Ranking What Was Really The Best Wrestling Debut Every Year 1990-2021

24. 1998 - X-Pac

X Pac Debut
WWE

Bizarrely, what was an incredible year for professional wrestling was piss-poor in regards to the debut.

The best shock jumps happened in 1996, 1999 and 2000. The very hottest and most competitive year of the Monday Night Wars was lacking in that area, which underscores how well each promotion did to navigate their best talents (Austin, Goldberg) to the top.

X-Pac's re-debut was an exception, and while usually this author page refuses to sanction any 123 Kid slander, his promo was a bit lame. It wasn't lame at the time. The word "ass" was over in any context, as was any shoot. "Well...you suck, pal!" wasn't quite Stevester-tier satire, but it got over.

The timing was better than the content; just 24 hours removed from the monstrous success of WrestleMania XIV, X-Pac's arrival depicted the WWF as the place to be.

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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!