10 Wrestler Debuts That Blew Us Away

1. Chris Jericho - Raw (9 August 1999)

If you’re a longtime wrestling fan, you almost certainly remember where you were when Chris Jericho debuted in the WWF.

At that point in time, Jericho was painfully underutilized in WCW. The main event scene was being hogged by the nWo and other wrestlers whose best days were years (or a decade) behind them. Meanwhile, Jericho was treated as a midcarder known purely for comedy. It was funny, but a waste of his talent. When his contract ran up, he jumped ship in the hopes of becoming a major star. His new boss saw far more potential in him than his old one did, as he gifted Jericho the opportunity of letting him go head-to-head on the mic with the most electrifying wrestler on the planet.

Before Y2J's arrival, fans were teased for weeks with a mysterious “Countdown to the Millennium" graphic that would randomly show up. When the timer ran its course during a Rock in-ring promo, an all-time classic Raw moment was born. Jericho walked out and announced he was the only one who could save the show and in due time, fans would be chanting "Go Jericho Go!" Believe it or not, The Rock didn't appreciate this interruption and tore the newcomer down in equally entertaining fashion. It was one of the rare times that a WWE mystery paid off wonderfully.

One thing is for sure, after this debut, the company would never, eeeeeeeeeeeeeever be the same... again.