When a new superstar or Diva debuts on Raw, the old adage that you never get a second chance to make a first impression often applies. Look at how the Shield debuted in 2012, interfering in a PPV main event title match, then going the better part of a year being unbeatable as a team. The Wyatt Familys vignettes in 2013 garnered a tremendous amount of interest before they ever debuted. But in 2014, wrestler debuts and reintroductions were mishandled several times, stunting performers growth and killing any momentum they might have had. Paige came into WWE the night after WrestleMania XXX as the reigning NXT Womens Champion in front of a super-smarky crowd and she won the Divas Championship that night. She then had a heatless reign, turned heel and now is shunted down behind the Bella Twins in the title scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUzV60cUH9I Bo Dallas push was jettisoned early. Adam Roses entourage was way too tiny for a WWE arena, a problem anyone who was thinking for 10 seconds would have discovered, thus negating his characters impact. Emma got partnered with Santino Marella in a comedy team that went nowhere and has left her flying solo largely as a joke. Fandangos new and improved character took away the only thing that was appealing his sing-along entrance music and just gave us a guy in black coming out to silence. And it looks like the New Day trio of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods is not off to a great start, already being relegated to pre-PPV status. 2014 definitely wont be known for its stellar debuts.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
