5 WWE Superstars Vince McMahon disliked at first but went on to become megastars
You often hear it from ex-WWE Superstars that the first impression Vince McMahon has of you can prove to be important in how he sees you. Obviously, even if this is true, there are still exceptions to the rule.
Sometimes a WWE Superstar just has 'it' and even a bad first impression can't hold them back. From AJ Styles to a John Cena, let's take a look at five such Superstars who didn't impress Vince McMahon at first but went on to become megastars in WWE.
#5 AJ Styles
AJ Styles made his long-awaited WWE debut during the 2016 Royal Rumble match. Despite the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the WWE fans, one person who wasn't particularly impressed with AJ Styles' debut was Vince McMahon himself.
While discussing his debut on his Twitch stream, AJ said that Vince McMahon thought the reaction he got from the WWE Universe was a fluke:
You've got to find a way to make a name for yourself and everybody has to do it. It's when you get an opportunity to get into the ring, you hope that Vince is watching or someone else. You hope that there is a reaction, right? That was the great thing that I had... the reaction that I got at the Royal Rumble 2016 was awesome. It was amazing, but Vince didn't really believe that - [he thought] that it was a fluke, basically. That's what he thought it was. H/T: WrestlingINC
AJ Styles revealed that he wasn't initially booked for RAW the following night but Vince was convinced to change his mind on that. Styles added that Vince McMahon was not impressed with his in-ring work and told him that he already had Superstars who could do what he saw from Styles. It was only after a conversation with Vince McMahon did AJ Styles learn what exactly the WWE CEO wanted from him:
I wasn't even going to be on RAW the next day, but they convinced him otherwise. I had a match and I think he was [unimpressed], like, 'Whatever, I've got guys that can do this'. And he literally told me that. But once Vince sat me down and said, 'This is what I need from you'. After he told me what he needed, I had one chance to show him exactly who he wanted. And that's what happened. H/T: WrestlingINC
After his conversation with Vince McMahon, AJ Styles quickly changed his mind and since then, has gone on to become one of WWE's biggest stars right now, winning the WWE Championship twice.