10 Most Memorable WWE Mystery Opponents

5. Tazz (Royal Rumble 2000)

The Undertaker Debut Survivor Series 1990
WWE.com

Madison Square Garden was never short on seeing mystery reveals and the 2000 Royal Rumble was no different.

At the 2000 Royal Rumble, Tazz made his WWE debut amid much hype, coming over from the lauded, Paul Heyman-lead promotion, ECW. The wrestler known as the "Human Suplex Machine" took on the undefeated Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, himself only having debuted a couple of months prior.

If debuts are any indication of how a WWE superstar's career will turn out, Tazz should've been a multi-time world champion and present day Hall Of Famer. As it is, a wrestler's debut is important, but the follow-up and what comes after is what really determines whether any single WWE superstar sinks or swims.

While Tazz shouldn't be considered someone who sank, he certainly didn't swim up to the level that fans had expected based on his Royal Rumble victory over Angle.

Tazz has even gone on record as saying he knew that he was in trouble based on the pop he received that evening in MSG. The notion was that, since he wasn't an original WWE creation yet received an incredible reaction from the crowd, WWE officials would not be happy and wouldn't be anxious to push the incoming ECW star any further.

He wasn't wrong.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.