Debuts come in all shapes and sizes, but some are more memorable than others. Some light the world on fire and some are full of disappointment.
Like all sports, the importance of a debut is huge. It can create a major star instantly and, in this case, every wrestler wants to debut like Chris Jericho or Kane.
With major promotion, it is a wrestler’s first impression on the crowd that often rules how the career will pan out for the next year or so.
WWE has traditionally shone a lot of focus on important debuts, but it doesn’t always go exactly as planned. The long list of stories varies from pure talent struggling to fight for the top spot to workers that never had what it took.
The most important thing to remember is that a good debut does not guarantee further success, as seen in a lot of cases.
Contrary to this, some of the most well-known Superstars have introductions that no one remembers, and typically for all the wrong reasons – take The Rock and Steve Austin as examples.
Although a memorable debut is always a desire for wrestlers starting their career, it is never the end of the world. If they are shown support from the crowd, they are off to a good start.
The fans are hugely important. They want their sport to continue to evolve and giving new wrestlers debuts is at the heart of this evolution.
Wrestlers feed off the crowd as they really are the driving force behind performances sometimes. Let’s be honest – who doesn’t love to watch an interesting, well-performed debut?
WhatCulture has formed a list of star debutants every year from 1990 up until 2021. The variety of talent on show is amazing and this may take you on a trip down memory lane.
1990 – The Undertaker
1991 – Ric Flair
1992 – Nailz
1993 – 123 Kid
1994 – Hulk Hogan
1995 – Steve Austin
1996 – Scott Hall
1997 – Kane
1998 – X-Pac
1999 – Chris Jericho
2000 – Tazz
2001 – Rob Van Dam
2002 – Brock Lesnar
2003 – Goldberg
2004 – Carlito
2005 – Christian Cage
2006 – CM Punk
2007 – Santino Marella
2008 – Jack Swagger
2009 – Desmond Wolfe
2010 – The Nexus
2011 – Kharma
2012 – The Shieldhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/KR8I3X21wrE?feature=oembed
2013 – The Wyatt Family
2014 – Kevin Owens
2015 – Kevin Owens
2016 – Shinsuke Nakamura
2017 – Chris Jericho
2018 – Rey Mysterio
2019 – Jon Moxley
2020 – Sting
2021 – CM Punk
