10 Wrestling Debuts That Changed Everything

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Scott Hall

Scott Hall WCW
WWE.com

Some might point to Hulk Hogan's WCW debut as a watershed moment for the organisation; it definitely was, though it didn't quite come with that cutting edge cool the company hoped. They didn't become must-see because of Hulk, but instead another place for the big orange chap to prolong his babyface run.

Then, "Hey yo".

Scott Hall's unadvertised debut on the 27 May 1996 Nitro was markedly different from vignette-laden intros of the time. By showing up in street clothes, coming in through the crowd, not immediately attacking anyone in WCW and making his intentions known, Hall birthed that nWo cool fans would come to know and love.

By the time Kevin Nash followed suit and the pair joined forces with Hogan, the ante had been seriously upped for WCW as a WWF competitor. Nothing would ever be the same again. WCW became hot sh*t, and Vince McMahon was forced to admit that the cartoonish tripe his WWF was serving up needed an overhaul.

Hall's debut shouldn't be overlooked as a game-changing, industry-defining moment.

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What other wrestling debuts changed things permanently? For more like this, check out 7 WWE WrestleMania Endings That Were Botched and 10 Legends WWE Dumped In Awful Feuds!

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Contributor

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.