10 WWE Wrestlers Who Survived HORRIBLE Debuts
2. The Rock
This might be cheating slightly as The Rock's WWE debut was a runaway success from a kayfabe perspective. The company's first ever third-generation superstar was part of a 5-on-5 elimination match at the 1996 Survivor Series.
As Rocky Maivia, he eliminated Crush and Goldust to win the bout for his team and end the night as the sole survivor. Unfortunately, he did so while looking like a massive dweeb. With floppy hair, tassels and a level of forced smile usually reserved for real estate agents, Rocky was simply inviting people to bully him.
His impressive in-ring display couldn't overcome the god-awful presentation WWE had saddled him with, and crowds immediately decided they didn't like this blue chipper with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Their treatment of him only got worse over the next few months. Crowds fully turned against this bland babyface, as chants of "Die Rocky Die" rang out in arenas across the country. Of course, this would all be forgotten when he turned heel, joined the Nation Of Domination and changed his name to 'The Rock'.
The rest, as they say, is history.