10 Terrible Wrestling Debuts (That Led To Awesome Careers)

3. Edge

Edge The Undertaker
WWE.com

The Debut:

Edge endured a nightmare start to his WWE career; badly injuring Jose Estrada, Jr. in a freak accident, that he wasn't punished or driven back to proto-developmental was a sign of how much faith the company had in him from the start. Of significantly less importance, all things considered, was that he debuted under a half-baked 'What's in now?' direction, as creative settled on an undefined 'The kids are a bit moody now, aren't they' gimmick that failed to connect with said kids.

The Career:

After transposing his charisma and wit into the reimagined version of his persona, and proving to management that he had the personality and the willingness to give his body to the cause, Edge was rewarded with a singles push. He soared as an incorrigible scumbag with a keen sense of how to work a match as a heel. Edge used his unusual, unimposing physique to his advantage by recognising it; spear aside, he was an excellent defensive wrestler with a supreme, in-character knack for spotting the opportunity for a counter.

In this post: 
Triple H
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!