5 Times WWE Superstars lost their debut match
On last week's WWE Monday Night RAW, we saw the NXT Champion Karrion Kross make his debut on the main roster. His first opponent? Bonafide first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Hardy.
How'd the Bringer of Doomsday do? Well...
Yep. The WWE star, who had not been pinned or submitted at that point, was beaten in just over a minute on his RAW debut. Kross' loss was incredibly controversial, as the WWE Universe questioned why the company would have Kross run through the best NXT had to offer just to end his undefeated streak like this.
Though rare, Kross isn't the first major star to lose his first match on WWE's main roster. Hopefully, like the men on this list, Kross will bounce back and rise to the top of the business in the next few years.
Today we'll be taking a look at five other times WWE Superstars lost their debut matches. We're kicking things off with a man who recently returned to the company last week. Play his music, Paul!
#5 John Cena shows his ruthless aggression on WWE SmackDown
The only reason this isn't higher on the list is because it's so well known. Seriously, who doesn't know this one? WWE have, themselves, parodied John Cena and his delivery of the line "Ruthless Aggression" a few times over in recent years. At WrestleMania 36, Bray Wyatt took Cena back in time to that moment, where the Cenation Leader screamed it like a battle cry before missing every single punch.
On an episode of NXT in June, Adam Cole faced off against Carmelo Hayes. When Cole asked why Hayes thought he could step up to the face of the brand, Hayes screamed "Ruthless Aggression" and attacked the NXT Triple Crown Champion.
It's a classic moment in WWE history. After finally accepting the fact that he was now bald, Angle issued an open challenge to anyone that he'd never wrestled before. The man to answer the challenge? A young John Cena wearing, of all things, tights. No jorts at this point, and it's pretty jarring.
Angle was met with a slap across the face, and Cena fired up on the future WWE Hall of Famer. It was a great showing for someone who would end up being one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all-time. Angle would catch Cena with a pinfall, barely escaping with the win over the debuting star.