10 WWE Wrestlers Who Lost On Their Debut

AJ Styles technically lost his first WWE match two years ago when he became one of 29 men to fail to win the Royal Rumble - but that's not the defeat we're referring to here.

Rather, it's his WWF debut about 14 years earlier, a match against resident crime-fighter The Hurricane on a January 2002 episode of Metal (which was kind of like a discount version of Heat, minus any of the memorable moments).

Watched by Mighty Molly at ringside, it was Hurricane who scored the victory, pinning his opponent in about five minutes after hitting him with a Vertebreaker. With much of the contest dominated by the man in green, there wasn't much opportunity for AJ to showcase his talent either.

It's almost tempting to admonish WWE officials of 15 years ago for failing to identify the potential of the Phenomenal One - they offered him a developmental deal, though clearly one that wasn't lucrative enough for him to up sticks - but, without his experiences in TNA and Japan, it's likely he wouldn't be the same performer he is today.