15 MORE Wrestlers WWE Debuted In The Worst Way Possible
13. Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and a mountain of a man. He also unfortunately lacked any kind of charisma or a face that's recognisable to WWE fans in the same way as Conor McGregor or pre-WWE Ronda Rousey might have been.
With WWE striking a five-year, billion-dollar deal for the Fox Network to air SmackDown in the US, the October 4th, 2019 debut show for that needed something huge to kick off that partnership. There was a cameo from The Rock, before fans were enraged by Brock Lesnar defeating Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship in less than 2 mins. The episode then ended with Rey Mysterio bringing Velasquez to the ring to confront 'The Beast Incarnate'.
Even now WWE been acquired by the owner of the UFC, TKO, the Venn diagram of fans who like both the UFC and WWE is a tiny pool. Hardly anybody recognized Velasquez, and everybody learned very quickly that the legendary MMA fighter was a terrible fit for pro wrestling. He was released within 6 months of his deal starting, with one loss to Brock Lesnar serving as his only match in WWE.