There are quite a few ways to introduce a new wrestler. You could go the route of Brock Lesnar or The Shield, and have them interrupt a match and destroy every competitor in the ring. It's certainly proved to be effective. Or you could show up on NXT and gradually transition your way onto the main roster like Emma or Big E. But perhaps the most exciting and memorable way to make an impact is with a series of intriguing video vignettes to hype their arrival. This method builds anticipation for when the talent debuts, and gives fans a glimpse into what their character is all about. It allows time to to imagine just how good the wrestler will be, and how they'll stack up against current superstars. Of course, having a great vignette doesn't always mean that the character will have success. We've seen quite a few flops over the years after receiving a lot of advanced hype. But a series of well produced promos certainly doesn't hurt their chances of getting over. From evil masterminds to future hall of famers, let's countdown the top 10 best vignettes that introduced us to new WWE characters.
10. Nathan Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmqJsqI7Vlk Sometimes terrible wrestlers get great vignettes. It's just the way the world works. Such was the case of Nathan Jones, the Wrestling Observer's winner for most embarrassing wrestler of the year in 2003. Jones was a man who went to prison for seven years for a string of armed robberies in Australia. A few years after he got out, he picked up wrestling and was soon signed to a WWE contract. To play of his criminal past, the company aired a series of promos from inside a prison cell. Jones' voice played over the video, and cryptically talked about what he'd do when he came to WWE. Then, a hand burst through the window on the door and reached out at us! It was pretty cool. Finally, Jones did make his debut...and it was a bust. He had the talent of being really, really big and not much else. Think of a slightly more mobile Great Khali in his prime. WWE tried to mask his deficiencies by pairing him up with The Undertaker, but it wasn't quite working. Jones also didn't have the passion for the business, so he quit on an Australian tour. He just went home. And to think, all those cool vignettes could have gone to someone else instead!
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
