10 Secret Debuts Of Famous Wrestlers

2. Francine

10 Secret Debuts Of Famous Wrestlers
WWE

As much of a fixture of the early editions of Monday Night Raw as Rob Bartlett's sh*t jokes or that yellow Bob Backlund t-shirt beloved by the Manhattan Center locals, future 'Queen Of Extreme' Francine Fournier was ringside a full 13 years before she briefly worked for WWE, and just weeks before she formally entered the industry via ECW's House Of Hardcore.

With WWE chained to the North East for much of that period due to a distinct lack of interest in the product elsewhere, the Philadelphia native (and future Philadelphia wrestling icon) was regularly front row or at very least in the glare of a camera she'd capture a lot more of over the rest of the decade.

By the time Francine took a paycheque from Vince McMahon, the version of ECW she'd become a star in was already extinct - she worked a handful of shows following the 2006 relaunch of the brand before an October release.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett