10 Wrestler Debuts That Blew Us Away

2. Scott Hall - Nitro (27 May 1996)

In terms of historical context, this one might be number one. However, if you go back and watch the footage, it might not be as exciting as you remember. This is because the WCW crowd was surprisingly tepid at seeing a WWF wrestler invade their promotion. Times were different then.

“You want a war? You’re gonna get one.”

Even without an insane pop accompanying him, Scott Hall changed the wrestling landscape forever when he challenged "Billionaire Ted's" best to meet him and two of his friends in the ring. After emerging from the crowd and walking through the ropes, he didn’t lay out both men in the ring with a pair of Razor’s Edges. He didn’t even throw a single punch. Razor Ramon standing in a WCW ring was enough of a shock.

For fans who watched both WCW and the WWF at the time, this was a mind blowing moment. They had never seen anything like it. Hall still had the mannerisms of Ramon but he wasn't called by that name. He wasn't called by any gimmick name. Eric Bischoff wisely went with the approach of giving Hall his birth name for his character, giving the angle more realism.

This unforgettable moment on Nitro was merely a peek of what was to come. It set the tone for the Monday Night Wars, when you never knew who was going to show up. Before too long, WCW brought in many more WWF mainstays in Kevin Nash, Rick Rude, Crush, Mr. Perfect, 1-2-3 Kid, Ultimate Warrior and others. Still, it was the first interloper Hall who remained their most impactful punch at their competition.