5 Huge WWE debuts that ended up disappointing
There's an old adage, that you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
In the WWE, this is particularly true, with a Superstar often living or dying by the first glimpse the WWE Universe get of them.
The Shield certainly got off on the right foot on the main roster, appearing at Survivor Series 2012, in all black, and destroying everyone in their path.
But for as successful as The Shield was, there are stars like The Shockmaster, who is perhaps solely known for his disastrous debut, where he fell flat on his face in WCW.
Even in WWE, things have not always gone smoothly, and whilst some stars have debuted with all the hype, this has often fizzled out.
Here are 5 WWE Superstars who had huge debuts, but ended up disappointing.
#5 Tazz
No-one could ever accuse Tazz of being flashy, but his debut at the 2000 Royal Rumble may go down as one of the best debuts in WWE history.
When Kurt Angle, who had debuted himself just a few months prior, issued an open challenge with his signature smug demeanour, there’s no chance that the Olympian expected the ECW Superstar to answer, emerging in Madison Square Garden, and choking out Angle in the middle of the ring.
Ending the Wrestling Machine’s undefeated streak, this was sadly a career peak for Tazz, who would quickly slide down the company’s totem pole.
Despite a strong initial showing, including winning the ECW Championship whilst working for the WWE, things would come crashing down when he lost to Triple H on SmackDown, and failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship.
After returning from an arm injury, the Human Suplex Machine was put into an awful feud with commentators Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, which was a sign of things to come.
After failing to get over with the crowd, possibly the lowest part of Tazz’s career came at the 2001 Royal Rumble, just one year after his epic debut, where he was eliminated from the Rumble match in just 10 seconds, shorter than Al Snow, William Regal and even Drew Carey.
After failing to become relevant again, Tazz started transitioning to the commentary desk throughout the year, and by the end of 2002, was working full-time with Michael Cole on SmackDown, never reaching the highs he could have.