10 Wrestlers Who Peaked In Their First Match

2. Tazz

Dustin Cody Rhodes AEW Double Or Nothing 2019
WWE.com

It really sucks to put Taz/Tazz here, because any old-school ECW mark could tell you he should've been more in the WWF. The 'Human Suplex Machine' probably signed for the promotion in the wrong era - he'd have been awesome during the peak NXT days, for example, and would likely experience even greater success now.

Still, Tazz's Royal Rumble 2000 debut was a scorcher. Then-rookie Kurt Angle bumped like a madman for the debutant, so much so that WWF management worried some of Tazz's suplexes looked a bit reckless. That'd come back to bite him hard, which seems totally unfair considering some of the dangerous sh*t others in the company had been doing.

If only he'd been leaping off high structures, eh?

As a wrestler, Tazz's WWF/WWE career would never be better than it was on 23 January 2000. He looked like the man by demolishing an unbeaten Olympian, and Madison Square Garden greeted his arrival with a pop that must've made Vince McMahon see dollar signs spinning.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.