10 Wrestlers That Shouldn't Have Lost Their WrestleMania Debuts

5. Triple H

Triple H Ultimate Warrior.jpg
WWE.com

Say what you will about Triple H being notorious for "burying" younger talent, he has put over his fair share of aspiring athletes at WrestleMania throughout the course of his career. Chris Benoit, Batista, John Cena, Daniel Bryan and most recently Roman Reigns are prime examples of that.

How ironic then that HHH was himself the victim of a burial on the grandest stage of them all back in 1996. 

Mere months removed from his highly touted WWE debut, Hunter Hearst Helmsey found himself in a prominent spot on the WrestleMania 12 card against the returning Ultimate Warrior. It was the ultimate opportunity for WWE to make a star out of the future Cerebral Assassin even in defeat, but it unfortunately had the opposite effect on him.

Warrior refused to give Triple H any offence whatsoever, resulting in a squash match that lasted all of a minute and a half. Warrior was gone from the company a short while later, and HHH was bounced all the way back down the card. Any momentum he had going up to that point went to waste, but as fans soon realized, the career of the King of Kings would pan out just fine. 

Still, what a lousy way to debut at The Show of Shows.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.