10 WWE Superstars Who Didn't Debut As Wrestlers

1. CM Punk

First Appearance: 2 April 2006

Official Debut: 4 July 2006

Although he had been working in OVW since 2005, CM Punk's first appearance on WWE television proper was at WrestleMania 22. Mania was held in Chigaco that year, and John Cena had prepared an elaborate, Al Capone-esque entrance in honor of the Windy Apple's notorious criminal history. Cena was driven to the stage of the Allstate Arena in a vintage 1930s car, and perched on the running board with a tommy gun was none other than CM Punk, the ultimate pro wrestling Chicagoan.

Only a month after this appearance, CM Punk would win the OVW Championship, and a little under two months after that he would appear on the WWE version of ECW. CM Punk would go on to have a stellar WWE career, including avenging this ignominous debut with his crowning achievement, also at the Allstate Arena: defeating John Cena to capture the WWE Championship before escaping into the stands.

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Long-time fan (scholar?) of professional wrestling, kaiju films and comparative mythology. Aspiring two-fisted adventurer.