Every Wrestling Rookie Of The Year: Where Are They Now?

32. 1991: Johnny B. Badd

Essa Rios Lita
WWE

Using a vaguely passing resemblance to Little Richard as his entire gimmick, Badd's early WCW work ages rather horribly, but at the time, he was an athletic stud with a distinct brand of charisma - hence why he was projected for stardom.

He made the jump to the WWF in 1996, and worked a superb match with Steve Austin at King Of The Ring - but by the time Austin started to get hot, Marc Mero's gimmick was anachronistic. Boxing shorts-wearing protective husband didn't get over, either, and he never did end up working Austin again. He ruined his main event prospects by selling for Sable in 1998.

These days, he espouses the power of positivity through his Champion of Choices non-profit.

A decent bloke by industry standards, it would seem.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!