10 Terrible Wrestling Debuts (That Led To Awesome Careers)
7. Batista
The Debut:
Known as Leviathan in his OVW proving ground, the gimmick was daft, but effective in context, and far more suited to his look and skill-set than the dross WWE devised: an absolute monster of a man with a body sculpted to Vince McMahon's bespoke pleasure was dressed in a suit (!) as a member of the church (!). "Who the hell is that?" asked Tazz on the May 9, 2002 SmackDown, as Deacon Batista's gigantic arm covered the foreground of a backstage shot. The answer: an associate of an evil reverend, as if Friar F*cking Ferguson was a gimmick worth reprising. The Deacon just stood there, looking creepy, but it turns out he was just as mystified as the rest of us.
The Career:
After dropping this dire early experiment, Batista erupted as a headliner following an excellent, long-simmering rivalry with his Evolution faction leader Triple H, in which his explosive power was developed and exploited to incredible effect. A badass destroyer capable of working electric hoss battles, Batista developed such real, cool presence and comedic timing that he eventually found rare character actor acclaim in Hollywood, and is equally revered as a meme incarnate.