why not promote the idea that they're likely to see one? Well, some have certainly worked better than others.
Not every mystery appearance turns out to be a legendary moment, destined to live long in the memory. Then again, WWE does have a decent track record of delivery on their mystery talents. Regardless of whether it was fantastically-planned and executed or if it was a poor decision and rushed, these following 10 surprise appearances are the most memorable in WWE history.
10. John Cena (SmackDown 2002)
Like another legendary WWE superstar and future Hall Of Famer, John Cena began his WWE career as a mystery opponent. An open challenge would be issued by Kurt Angle in which Cena answered and fought valiantly before falling to double-arm pinning combination.
Following the match, Cena was congratulated on having such a fantastic, competitive contest with the Olympic gold medalist by numerous WWE legends, with the most important and memorable stamp of approval coming from The Undertaker.
As everyone that is reading this knows, Cena went on to become one of the most successful superstars in WWE history, even adopting his own open challenge in 2015 as WWE United States Champion.
While his career is no doubt far from over (the 15-time world champion is likely to break Ric Flair's world title wins of 16 before he calls it quits), it all began on the big stage as Kurt Angle's mystery opponent.