10 Weirdest Wrestling Debuts Ever

8. Ricky Steamboat

Otis Dozovic Alexa Bliss
WWE Network

Ahead of Clash of the Champions XVII, Enforcers Arn Anderson and Larry Zbysko broke Barry Windham's arm in order to avoid defending the WCW World Tag Team Titles.

His partner, Dustin Rhodes, had plan B hidden up his sleeve: some absolute dork dressed in a dragon wig with crocodile teeth. Bemused punters barely reacted, for this was Jim Herd's WCW. Plausibly, this new character wasn't necessarily a bait and switch. This could very easily have been the debut of Croc Man - WCW's new family-friendly, super-sh*tty superstar set to take a big bite out of the competition!

So this secret weapon wandered out to the ring, accompanied by a southern-fried rock n' roll entrance theme. Mercifully, any threat of a debuting 'The Rockin' Croc' dissipated as company legend and incredible pro wrestler Ricky Steamboat re-debuted and unmasked to the delight - and doubtless relief - of the crowd. Arn Anderson sold this terror wonderfully - you could almost smell the sh*t on the inside of his trunks - and the whole WTF thing started as a priceless rib at the expense of the cartoonish WWF, and ended in a thrilling southern-style tag match.

Weird, yes, but also wonderful.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential 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 former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!